Study notes
King Hiram of Tyre was a loyal friend of David (2 Samuel 5:11–12). This likely means they had a treaty. Hiram was an important ally and business partner (1 Kings 5:7–11, 18; 9:11, 26–28; 10:22). His name is a shorter version of Ahiram, found in other Phoenician writings.
Solomon had a temple built for God in Jerusalem. He used supplies that the king of Tyre agreed to give him. He used a skilled worker from Tyre for everything made from bronze.
Thousands of men were forced to work preparing all the wood and stone for the temple. The temple took seven years to complete. The temple was ready to be used in time for the Feast of Booths. All the Israelites gathered as they offered sacrifices, prayed (prayer) and joyfully celebrated for 14 days.
God hadn’t asked the Israelites to build a temple for worshipping him. David and Solomon wanted to build it. God accepted their desire and used the temple like he had used the holy tent. It became the place where God was present in Israel. He made this known by sending a cloud to fill the temple. The cloud was a sign of God’s glory.
What mattered most to God was that his people follow him and obey him. God reminded Solomon of this in a message. The king must set the example of being completely faithful to the Mount Sinai covenant. The stone tablets in the ark of the covenant were a record of this covenant.
Solomon’s blessings and prayers showed something. He understood that he and the people were responsible for being faithful to God. Doing so would help other people groups realise that Israel’s God is the true God. Solomon also understood that God didn’t need a temple to live in. A building made by human beings can’t hold God. But the temple would help God’s people remember that God was with them. They could go there to pray. Or they could turn their body towards the temple to pray. They could do this if they were far away from Jerusalem. This would help them to pray and ask God to forgive their sins. It would help them trust that God heard them and took action to help them. This was true for the Israelites and for outsiders who worshipped God.
Solomon sent a message to Hiram through his ambassadors. He said he planned to build a temple to honor the name of the Lord. This followed the desire of his father David, who had already made plans and gathered materials for its construction (2 Samuel 7:1–3; 1 Chronicles 17:1–15; 22:14–19; 28:9–12).
put his enemies under his feet: In the Ancient Near East, inscriptions and paintings often show victorious kings standing on the necks of defeated enemies or with enemies lying at their feet.
Unlike David, Solomon had peace [literally rest] on all sides. Solomon’s name (Hebrew shlomoh) might be a version of the word for “peace” (Hebrew shalom).
The name of the Lord represents God’s revealed character and reputation. The Hebrew term translated as the name was sometimes used when reading Scripture aloud to avoid saying God’s personal name (the tetragrammaton—YHWH). The New Testament uses the term “the name” to refer to Jesus (Acts 5:41; 3 John 1:7).
Solomon's main message was his request for cedars from Lebanon, showing Hiram's broad commercial influence. Ancient Near Eastern writings often mention using Lebanese cedars to build and furnish temples and palaces.
Sidonians was a general term for Phoenicians. Sidon was older than Tyre.
Blessed be the LORD: Hiram did not worship Israel’s God, but he respectfully acknowledged Solomon’s God, following ancient customs (see 1 Kings 10:9; 2 Kings 18:22–25; Ezra 1:2–4; 6:12; Daniel 2:47; 3:29; 6:26–27).
Hiram's response to Solomon confirmed and continued the friendly relations he had with David. The partnership benefited both sides. Solomon got the construction materials he needed for the temple. In return, he provided necessities for Hiram's household (1 Kings 5:9–10) and paid Hiram's workers (1 Kings 5:6). This passage shows the Phoenicians' skill in business and Solomon's great wealth. It also highlights Solomon's wisdom, which he believed was a gift from God. The mainly business-focused venture led to a formal peace alliance (1 Kings 5:12).
Foreigners who lived permanently in Israel made up most of Solomon’s labor force. Israelites themselves usually served only as temporary supervisors for Solomon’s building projects (1 Kings 9:22–23; 11:28).
This passage explains Solomon's workforce and how they divided the work. Forced labor was common in the ancient Near East (see study note on 1 Kings 4:6).
3,300 foremen: In 2 Chronicles (2 Chronicles 2:2, 17–18; 8:10), there are 3,600 non-Israelite foremen and 250 Israelite chief supervisors. In the Hebrew text of 1 Kings 5:16 and 9:23, the numbers are 3,300 foremen and 550 chief supervisors. It is possible that 250 of the chief supervisors were Israelites, and 300 non-Israelites held the same rank.
Workers likely cut large, high-quality stone blocks to size (see 1 Kings 7:10) in a quarry near Jerusalem (6:7). Handling these massive stones probably led Solomon to start using forced labor. The craftsmen included men from Gebal (Byblos), a port known for exporting timber, according to ancient Egyptian inscriptions.
Verse notes: Adapted by Mission Mutual (Aquifer Open Study Notes) from Tyndale Open Study Notes © 2023 Tyndale House Publishers. CC BY-SA 4.0. Section notes: Biblica Study Notes © 2023 Biblica, Inc. CC BY-SA 4.0, via BibleAquifer. About the sources