דברי הימים ב, פרק ג׳, פסוק ו׳

The inner design of the Temple was marked by extraordinary majesty, utilizing the rarest and most valuable materials available. A combination of precious stones and unique gold was used to give the structure an unmatched sense of glory. To achieve this beauty, precious stones were embedded directly into gold settings along the walls [רש״י, מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. However, another perspective suggests that these dazzling stones were not set into the walls at all, but were instead placed on the ceiling of the chamber [רלב״ג].

This specific chamber was the Holy of Holies, the innermost sanctuary. Understanding the exact placement of these stones helps clarify the physical structure of this sacred space and resolves a gap with the account in the Book of Kings. The main sanctuary stood thirty cubits high, but the interior wood and gold paneling of the Holy of Holies only reached a height of twenty cubits. The remaining ten cubits at the very top were the exact area covered by the precious stones. Because the stones were restricted to this upper third of the Holy of Holies, the Book of Kings could accurately state that no stone was visible in the main hall [מלבי״ם].

Complementing these stones was a specific type of pure, highly refined gold used to plate the Holy of Holies [רש״י, רלב״ג, מלבי״ם]. The primary approach among commentators is that this gold was named after the geographic region from which it was brought [רש״י, מצודת ציון, רד״ק]. Alongside this geographic explanation, an ancient tradition offers a different understanding based on the gold's unique appearance. According to this view, the gold possessed a deep, bold red hue, closely resembling the blood of bulls, which gave it its distinct name [רש״י, מצודת ציון, רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ].