Since three different structures are said to have been built the same way, Good News Translation restructures the information by placing the names of the three structures together at the beginning of this verse.

Regarding The great court, see the comments on verse 9. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh refers to it here as “The large surrounding courtyard.”

Three courses of hewn stone round about, and a course of cedar beams: As in 6.36, a literal translation of these words may give the false impression that the walls of the structures mentioned here had only three layers of stone and one layer of cedar beams on top. The meaning, however, seems to be that there were “three courses of dressed stone to one layer of cedar beams” (New Revised Standard Version) and that this pattern was repeated at least a few times.

The inner court of the house of the LORD: See the comments on 1 Kgs 6.36.

Vestibule: See the discussion on this technical term at 1 Kgs 6.3.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Kings, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .