1 And Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants unto Solomon; for he had heard that they had anointed him king in the room of his father: for Hiram was ever a lover of David.
2 And Solomon sent to Hiram, saying,
3 Thou knowest how that David my father could not build an house unto the name of the LORD his God for the wars which were about him on every side, until the LORD put them under the soles of his feet.
4 But now the LORD my God hath given me rest on every side, so that there is neither adversary nor evil occurrent.
5 And, behold, I purpose to build an house unto the name of the LORD my God, as the LORD spake unto David my father, saying, Thy son, whom I will set upon thy throne in thy room, he shall build an house unto my name.
6 Now therefore command thou that they hew me cedar trees out of Lebanon; and my servants shall be with thy servants: and unto thee will I give hire for thy servants according to all that thou shalt appoint: for thou knowest that there is not among us any that can skill to hew timber like unto the Sidonians.
7 And it came to pass, when Hiram heard the words of Solomon, that he rejoiced greatly, and said, Blessed be the LORD this day, which hath given unto David a wise son over this great people.
8 And Hiram sent to Solomon, saying, I have considered the things which thou sentest to me for: and I will do all thy desire concerning timber of cedar, and concerning timber of fir.
9 My servants shall bring them down from Lebanon unto the sea: and I will convey them by sea in floats unto the place that thou shalt appoint me, and will cause them to be discharged there, and thou shalt receive them: and thou shalt accomplish my desire, in giving food for my household.
10 So Hiram gave Solomon cedar trees and fir trees according to all his desire.
11 And Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand measures of wheat for food to his household, and twenty measures of pure oil: thus gave Solomon to Hiram year by year.
12 And the LORD gave Solomon wisdom, as he promised him: and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon; and they two made a league together.
13 And king Solomon raised a levy out of all Israel; and the levy was thirty thousand men.
14 And he sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month by courses: a month they were in Lebanon, and two months at home: and Adoniram was over the levy.
15 And Solomon had threescore and ten thousand that bare burdens, and fourscore thousand hewers in the mountains;
16 Beside the chief of Solomon's officers which were over the work, three thousand and three hundred, which ruled over the people that wrought in the work.
17 And the king commanded, and they brought great stones, costly stones, and hewed stones, to lay the foundation of the house.
18 And Solomon's builders and Hiram's builders did hew them, and the stonesquarers: so they prepared timber and stones to build the house.
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
1 And Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants unto Solomon; for he had heard that they had anointed him king in the room of his father: for Hiram was ever a lover of David.
2 And Solomon sent to Hiram, saying,
3 Thou knowest how that David my father could not build a house for the name of Jehovah his God for the wars which were about him on every side, until Jehovah put them under the soles of his feet.
4 But now Jehovah my God hath given me rest on every side; there is neither adversary, nor evil occurrence.
5 And, behold, I purpose to build a house for the name of Jehovah my God, as Jehovah spake unto David my father, saying, Thy son, whom I will set upon thy throne in thy room, he shall build the house for my name.
6 Now therefore command thou that they cut me cedar-trees out of Lebanon; and my servants shall be with thy servants; and I will give thee hire for thy servants according to all that thou shalt say: for thou knowest that there is not among us any that knoweth how to cut timber like unto the Sidonians.
7 And it came to pass, when Hiram heard the words of Solomon, that he rejoiced greatly, and said, Blessed be Jehovah this day, who hath given unto David a wise son over this great people.
8 And Hiram sent to Solomon, saying, I have heard `the message' which thou hast sent unto me: I will do all thy desire concerning timber of cedar, and concerning timber of fir.
9 My servants shall bring them down from Lebanon unto the sea; and I will make them into rafts to go by sea unto the place that thou shalt appoint me, and will cause them to be broken up there, and thou shalt receive them; and thou shalt accomplish my desire, in giving food for my household.
10 So Hiram gave Solomon timber of cedar and timber of fir according to all his desire.
11 And Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand measures of wheat for food to his household, and twenty measures of pure oil: thus gave Solomon to Hiram year by year.
12 And Jehovah gave Solomon wisdom, as he promised him; and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon; and they two made a league together.
13 And king Solomon raised a levy out of all Israel; and the levy was thirty thousand men.
14 And he sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month by courses; a month they were in Lebanon, and two months at home; and Adoniram was over the men subject to taskwork.
15 And Solomon had threescore and ten thousand that bare burdens, and fourscore thousand that were hewers in the mountains;
16 besides Solomon's chief officers that were over the work, three thousand and three hundred, who bare rule over the people that wrought in the work.
17 And the king commanded, and they hewed out great stones, costly stones, to lay the foundation of the house with wrought stone.
18 And Solomon's builders and Hiram's builders and the Gebalites did fashion them, and prepared the timber and the stones to build the house.
1 And Hiram king of Tyre sendeth his servants unto Solomon, for he heard that they had anointed him for king instead of his father, for Hiram was a lover of David all the days;
2 and Solomon sendeth unto Hiram, saying,
3 `Thou hast known David my father, that he hath not been able to build a house to the name of Jehovah his God, because of the wars that have been round about him, till Jehovah's putting them under the soles of his feet.
4 `And now, Jehovah my God hath given rest to me round about, there is no adversary nor evil occurrence,
5 and lo, I am saying to build a house to the name of Jehovah my God, as Jehovah spake unto David my father, saying, Thy son whom I appoint in thy stead on thy throne, he doth build the house for My name.
6 `And now, command, and they cut down for me cedars out of Lebanon, and my servants are with thy servants, and the hire of thy servants I give to thee according to all that thou sayest, for thou hast known that there is not among us a man acquainted with cutting wood, like the Sidonians.'
7 And it cometh to pass at Hiram's hearing the words of Solomon, that he rejoiceth exceedingly, and saith, `Blessed `is' Jehovah to-day, who hath given to David a wise son over this numerous people.'
8 And Hiram sendeth unto Solomon, saying, I have heard that which thou hast sent unto me, I do all thy desire concerning cedar-wood, and fir-wood,
9 my servants bring down from Lebanon to the sea, and I make them floats in the sea unto the place that thou sendest unto me, and I have spread them out there; and thou dost take `them' up, and thou dost execute my desire, to give the food of my house.'
10 And Hiram is giving to Solomon cedar-trees, and fir-trees, all his desire,
11 and Solomon hath given to Hiram twenty thousand cors of wheat, food for his house, and twenty cors of beaten oil; thus doth Solomon give to Hiram year by year.
12 And Jehovah hath given wisdom to Solomon as He spake to him, and there is peace between Hiram and Solomon, and they make a covenant both of them.
13 And king Solomon lifteth up a tribute out of all Israel, and the tribute is thirty thousand men,
14 and he sendeth them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month, by changes, a month they are in Lebanon, two months in their own house; and Adoniram `is' over the tribute.
15 And king Solomon hath seventy thousand bearing burdens, and eighty thousand hewing in the mountain,
16 apart from the heads of the officers of Solomon, who `are' over the work, three thousand and three hundred, those ruling over the people who are working in the business.
17 And the king commandeth, and they bring great stones, precious stone, to lay the foundation of the house, hewn stones;
18 and the builders of Solomon, and the builders of Hiram, and the Giblites hew, and prepare the wood and the stones to build the house.
1 And Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon; for he had heard that they had anointed him king in the place of his father; for Hiram always loved David.
2 And Solomon sent to Hiram, saying,
3 Thou knowest that David my father could not build a house unto the name of Jehovah his God, because of the wars which were about him on every side, until Jehovah put them under the soles of his feet.
4 But now Jehovah my God has given me rest on every side: there is neither adversary nor evil event.
5 And behold, I purpose to build a house unto the name of Jehovah my God, as Jehovah spoke to David my father saying, Thy son, whom I will set upon thy throne in thy stead, he shall build a house unto my name.
6 And now command that they hew me cedar-trees out of Lebanon; and my servants shall be with thy servants; and I will give thee hire for thy servants according to all that thou shalt say; for thou knowest that there is not among us any that are experienced in cutting timber like to the Zidonians.
7 And it came to pass when Hiram heard the words of Solomon, that he rejoiced greatly, and said, Blessed be Jehovah this day, who has given to David a wise son over this great people.
8 And Hiram sent to Solomon, saying, I have heard the things which thou sentest to me for: I will do all thy desire concerning timber of cedar, and concerning timber of cypress.
9 My servants shall bring [them] down from Lebanon to the sea; and I will convey them by sea [in] rafts to the place that thou shalt appoint me, and will cause them to be broken up there, and thou shalt receive them. And thou shalt accomplish my desire in giving food for my household.
10 So Hiram gave Solomon cedar-trees and cypress-trees [according to] all his desire.
11 And Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand measures of wheat as food for his household, and twenty measures of beaten oil: thus gave Solomon to Hiram year by year.
12 And Jehovah gave Solomon wisdom as he promised him. And there was peace between Hiram and Solomon; and they two made a league.
13 And king Solomon raised a levy out of all Israel; and the levy was thirty thousand men.
14 And he sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month by courses; a month they were in Lebanon, two months at home; and Adoniram was over the levy.
15 And Solomon had seventy thousand that bore burdens, and eighty thousand stone-masons in the mountains;
16 besides the overseers whom Solomon had set over the work, three thousand three hundred, who ruled over the people that wrought in the work.
17 And the king commanded, and they brought great stones, costly stones, hewn stones, to lay the foundation of the house.
18 And Solomon's builders and Hiram's builders and the Giblites hewed them, and prepared timber and stones to build the house.
1 Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon; for he had heard that they had anointed him king in the room of his father: for Hiram was ever a lover of David.
2 Solomon sent to Hiram, saying,
3 You know how that David my father could not build a house for the name of Yahweh his God for the wars which were about him on every side, until Yahweh put them under the soles of his feet.
4 But now Yahweh my God has given me rest on every side; there is neither adversary, nor evil occurrence.
5 Behold, I purpose to build a house for the name of Yahweh my God, as Yahweh spoke to David my father, saying, Your son, whom I will set on your throne in your room, he shall build the house for my name.
6 Now therefore command you that they cut me cedar trees out of Lebanon; and my servants shall be with your servants; and I will give you hire for your servants according to all that you shall say: for you know that there is not among us any who knows how to cut timber like the Sidonians.
7 It happened, when Hiram heard the words of Solomon, that he rejoiced greatly, and said, Blessed be Yahweh this day, who has given to David a wise son over this great people.
8 Hiram sent to Solomon, saying, I have heard [the message] which you have sent to me: I will do all your desire concerning timber of cedar, and concerning timber of fir.
9 My servants shall bring them down from Lebanon to the sea; and I will make them into rafts to go by sea to the place that you shall appoint me, and will cause them to be broken up there, and you shall receive them; and you shall accomplish my desire, in giving food for my household.
10 So Hiram gave Solomon timber of cedar and timber of fir according to all his desire.
11 Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand measures of wheat for food to his household, and twenty measures of pure oil: thus gave Solomon to Hiram year by year.
12 Yahweh gave Solomon wisdom, as he promised him; and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon; and they two made a league together.
13 King Solomon raised a levy out of all Israel; and the levy was thirty thousand men.
14 He sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month by courses; a month they were in Lebanon, and two months at home; and Adoniram was over the men subject to forced labor.
15 Solomon had seventy thousand who bore burdens, and eighty thousand who were stone cutters in the mountains;
16 besides Solomon's chief officers who were over the work, three thousand and three hundred, who bore rule over the people who labored in the work.
17 The king commanded, and they hewed out great stones, costly stones, to lay the foundation of the house with worked stone.
18 Solomon's builders and Hiram's builders and the Gebalites did fashion them, and prepared the timber and the stones to build the house.
1 Now Hiram, king of Tyre, hearing that Solomon had been made king in place of his father, sent his servants to him; for Hiram had ever been a friend to David.
2 And Solomon sent back word to Hiram, saying,
3 You have knowledge that David my father was not able to make a house for the name of the Lord his God, because of the wars which were round him on every side, till the Lord put all those who were against him under his feet.
4 But now the Lord my God has given me rest on every side; no one is making trouble, and no evil is taking place.
5 And so it is my purpose to make a house for the name of the Lord my God, as he said to David my father, Your son, whom I will make king in your place, will be the builder of a house for my name.
6 So now, will you have cedar-trees from Lebanon cut down for me, and my servants will be with your servants; and I will give you payment for your servants at whatever rate you say; for it is common knowledge that we have no such wood-cutters among us as the men of Zidon.
7 And these words of Solomon made Hiram glad, and he said, Now may the Lord be praised who has given to David a wise son to be king over this great people.
8 Then Hiram sent to Solomon, saying; The words you sent have been given to me: I will do all your desire in the question of cedar-wood and cypress-wood.
9 My men will take them down from Lebanon to the sea, where I will have them corded together to go by sea to whatever place you say, and I will have them cut up there so that you may take them away; as for payment, it will be enough if you give me food for my people.
10 So Hiram gave Solomon all the cedar-wood and cypress-wood he had need of;
11 And Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand measures of grain, as food for his people, and twenty measures of clear oil; this he did every year.
12 Now the Lord had given Solomon wisdom, as he had said to him; and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and they made an agreement together.
13 Then King Solomon got together men for the forced work through all Israel, thirty thousand men in number;
14 And sent them to Lebanon in bands of ten thousand every month: for a month they were working in Lebanon and for two months in their country, and Adoniram was in control of them.
15 Then he had seventy thousand for the work of transport, and eighty thousand stone-cutters in the mountains;
16 In addition to the chiefs of the responsible men put by Solomon to oversee the work, three thousand and three hundred in authority over the workmen.
17 By the king's orders great stones, stones of high price, were cut out, so that the base of the house might be made of squared stone.
18 Solomon's builders and Hiram's builders did the work of cutting them, and put edges on them, and got the wood and the stone ready for the building of the house.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » John Gill's Exposition of the Bible » Commentary on 1 Kings 5
Commentary on 1 Kings 5 John Gill's Exposition of the Bible
INTRODUCTION TO 1 KINGS 5
This chapter relates Solomon's preparation for building the temple: on Hiram, king of Tyre, sending a congratulatory letter to him, he returned another to him, signifying his intention to build an house for God, and requesting him to supply him with timber, and men to work it, 1 Kings 5:1; to which Hiram readily agreed, and sent him cedar and fir, and Solomon in return sent him food for his household; and things went on very amicably between them, 1 Kings 5:7; the chapter concludes with an account of Solomon's workmen, where, how, and in what they were employed, 1 Kings 5:13.
And Hiram king of Tyre sent servants unto Solomon,.... His ambassadors, to condole him on the death of his father, and congratulate him on his accession to the throne; this king is called by the Phoenician historiansF19Apud Joseph. contr. Apion. l. 1. c. 17, 18. Hirom, and by EupolemusF20Apud Euseb. Praepar. Evangel. l. 9. c. 33, 34. Suron, as he is Huram in 2 Chronicles 2:3; and by Theophilus of AntiochF21Ad Antolyc. l. 3. p. 131, 132. Hierom the son of Abelmalus, in the twelfth year of whose reign the temple was built:
for he had heard that they had anointed him, king in the room of his father; that the Israelites had anointed him king:
for Hiram was ever a lover of David; a friend and ally of his; and we never read of the Tyrians being at war with him, or assisting any of his enemies.
And Solomon sent to Hiram,.... A letter, either by the hand of his ambassadors when they returned, as Kimchi thinks, or by ambassadors Solomon sent on purpose. JosephusF23Antiqu. l. 8. c. 2. sect. 8. appeals to the Tyrian archives for the genuineness of these letters that passed between Hiram and Solomon; and Eupolemus, an Heathen writerF24Ut Supra. (Apud Euseb. Praepar. Evangel. l. 9. c. 32,34.) has both this which Solomon sent to Hiram, and that which Hiram sent in answer to it, which agree with those in the sacred records:
saying: as follows.
Thou knowest how that David my father could not build an house unto the name of the Lord his God,.... As he designed, and was desirous of; and which Hiram might know not only by common fame, but from David himself, between whom there was an intercourse, and that in relation to cedars for building, which David had of Hiram, 2 Chronicles 2:3;
for the wars which were about him on every side; or warriors, as the Targum, the Philistines, Moabites, Edomites, and Syrians:
until the Lord put them under the soles of his feet; made them subject and tributary to him, as he did at length, see 2 Samuel 7:1, &c. so the "Cetib", or textual reading, is; but the "Keri", or marginal reading, is, "under the soles of my feet"; that is, Solomon's, which agrees with what follows; it was true of both.
But now the Lord my God hath given me rest on every side,.... From foreign enemies; for Solomon had no wars with any:
so that there is neither adversary; or Satan, no internal enemy in his kingdom, as well as no external ones, Adonijah, Joab, and other ill-designing persons, being cut off:
nor evil occurrent; nothing that rose up, and met him, to discourage or hinder the prosecution of the good work he had in view.
And, behold, I purpose to build an house unto the name of the Lord my God,.... For his worship, and for his honour and glory:
as the Lord spake unto David my father; by the prophet Nathan, 2 Samuel 7:12;
saying, thy son whom I will set upon thy throne in thy room, he shall build an house unto my name; which was no small encouragement to Solomon to go about this work; in which he was a type of Christ, the builder of his temple, the church, see Zechariah 6:12.
Now therefore command thou that they hew me cedars out of Lebanon,.... That is, order his servants to cut them down there for him. Some think that Lebanon belonged to the land of Israel, and therefore Solomon did not ask for the cedars upon it, but for his servants to hew them for him; but as it lay upon the borders of Israel, part of it might belong to them, and another part to Hiram, and on which the best cedars might grow, and so he furnished Solomon both with trees, and men to cut them, as it seems from 1 Kings 5:10; see also 2 Chronicles 2:3;
and my servants shall be with thy servants: to assist them, and to carry the timber from place to place, and to learn how to hew timber:
and unto thee will I give hire for thy servants, according to all that thou shalt appoint; pay them for their work and service, as Hiram himself should judge fit and reasonable for them; no mention being made of paying for the timber, seems to countenance the notion that the trees were Solomon's; but when the quantity of provisions sent yearly to Hiram for his household, besides what the servants had, is observed, it seems to have been sent as an equivalent to the timber received by Solomon, see 1 Kings 5:10;
for thou knowest that there is not among us any that can skill to hew timber like unto the Sidonians; it is not said Tyrians, the Sidonians, perhaps, being more skilful in this than they were; and the Sidonians are said by HomerF25Iliad. 23. ver. 743. to be πολυδαιδαλοι, very ingenious: and they were both under the jurisdiction and at the command of Hiram; so EupolemusF26Ut supra. (Apud Euseb. Praepar. Evangel. l. 9. c. 32, 34.) makes the inscription of Solomon's letter to him to run thus, to Suron (that is, Hiram) king of Tyre, Sidon, and Phoenicia. The Jews being chiefly employed in husbandry, and in feeding cattle, were very unskilful in mechanic arts, and in this of cutting down trees, and hewing timber; for there is skill to be exercised therein; the proper time of cutting down trees should be observed, the part in which they are to be cut, and the position in which they are to be put when cut down, as VitruviusF1De Architectura, l. 2. c. 9. directs, with other things, and PlinyF2Nat. Hist. l. 16. c. 39. observes the same.
And it came to pass, when Hiram heard the words of Solomon,.... The letter read he sent him:
that he rejoiced greatly; that the friendship which had subsisted between him and David was like to be continued between him and his successor, but chiefly for what follows:
saying, blessed be the Lord this day; or Jehovah, by which he seems to have some knowledge of the true God, the God of Israel, and might worship him, though along with him other deities, as some Heathen princes did:
which hath given unto David a wise son over this great people; which he perceived by the letter he sent him, and by his solicitous concern to build an house for the worship and honour of God, and by various other things which his ambassadors reported to him they had seen and heard in Solomon's court.
And Hiram sent to Solomon,.... A letter to him, to the following purpose:
saying, I have considered the things which thou sentest to me for; whether he could, and whether it was fitting he should grant his request; which was acting like a wise and prudent prince:
and I will do all thy desire concerning timber of cedar, and concerning timber of fir; or of cypress, as in Josephus's copy of this letter, and which grew on LebanonF3Diodor. Sic. l. 19. p. 700. ; these were odorous, sound, and durable timber, especially the cedar, and therefore chosen by Solomon for building.
My servants shall bring them down from Lebanon unto the sea,.... The Mediterranean sea, on which Tyre stood:
and I will convey them by sea in floats; which were either a sort of carriage for the timber the Tyrians and Sidonians had, being furnished with various navigable vessels; or these were the timber itself, and the planks of it, which being fastened together, were set afloat under the direction of some boats with oars, of which they had plenty:
unto the place that thou shalt appoint me; which was Joppa, as appears from 2 Chronicles 2:16; belonging to the land of Israel, in the same sea:
and will cause them to be discharged there; either to be unloaded from the vessels, or to be unloosed and taken up separately:
and thou shalt receive them; by his servants appointed there to bring them to Jerusalem, which was forty miles from Joppa:
and thou shalt accomplish my desire in giving food for my household; signifying, that all that he desired in return was, that he would supply him with corn or wheat, which he stood in need of, and his letter in JosephusF4Ut supra. (Antiqu. l. 8. c. 2. sect. 8.) expresses; and we find in later times this place was supplied with bread corn from Judea, see Ezra 3:7 Acts 12:20.
So Hiram, gave Solomon cedar trees, and fir trees,.... Ordered his servants to cut them down from Lebanon, and sent them to him in floats, which he received:
according to all his desire; he had as many as he requested, and what he wanted.
And Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand measures of wheat for food to his household,.... This measure was the Hebrew measure "cor", or "corus", and, according to Bishop CumberlandF5Scripture Weights and Measures, c. 3. p. 86. , its contents were 17,477 solid inches; it was equal to ten ephahs, each of which held two gallons and an half, and the cor held seventy five wine gallons five pints, and somewhat more; according to someF6Vid. Scheuchzer. Physic. Sacr. p. 517. , what it held was equal to six hundred forty eight Roman pounds; so that twenty thousand of them contained 12,960,000 pounds of wheat:
and twenty measures of pure oil; squeezed out of the olives without breaking them; the same kind of measure is here expressed as before, and the quantity answered to 12,960 Roman pounds; another writerF7Van Till in Cantic. Mosis, p. 54. reckons a cor to contain 1080 Roman pounds; so that Hiram had every year 21,600 pounds of oil. In 2 Chronicles 2:10, it is twenty thousand baths of oil now not to take notice that the measures are different, a bath was but the tenth part of a cor, reference is had to different things; here the writer relates what was given to Hiram for his own family, there what was given to the workmen, where several other things are mentioned besides these:
thus gave Solomon to Hiram year by year: so long as the building lasted, and the workmen were employed; but Abarbinel thinks that he gave it to him as long as he lived, out of his great munificence and liberality.
And the Lord gave Solomon wisdom, as he promised him,.... Which, among other things, appeared in his preparations for building the temple, and in his agreements with Hiram for timber and workmen for that purpose and by continuing and confirming friendship between himself and Hiram, who was so serviceable to him:
and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and they two made a league together; in order to continue and establish peace and friendship between them, which Solomon might lawfully do, the Tyrians being no part of the seven nations with whom alliances were forbidden.
And King Solomon raised a levy out of all Israel,.... Not of money, but of men, as follows:
and the levy was thirty thousand men; for what purpose, and how they were employed, 1 Kings 5:14 shows.
And he sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month by courses,.... In their turns; these are the servants of his he proposed to be with Hiram's servants, assisting in cutting down the trees, and squaring the timber in Lebanon, 1 Kings 5:6;
a month they were in Lebanon, and two months at home; that they might not be overworked; for they wrought but four months in the year in the hard service in Lebanon, the rest of their time was spent in managing their domestic affairs; these were Israelites:
and Adoniram was over the levy: the same that was over the tribute or the collectors of the tax, 1 Kings 4:6; and, according to the Targum, these were such persons.
And Solomon had threescore and ten thousand that bare burdens,.... Seventy thousand to carry the stones from the mountains out of which they were dug, and which were near Jerusalem, to the city; these were strangers in Israel, as were those that follow:
and fourscore thousand hewers in the mountains: eighty thousand that dug the stones out of the quarries, and squared them; these, with the others, made 150,000, see 2 Chronicles 2:17; according to Jacob LeonF7Relation of Memorable Things in the Temple, ch. 3. p. 14. , the number of workmen at the temple for seven years was 163,600, and some make them more.
Besides the chief of Solomon's officers which were over the work,.... Over the whole work, preparatory for the building of the temple; though it seems chiefly to have respect to that of hewing the stones, and bringing them to the city:
three thousand and three hundred which ruled over the people that wrought in the work; to keep them to their work, and to see that they performed it well: in 2 Chronicles 2:18; they are said to be 3600, which is three hundred more than here; those three hundred are the chief officers mentioned in the former part of this verse, which were over the whole work, and even over the 3600 overseers, and with them made up the sum of 3600; so Jacob LeonF8Relation of Memorable Things in the Temple, ch. 3. p. 14. observes there were 3300 master workmen, and three hundred commanders over them all.
And the king commanded, and they brought great stones,.... Not in quality, but in quantity, large stones, fit to lay in the foundation; strong, and durable against all the injuries of time, as Josephus saysF9Antiqu. l. 8. c. 3. sect. 2. :
costly stones; not what are commonly called precious stones, as gems, pearls, &c. but stones of value, as marble, porphyry, &c.
and hewed stones; not rough as they were taken out of the quarry, but hewed, and made smooth:
to lay the foundation of the house; which, though out of sight, was to be laid with goodly stones for the magnificence of the building; so the church of Christ, its foundation is said to be laid even with sapphires and other precious stones, see Isaiah 54:11.
And Solomon's builders and Hiram's builders did hew them,.... The stones; for it seems Solomon had not only hewers of wood, but of stone, from Hiram:
and the stonesquarers; or rather the Giblites, the men of Gebal, which were under the jurisdiction of Tyre, and were skilful in this sort of work, as some of them were in others, see Ezekiel 27:9;
so they prepared timber and stones to build the house; both Solomon's and Hiram's builders, and the large number of workmen, both Israelites and strangers; which latter were an emblem of the Gentiles concerned in the building of the spiritual temple, the church of Christ, Zechariah 6:15; and whereas the number of strangers that wrought for the building was far greater than that of the Israelites, it may denote the greater number of Gentiles in the Gospel church state mentioned besides these: thus gave Solomon to Hiram year by year: so long as the building lasted, and the workmen were employed; but Abarbinel thinks that he gave it to him as long as he lived, out of his great munificence and liberality.