1 Kings 9

1Ki 9:1  And it came to pass, when Solomon had finished the building of the house of the LORD, and the king's house, and all Solomon's desire which he was pleased to do,

when Solomon had finished the building - Which was done in seven years, 1Ki_6:38.

and the king's house - his own palace, which was finished in thirteen years, 1Ki_7:1,

all Solomon's desire which he was pleased to do - all his other buildings, the house for Pharaoh's daughter, the house of the forest of Lebanon, and may include his vineyards, gardens, orchards, and pools of water, made for his pleasure, Ecc_2:4 in which he succeeded and prospered, 2Ch_7:11.

And it came to pass — This first verse is connected with 1Ki_9:11, all that is contained between 1Ki_9:2-10 being parenthetical.

When Solomon had finished his great task, ‘the Lord appeared the second time, as He had appeared at Gibeon.’ There had been no manifest token of approval during all the years of building the Temple, for none was needed; but now there was danger that the finished work might be followed by apathy, and therefore once more God spoke words of stimulus, both promises and warnings.

1Ki 9:2  That the LORD appeared to Solomon the second time, as he had appeared unto him at Gibeon.

This appearance is fixed by 1Ki_9:1 to Solomon’s twenty-fourth year, the year in which he completed his palace 1Ki_6:37-38; 1Ki_7:1. The fact seems to be that, though the temple was finished in Solomon’s eleventh year, the dedication did not take place until his twenty-fourth year. The order of the narrative in Kings agrees with this view, since it interposes the account of the building of the palace 1Ki_7:1-12, and of the making of the furniture 1 Kings 7:13-51, between the completion of the building of the temple 1Ki_6:38 and the ceremony of the Dedication 1 Kings 8.

The Lord appeared to Solomon - The design of this appearance, which was in a dream, as that was at Gibeon, was to assure Solomon that God had accepted his service, and had taken that house for His dwelling-place, and would continue it, and establish him and his descendants upon the throne of Israel for ever, provided they served Him with an upright heart; but, on the contrary, if they forsook Him, He would abandon both them and His temple.

the Lord appeared — This consists of direct answers to his solemn inaugural prayer (1Ki_9:3 is in answer to 1Ki_8:29; 1Ki_9:4, 1Ki_9:5 is in answer to 1Ki_8:25, 1Ki_8:26; 1Ki_9:6-9 to 1Ki_8:33-46; see also Deu_29:22-24).

1Ki 8:29 That thine eyes may be open toward this house night and day, even toward the place of which thou hast said, My name shall be there: that thou mayest hearken unto the prayer which thy servant shall make toward this place.

1Ki 9:3 And the LORD said unto him, I have heard thy prayer and thy supplication, that thou hast made before me: I have hallowed this house, which thou hast built, to put my name there for ever; and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually.

1Ki 8:25-26 Therefore now, LORD God of Israel, keep with thy servant David my father that thou promisedst him, saying, There shall not fail thee a man in my sight to sit on the throne of Israel; so that thy children take heed to their way, that they walk before me as thou hast walked before me. And now, O God of Israel, let thy word, I pray thee, be verified, which thou spakest unto thy servant David my father.

1Ki 9:4-5 And if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, in integrity of heart, and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded thee, and wilt keep my statutes and my judgments: Then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom upon Israel for ever, as I promised to David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man upon the throne of Israel.

1Ki 9:3  And the LORD said unto him, I have heard thy prayer and thy supplication, that thou hast made before me: I have hallowed this house, which thou hast built, to put my name there for ever; and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually.

The answer given by God to Solomon’s prayer is reported more fully in 2Ch_7:12-22.

to put my name there for ever - When God puts His Name in the temple He does it, in intention, “forever.” He will not arbitrarily withdraw it; there it will remain “forever,” so far as God is concerned. But the people may by unfaithfulness drive it away 1Ki_9:7-9.

And mine eyes and my heart - An answer in excess of the prayer 1Ki_8:29; “Not Mine eyes only, but Mine eyes and Mine heart.”

I have hallowed this house - by the cloud of glory filling it, and by fire descending from heaven, and consuming the sacrifices offered in it, 2Ch_7:1.

I have hallowed this house - The sanctifying consisted in the fact, that the Lord put His name in the temple; that is, by filling the temple with the cloud which visibly displayed His presence, He consecrated it as the scene of the manifestation of His grace.

mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually - To Solomon's prayer, “May Thine eyes stand open over this house” (1Ki_8:29), the Lord replies, giving always more than we ask, “My eyes and my heart shall be there perpetually.”

mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually - His eyes of Providence should be upon it, to watch over it, and protect it, and His worshippers in it; and He should have a cordial regard to the sacrifices there offered, and to the persons of the offerers, so long as they offered them in a right way, and to right ends and purposes.

The divine promise to Solomon, that his prayer should be answered, is closely connected with the substance of the prayer; but in this account there is only a brief summary, whereas in the Chronicles it is given a more detailed account.

1Ki 9:4  And if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, in integrity of heart, and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded thee, and wilt keep my statutes and my judgments:

And if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, in integrity of heart, and in uprightness – Solomon’s subsequent fall despite these repeated warnings makes this especially poignant. 1Ki 3:14 And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy days.

to do according to all that I have commanded thee - observe all the laws of God, moral, ceremonial, and judicial.

The warning contained here follows the Pentateuch exactly in the words in which it is expressed; 1Ki_9:7 being founded upon Deu_28:37, Deu 28:45-46 Moreover all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed; because thou hearkenedst not unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded thee: And they shall be upon thee for a sign and for a wonder, and upon thy seed for ever. Deu_28:63, and the curse pronounced upon Israel in Deu_29:23-28

Deu 29:23 And that the whole land thereof is brimstone, and salt, and burning, that it is not sown, nor beareth, nor any grass groweth therein, like the overthrow of Sodom, and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim, which the LORD overthrew in his anger, and in his wrath:

Deu 29:24 Even all nations shall say, Wherefore hath the LORD done thus unto this land? what meaneth the heat of this great anger?

Deu 29:25 Then men shall say, Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD God of their fathers, which he made with them when he brought them forth out of the land of Egypt:

Deu 29:26 For they went and served other gods, and worshipped them, gods whom they knew not, and whom he had not given unto them:

Deu 29:27 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against this land, to bring upon it all the curses that are written in this book:

Deu 29:28 And the LORD rooted them out of their land in anger, and in wrath, and in great indignation, and cast them into another land, as it is this day.

 being transferred to the temple in 1Ki_9:8, 1Ki_9:9. God promises to make Israel high, exalted above all nations. This blessing will be turned into a curse. The temple, which was high and widely renowned, shall continue to be high, but in the opposite sense, as an example of the rejection of Israel from the presence of God.

1Ki 9:5  Then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom upon Israel for ever, as I promised to David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man upon the throne of Israel.

Then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom upon Israel for ever - In a succession in his posterity, until the coming of the Messiah: 2Sa_7:12-16

2Sa 7:12 And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.

2Sa 7:13 He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.

2Sa 7:14 I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men:

2Sa 7:15 But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee.

2Sa 7:16 And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.

1Ki 9:6  But if ye shall at all turn from following me, ye or your children, and will not keep my commandments and my statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods, and worship them:

But if you shall at all turn from following me - From my worship; either Solomon or his successors, or the people of Israel and their posterity; should they turn their backs on God and His worship, meaning not in a single instance, or in some small degree; but as in the original, "if in turning ye turn", that is, utterly, and entirely, or wholly turn from Him and His worship to other gods.

not keep my commandments but go and serve other gods - neglecting the will and worship of God, go into idolatrous practices, as Solomon himself did.

1Ki 9:7  Then will I cut off Israel out of the land which I have given them; and this house, which I have hallowed for my name, will I cast out of my sight; and Israel shall be a proverb and a byword among all people:

Then will I cut off Israel out of the land I have given them - Suffer them to be carried captive into other lands, as the ten tribes were into Assyria, and the two tribes to Babylon; which is called a plucking them up by the roots in 2Ch_7:20 Then will I pluck them up by the roots out of my land which I have given them; and this house, which I have sanctified for my name, will I cast out of my sight, and will make it to be a proverb and a byword among all nations.  

this house will I cast out of my sight - as it was when burnt by Nebuchadnezzar:

Israel shall be a proverb and a byword among all people - both for their sins and for their miseries; Deu_28:37, in 2Ch_7:20 the house or temple is said to be made a proverb of.

1Ki 9:8  And at this house, which is high, every one that passeth by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss; and they shall say, Why hath the LORD done thus unto this land, and to this house?

And shall hiss - In contempt, in scorn and derision of the people of Israel, rejoicing in their ruin: This expression first appears in the time of Hezekiah 2Ch_29:8; Mic_6:16. It is especially familiar to Jeremiah (Jer_18:16; Jer_19:8, etc.).

And at this house which is high - The house of the most High, as some render it, and in high esteem, fame, and glory, as well as it was built on an high hill, and was itself one hundred and twenty cubits high, 2Ch_3:4.

everyone that passeth by it shall be astonished - at the ruins of the temple, and of the city of Jerusalem, which had been so magnificent:

everyone that passeth by it shall be astonished - all its beauty and magnificence, shall be destroyed, and remain in such a state of ruin and degradation as to be a striking monument of the just judgment of God.

they shall say, why hath the Lord done thus - or suffered it to be done, to lie thus in waste and ruins; a land in which it had been said He delighted, and looked unto from one end of the year to the other, and a house He had taken up His dwelling in; surely something more than ordinary, they suggest, must be the cause of all this.

The record of this second vision, in which were stated the conditions of God’s covenant with Solomon and the consequences of breaking them, is inserted here as a proper introduction to the narrative about to be given of this king’s commercial enterprises and ambitious desire for worldly glory; for this king, by encouraging an influx of foreign people and a taste for foreign luxuries, rapidly corrupted his own mind and that of this subjects, so that they turned from following God, they and their children.

1Ki 9:9  And they shall answer, Because they forsook the LORD their God, who brought forth their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and have taken hold upon other gods, and have worshipped them, and served them: therefore hath the LORD brought upon them all this evil.

1Ki 9:10  And it came to pass at the end of twenty years, when Solomon had built the two houses, the house of the LORD, and the king's house,

This verse is only a recapitulation of 1Ki_9:1, necessary to recover the thread of connection in the narrative.

At the end of twenty years - The “twenty years” are to be counted from the fourth year of Solomon, the year when he commenced the building of the temple. They are made up of the seven years employed in the work of the temple 1Ki_6:38, and the thirteen years during which Solomon was building his own house 1Ki_7:1.

1Ki 9:11  (Now Hiram the king of Tyre had furnished Solomon with cedar trees and fir trees, and with gold, according to all his desire,) that then king Solomon gave Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee.

Solomon gave Hiram twenty cities - It is very likely that Solomon did not give those cities to Hiram so that they should be annexed to his Tyrian dominions, but rather gave him the produce of them till the money was paid which he had advanced to Solomon for his buildings. It appears however that either Hiram did not accept them, or that having received the produce till he was paid, he then restored them to Solomon; 2Ch 8:1-2 And it came to pass at the end of twenty years, wherein Solomon had built the house of the LORD, and his own house, That the cities which Huram had restored to Solomon, Solomon built them, and caused the children of Israel to dwell there.

Solomon gave Hiram twenty cities - By the spirit, if not by the letter, of the Law, Solomon had no right to give away these cities, or any part of the inheritance of Israel Lev. 25:13-34. But the exigences of a worldly policy caused the requirements of the Law to be set aside.

Solomon gave Hiram twenty cities - According to Josephus, they were situated on the northwest of it, adjacent to Tyre. Though lying within the boundaries of the promised land (Gen_15:18; Jos_1:4), they had never been conquered till then, and were inhabited by Canaanite heathens (Jdg_4:2-13; 2Ki_15:29). They were probably given to Hiram, whose dominions were small, as a remuneration for his important services in furnishing workmen, materials, and an immense quantity of wrought gold (1Ki_9:14) for the temple and other buildings. Hiram having refused these cities, probably on account of their inland situation making them unsuitable to his maritime and commercial people, Solomon satisfied his ally in some other way; and, taking these cities into his own hands, he first repaired their shattered walls, then filled them with a colony of Hebrews (2Ch_8:2).

1Ki 9:12  And Hiram came out from Tyre to see the cities which Solomon had given him; and they pleased him not.

They pleased him not – possibly being out of repair2Ch_8: they were not agreeable to him, they did not suit with the disposition of him and his people, who were given not to husbandry, but to merchandise. Possibly Hiram had cast his eyes on harbor and was therefore disappointed when he received an inland tract of mountain territory. The sense is, that Hiram’s pursuits in trade and navigation, differed so widely from agriculture and husbandry, that those cities were not at all suited to the men of Tyre.

1Ki 9:13  And he said, What cities are these which thou hast given me, my brother? And he called them the land of Cabul unto this day.

Called them the land of Cabul - Josephus says Cabul is a Phoenician word, and signified “displeasing”.

what cities are these which thou hast given me, my brother - so he called him, being not only his neighbor, but his ally, in friendship and covenant with him.

1Ki 9:14  And Hiram sent to the king sixscore talents of gold.

Sixscore talents of gold - This was the sum which Hiram had lent, and in order to pay this Solomon had laid a tax upon his people, as we afterward learn. This was about a sixth part of Solomon’s regular revenue 1Ki_10:14.

1Ki 9:15  And this is the reason of the levy which king Solomon raised; for to build the house of the LORD, and his own house, and Millo, and the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, and Megiddo, and Gezer.

And the wall of Jerusalem - David’s fortification 2Sa_5:9; 1Ch_11:8 had been hasty, and had now - fifty years later - fallen into decay. Solomon therefore had to “repair the breaches of the city of David” 1Ki_11:27.

Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer - three of the most important sites in the holy land.

Gezer - Gezer was a main city of the south. It was situated on the great maritime plain, and commanded the ordinary line of approach from Egypt, which was along this low region. The importance of Gezer appears from Jos_10:33; Jos_12:12, etc. Though within the lot of Ephraim Jos_16:3, and especially assigned to the Kohathite Levites Jos_21:21, it had never yet been conquered from the old inhabitants, who continued to dwell in it until Solomon’s time, and apparently were an independent people 1Ki_9:16. Formerly a royal city of the Canaanites. Having fallen by right of conquest to the king of Egypt, who for some cause attacked it, it was given by him as a dowry to his daughter, and fortified by Solomon.

Hazor -  a city in the tribe of Naphtali, and which had been a royal city with the Canaanites; Jos_11:1. Fortified on account of its importance as a town in the northern boundary of the country.

Megiddo - which was in the tribe of Manasseh, Jos_17:11. Lying in the great caravan road between Egypt and Damascus, it was the key to the north of Palestine by the western lowlands, and therefore fortified.

This is the reason of the levy - That is, in order to pay Hiram the sixscore talents of gold which he had borrowed from him (Hiram not being willing to take the Galilean cities mentioned above; or, having taken them, soon restored them again) he was obliged to lay a tax upon the people; and that this was a grievous and oppressive tax we learn from 1Ki_12:1-4, where the elders of Israel came to Rehoboam, complaining of their heavy state of taxation, and entreating that their yoke might be made lighter.

this is the reason of the levy — A levy refers both to men and money, and the necessity for Solomon making it arose from the many gigantic works he undertook to erect.

this is the reason of the levy — The other means by which Solomon made it possible to erect so many buildings, was by compelling the remnants of the Canaanitish population that were still in the land to perform tributary labor. To the announcement of the object which Solomon had in view in raising tributary laborers, namely, to build, etc., there is immediately appended a list of all the buildings completed by him (1Ki_9:15-19); and it is not till 1Ki_9:20 that we have more precise details concerning the tribute itself.

Millo — part of the fort of Jerusalem on Mount Zion or a row of stone bastions around Mount Zion, Millo being the great corner tower of that fortified wall. 2Sa 5:9 So David dwelt in the fort, and called it the city of David. And David built round about from Millo and inward. 1Ki 11:27 And this was the cause that he lifted up his hand against the king: Solomon built Millo, and repaired the breaches of the city of David his father. From the time of Hezekiah, 2Ch 32:5 Also he strengthened himself, and built up all the wall that was broken, and raised it up to the towers, and another wall without, and repaired Millo in the city of David, and made darts and shields in abundance.

1Ki 9:16  For Pharaoh king of Egypt had gone up, and taken Gezer, and burnt it with fire, and slain the Canaanites that dwelt in the city, and given it for a present unto his daughter, Solomon's wife.

Pharaoh had gone up, and taken Gezer - This city Joshua had taken from the Canaanites, Jos_10:33; Jos_12:12, and it was divided by lot to the tribe of Ephraim, and was intended to be one of the Levitical cities; but it appears that the Canaanites had retaken it, and kept possession till the days of Solomon, when his father-in-law, Pharaoh king of Egypt, retook it, and gave it to Solomon in dowry with his daughter.

1Ki 9:17  And Solomon built Gezer, and Bethhoron the nether,

Solomon built Gezer - Rebuilt it, it having been burnt, at least great part of it, by Pharaoh when he took it:

Bethhoron the nether - and the upper also, 2Ch_8:5, which belonged to the tribe of Ephraim, and were on the borders of it, between that and Benjamin, Jos_16:3. According to 2Ch_8:5, Solomon also fortified Upper Bethhoron, which was separated by a deep wady from Lower Bethhoron, that lay to the west.

The two Bethhorons and Gezer were very important places for the protection of the mountainous country of Benjamin, Ephraim, and Judah against hostile invasions from the Philistian plain. The situation of Megiddo on the southern edge of the plain of Jezreel, through which the high road from the western coast to the Jordan ran, was equally important; and so also was Hazor as a border fortress against Syria in the northern part of the land.

1Ki 9:18  And Baalath, and Tadmor in the wilderness, in the land,

Baalath - A city in the tribe of Dan, Jos_19:44. As Josephus observes, was not far from Gezer

1Ki 9:19  And all the cities of store that Solomon had, and cities for his chariots, and cities for his horsemen, and that which Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem, and in Lebanon, and in all the land of his dominion.

all the cities of store – These contained provisions stored up for the troops. They seem to have been chiefly in the north - in Hamath 2Ch_8:4 and Naphtali 2Ch_16:4.

And all the cities of store - Though, by the multitude and splendor of his buildings, Solomon must have added greatly to the magnificence of his reign; yet, however plenteous silver and gold were in his times, his subjects must have been greatly oppressed with the taxation necessary to defray such a vast public expenditure.

that which Solomon desired to build – These seem to be intended pleasant gardens in or near the capital, and in the Lebanon range, built especially for the enjoyment of the king.

cities for his horsemen - of which he had 12,000, a standing cavalry:

in all the land of his dominions - where he might repair or fortify cities, or erect new forts for the safety of his kingdom; now for the doing of all this was the levy both of men and money raised, and of whom next follows.

1Ki 9:20  And all the people that were left of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, which were not of the children of Israel,

And all the people that were left of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites - Who were not destroyed in the times of Joshua, or since, but dwelt in several cities of the land of Israel from those times; which were not of the children of Israel; not natives of the land of Israel.

1Ki 9:21  Their children that were left after them in the land, whom the children of Israel also were not able utterly to destroy, upon those did Solomon levy a tribute of bondservice unto this day.

A tribute of bond-service - He made them do the most laborious part of the public works, the Israelites being generally exempt. The descendents of those left unsubdued in the times of Joshua:

1Ki 9:22  But of the children of Israel did Solomon make no bondmen: but they were men of war, and his servants, and his princes, and his captains, and rulers of his chariots, and his horsemen.

But of the children of Israel did Solomon make no bondmen - For that was contrary to the law; they might be hired servants, but not bond servants, Lev 25:39 And if thy brother that dwelleth by thee be waxen poor, and be sold unto thee; thou shalt not compel him to serve as a bondservant: Solomon did not make Israelites into tributary slaves; but they were warriors, ministers, and civil and military officers.

but they were men of war - which he kept in pay, a standing army, maintained even in time of peace, in case of necessity, should an enemy attempt to invade or surprise them:

1Ki 9:23  These were the chief of the officers that were over Solomon's work, five hundred and fifty, which bare rule over the people that wrought in the work.

1Ki 9:24  But Pharaoh's daughter came up out of the city of David unto her house which Solomon had built for her: then did he build Millo.

Pharaoh's daughter came up out of the city of David - Where he placed her when he first married her, until he had finished his buildings, 1Ki_3:1, which being done he brought her from thence unto her house, which Solomon had built for her; the reason of which is given, not only because it was the house of David, but because it was holy by the ark being there for some time; and therefore he did not judge it proper that his wife, an Egyptian woman, and sometimes in her impurity, should dwell there; 2Ch 8:11 And Solomon brought up the daughter of Pharaoh out of the city of David unto the house that he had built for her: for he said, My wife shall not dwell in the house of David king of Israel, because the places are holy, whereunto the ark of the LORD hath come.

1Ki 9:25  And three times in a year did Solomon offer burnt offerings and peace offerings upon the altar which he built unto the LORD, and he burnt incense upon the altar that was before the LORD. So he finished the house.

three times in a year — namely, at the Passover, Pentecost, and Feast of Tabernacles (2Ch_8:13; 2Ch_31:3). The circumstances mentioned in these two verses form a proper conclusion to the record of his buildings.

Solomon offered sacrifices and he burnt incense - Not with his own hand, but by his priests 1Ki_8:6; 2Ch_5:7-14.

he burnt incense upon the altar that was before the Lord - the altar of incense, which stood in the holy place, right beside the most holy, in which was the ark, the symbol of the divine Presence; not that Solomon burnt incense in person, but by the priests, whom he furnished with incense; for no king might offer incense, as the case of Uzziah shows:

1Ki 9:26  And king Solomon made a navy of ships in Eziongeber, which is beside Eloth, on the shore of the Red sea, in the land of Edom.

A navy of ships - it is said that Hiram sent him ships; but it does not appear that Solomon in this case built more than one ship, and this was manned principally by the Tyrians.

Solomon made a navy of ships in Eziongeber - It signifies the backbone of a man; and it is said the ridge of rocks before this port were in that form, covered by the sea at high water, and sticking up with various points in a line when it was low.

which is beside Elath, in the land of Edom - and when Edom was subdued by David, this port fell into his hands, and so was in the possession of Solomon; and there being plenty of timber in the parts adjacent, and this being a port in the Red sea, Solomon chose it as proper place to build ships in.

Ezion-geber, which is beside Eloth — These were neighboring ports at the head of the eastern or Elanitic branch of the Red Sea. Tyrian ship carpenters and sailors were sent there for Solomon’s vessels 2Ch_8:17, 2Ch_8:18.

1Ki 9:27  And Hiram sent in the navy his servants, shipmen that had knowledge of the sea, with the servants of Solomon.

The commerce with Ophir was probably an established trade, previously either in their hands or in those of the Egyptians, when Solomon determined to have a share in it. The Egyptians had navigated the other arm of the Red Sea, and perhaps its lower parts, from a much more ancient period.

And Hiram sent in his navy his servants - And, according to 2Ch_8:18, ships also but how he could send them from Tyre, which lay in the Mediterranean sea, to the above ports in the Red sea, without going a great way round, is not easy to conceive. Perhaps, as some conjecture, Hiram had a port in the Red sea for building and sending out ships, for the sake of his eastern navigation, and from thence he sent them to Solomon's ports in the same sea. Or perhaps the name is mixed with the another area.  This is the first navy of ships we read of; in the construction of which, as well as in the art of navigation, the Tyrians no doubt were greatly assisting to Solomon's servants.

Shipmen - that had knowledge of the sea; of sea coasts and ports, of the manner of guiding and managing ships at sea, and of the whole art of navigation, so far as then known, for which the Tyrians were famous; Eze_27:3,

1Ki 9:28  And they came to Ophir, and fetched from thence gold, four hundred and twenty talents, and brought it to king Solomon.

And they came to Ophir - No man knows certainly, to this day, where this Ophir was situated. It is a general name for all the southern regions lying on the African, Arabian, or Indian seas.