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. |
5 Hiram congratulates Solomon on his accession, and agrees to furnish him with workmen and timber for the temple, Ki1 5:1-9.
The work is well done, and the workmen paid, Ki1 5:10-18.
5:6 They - That is, thy servants. And this assistance which these Gentiles gave to the building of Solomon's temple, was a type ofthe calling of the Gentiles, and that they should be instrumental inbuilding and constituting Christ's spiritual temple. Cedar - trees - Whichfor their soundness, and strength, and fragrancy, and durableness, weremost proper for his design. Of these David had procured some, but nota sufficient number. Lebanon - Which was in Solomon's jurisdiction:and therefore he doth not desire that Hiram would give him the cedars,because they were his own already; but only that his servants might hewthem for him; which the ingenious Tyrians well understood. With thyservants - Either to be employed therein as they shall direct; or toreceive the cedars, from their hands, and transmit them to me. Hire - Paythem for their labour and art. Sidonians - Or Tyrians: for theseplaces and people being near, are promiscuously used one for another.
5:7 Rejoiced - Being a faithful friend to David and his house, and tho' it is not probable he was a sincere proselyte, yet he had sufficientinformation concerning the nature and excellency of the God of Israel,and had honourable thoughts of him.
5:9 The sea - The mid - land sea. Floats - Or, rafts. It is thought the timber were tied together in the water, as now is usual, and soby the help of boats or ships, conveyed to the appointed place, which was atno great distance. Household - My family and court, which most properlyis called his house.
5:11 Measures - Heb. twenty cors pure oil; but in Ch2 2:10, it is twenty thousand baths of oil. To which there is added twentythousand measures of barley, and twenty thousand baths of wine.Either therefore, first, he speaks of several things. Or, secondly, hespeaks there of what Solomon offered: for it runs thus, I will give;and here of what Hiram accepted. Or, thirdly, the barley, and wine, andtwenty thousand baths of common oil, mentioned Ch2 2:10, mustbe added to the twenty thousand measures of wheat, and the twentymeasures of pure oil here expressed, and the whole sum is to be made upfrom both places; that book of Chronicles being written to supply andcompleat the histories of the books of Samuel, and of the Kings.Gave Hiram - Either, first, for sustenance to the workmen, during theyears wherein they were employed in the cutting down and hewing of timber.Or, for the yearly support of the king's house, during the said time.Thus by the wise disposal of providence, one country has need of another,and is benefited by another, that there may be a mutual correspondence anddependence, to the glory of God our common Parent.
5:13 The levy - Which were to be employed in the most honourable and easy parts of the work relating to the temple; and these wereIsraelites; but those fifteen hundred thousand mentioned ver. Ki1 5:15,were strangers. If it seem strange, that so many thousands should beemployed about so small a building as the temple was; it must be considered,
5:16 Three thousand etc - Whereof three thousand were set over the fifteen hundred thousand, expressed ver. Ki1 5:15, each of these, over fiftyof them, and the odd three hundred were set over these three thousand, eachof these to have the oversight of ten of them, to take an account of thework for them. But in Ch2 2:18, these overseers are said to bethirty - six hundred. The three thousand added in Ch2 2:2, might bea reserve, to supply the places of the other three thousand: yea, or of thethirty - three hundred, as any of them should be taken off from the work bydeath, or sickness, or weakness, or necessary occasions; which was a prudentprovision, and not unusual in like cases. And so there were thirty - sixhundred commissioned for the work, but only thirty - three hundred employed atone time; and therefore both computations fairly stand together.
5:17 Great and costly - Marble and porphyry, or other stones of great size and value. The foundation - Where they could not afterward be seen:and therefore that this was done, is mentioned only as a point ofmagnificence, except it was intended for a type, or mystical significationof the preciousness of Christ, who is the foundation of the true temple,the church of God.
5:18 Stone - squarers - Heb. the Giblites, the inhabitants of Gebel, a place near Zidon, famous for artificers and architects,Jos 13:5. These are here mentioned apart, distinct from the rest ofHiram's builders, as the most eminent of them.