1 Kings 5 (NET)

Solomon Gathers Building Materials for the Temple

1 1 King Hiram of Tyre2 sent messengers3 to Solomon when he heard that he had been anointed king in his father’s place. (Hiram had always been an ally of David.) 2 Solomon then sent this message to Hiram: 3 “You know that my father David was unable to build a temple to honor the Lord4 his God, for he was busy fighting battles on all fronts while the Lord subdued his enemies.5 4 But now the Lord my God has made me secure on all fronts; there is no adversary or dangerous threat. 5 So I have decided6 to build a temple to honor the Lord7 my God, as the Lord instructed my father David, ‘Your son, whom I will put on your throne in your place, is the one who will build a temple to honor me.’8 6 So now order some cedars of Lebanon to be cut for me. My servants will work with your servants. I will pay your servants whatever you say is appropriate, for you know that we have no one among us who knows how to cut down trees like the Sidonians.”

7 When Hiram heard Solomon’s message, he was very happy. He said, “The Lord is worthy of praise today because he9 has given David a wise son to rule over this great nation.” 8 Hiram then sent this message to Solomon: “I received10 the message you sent to me. I will give you all the cedars and evergreens you need.11 9 My servants will bring the timber down from Lebanon to the sea. I will send it by sea in raft-like bundles to the place you designate.12 There I will separate the logs13 and you can carry them away. In exchange you will supply the food I need for my royal court.”14

10 So Hiram supplied the cedars and evergreens Solomon needed,15 11 and Solomon supplied Hiram annually with 20,000 cors16 of wheat as provision for his royal court,17 as well as 20,000 baths18 of pure19 olive oil.20 12 So the Lord gave Solomon wisdom, as he had promised him. And Hiram and Solomon were at peace and made a treaty.21

13 King Solomon conscripted22 work crews23 from throughout Israel, 30,000 men in all. 14 He sent them to Lebanon in shifts of 10,000 men per month. They worked in Lebanon for one month, and then spent two months at home. Adoniram was supervisor of24 the work crews. 15 Solomon also had 70,000 common laborers25 and 80,000 stonecutters26 in the hills, 16 besides 3,30027 officials who supervised the workers.28 17 By royal order29 they supplied large valuable stones in order to build the temple’s foundation with chiseled stone. 18 Solomon’s and Hiram’s construction workers,30 along with men from Byblos,31 did the chiseling and prepared the wood and stones for the building of the temple.32

15:1sn The verse numbers in the English Bible differ from those in the Hebrew text (BHS) here; 5:1-18 in the English Bible corresponds to 5:15-32 in the Hebrew text. See the note at 4:21. 25:1map For location see Map1-A2; Map2-G2; Map4-A1; JP3-F3; JP4-F3. 35:1tn Heb “his servants.” 45:3tn Heb “a house for the name of the Lord.” The word “name” sometimes refers to one’s reputation or honor. The “name” of the Lord sometimes designates the Lord himself, being indistinguishable from the proper name. 55:3tn Heb “because of the battles which surrounded him until the Lord placed them under the soles of his feet.” 65:5tn Heb “Look, I am saying.” 75:5tn Heb “a house for the name of the Lord.” The word “name” sometimes refers to one’s reputation or honor. The “name” of the Lord sometimes designates the Lord himself, being indistinguishable from the proper name. 85:5tn Heb “a house for my name.” The word “name” sometimes refers to one’s reputation or honor. The “name” of the Lord sometimes designates the Lord himself, being indistinguishable from the proper name. 95:7tn Or “Blessed be the Lord today, who….” 105:8tn Heb “heard.” 115:8tn Heb “I will satisfy all your desire with respect to cedar wood and with respect to the wood of evergreens.” 125:9tn Heb “I will place them [on? as?] rafts in the sea to the place where you designate to me.” This may mean he would send them by raft, or that he would tie them in raft-like bundles, and have ships tow them down to an Israelite port. 135:9tn Heb “smash them,” i.e., untie the bundles. 145:9tn Heb “as for you, you will satisfy my desire by giving food for my house.” 155:10tn Heb “and Hiram gave to Solomon cedar wood and the wood of evergreens, all his desire.” 165:11sn As a unit of dry measure a cor was roughly equivalent to six bushels. 175:11tn Heb “his house.” 185:11tc The Hebrew text has “twenty cors,” but the ancient Greek version and the parallel text in 2 Chr 2:10 read “twenty thousand baths.”sn A bath was a liquid measure equivalent to almost six gallons. 195:11tn Or “pressed.” 205:11tn Heb “and Solomon supplied Hiram with twenty thousand cors of wheat…pure olive oil. So Solomon would give to Hiram year by year.” 215:12tn Heb “a covenant,” referring to a formal peace treaty or alliance. 225:13tn Heb “raised up.” 235:13sn Work crews. This Hebrew word (מַס, mas) refers to a group of laborers conscripted for royal or public service. 245:14tn Heb “was over.” 255:15tn Heb “carriers of loads.” 265:15tn Heb “cutters” (probably of stones). 275:16tc Some Greek mss of the OT read “3,600”; cf. 2 Chr 2:2, 18 and NLT. 285:16tn Heb “besides thirty-three hundred from the officials of Solomon’s governors who were over the work, the ones ruling over the people, the ones doing the work.” 295:17tn Heb “and the king commanded.” 305:18tn Heb “builders.” 315:18tn Heb “the Gebalites.” The reading is problematic and some emend to a verb form meaning, “set the borders.” 325:18tc The LXX includes the words “for three years.”