Mormons: How did Nephi with a few men on a new continent build a temple like Solomon's...?

Question

...while Solomon needed 163,300 workmen and seven years to build his temple?
(1 Kings 5:13-18 and 2 Nephi 5:15-17).

Answer 1

Sarah -- A temple does not have to be extravagant.??????????????????????

Have you seen the Mormon ones?? Holy Smith.

Answer 2

"And I, Nephi, did build a temple; and I did construct it after the temple of Solomon save it were not built of so many precious things; for they were not to be found upon the land, wherefore, it could not be built like unto Solomon's temple."

Okay, so Solomon's Temple was built by 163,300 men over a period of 7 years (or about 2088 man/days with time off for the Sabbath and Passover and Pre-Columbus day). Let's assume it was scaled to 1/1000 the scale of the original, or something on the scale of a small apartment: 750 sf. Hardly a holy Jewish place of worship, but well within their means with so few adults present.

Here's an interesting idea - How did Nephi know so much about architecture, construction, metallurgy, road-building etc, when he arrived in the new world as a young man? Did Lehi teach him everything? Were Laman and Lemuel actually craftsmen who got a bum wrap? How did this instant technology develop so instantaneously? Did the brass plates of Laban contain the engineering and architectural records of Jerusalem Building Code?

So, even if these guys DID exist, the chances of building anything slightly extravagant in the Jungles of Guatemala while attempting to survive in a completely different and hostile environment is not only unlikely, but next to impossible.

If Smith would've been born in 1985, he might've had a different story: "And I, Nephi did go out unto Lowes and with the Club of Sam, and did purchase many things thereof to render a new carbon footprint in the new land of promise with the debit card of the lord that I know giveth not unto the children of men save he have an account set aside for them.."

Like I said before, it's not even good fiction.

Answer 3

A temple does not have to be extravagant. Notice that Nephi says that it did not have "so many precious things, for they were not to be found upon the land." King Solomon's temple was more ornate than this one. A temple does not have to have the "extras" to be a temple of God.

And if you would read ALL of 1 Nephi, then you would learn that by the time this took place, there had been many children born who grew up and had children, who grew and had children. Nephi was an old man and was the prophet/spiritual leader to his people. There would have been hundreds of people by this point.

Here is a link to the Book of Mormon online for all the world to read:

Answer 4

I think the question should be, why did it take so many men to build Solomon's temple? 1 Kings 5:15 says they had 80,000 men cutting stone in the mountains, with 70,000 men hauling loads. Doesn't that sound a bit excessive?

How big of a temple did they need in America for so people?

Answer 5

It never says how many people it took to build the temple, or how long it took.

It's also possible that is was built to a smaller scale then Solomon's temple. It may be in the likeness of the original temple, but that doesn't mean it wasn't scaled down some. Just look at models that have been built "in the likeness of" something bigger. They look like it, can have the same features and the same dimensions scaled down to a smaller size. That way, everything is in the same place, same order, but just smaller.

Answer 6

This is another thing that Joseph Smith did not recognize when he wrote the BOM. Another question is how the people reproduced as fast as rabbits to get as many in the continent as they had.
Back to the temple. There are a few options on the temple:
1) it could not have been built because there is no trace of it
2) it would not be as ornate as Solomon's because that is the time consuming stuff
3) is not any of them that belong to the Incans and the Mayans because the timing of them being built is wrong, they are not built to God and the culture is anything but Jewish/Christian.

Answer 7

He built a temple like unto Solomon's, but doubtful it was as big as Solomons. A smaller size means it wouldn't take as long, and/or would not take as many men.

Answer 8

17 And when my brethren saw that I was about to build a ship, they began to murmur against me, saying: Our brother is a fool, for he thinketh that he can build a ship; yea, and he also thinketh that he can cross these great waters.
23 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, spake unto them, saying:...
50 And I said unto them: If God had commanded me to do all things I could do them. If he should command me that I should say unto this water, be thou earth, it should be earth; and if I should say it, it would be done.
51 And now, if the Lord has such great power, and has wrought so many miracles among the children of men, how is it that he cannot instruct me, that I should build a ship?"

Same applies to your question. If God commands, and we are obediant, and do all we can do to obey the commandment, then He will provide a way for the thing in which He hath commanded to become accomplished.
I repeat, "And now, if the Lord has such great power, and has wrought so many miracles among the children of men, how is it that he cannot instruct me, that I should build a ship?"

Answer 9

How many is a few men? Maybe a few was really a lot.
Ther were thousands of people by that time. There could have been hundreds or even thousands of people working to build the temple.

Answer 10

pretty amazing -- the did work miracles

I assume that there were a few more people that you suspect though.

And I believe it was after the pattern of Solomon and not actually exactly the same

Answer 11

Probably because they were using a better value for pi than Solomon's builders were using (1 Kings 7:23).