1 And Hiram H2438 king H4428 of Tyre H6865 sent H7971 his servants H5650 unto Solomon; H8010 for he had heard H8085 that they had anointed H4886 him king H4428 in the room of his father: H1 for Hiram H2438 was ever H3117 a lover H157 of David. H1732
2 And Solomon H8010 sent H7971 to Hiram, H2438 saying, H559
3 Thou knowest H3045 how that David H1732 my father H1 could H3201 not build H1129 an house H1004 unto the name H8034 of the LORD H3068 his God H430 for H6440 the wars H4421 which were about him on every side, H5437 until the LORD H3068 put H5414 them under the soles H3709 of his feet. H7272
4 But now the LORD H3068 my God H430 hath given me rest H5117 on every side, H5439 so that there is neither adversary H7854 nor evil H7451 occurrent. H6294
5 And, behold, I purpose H559 to build H1129 an house H1004 unto the name H8034 of the LORD H3068 my God, H430 as the LORD H3068 spake H1696 unto David H1732 my father, H1 saying, H559 Thy son, H1121 whom I will set H5414 upon thy throne H3678 in thy room, he shall build H1129 an house H1004 unto my name. H8034
6 Now therefore command H6680 thou that they hew H3772 me cedar trees H730 out of Lebanon; H3844 and my servants H5650 shall be with thy servants: H5650 and unto thee will I give H5414 hire H7939 for thy servants H5650 according to all that thou shalt appoint: H559 for thou knowest H3045 that there is not among us any H376 that can skill H3045 to hew H3772 timber H6086 like unto the Sidonians. H6722
7 And it came to pass, when Hiram H2438 heard H8085 the words H1697 of Solomon, H8010 that he rejoiced H8055 greatly, H3966 and said, H559 Blessed H1288 be the LORD H3068 this day, H3117 which hath given H5414 unto David H1732 a wise H2450 son H1121 over this great H7227 people. H5971
8 And Hiram H2438 sent H7971 to Solomon, H8010 saying, H559 I have considered H8085 the things which thou sentest H7971 to me for: and I will do H6213 all thy desire H2656 concerning timber H6086 of cedar, H730 and concerning timber H6086 of fir. H1265
9 My servants H5650 shall bring them down H3381 from Lebanon H3844 unto the sea: H3220 and I will convey H7760 them by sea H3220 in floats H1702 unto the place H4725 that thou shalt appoint H7971 me, and will cause them to be discharged H5310 there, and thou shalt receive H5375 them: and thou shalt accomplish H6213 my desire, H2656 in giving H5414 food H3899 for my household. H1004
10 So Hiram H2438 gave H5414 Solomon H8010 cedar H730 trees H6086 and fir H1265 trees H6086 according to all his desire. H2656
11 And Solomon H8010 gave H5414 Hiram H2438 twenty H6242 thousand H505 measures H3734 of wheat H2406 for food H4361 to his household, H1004 and twenty H6242 measures H3734 of pure H3795 oil: H8081 thus gave H5414 Solomon H8010 to Hiram H2438 year H8141 by year. H8141
12 And the LORD H3068 gave H5414 Solomon H8010 wisdom, H2451 as he promised H1696 him: and there was peace H7965 between Hiram H2438 and Solomon; H8010 and they two H8147 made H3772 a league H1285 together. H8147
13 And king H4428 Solomon H8010 raised H5927 a levy H4522 out of all Israel; H3478 and the levy H4522 was thirty H7970 thousand H505 men. H376
14 And he sent H7971 them to Lebanon, H3844 ten H6235 thousand H505 a month H2320 by courses: H2487 a month H2320 they were in Lebanon, H3844 and two H8147 months H2320 at home: H1004 and Adoniram H141 was over the levy. H4522
15 And Solomon H8010 had threescore and ten H7657 thousand H505 that bare H5375 burdens, H5449 and fourscore H8084 thousand H505 hewers H2672 in the mountains; H2022
16 Beside the chief H8269 of Solomon's H8010 officers H5324 which were over the work, H4399 three H7969 thousand H505 and three H7969 hundred, H3967 which ruled H7287 over the people H5971 that wrought H6213 in the work. H4399
17 And the king H4428 commanded, H6680 and they brought H5265 great H1419 stones, H68 costly H3368 stones, H68 and hewed H1496 stones, H68 to lay the foundation H3245 of the house. H1004
18 And Solomon's H8010 builders H1129 and Hiram's H2438 builders H1129 did hew H6458 them, and the stonesquarers: H1382 so they prepared H3559 timber H6086 and stones H68 to build H1129 the house. H1004
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on 1 Kings 5
Commentary on 1 Kings 5 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 5
1Ki 5:1-6. Hiram Sends to Congratulate Solomon.
1. Hiram … sent his servants unto Solomon—the grandson of David's contemporary [Kitto]; or the same Hiram [Winer and others]. The friendly relations which the king of Tyre had cultivated with David are here seen renewed with his son and successor, by a message of condolence as well as of congratulation on his accession to the throne of Israel. The alliance between the two nations had been mutually beneficial by the encouragement of useful traffic. Israel, being agricultural, furnished corn and oil, while the Tyrians, who were a commercial people, gave in exchange their Phœnician manufactures, as well as the produce of foreign lands. A special treaty was now entered into in furtherance of that undertaking which was the great work of Solomon's splendid and peaceful reign.
6. command thou that they hew me cedar trees out of Lebanon—Nowhere else could Solomon have procured materials for the woodwork of his contemplated building. The forests of Lebanon, adjoining the seas in Solomon's time, belonged to the Phœnicians, and the timber being a lucrative branch of their exports, immense numbers of workmen were constantly employed in the felling of trees as well as the transportation and preparation of the wood. Hiram stipulated to furnish Solomon with as large a quantity of cedars and cypresses as he might require and it was a great additional obligation that he engaged to render the important service of having it brought down, probably by the Dog river, to the seaside, and conveyed along the coast in floats; that is, the logs being bound together, to the harbor of Joppa (2Ch 2:16), whence they could easily find the means of transport to Jerusalem.
my servants shall be with thy servants—The operations were to be on so extensive a scale that the Tyrians alone would be insufficient. A division of labor was necessary, and while the former would do the work that required skilful artisans, Solomon engaged to supply the laborers.
1Ki 5:7-12. Furnishes Timber to Build the Temple.
7. Blessed be the Lord—This language is no decisive evidence that Hiram was a worshipper of the true God, as he might use it only on the polytheistic principle of acknowledging Jehovah as the God of the Hebrews (see on 2Ch 2:11).
8. Hiram sent to Solomon, saying, I have considered the things … and I will do—The contract was drawn out formally in a written document (2Ch 2:11), which, according to Josephus, was preserved both in the Jewish and Tyrian records.
10. fir trees—rather, the cypress.
11. food to his household—This was an annual supply for the palace, different from that mentioned in 2Ch 2:10, which was for the workmen in the forests.
1Ki 5:13-18. Solomon's Workmen and Laborers.
13. Solomon raised a levy out of all Israel—The renewed notice of Solomon's divine gift of wisdom (1Ki 5:12) is evidently introduced to prepare for this record of the strong but prudent measures he took towards the accomplishment of his work. So great a stretch of arbitrary power as is implied in this compulsory levy would have raised great discontent, if not opposition, had not his wise arrangement of letting the laborers remain at home two months out of three, added to the sacredness of the work, reconciled the people to this forced labor. The carrying of burdens and the irksome work of excavating the quarries was assigned to the remnant of the Canaanites (1Ki 9:20; 2Ch 8:7-9) and war prisoners made by David—amounting to 153,600. The employment of persons of that condition in Eastern countries for carrying on any public work, would make this part of the arrangements the less thought of.
17. brought great stones—The stone of Lebanon is "hard, calcareous, whitish and sonorous, like free stone" [Shaw]. The same white and beautiful stone can be obtained in every part of Syria and Palestine.
hewed stones—or neatly polished, as the Hebrew word signifies (Ex 20:25). Both Jewish and Tyrian builders were employed in hewing these great stones.
18. and the stone squarers—The Margin, which renders it "the Giblites" (Jos 13:5), has long been considered a preferable translation. This marginal translation also must yield to another which has lately been proposed, by a slight change in the Hebrew text, and which would be rendered thus: "Solomon's builders, and Hiram's builders, did hew them and bevel them" [Thenius]. These great bevelled or grooved stones, measuring some twenty, others thirty feet in length, and from five to six feet in breadth, are still seen in the substructures about the ancient site of the temple; and, in the judgment of the most competent observers, were those originally employed "to lay the foundation of the house."