מלכים א, פרק ו׳, פסוק א׳

The moment construction began on the First Temple marked a profound historical and spiritual milestone. It formed a bridge between the Israelites' departure from Egypt and the firm establishment of Solomon’s kingdom. The recording of the exact date reveals a deliberate, divine timeline rather than a simple historical record. Exactly 480 years passed from the Exodus and the raising of the Tabernacle by Moses until Solomon began building the Temple [מלבי״ם, אברבנאל, אהבת יהונתן]. Miraculously, this exact cycle of time repeated itself. The First Temple stood for 410 years, followed by 70 years of Babylonian exile. Together, these add up to another 480 years before the Second Temple was built by Ezra and Zerubbabel.

These three major historical points reflect a gradual decline in the spiritual state of the people, moving from the supreme holiness of Moses, through the era of Solomon, and ending with Zerubbabel [אברבנאל]. Symbolically, these 480-year periods are compared to the phases of a divine day. The Tabernacle of Moses represents the evening, Solomon's Temple signifies the morning, and the Second Temple brings the entire day to its completion [אהבת יהונתן].

Construction finally commenced in the fourth year of Solomon's reign. Since King David had already prepared the building plans and gathered many materials, a question arises as to why Solomon waited four years to begin. One explanation is that establishing his rule and organizing the massive, complex logistics required significant time [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Alternatively, Solomon wished to finance the Temple using his own personal wealth rather than relying entirely on his father's donations. He spent those initial years accumulating his own resources, eventually storing David's original contributions away in the Temple treasury [אברבנאל].

The work began in the spring month of Ziv, which corresponds to the month of Iyar. The name Ziv translates to glow, brightness, or light, perfectly capturing the season when flowers and buds emerge in their full, radiant glory [רש״י, מצודת ציון, רד״ק, אברבנאל]. It is identified as the second month to clarify the calendar order, as Nissan is counted as the first month of the year [רש״י, רד״ק, אברבנאל, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. At this time, Solomon officially laid the foundation and began erecting the central structure [מצודת דוד, רלב״ג, רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ, אברבנאל]. This main building encompassed the Holy of Holies, the central sanctuary, and the entrance hall [אברבנאל].