How long did Solomon’s temple last?
Construction of the temple was completed in the eleventh year of Solomon’s reign, 958 B.C. (1 Kings 6:38) Though often neglected during the reigns of ungodly kings (Ahaz, for example, in 2 Chronicles 28, and Manasseh in 2 Chronicles 33), the temple remained until finally destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar’s army in 586 B.C. (2 Kings 25:3–4) All told, it lasted 372 years. • So what did the Jews do this time without the sanctuary? Deuteronomy 28:64 – Then the LORD will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other, and there you shall serve other gods, which neither you nor your fathers have known—wood and stone. Centuries before, God had said what would happen if His people proved unfaithful. Not surprisingly, He was right. The Babylonians took many of the Jews captive, and forcibly resettled others in different locations around the empire. There were, of course, some who did not serve gods of wood and stone. Daniel, Ezekiel, and, in later years, Mordecai, for example.
