Albert Barnes Commentary 1 Kings 6:22

"And the whole house he overlaid with gold, until all the house was finished: also the whole altar that belonged to the oracle he overlaid with gold." — 1 Kings 6:22 (ASV)

The lavish use of precious metals in ornamentation was a special feature of early Oriental architecture. Recent research has given reason to believe that two stages of the great temple at Borsippa—now known as the Birs Nimrud—had a gold and a silver coating, respectively.