1Ki 5:1 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.
Hiram, king of Tyre - Menander of Ephesus, who wrote a history of Tyre in Greek, founded upon native Tyrian documents, about 300 B.C., mentioned this Hiram as the son of Abibaal king of Tyre, and said that he ascended the throne when he was nineteen; that he reigned thirty-four years, and, dying at the age of fifty-three, was succeeded by his son Baleazar. Menander spoke at some length of the dealings of Hiram with Solomon.
Hiram king of Tyre - It must have been at the beginning of Solomon’s reign that these ambassadors were sent. As Hiram had intimate alliance with David, and built his palace, 2Sa_5:11, he wished to maintain the same good understanding with his son, of whose wisdom he had no doubt heard the most advantageous accounts; and he loved the son because he always loved the father, for Hiram was ever a lover of David.
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. 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 Phoenician 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.
1Ki 5:2 And Solomon sent to Hiram, saying,
Solomon sent to Hiram - Made an interchange of ambassadors and friendly greetings.
1Ki 5:3 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.
the Lord put them under the soles of his feet - made them subject and tributary to him, as he did at length.
1Ki 5:4 But now the LORD my God hath given me rest on every side, so that there is neither adversary nor evil occurrent.
1Ki 5:5 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.
A house unto the name of the Lord - For his worship, and for his honor and glory:
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, Zec_6:12 And speak to him, saying, So speaks the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the Man whose name is The BRANCH! And He shall spring up out of His place, and He shall build the temple of the LORD.
1Ki 5:6 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.
Solomon’s message to Hiram and Hiram’s answer 1Ki_5:8-9 are given much more fully in 2Ch_2:3-16.
Cedar trees - The Tyrians made the masts of their ships from the wood Eze_27:5, and would naturally be as careful to cultivate it. The Assyrian kings, when they made their expeditions into Palestine, appear frequently to have cut it in Lebanon and Hermon, and to have transported it to their own capitals.
Skill to hew timber like unto the Sidonians - The mechanical genius and nautical skill of the Phoenicians generally, and of the Sidonians in particular, is noticed by Homer and Herodotus. Sidon was a part of the territories of Hiram, and its inhabitants appear to have been the most expert workmen. It requires more skill to fell and prepare timber than is generally supposed.
1Ki 5:7 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.
Blessed be the Lord this day - From this, and indeed from every part of Hiram’s conduct, it seems evident that he was a worshipper of the true God, the God of Israel or at least had knowledge of Him. Hiram expresses a fuller acknowledgment of the Lord in 2Ch_2:11, where he calls Him the Creator of heaven and earth.
1Ki 5:8 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.
I will do thy desire — The contract was drawn out formally in a written document 2Ch_2 which, according to Josephus, was preserved both in the Jewish and Tyrian records. Hiram then sent to Solomon, and promised in writing to comply with his wishes.
1Ki 5:9 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.
bring them down from Lebanon unto the sea - The timber was first carried westward from the flanks of Lebanon to the nearest part of the coast, where it was collected into floats, or rafts, which were then conveyed southward along the coast to Joppa, now Jaffa, from where the land journey to Jerusalem was not more than about forty miles. A similar course was taken on the building of the second temple Ezr_3:7.
Food for my household - The Phoenician cities had very little arable territory of their own, the mountain range of Lebanon rising rapidly behind them; and they probably imported the chief part of their sustenance from abroad. They seem commonly to have derived it from Judaea. Hiram agreed now to accept for his timber and for the services of his workmen 1Ki_5:6 a certain annual payment of grain and oil, both of them the best of their kind, for the sustentation of his court. This payment was entirely distinct from the supplies furnished to the workmen. In later times this place was supplied with bread corn from Judea, see Ezr_3:7 Act_12:20.
1Ki 5:10 So Hiram gave Solomon cedar trees and fir trees according to all his desire.
The temple was chiefly built by the riches and labor of Gentiles, which typified their being called into the church. Solomon commanded, and they brought costly stones 1 Kings 5:17 for the foundation. Christ, who is laid for a Foundation, is a chosen and precious Stone.
1Ki 5:11 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.
Solomon gave Hiram - The number of measures of wheat was considerably less than Solomon’s own annual consumption.
Year by year - during all the years that Solomon was engaged in building and was helped by Hiram.
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. Twenty thousand baths of oil are mentioned in Chronicles. But as barley and wine are also spoken of there, it is probable that the wheat mentioned here, and the small quantity of fine oil, were intended for the use of Hiram's own family, while that in Chronicles was for his workmen.
1Ki 5:12 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.
The Lord gave Solomon wisdom - 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.
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.
1Ki 5:13 And king Solomon raised a levy out of all Israel; and the levy was thirty thousand men.
A levy out of all Israel - This was, apparently, the first time that the Israelites had been called upon to perform forced labor, though it had been prophesied 1Sa_8:16. David had bound to forced service “the strangers” 1Ch_22:2; but hitherto the Israelites had escaped. Solomon now, in connection with his proposed work of building the temple, with the honor of God as an excuse, laid this burden upon them. Out of the 1,300, 000 able-bodied Israelites, a band of 30,000 - one in forty-four - was raised, of whom one-third was constantly at work in Lebanon, while two-thirds remained at home, and pursued their usual occupations. This, though a very light form of task work, was felt as a great oppression, and was the chief cause of the revolt of the ten tribes at Solomon’s death 1Ki_12:4 Your father made our yoke hard. And now lighten the hard service of your father, and the heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you.
The levy was thirty thousand men - We find from the following verse that only ten thousand were employed at once, and those only for one month at a time; and having rested two months, they again resumed their labor. These were the persons over whom Adoniram was superintendent, and were all Israelites.
Solomon raised a levy out of all Israel — The renewed notice of Solomon’s divine gift of wisdom 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.
1Ki 5:14 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.
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:
1Ki 5:15 And Solomon had threescore and ten thousand that bare burdens, and fourscore thousand hewers in the mountains;
Threescore and ten thousand that bare burdens - These were all strangers, or proselytes, dwelling among the Israelites; as we learn from the parallel place, 2Ch_2:17, 2Ch_2:18. The people that were left of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites whom Solomon, following the example of his father 1Ch_22:2, condemned to slavery.
1Ki 5:16 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.
three thousand three hundred - In the parallel passage of Chronicles, it is "three thousand six hundred," which is also the reading of the here. 1Ki_9:23; 2Ch_2:2 And Solomon counted out seventy thousand men to bear burdens, and eighty thousand as cutters in the mountains, and three thousand and six hundred to oversee them. 1 Kings 5:16 (Septuagint) besides the rulers that were appointed over the works of Solomon, [there were] three thousand six hundred masters who wrought in the works.
1Ki 5:17 And the king commanded, and they brought great stones, costly stones, and hewed stones, to lay the foundation of the house.
Great stones - Stones of very large dimensions.
Costly stones - stones of value, as marble, porphyry etc.
Hewed stones - Everywhere squared and polished.
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, Isa_54:11.
1Ki 5:18 And Solomon's builders and Hiram's builders did hew them, and the stonesquarers: so they prepared timber and stones to build the house.
The stonesquarers - The Gebalites, the inhabitants of Gebal, a Phoenician city between Beyrout and Tripolis, which the Greeks called Byblus, and which is now known as Jebeil. According to Eze_27:9, the Giblites were experienced in the art of shipbuilding, and therefore were probably skilful builders generally, and as such the most suitable of Hiram's subjects to superintend the working of the wood and stone for Solomon's buildings.
