1 KINGS 5

1 KINGS 5

PARAGRAPH DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS

NASB	NKJV	NRSV	TEV	NJB (MT versing)
Alliance with King Hiram	Solomon Prepares to Build the Temple	Preparations for Building the Temple	Solomon Prepares to Build the Temple	Reorders Chapters 4 & 5
5:1-12	5:1-12	5:1-6	5:1-6
		5:7-12	5:7-9
			5:10-11
Conscription of Laborers			5:12
5:13-18	5:13-18	5:13-18	5:13-18

READING CYCLE THREE (see "Bible Interpretation Seminar")

FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S INTENT AT THE PARAGRAPH LEVEL

This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

Read the chapter in one sitting. Identify the subjects. Compare your subject divisions with the five translations above. Paragraphing is not inspired, but it is the key to following the original author's intent, which is the heart of interpretation. Every paragraph has one and only one subject.

First paragraph
Second paragraph
Etc.

WORD AND PHRASE STUDY

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 5:1-12
¹Now Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon, when he heard that they had anointed him king in place of his father, for Hiram had always been a friend of David. ²Then Solomon sent word to Hiram, saying, ³"You know that David my father was unable to build a house for the name of the Lord his God because of the wars which surrounded him, until the Lord put them under the soles of his feet. ⁴But now the Lord my God has given me rest on every side; there is neither adversary nor misfortune. ⁵Behold, I intend to build a house for the name of the Lord my God, as the Lord spoke to David my father, saying, 'Your son, whom I will set on your throne in your place, he will build the house for My name.' ⁶Now therefore, command that they cut for me cedars from Lebanon, and my servants will be with your servants; and I will give you wages for your servants according to all that you say, for you know that there is no one among us who knows how to cut timber like the Sidonians." ⁷When Hiram heard the words of Solomon, he rejoiced greatly and said, "Blessed be the Lord today, who has given to David a wise son over this great people." ⁸So Hiram sent word to Solomon, saying, "I have heard the message which you have sent me; I will do what you desire concerning the cedar and cypress timber. ⁹My servants will bring them down from Lebanon to the sea; and I will make them into rafts to go by sea to the place where you direct me, and I will have them broken up there, and you shall carry them away. Then you shall accomplish my desire by giving food to my household." ¹⁰So Hiram gave Solomon as much as he desired of the cedar and cypress timber. ¹¹Solomon then gave Hiram 20,000 kors of wheat as food for his household, and twenty kors of beaten oil; thus Solomon would give Hiram year by year. ¹²The Lord gave wisdom to Solomon, just as He promised him; and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them made a covenant.

5:1 "Hiram King of Tyre" This was the king of Phoenicia from 969-936 b.c. (Albright). He provided materials and artisans for

David's palace ‒ here; 2 Sam. 5:11
Solomon's palace ‒ 1 Sam. 9:1,10
Solomon's Temple ‒ 1 Kings 5; 9:10-14

Josephus also gives information about Hiram (cf. Antiq. 7.3.3; 7.12.4; 8.6.6,7,9).

His name is spelled several different ways.

Hiram ‒ 2 Sam. 5:11; 1 Kgs. 5:1ff; 9:11
Hirom ‒ 1 Kgs. 5:10,18; Josephus
Huram ‒ 2 Chr. 2:3,11

Because most of Hiram's activities occur in Solomon's reign, some scholars put David's palace construction late in his reign (i.e., Expositor's Bible Commentary, vol. 4, p. 382). We must just admit we have no good extra-biblical, historical information about Hiram. The Chronicles obviously are not a chronologically based history but a theologically based reconstruction.

▣ "anointed" See SPECIAL TOPIC: "ANOINTING" IN THE BIBLE.

▣ "Hiram had always been a friend of David" He helped David build his palace with artisans and materials (cf. 2 Sam. 5:11; 1 Chr. 14:1).

5:2 "Then Solomon sent word to Hiram" 2 Chronicles 2:3-16 is a parallel (with more information included; see Josephus, Antiq. 8.2.6,7,9).

5:3 "for the name of the Lord" See SPECIAL TOPIC: "THE NAME" OF YHWH (OT).

▣ "put them under the soles of his feet" This is an idiom for military victory (cf. Josh. 10:24; Ps. 110:1).

5:4 YHWH gave Solomon the covenant promise of "rest" (NIDOTTE, vol. 4, pp. 1132-1136) and "peace" (cf. Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 28). YHWH wanted to reveal Himself to the nations through Israel's covenant experience and consequent blessings. This same terminology is spoken to David in 2 Sam. 7:1,11; also note Deut. 12:10; Josh. 11:23; 23:1.

5:5 David not only desired to build a house for YHWH but drew up the plans and collected the materials (cf. 1 Chr. 28:11-18).

5:6 "cedars" These were large trees with beautiful, strong wood. We see from 1 Kgs. 5:8,10 that cypress trees were also part of the lumber of the temple. See UBS, Helps for Translators, Fauna and Flora of the Bible, pp. 108, 162-163, and NIDOTTE, vol. 1, pp. 510-511.

▣ "the Sidonians" Phoenicia had two main cities, Tyre and Sidon.

5:9 Apparently at this time Phoenicia needed food supplies (cf. v. 11).

For "cypress" see UBS, Fauna and Flora of the Bible, pp. 115-116.

▣ "rafts" This NOUNn (BDB 184) occurs only here. In the parallel in 2 Chr. 2:16, it has another hapax legomenon (BDB 952) which is translated "rafts."

5:11 This verse lists 20,000 kors of wheat and 20 kors of beaten oil. The parallel in 2 Chr. 2:10 lists

20,000 kors of crushed wheat
20,000 kors of barley
20,000 baths of wine
20,000 baths of oil

SPECIAL TOPIC: ANE WEIGHTS AND VOLUMES

5:12 "covenant" See SPECIAL TOPIC: COVENANT.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 5:13-18
¹³Now King Solomon levied forced laborers from all Israel; and the forced laborers numbered 30,000 men. ¹⁴He sent them to Lebanon, 10,000 a month in relays; they were in Lebanon a month and two months at home. And Adoniram was over the forced laborers. ¹⁵Now Solomon had 70,000 transporters, and 80,000 hewers of stone in the mountains, ¹⁶besides Solomon's 3,300 chief deputies who were over the project and who ruled over the people who were doing the work. ¹⁷Then the king commanded, and they quarried great stones, costly stones, to lay the foundation of the house with cut stones. ¹⁸So Solomon's builders and Hiram's builders and the Gebalites cut them, and prepared the timbers and the stones to build the house.

5:13 This verse seems to contrast 1 Kgs. 9:22. Possibly only non-military, non-government Israelites were subject to forced labors. Solomon surely used conquered peoples to build his projects (i.e., Gebalites, v. 18; cf. Josh. 13:5; Ezek. 27:9).

See Gleason Archer, Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties, pp. 199-200, and Roland deVaux, Ancient Israel, "State Slaves," pp. 88-90.

5:17 "great stones" These large stones are still visible today (i.e., the wailing wall, cf. 1 Kgs. 7:10-11).

▣ "costly stones" This does not seem to fit the lime stone blocks. There is an Arabic cognate that means "to split," so this may mean precisely cut stones to form the foundation of the temple (cf. 1 Kgs. 6:7).

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

This is a study guide commentary which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought-provoking, not definitive.

How do you reconcile 1 Kgs. 9:22 with 1 Kgs. 5:13?
What does "costly stones" (v. 17) mean in this context?
Who were the Gebalites (v. 18)?