And Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon; for he had heard that they had anointed him king in the place of his father; for Hiram always loved David.
Hiram, king of Tyre, hears that Israel has crowned a new king, and he sends his servants at once. The verse gives his reason: he had always loved Solomon's father, David.
Hiram's goodwill toward Israel started long before Solomon.
Of his own free will he had come to offer his services to Solomon's father, and his carpenters built him a house (2 Samuel 5:11). The same willing spirit led him to send his servants to David's son because he had always loved his father (v. 1). How could the king of glory fail to welcome him, when he had always loved the king of grace?
Hiram's dealings with Israel ran on for years, and they did not always run smoothly.
King of Tyre, who loved David and was a friend of Solomon. By his servants he supplied both timber and stone for the temple and the palaces of Solomon. Their fleets also worked together to bring in goods from other lands. Solomon gave Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee, but Hiram was not pleased with them. In Aramaic he called them CABUL, meaning 'displeasing or dirty'. In the end the cities came back to Solomon.
Hiram ruled a city famous for its wealth.
In Scripture Tyre is a picture of the world with all its riches and desirable things… Fine woods, ivory and ebony, linen, embroidered work, silver, iron, tin, lead and brass… gold in great abundance, spices, oil and wheat, and countless flocks… All that the human heart could desire on earth could be found there.
Solomon dealt with the nations around him in more than one way.
In 1 Kings 5 we see Solomon acting with the nations outside Israel — not by marriage, but by alliance. We see how they become the servants of his purposes. Indeed, we can say they serve God's purposes for the earth, as far as Solomon himself was the servant of those purposes.
The same writer looks at where this friendship points.
Later under Solomon this same Hiram works on the construction of the temple. In this history he plays an important role as representative of the friendly nations who will come willingly to submit to Messiah's reign.
Hiram's greeting sets the rest of the chapter moving.
Hiram king of Tyre, who had been friendly with David, sent his servants to show the same friendliness to Solomon (v.1). This encouraged Solomon to send word to Hiram. He reminded him that God had not allowed David to build a house for the name of the Lord, because David was always at war (vs.2-3). But now the Lord had given Solomon rest, so that his kingdom was at peace (v.4).
Hiram's reply later in the chapter came from a glad heart.
A rejoicing heart bears this fruit: full devotion to the service of Christ. "I will do all you desire" (v. 8)… The Lord could do without us, but He does not want to. He knows well that using us in His service brings joy and blessing to our hearts — but we cannot do without Him. It is He who gives life, nourishment, strength, and growth.
What Hiram gave David becomes a test for us.
By his works and his words Hiram shows a well balanced love… We show true love when we acknowledge that the Lord Jesus has supreme authority over us, and do the things He tells us to do… Hiram used his servants and his goods to supply David with a palace. Our true love shows in the way we love the Lord's people, and in the way we use our homes, our time and ourselves for Him. In this context it is not our speaking that is important, it is our doing.
- Love first. Hiram's move toward Solomon has one stated cause — he had always loved David. Love for the father is what opens the door to the son.
- Welcome next. He had loved the king of grace, so the king of glory could not fail to welcome him.
- Resources follow. Tyre, the picture of the world's wealth, pours its cedars, stone and skill into the house of God.
- Alliance, not marriage. The nations here serve the throne and its purposes — a picture of the nations who will gladly come under Messiah's reign.
- Proof last. Hiram's love showed itself in works as well as words. The Lord could do without our service, yet He chooses to use us — and we cannot do without Him.
And Solomon sent to Hiram, saying,
Solomon holds a kingdom at rest, and his first move as builder is not to lift a stone. He sends a message to Hiram, king of Tyre. Why does the house of the Lord begin with words sent outside Israel? And why does Solomon send them, and not his father David?
Solomon's message is a reply, not an opening move. One writer traces Hiram's goodwill back to the days of David.
In Solomon's time Tyre had not yet taken on the character of pride that Isaiah and especially Ezekiel condemned. Hiram, the friend of David, still ruled over this people. Of his own free will he had come to offer his services to Solomon's father, and his carpenters had built him a house (2 Sam. 5:11). The same willing spirit led him to send his servants to David's son because he had always loved his father (v. 1). How could the king of glory fail to welcome him, when he had always loved the king of grace?
Solomon's message explains why the work fell to him. David could not build, and the reason lies in the state of the kingdom.
David could not build this house. Peace had to be settled first (v. 3), so that the Lord could make His lasting home among His people. While they wandered in the desert, the Lord linked Himself with them as pilgrims and travellers through the tabernacle. Then came the wars of Canaan under Joshua and the judges. These wars did not stop until David's reign. God cannot dwell in rest where there is war. The same is true, spiritually, for the Church. When the good news of peace goes out, God builds His house, the holy temple in the Lord, and this work goes on until the full rest of glory.
The same writer sees both roles meet in Christ: the cross behind us, the rest still ahead.
Through his sufferings David could prepare the "rest that remains for the people of God." But he could not bring that rest in while the kingdom still bore the warrior stamp of its leader. So will it be with Christ. At the cross He laid the foundation for eternal rest. But He will not set up that final rest until all His enemies lie under His feet.
Solomon's plan was not his own idea. God had made it known to David long before Solomon sent his message.
Solomon tells Hiram his plans. Those plans were in no way the fruit of his own will. He had decided to build the house of the Lord because God had decreed it. God had made His will known to David beforehand (v. 5). This is the true character of the decision of faith. Faith decides because God has determined. This point is important. Often we know the will of God in advance. Instead of saying, "I have determined" to do it, we look for excuses and good reasons to avoid it. Or at least we avoid putting our whole heart into it.
Solomon sends his message from a throne with nothing left to fight. That peace is what makes him a picture of Christ.
The world has not yet seen the Son of God in His displayed glory. But Solomon is an outstanding picture of the King in His glory in that coming day of display. His name means "peaceable." When Solomon sent to Hiram he said "there is neither adversary nor misfortune," 1 Kings 5:4. Every hostile force lay defeated. This man of peace, in his glory, his supremacy and his divine wisdom, takes the Kingdom and orders every part of it according to the will of God.
By sending to Hiram, Solomon draws a nation outside Israel into the work. That share was small, and it pointed forward to something larger.
The Gentile has the privilege of a small share in the building of that house. He does not have the readiness and free giving of an Israelite, but he has a place there, and we may call it a blessed place. And a more blessed place is yet to come. For that house is to be a house of prayer for all nations (Mark 11:17)… The Gentile's place was a lower one, but he shared in Israel's blessing.
- Friendship opens it. Hiram had long loved David, and the love shown to the king of grace led straight to welcome from the king of glory.
- Peace prepares it. God will not settle into a lasting home while His people are still at war, so the builder had to be the man of peace, not the warrior.
- Purpose settles it. Solomon's resolve was not self-will. God had already decreed the house, and faith decides because God has determined.
- Glory displays it. With neither adversary nor misfortune left, Solomon orders the whole kingdom by God's will — a picture of Christ reigning in His glory.
- Nations share it. A Gentile king gets a lower but blessed share in the building, pointing on to a house of prayer for all nations.
Thou knowest that David my father could not build a house unto the name of Jehovah his God, because of the wars which were about him on every side, until Jehovah put them under the soles of his feet.
Solomon's message to Hiram, a foreign king, opens with family history. His father wanted to build a house for God's name and never did. The reason given is not failure or delay but war — enemies on every side, until God put them under David's feet.
The verse gives war as the obstacle. One writer turns that into a principle about where God settles, and then applies it to the Church.
David could not build this house. Peace had to be made first (v. 3), before the Lord could make His lasting dwelling among His people… God cannot dwell in rest where there is war… It is the same, spiritually, for the Church. When the "good news of peace" is announced, the house of God, the holy temple in the Lord, is built up. This work continues until the full rest of glory.
Alongside the wars, commentators point to the state of the nation. Israel had not yet reached its rest, so God kept to a tent.
In David's time the children of Israel had not come to their rest. The kingdom was still unsettled, and the people stood ready for service, or armed for war. So the Lord refused to enter His settled home while His people were in that state. In all their afflictions He had been afflicted. In their wanderings He had walked in a tent and in a tabernacle. Until He had planted them in their appointed place, He would Himself enter no house of cedar.
Solomon dates the change to the moment God subdued David's enemies. One writer traces that same order — conquest first, then rest — forward to Christ.
David had made huge preparations for this house. But he recalls what the Lord had told him (1 Chronicles 22:8): "You may not build a house for My name, for you are a man of war and have shed blood" (1 Chronicles 28:3). Through his sufferings David could prepare the "rest that remains for the people of God." But he could not bring in that rest while the kingdom still carried the warrior stamp of its leader. So will it be with Christ. At the cross He laid the foundation for eternal rest. But He will not set up that final rest until all His enemies have been put under His feet.
One writer gives another reason beyond the wars. It turns on who Solomon was to God.
This better name of son brought him the honour of building the house of God. That work is to be seen as an honour rather than a service. It was an honour too great for David the servant, but kept for Solomon the son. God said to David, "Solomon your son shall build My house and My courts, for I have chosen him to be My son, and I will be his father." (1 Chronicles 28:6.)
David's plan never became a building. Yet God gave His verdict on the wish itself.
Solomon records a striking fact about David, full of meaning. "The Lord said to David my father, 'Whereas it was in your heart to build a house for My name, you did well that it was in your heart. Nevertheless, you shall not build the house, but your son who shall be born to you shall build the house for My name'" (2 Chronicles 6:8-9)… As to carrying it out, David had to be put in his proper place. But what was in his heart was approved… it places all the saints of God on one footing, however much they differ in ability for service. The counsels of the heart are before God.
Told no, David set about gathering what his son would need.
David entered into God's presence, his great desire being to build a house for the Lord. What a motive that was, what a desire! But God said, "No, David, you are not the man. I have another in mind." Did David turn aside? Did he sulk? No. David gathered up all the material with all the energy, love and power he could command, so that his son might build God's house. What a man of God!
The message in this verse is addressed to a foreign king, and that placing is noticed.
In 1 Kings 5 we see the action, not by marriage alliance, but by treaty, with the Gentiles, and how they become the servant of his purposes — indeed, we can say even God's purposes for the earth, as far as Solomon was the servant of them.
- War blocks rest. God would not settle into a house while His people were still armed for battle. He shared their tent until they were planted in their place.
- Rest is won, not wished. The turning point came when God put David's enemies under his feet. Christ laid the foundation of rest at the cross, and He will bring in the final rest once all His enemies are subdued.
- The son gets the honour. The work was an honour too great for David the servant. God kept it for Solomon the son.
- The heart is counted. David never built, yet God said he did well that it was in his heart. That puts all servants on one footing, whatever their ability.
- Prepare for another's hand. Refused the work, David gathered every material his son would need, with all the energy and love he could command.
But now Jehovah my God has given me rest on every side there is neither adversary nor evil event.
Solomon's message to Hiram starts with a reason: the wars are over, and God Himself gave the rest. The timber, the workers and the treaty with Tyre all follow from that one gift — so why did a house for God have to wait for peace?
after
David wanted to build this house, but he could not. One writer explains what was missing.
David could not build this house. Peace had to come first (v. 3), so that the Lord could make His lasting home among His people. While they wandered in the desert, the Lord joined Himself to them by the tabernacle, in their condition as pilgrims and travellers. Then came the wars of Canaan under Joshua and the judges; these did not stop until the reign of David. God cannot dwell in rest where there is war.
Solomon inherited a quiet kingdom he had not fought for. One king put down the enemies; the other ordered the kingdom.
His name means "peaceable." David was the warrior king, the man who subdued all the enemies. When Solomon sent to Hiram he said "there is neither adversary nor misfortune," 1 Kings 5:4. Every hostile force had been subdued. This man of peace, in his glory and supremacy and in divine wisdom, takes the kingdom and orders it in every part according to the will of God.
Israel's first king, Saul, fought the same enemies and left them standing.
As king of Israel he is in conflict with all the natural enemies of Israel, and here he shows his might. He defeats them, but he does not destroy or subdue them: even Amalek is no exception, as we shall see. He is very far from leaving, as his successor does, "neither adversary nor misfortune." He dies in battle, defeated by the Philistines... all the enemies have to be met afresh by the next king.
Solomon claims two things: no enemy outside, no trouble within. But the calm had limits.
Under Solomon this peace was outward, material, so to speak. The Lord had given him rest on every side (v. 4). The blessings that filled his reign had the same material character. All the desirable things of earth were brought to him. He made them serve the glory of the Lord, who had firmly established his throne.
Hiram had loved David and now offers the same friendship to David's son. A writer sees the older loyalty carried over into the new reign.
Of his own free will he had come to offer his services to Solomon's father, and his carpenters had built him a house (2 Sam. 5:11). The same willing spirit led him to send his servants to David's son because he had always loved his father (v. 1). How could he fail to be welcomed by the king of glory when he had always loved the king of grace?
Commentators read this settled kingdom as a preview of Christ's reign. One warns that the peace does not arrive the moment He appears.
So peace, lasting peace for this weary world, will not arrive at the moment of the Lord's appearing... like a magician's wand producing an instant deliverance. But the final victory is certain. In Solomon's reign there was neither adversary nor misfortune (1 Kings 5:4), and so it will be under the rule of Christ.
Solomon's own later years undid the claim he makes in this verse.
As long as he cared for the interests of the LORD, his fame and glory were untarnished. He could say, "the LORD my God has given me rest on every side. There is neither adversary nor misfortune" (1 Kings 5:4). But when the honour of the LORD's name was forgotten, and the brightness of his glory was stained, the LORD stirred up adversaries for him (see 1 Kings 11:14, 23, 26).
The phrase outlives Solomon. One writer uses the same words for how everything ends.
We can afford to see the complete failure and ruin of the creature, in every shape and form. We can do so because we know for sure that God will be God, despite everything. He will have the upper hand in the end, and then all will be, must be right. God shall be all in all, and there shall be neither enemy nor misfortune throughout that vast universe of bliss.
- Given, not gained — the rest on every side came from God; Solomon received a kingdom David had fought to secure.
- Rest before building — God does not settle among His people while war goes on. The temple had to wait for peace.
- Peace with limits — Solomon's calm was outward and material. Every desirable thing of earth flowed to his throne.
- Peace forfeited — Solomon stopped caring for God's honour, and God stirred up the adversaries this verse said he did not have.
- Peace fulfilled — under Christ's rule the words hold for good: no adversary, no misfortune, and God all in all.
And behold, I purpose to build a house unto the name of Jehovah my God, as Jehovah spoke to David my father saying, Thy son, whom I will set upon thy throne in thy stead, he shall build a house unto my name.
Solomon tells Hiram of Tyre that he means to build the temple, but the plan is not his own. God had already said to David that his son would build the house for His name.
David could not build this house, and war was the reason. One writer draws out what that shows about where God settles.
David could not build this house. Peace had to be made first (v. 3), so that the Lord could make His lasting home among His people. While they wandered in the desert, the Lord linked Himself with them in their life as pilgrims and travelers, by means of the tabernacle. Then followed the wars of Canaan under Joshua and the judges; these had not ceased until the reign of David. God cannot dwell in rest where there is war. The first condition of His lasting dwelling with His people in Canaan is that peace is made. It is the same, spiritually, for the Church. When the "good news of peace" goes out, God's house, the holy temple in the Lord, rises, and this work goes on until the full rest of glory.
Solomon tells Hiram what he intends to do. One writer asks where that intention came from, and what we do when we already know God's will.
Solomon tells Hiram of his plans, plans that in no way were the fruit of his own will. He had decided to build the house of the Lord because God had decreed it, telling David His will beforehand (v. 5). Such is the true character of the decision of faith. Faith decides because God has determined. This point is important. Often we know God's will in advance. Instead of saying, "I have determined" to do it, we look for excuses and good reasons to avoid it — or at least to avoid putting our whole heart into it. At other times our decisions have no motive behind them but our own self-will, and they lead us to bitter disappointments.
Solomon builds for God's name. One writer describes what that made the temple, and who it was open to.
Of old the temple was where God's glory was seen, and where God's Name was set. All nations were to be welcome there. From it the testimony of the true and living God was to go out. It was His house, and He made His mind known there.
The whole exchange with Hiram shows a foreign king drawn into Israel's central work — and commentators read the arrangement as more than a timber contract.
In 1 Kings 5 we see Solomon working with the nations — not through marriage ties, but through an alliance. They become the servants of his purposes; indeed, we can even say God's purposes for the earth, as far as Solomon served those purposes.
Hiram's approach was not new; his friendship with the father carried over to the son.
Of his own free will he had come to offer his services to Solomon's father, and his carpenters had built him a house (2 Sam. 5:11). The same willing spirit led him to send his servants to David's son because he had always loved his father (v. 1). How could he fail to be welcomed by the king of glory when he had always loved the king of grace?
Solomon builds what his father wanted and was forbidden to do. That refusal came with a commendation.
Solomon records something striking and suggestive about David. "The Lord said to my father, Since it was in your heart to build a house for my name, you did well that it was in your heart. But you shall not build the house. Your son, who will come from your own body, he shall build the house for my name" (2 Chron. 6:8-9)… The counsels of the heart are open before God, and realizing this frees us from caring about the praise of men (1 Cor. 4:5).
Solomon builds a house for God's name. One writer looks past both father and son to a greater builder.
In all this we are meant to see someone greater than David or Solomon. Christ alone can give God a final dwelling place among men: "Look at the Man whose name is The Branch. He will grow up out of His place, and He will build the temple of the Lord. Yes, He will build the temple of the Lord. He will bear the glory, and will sit and rule on His throne. He will be a priest on His throne, and the counsel of peace will be between them both" (Zech. 6:12-13).
- Rest first. God does not settle into a house while His people are still at war; peace made is the condition of His dwelling.
- Rest given. Solomon did not earn his quiet reign. The throne, the peace and the task all reached him as words God spoke to his father.
- Rest obeyed. Faith decides because God has determined; Solomon's "I intend" only repeats what God had already said.
- Rest shared. The Name set in that house reaches outsiders — a foreign king in the work, and a testimony meant for all nations.
- Rest completed. Solomon built a house; the Branch builds the temple, bears the glory, and reigns as priest on His throne.
And now command that they hew me cedar-trees out of Lebanon; and my servants shall be with thy servants; and I will give thee hire for thy servants according to all that thou shalt say; for thou knowest that there is not among us any that are experienced in cutting timber like to the Zidonians.
Solomon sends Hiram a work order: cut the cedars, share the labour, name your own price. His reason is an open admission. Israel had no woodcutters to match the Sidonians. So why does the house of God rise partly by foreign hands?
The request has three parts: cutting, shared labour, and pay.
He asked Hiram to order his men to cut down cedars in Lebanon for building timber. Solomon would send his own servants to work with Hiram's servants. He would pay the wages of them all, and Hiram would set the amount. He reminded Hiram that everyone knew the Sidonians, who were linked with Tyre, were skilled woodcutters. Solomon was willing to pay wages worthy of skilled workmen.
Solomon gives his order like a man whose mind is settled. God settled it first.
Solomon tells Hiram his plans — plans that did not come from his own will at all. He had resolved to build the house of the Lord because God had so decreed, communicating His will beforehand to David (v. 5). Such is the true character of the decision of faith. Faith decides because God has determined. This point is important. Often we know the will of God in advance. Instead of saying, "I have determined" to do it, we look for excuses and good reasons to avoid it — or at least to avoid putting our whole heart into it. At other times our decisions have no motive behind them except our own self-will, and they lead us to bitter disappointment.
Solomon names one people in particular. Their skill was the very skill Israel lacked.
The people of Sidon and the area around it. At times the name covered the Phoenicians in general. They were famous for cutting timber, and as fishermen and sailors… The Sidonians were idolaters. Baal and Ashtoreth were their gods.
Solomon asks for cedar in particular. That wood would later line the inside of the house.
Cedar wood covered the inner sanctuary and the holy place in front of it. In the Word cedar stands for majesty and height, for lasting strength and firmness. Every part of the inside walls was covered. Nowhere did the stone show. Yet gold covered the cedar wood itself, and even the cypress planks of the floor. In the Word gold always stands for divine righteousness and glory.
"My servants will join your servants" puts Israelites and idol-worshipping Phoenicians on the same hillside. Commentators see God's own mind in that, and not just Solomon's convenience. (A Gentile is anyone outside Israel.)
Note also that the Temple was to stand on the threshing floor of a Gentile. Hiram, king of Tyre, another Gentile, worked closely with both David and Solomon in the great work (1 Kings 5). So Israel's God had Gentiles in mind, to share the blessing of His presence on earth among His people. "For my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples" (Isa. 56:7). It is an early hint of how wide and worldwide God's grace is in the day of the gospel.
Another writer sees the nations in this chapter serving a purpose bigger than Solomon's building project.
In 1 Kings 5 we see Solomon acting with the Gentiles — not by marriage ties, but by alliance — and how they become the servants of his purposes. Indeed we can even say God's purposes for the earth, so far as Solomon was the servant of them.
Solomon offers to pay whatever Hiram names. One writer sees a picture in what Solomon later sent.
In return for this service from Tyre, Solomon promised to give Hiram's servants 20,000 cors of ground wheat, 20,000 of barley, 20,000 baths of wine and 20,000 baths of oil (v. 10). This pictures the Lord's generosity toward those who work for the building of the house of God today as well. He provides everything they need to live on and to enjoy, and much more. The Lord more than repays any work done for Him.
- Decided — Solomon builds because God had already spoken to David. Faith decides because God has determined.
- Cedar — the wood he asks for stands for majesty, height and lasting firmness. It lined the whole house inside, and gold covered it.
- Sidonians — neighbours famous for cutting timber, who worshipped Baal and Ashtoreth. Solomon admits Israel has no one to match them.
- Joined — Israelite and Gentile servants work the same hillside. Writers see God's mind in it: He draws Gentiles in to share the blessing of His presence, and makes them serve His purposes.
- Paid — Solomon offers wages at Hiram's own price. The Lord likewise more than repays work done for Him.
And it came to pass when Hiram heard the words of Solomon, that he rejoiced greatly, and said, Blessed be Jehovah this day, who has given to David a wise son over this great people.
Hiram, king of the trading city of Tyre and no Israelite, hears Solomon's plan to build a house for the Lord. He praises a God who is not his own by birth, and his joy raises a question: how far does God's blessing reach?
The striking thing is not the trade deal, but the name Hiram praises while making it:
Hiram rejoiced greatly when he heard the words of Solomon. He considered himself honoured to be able by his service to contribute to the glory of the God of Israel. This Gentile king said, "Blessed be the LORD this day." He looks on the Lord, the God of Solomon, as his God. He thanks Him for giving David a son to reign over His people. Love for David, the rejected king, leads his soul to value the king of glory, to value God Himself, and to value the people of God.
Hiram's welcome under Solomon did not begin with Solomon. Years earlier, Hiram had sent his workmen to David before anyone asked:
In Solomon's day Tyre had not yet taken on the pride that Isaiah and especially Ezekiel condemned, a pride that went so far as to make a god of human intelligence. Hiram, the friend of David, still ruled this people. Of his own free will he had come to offer his services to Solomon's father, and his carpenters had built him a house (2 Samuel 5:11). The same willing spirit led him to send his servants to David's son because he had always loved his father. How could he fail to be welcomed by the king of glory when he had always loved the king of grace?
A neighbouring king might have resented a powerful young ruler next door. Hiram did the opposite:
There were no snags whatever in this arrangement. All was done in thorough concord. Hiram rejoiced greatly at Solomon's message. He showed no envy, but joy that the Lord had given a wise king to rule over Israel.
Hiram's praise did not stay in words. It turned at once into an offer of labour. Measured against what Solomon gave back, that offer is the smaller half of the exchange:
The fruit of a rejoicing heart is entire devotion to the service of Christ. "I am ready to do all you desire" (v. 8). And after all, what is Hiram's service in comparison to that which Solomon does for him? Sometimes what we do for the Lord looks like something. The cedars of Lebanon and all the effort to transport them were no little thing. But Solomon uses many other materials to build the temple besides Hiram's cedars and cypresses. The great costly stones and the gold overlaying everything mattered more to the foundation and the glory of the building than the products of Lebanon. Still, Solomon grants Hiram's desire because Hiram grants his, and Hiram's desire is food for his household... The Lord could do without us, but He does not want to. He knows well that using us in His service brings joy and blessing to our hearts. But we cannot do without Him. It is He who gives life, nourishment, strength, and growth.
Hiram is more than one friendly neighbour. One writer sees him standing for the nations:
His throne is established, and the glory of the son of David abounds. The Gentiles now are at Solomon's disposal — the king of Tyre stands for the world and its desirable things. The Gentiles give themselves gladly to carrying out the plans of the king of Israel, and to his service in building the house of the Lord.
Hiram's men were not Israelites, and their role in the building was a limited one. That limit does not cancel the honour:
The Gentile has the privilege of a small share in building that house. He does not have the readiness and free giving of an Israelite, but he has a place there — and we may say a blessed place. And a more blessed place is yet to come. For that house is to be a house of prayer for all nations (Mark 11:17). The presence of king Hiram's labourers may have prompted the psalmist's prophecy that the people of Tyre would be there with a gift (Psalm 45:12)... The Gentile's place was subordinate, but participating in Israel's blessedness.
- Love first. Hiram had always loved David, the rejected king. That love carried him into a glad welcome for David's son.
- Blessing given. He names the wise son as God's gift to Israel, and blesses the Lord for it — a Gentile treating Israel's God as his own.
- Joy without envy. A rival king's success draws thanksgiving out of him instead of resentment.
- Joy becomes service. A rejoicing heart gives itself to work. Yet Hiram receives more from Solomon's table than he ever gives in cedar.
- Reach beyond Israel. His share in the house is small, but real. It points ahead to the nations bringing their gifts to the house of God.
And Hiram sent to Solomon, saying, I have heard the things which thou sentest to me for I will do all thy desire concerning timber of cedar, and concerning timber of cypress.
Hiram of Tyre has heard Solomon's request for timber, and here he answers it. His reply is short, warm and complete — so why would a foreign king give his own forests to build Israel's temple?
Hiram's answer begins in joy, not in negotiation.
Hiram rejoiced greatly when he heard the words of Solomon. He counted it an honour that his service could add to the glory of the God of Israel. This Gentile king said, "Blessed be the LORD this day" (v. 7). He regards the Lord, the God of Solomon, as his God, and thanks Him for giving David a son to reign over His people. Love for David, the rejected king, leads him to value the king of glory, to value God Himself, and to value the people of God.
Hiram holds nothing back. One writer weighs what Hiram gives against what he receives in return.
The fruit of a rejoicing heart is complete devotion to the service of Christ. "I am ready to do all you desire" (v. 8). And after all, what is Hiram's service next to what Solomon does for him? Sometimes what we do for the Lord looks like something. The cedars of Lebanon and all the work of moving them were no small thing. But Solomon uses many other materials to build the temple besides Hiram's cedars and cypresses. The great costly stones and the gold that covered everything mattered more to the foundation and the glory of the building than the products of Lebanon. Still, Solomon grants Hiram's desire because Hiram grants Solomon's (vv. 9, 10), and Hiram's desire is food for his household. The Lord could do without us, but He does not want to. He knows well that using us in His service brings joy and blessing to our hearts — but we cannot do without Him.
The verse names two timbers. Older versions call the second one "fir"; the ESV calls it "cypress". A Bible dictionary describes it:
berosh. People think it is one of the conifers, but no one knows which species it means. It came from Lebanon, and people used it to build houses and to make musical instruments. 2 Sam. 6:5; 1 Kings 5:8, 10; 1 Kings 6:15, 34; 2 Chr. 2:8; 2 Chr. 3:5. In the millennium it will grow in place of the thorn, and Israel, when she returns in blessing, will say, "I am like an evergreen cypress" (older versions: "a green fir tree"). Isa. 55:13; Hosea 14:8.
Commentators also see meaning in the two woods themselves:
Cedar does not decay, so it is an emblem of the incorruptible resurrection body. No one has ever seen a piece of worm-eaten cedar. The sap of the cedar is death to the worm; instead of the worm destroying the cedar, the cedar destroys the worm. Fir, or cypress, served where strength and durability were needed, and it pictures resurrection strength.
Hiram's plan is practical: his men will cut, and the sea will carry.
There were no snags at all in this arrangement. Everything went ahead in full agreement. Hiram answered Solomon's request gladly, willing to provide cedar and cypress logs for him. His servants would cut them down, then float them along the sea-coast in rafts to the port in Israel closest to Jerusalem. From there the logs went by land up to Jerusalem (vs. 8-9).
This alliance with Tyre serves a purpose larger than timber.
In 1 Kings 5 we see Solomon act with the Gentiles — not by marriage ties, but by alliance. They become the servants of his purposes. We can even say they serve God's purposes for the earth, so far as Solomon himself served those purposes.
Another writer sees the whole world's wealth drawn in — and looks past Solomon to the reign it pictures:
Solomon's rule is marked, as we have said, by an earthly glory. Every natural resource the whole world can supply feeds into it. But this glory was meant for the glory of God. It was to give Him, among His people, a temple that would lift up His holiness and His greatness. So it will be in the glorious reign of the Messiah.
- Joy first. Hiram's service starts with a rejoicing heart — he counts it an honour to add anything to the glory of Israel's God.
- Joy gives all. That heart produces an unreserved answer: everything Solomon asked, Hiram would do.
- Joy receives more. The cedars cost real effort, yet stone and gold mattered more to the building. And Hiram's own household ate from Solomon's land.
- Joy travels. Cut in Lebanon, floated down the coast, carried up to Jerusalem — a willing heart came with a workable plan, and the whole arrangement ran without a snag.
- Joy foreshadows. Nations served Solomon's purposes then. In the Messiah's reign the world's resources will serve the glory of God.
My servants shall bring [them] down from Lebanon to the sea; and I will convey them by sea [in] rafts to the place that thou shalt appoint me, and will cause them to be broken up there, and thou shalt receive them. And thou shalt accomplish my desire in giving food for my household.
Hiram's answer closes the deal: the timber will be cut in Lebanon, floated down the coast, and paid for in food, not silver. One verse holds a trade agreement, a picture of God supplying His house, and the road every cedar had to travel.
Hiram spells out the route from the mountain to the port.
He responded favourably to Solomon's request, willing to provide cedar and cypress logs for him. Hiram's servants would cut them down. Then they would float them along the sea-coast in rafts (or what we may call "booms") to the port in Israel closest to Jerusalem. There the rafts would be broken up, and the logs carried by land to Jerusalem (vs. 8-9). He accepted Solomon's word too that he would provide food for Hiram's household.
Hiram names his price, and it is not gold. He asks for food. One writer weighs what each king gives the other.
And after all, what is Hiram's service in comparison to what Solomon does for him? Sometimes what we do for the Lord looks like something. The cedars of Lebanon and all the effort of moving them were no small thing. But Solomon uses many other materials to build the temple besides Hiram's cedars and cypresses. The great costly stones and the gold that covered everything mattered more to the foundation and the glory of the building than the products of Lebanon. Still, Solomon accomplishes Hiram's desire because Hiram accomplishes his (vv. 9, 10), and Hiram's desire is the feeding of his house. The Lord could do without us, but He does not want to. He knows well that using us in His service gives joy to our hearts and blesses them — but we cannot do without Him. It is He who gives life, nourishment, strength, and growth. The food of Hiram's country, the wheat his merchants traded in, came from Palestine (Ezek. 27:17). It is the Lord's land that supplies what we need to live. So Hiram depended on Solomon for this: "providing food for my household" (v. 9).
The same writer turns the wheat supply into a warning about self-sufficiency:
One might own cedar trees and cypresses and still die of hunger. Certainly one does not die of hunger when one places them into the service of Solomon!
One writer dwells on what each tree went through.
So there was only one way for every tree used in building the temple. The axe, the axe; stroke after stroke, until the lofty tree lies flat and dead, cut off from every root of nature. And then down, down, down the slopes of Lebanon, right down into the water. It must go into the water at the foot of Lebanon before it can come out of the water at Joppa. And it must go into the water, and come out of the water, before it can go up to Jerusalem's temple. There was no overland route for a single tree.
The same writer names a man who took that road:
Saul of Tarsus was not only a great sinner — he calls himself "the foremost of sinners." He was also the loftiest Pharisee that ever waved his head on the moral Lebanon of man. He was a cedar tree of the cedar trees, a fir tree of the fir trees, "a Hebrew of Hebrews." Then the word of God entered his soul. When Jesus said, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" the lofty cedar fell flat on the ground. What a felling! The trees went into the water at the foot of Lebanon and came out at Joppa. In the same way, Saul was buried with Christ in death, and the new man Paul was raised out of death, possessing the new life, one with the risen Christ.
The wood for God's house came from a foreign king's forest. That was not an accident of supply.
We note also that the temple was to be built on the threshing floor of a Gentile. Hiram, king of Tyre, another Gentile, worked closely with both David and Solomon in the great work (1 Kings 5). So Israel's God had Gentiles before His mind, to share the blessedness of His presence on earth among His people. "For my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples" (Isa. 56:7). Just a hint in advance of the largeness and universality of God's grace in this gospel day.
One writer reads this friendly treaty as a preview of a settled world under Christ.
This friendliness between Solomon and Hiram pictures the peace established between Israel and the Gentile nations in the millennium. Gentiles will come to Israel's light and the wealth of the Gentiles will come to Israel (Isa. 60:3-5). God knew how to turn Hiram's heart toward Solomon. He knows how to change the hearts of other Gentiles too, from hatred to friendliness toward Israel, as He will in the latter days.
- Felled — no tree reached the temple standing; the axe came first, cutting it off from every root of nature.
- Floated — every log went into the water and came out again. There was no shortcut by land, and none past death and resurrection.
- Fed — Hiram asked for food, not gold. The one who supplies God's house lives on what God's land grows.
- Fetched from abroad — foreign hands cut the timber. It was an early hint that God's house would be a house of prayer for all peoples.
- Foreshadowed — the peace between the two kings sketches the day when the nations bring their wealth to Israel's light.
So Hiram gave Solomon cedar-trees and cypress-trees [according to] all his desire.
Hiram, the king of Tyre, gave Solomon every log he asked for. Behind that simple fact lies a question: why did Israel's temple rise on timber grown outside the land?
Solomon did not think this building up. He told Hiram where the plan came from.
Solomon tells Hiram of his plans, plans that in no way were the fruit of his own will. He had resolved to build the house of the Lord because God had so decreed, communicating His will beforehand to David. Such is the true character of the decision of faith. Faith decides because God has determined. This point is important. Often we know the will of God beforehand. Instead of saying, "I have determined" to do it, we look for excuses and good reasons to avoid it — or at least to avoid putting our whole heart into it.
Hiram's answer went beyond agreement.
Hiram rejoiced greatly when he heard the words of Solomon. He considered himself honoured to be able by his service to contribute to the glory of the God of Israel. This Gentile king said, "Blessed be the Lord this day." He looks on the Lord, the God of Solomon, as his God. He thanks Him for giving David a son to reign over His people. His love for David, the rejected king, leads him to value the king of glory, to value God Himself, and to value the people of God.
Why these two woods? One writer sees a picture in each.
Cedar, because it does not decay, is an emblem of the incorruptible resurrection body. No one has ever seen a piece of worm-eaten cedar. The sap of the cedar is death to the worm. So instead of the worm destroying the cedar, the cedar destroys the worm. Fir, or cypress, was used where strength and durability were needed. It is typical of resurrection strength.
Another writer looks at what the cedar says about Christ Himself:
The cedar has extraordinary durability, glorious height, refreshing shade and pleasing beauty. These qualities are typical of Christ… This shows, in some measure, the abiding character of the Lord Jesus Christ. "You remain." Time wears everything else away, but it has no influence on Him.
What we give the Lord can look impressive. One writer weighs it against what He gives us.
The cedars of Lebanon and all the effort to transport them were no little thing. But Solomon uses many other materials as well to build the temple besides Hiram's cedars and cypresses. The great costly stones and the gold that covered everything mattered more to the foundation and the glory of the building than the products of Lebanon… The Lord could do without us, but He does not want to. He knows well that using us in His service gives joy to our hearts and blesses them. But we cannot do without Him. It is He who gives life, nourishment, strength, and growth… One might own cedar trees and cypresses and yet die of hunger.
Another writer turns this to those who work on God's house now:
This pictures the generosity of the Lord toward those who work for the building of the house of God today as well. He does provide everything they need for their support and enjoyment, and much more. The Lord graciously repays any work done for Him — and more than repays it.
This partnership between Israel and the nations looks ahead. One writer reads it as prophecy.
This cooperation of the Gentiles in building the temple is also prophetic, for the riches of the Gentiles are promised to Israel. Jews and Gentiles will unite to show His glory.
The prophets name the very trees. One writer points to Isaiah 60, here in an older translation:
The glory of Lebanon shall come to you, the cypress, the pine, and the box-tree together, to beautify the place of my sanctuary; and I will make the place of my feet glorious.
- Decree. God settled this building before Solomon asked for a single log. Faith decides because God has determined.
- Desire. Hiram answered with joy, counting it an honour that his service added to the glory of the God of Israel.
- Timber. Cedar does not rot and cypress is strong. Both picture the resurrection body — and the One whom time cannot wear away.
- Bread. Cedars cannot feed a household. The Lord could do without our service, yet He feeds and repays everyone who serves Him.
- Glory. Lebanon's timber points ahead. Jews and Gentiles will one day bring their riches together to beautify God's sanctuary.
And Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand measures of wheat as food for his household, and twenty measures of beaten oil thus gave Solomon to Hiram year by year.
Solomon's timber from Lebanon came at a price, and this verse is the receipt: wheat and oil shipped every year from Israel's fields to a foreign king's household. Why does the record keep the bill, and what does food flowing out of Israel into Tyre picture?
Tyre had timber. Israel had food. One writer points out that Solomon paid twice over — once to the workmen, and again to the king's own household:
Then he asked Hiram to send him a master workman and more material — cedar trees, fir trees and algum trees out of Lebanon. In return he offered Hiram's servants wheat, barley, wine and oil, twenty thousand measures of each. 1 Kings 5:11 tells us that besides this gift to the workers in timber, Solomon gave twenty thousand measures of wheat and oil each year to the household of Hiram.
Commentators differ on how much oil. Gaebelein reads twenty thousand measures. Another writer reads a much smaller figure, and says how long the shipments ran:
This arrangement went well. Hiram sent cedar and cypress logs. Solomon sent back 20,000 kors of wheat and 20 kors of pressed oil every year (v.11), for seven years.
Hiram owned the cedars, but he could not eat them. What he wanted in return was food:
Solomon accomplishes the desire of Hiram because Hiram accomplishes the desire of Solomon, and the desire of Hiram is the feeding of his house. The food of Hiram's country, the wheat his merchants traded in, came from Palestine. It is the Lord's land that supplies the things we need to live. So Hiram depended on Solomon for this: "giving food for my household." And what abundance reigns among the servants of the king of Tyre afterwards — four million eight hundred thousand litres of wheat a year! You might own cedar trees and cypresses and still die of hunger. You certainly do not die of hunger when you put them into the service of Solomon!
The same writer weighs Hiram's cedars against the rest of the temple:
Sometimes what we do for the Lord looks impressive. The cedars of Lebanon and all the effort to move them were no little thing. But Solomon used many other materials to build the temple besides Hiram's cedars and cypresses. The great, costly stones and the gold that overlaid everything mattered more to the foundation and the glory of the building than the products of Lebanon. The Lord could do without us, but He does not want to. He knows well that using us in His service gives joy to our hearts and blesses them — but we cannot do without Him. It is He who gives life, nourishment, strength, and growth.
The wheat and oil were payment, yet one writer sees more in them than a bill settled. Commenting on the same offer of wheat, barley, wine and oil:
This pictures the Lord's generosity toward those who work for the building of the house of God today as well. He provides everything they need to live on and to enjoy, and much more. The Lord will more than repay any work done for Him.
Israel and Tyre trade here as partners, not rivals. One writer reads that as a preview of a coming age:
This friendliness between Solomon and Hiram pictures the peace that will be set up between Israel and the Gentile nations in the millennium. Gentiles will come to Israel's light, and the wealth of the Gentiles will come to Israel. God knew how to turn Hiram's heart toward Solomon. He knows how to change the hearts of other Gentiles from enmity to friendliness toward Israel, and He will do it in the latter days.
Here Solomon pays in food. Later he pays a different debt in land, and one writer weighs that gift very differently:
The first book of Kings tells us that Solomon gave Hiram, the king of Tyre, "twenty cities in the land of Galilee." Hiram despised this gift and called these cities the "land of Cabul" — good for nothing. We have noted two things. On the one hand, the territory of the promised land never had any value for the world. On the other hand, Solomon committed positive unfaithfulness in giving away Jehovah's land.
- Wheat — Tyre supplied cedar. Israel supplied food. The one thing the timber-rich king could not grow was bread, and it came out of the Lord's land.
- Yearly — This was not one payment. Food went out every year, for as long as the building went on.
- Repaid — Commentators see here a picture of the Lord's generosity. He provides for those who work on His house. They need Him; He does not need them.
- Peace — Two nations working together instead of fighting previews Israel and the nations at peace, with Gentile wealth flowing in.
- Warning — Paying in food was one thing. Later, paying in land was another. Commentators call the gift of Galilean cities unfaithfulness — and Hiram thought them worthless anyway.
And Jehovah gave Solomon wisdom as he promised him. And there was peace between Hiram and Solomon; and they two made a league.
Solomon and Hiram settle terms for building the temple. Hiram ruled Tyre, a foreign trading city, and this verse links their treaty to a promise God kept: the gift of wisdom.
Solomon got what he needed from Hiram by agreement, not by force. One writer sees this friendship as a picture of a coming age of peace:
The friendship between Solomon and Hiram pictures a coming peace. In the millennium, Israel and the Gentile nations will be at peace. Gentiles will come to Israel's light and the wealth of the Gentiles will come to Israel (Isa. 60:3-5). God knew how to make Hiram friendly toward Solomon. He also knows how to turn the hearts of other Gentiles from hostility to friendship toward Israel, and He will do so in the latter days.
That friendship began before Solomon. Hiram had loved David, and the same willingness carried over to David's son:
Of his own free will he had come to offer his services to Solomon's father, and his carpenters had built him a house (2 Sam. 5:11). The same willing spirit led him to send his servants to David's son because he had always loved his father (v. 1). How could the king of glory fail to welcome him, when he had always loved the king of grace?
God gave this wisdom in stages, not all at once. One writer matches each stage to the task in front of the king:
"And the LORD gave Solomon wisdom, as He promised him" (v. 12). He had received wisdom (1 Kings 2:6) to purify his kingdom by judgment. Then (1 Kings 3:12) he received it to judge rightly and so govern his people. Then (1 Kings 4:29) he received it to lead and teach the nations, the peoples, and the kings of the earth. Finally, he received wisdom to build the temple, the great work that was to mark his glorious reign.
Solomon had asked for help because the nation was too big for him. The answer came in the same measure as the problem:
Solomon pleaded that Israel was "so great." How could he carry the weight of guiding such a nation? Now compare two verses in 1 Kings 4. Verse 20 says, "Judah and Israel were as many as the sand by the sea." Verse 29 says, "God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding beyond measure, and breadth of mind like the sand on the seashore." Wisdom according to the need!
A foreign king supplied timber for the house of Israel's God. That broke the earlier pattern. Israelites alone had built the tabernacle, the tent of worship they carried through the desert:
In the wilderness the Lord had chosen Bezalel of Judah and Oholiab of Dan for the work of the tabernacle (Ex. 35:30-35). Then the work of the tabernacle had fallen to the children of Israel alone. The people, entirely separated from the nations, could have no work in common with them. Under Solomon the scene changes: the nations are now reconciled, and they serve God together with His own people.
That welcome reached beyond Hiram:
So Israel's God had Gentiles in mind, to share the blessing of His presence on earth among His people. "For my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples" (Isa. 56:7). Just a hint, given in advance, of how large and wide God's grace is in this Gospel day.
One writer turns this exchange into a lesson about who depends on whom:
The Lord could do without us, but He does not want to. He knows well that using us in His service gives joy to our hearts and blesses them. But we cannot do without Him. He is the one who gives life, food, strength, and growth… A man might own cedar and cypress trees and still die of hunger.
Long after Solomon, Tyre broke this covenant for profit:
But the hope of gain made Tyre forget the brotherly covenant, and she handed the refugees over to cruel Edom. This is the prophet's charge against her (Amos 1:9). David and Hiram, king of Tyre, made a covenant. Solomon confirmed it, and Hiram called him "my brother."
Solomon did not hold his ground either. Writers note that what God gave him was not enough for him:
We shall see later that Solomon, as the responsible king, was not content with what the Lord gave him. He later tried to increase it by himself and for himself, and he had to bear the consequences.
- Promised — God said He would give Solomon wisdom, and He kept His word. He gave it in stages, each portion sized to the job: judging, governing, teaching kings, then building.
- Peace — the quiet between the two kingdoms was God's doing. He turned a foreign king's heart toward Solomon, and He will do the same for other nations.
- Partnership — Hiram had cedars, but cedars feed nobody. God still chooses to use servants He could do without, and we cannot do without Him.
- Reach — Israel built the tabernacle alone. The temple drew in a foreign nation, a hint of God's welcome to all peoples.
- Warning — both partners later failed. Tyre forgot the covenant, and Solomon wanted more than God had given him.
And king Solomon raised a levy out of all Israel; and the levy was thirty thousand men.
Solomon is ready to build the house of God, and Hiram of Tyre will supply the timber. First comes the workforce: thirty thousand men called up from across Israel — for what work, on what terms, and why does God's house need a draft at all?
Solomon had two buildings in view. One commentator sets this draft beside the larger workforce:
In 1 Kings 5, Solomon set out to begin the great work he had been called to — to build a house for the name of the LORD and a house for his kingdom. Then he raised a very large body of men from the people to cut the timber and shape the stone for the temple and for Solomon's palace. Of these 70,000 were carriers; 80,000 were quarry men and 3,600 overseers. In 1 Kings 5:13, we read of a levy of 30,000 men. We must count these as extra workmen, since Solomon sent them to Lebanon.
The thirty thousand from Israel were not the whole labour force. Foreigners living in the land worked too, and one writer sees a picture in that mixture:
It was under Solomon that we see this remarkable combination of JEW and GENTILE in the work. In the same way it is CHRIST JESUS, risen and glorified, whom Solomon pictured, who builds the Temple of God. He has reconciled both Jew and Gentile to God in one body by the Cross, and He employs those who are His own, called out from both, in His service.
The next verse says how these men served. They worked in shifts:
The labor force Solomon raised from Israel to send to Lebanon was large indeed: 30,000 men. Each man worked only one month out of three. Ten thousand went each month, then came home for two months. This was wise consideration for the laborers.
Another writer sees Solomon's wisdom at work in how each man was assigned:
In verses 13-18 we watch the preparation work for the temple being organized. Solomon employs each man according to his own ability. His wisdom directs everything. His workers come to help Hiram's men with the wood for building, carrying loads and cutting stones out of the mountain.
One writer finds a picture of God's work today in the axes and the floating logs:
There is good spiritual instruction for us in all this organization. God knows how to organize His work today without man's organization involved. The workers in the mountains of Lebanon used axes to cut down trees. They speak of evangelists sent by God to cut down the pride of men and so save them from their sins, so that they might be fit for use in His house. The logs were then put into the water. This pictures the faith that every convert must exercise. The logs may seem heavy enough to sink, but they do not: they float.
Years later the people looked back on this forced service with bitterness. Commentators differ on whether their complaint was fair. One weighs both sides (he quotes 1 Kings 12:4 in an older wording; the ESV has "made our yoke heavy"):
They clearly resented this forced labor. "Your father," they afterwards said to Rehoboam, "made our yoke grievous." They spoke of it, too, as a "heavy" yoke (1 Kings 12:4). There is no certain evidence that this was really so. Their labor was for the glory and security of the kingdom, and everyone was supposed to share in its prosperity. It is possible, though, that they were put to work on what served only for self-indulgence. When men leave the right way, as Solomon did, they soon become oppressive. That would give some ground for their discontent.
Another takes the complaint at face value and blames the king:
They said Solomon had made their yoke heavy. How sad a comment on the character of Solomon! He was a king of great wealth. But wealthy rulers nearly always use harsh means to increase their wealth instead of using it to ease the hardships of the people.
- Purpose. Solomon raised the draft for one great work — a house for the name of the LORD, with a palace beside it. These thirty thousand were extra men, sent to Lebanon for timber.
- People. Israelites and foreigners worked side by side. One writer sees in this Christ, risen and glorified, employing His own from both Jew and Gentile.
- Pace. Ten thousand at a time, one month on and two months home. One writer calls this wise consideration for the workers.
- Placement. Solomon's wisdom directs everything here, and each man is employed according to his own ability.
- Peril. The same service was later remembered as a heavy yoke. Commentators differ on whether the charge was fair — but a ruler who leaves the right way, as Solomon did, soon becomes oppressive.
And he sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month by courses; a month they were in Lebanon, two months at home; and Adoniram was over the levy.
Solomon has his agreement with Hiram for the wood, and chapter 5 turns from diplomacy to manpower. The arrangements look like plain administration, yet commentators find in them wisdom, care for the workers, and a picture of who builds God's house.
The shifts in this verse are part of a larger plan for the work.
In verses 13-18 we witness the organisation of the preparatory work on the temple. Each is employed according to his own ability. The wisdom of Solomon directs everything. His workers join Hiram's men to get the wood for the building. They carry loads and cut stones out of the mountain.
Solomon did not keep all these men in Lebanon at once.
Solomon raised a very large labour force from Israel to send to Lebanon — 30,000 men. Each man worked only one month out of three. Ten thousand went each month, then came home for two months. This was wise consideration for the workers.
The thirty thousand Israelites were not the whole workforce. A second and much larger group also worked.
The work needed a large number of workmen. There were two classes. The first was 30,000 men out of Israel, raised by a levy; they worked in relays of 10,000 a month. The second class was made up of foreigners, 150,000 in number: 70,000 carried burdens and 80,000 cut stone.
The same writer ties the count to the destination named in this verse:
In 1 Kings 5:13, we read of a levy of 30,000 men. These must be counted as extra workmen, because they were sent to Lebanon.
Israelites served in shifts. Foreigners carried loads and cut stone. Commentators see a deeper meaning in that mixture.
Under Solomon we see this remarkable combination of Jew and Gentile in the work. Solomon was a picture of Christ Jesus, and it is Christ, risen and glorified, who builds the Temple of God. By the Cross He has reconciled both Jew and Gentile to God in one body. Now He employs those who are His own, called out from both, in His service.
The verse ends by naming the man in charge of the draft. That name appears again, at the split of the kingdom.
Chief over the tribute in the days of Solomon (1 Kings 4:6; 1 Kings 5:14). In David's time Adoram was over the tribute (2 Samuel 20:24), and in the days of Rehoboam a man of this name was also over the tribute (1 Kings 12:18). All Israel stoned him to death at the revolt of the ten tribes. If Adoniram held office from David to Rehoboam, that would cover a long period; still, it may be the same man throughout, or father and son.
Solomon's building went far beyond the temple. The people paid for it.
The Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, and other peoples left in the land were forced into service (1 Kings 9:20). New cities went up, and old ones were rebuilt (1 Kings 9:17-19). But all this meant heavy taxation. In time the people groaned under the burden, while Solomon groaned with disappointment of heart. The load of taxation was probably what made the people ask Rehoboam to make their service easier and their yoke lighter (1 Kings 12:4). Men will not complain like this when the Lord reigns in Zion. His glory will far exceed Solomon's, but it will be as true then as now: "My yoke is easy, and My burden is light" (Matthew 11:30).
- Wisdom assigns. Solomon's wisdom directed the whole work and placed each man according to his own ability.
- Wisdom spares. One month away and two months home was wise consideration for the workers.
- Wisdom combines. Israelites in shifts worked beside a far larger body of foreign carriers and stonecutters: two classes, one house.
- Christ builds. Jew and Gentile joined in one work point to the risen and glorified Christ. He reconciles both to God, then employs His own from both in His service.
- Burdens warn. Adoniram, set over this draft, was stoned when the kingdom split. Solomon's growing works left the people groaning. Against that weight, Christ's promise of an easy yoke stands out.
And Solomon had seventy thousand that bore burdens, and eighty thousand stone-masons in the mountains;
Solomon's temple starts not with architecture but with arithmetic. The verse counts 150,000 men: some carried, and some cut stone in the hills. Who were they? Why were so many needed? And what does a verse of pure logistics teach?
Israel did not supply the whole workforce. 2 Chronicles calls these men foreigners living in the land — Gentiles, not Israelites. One writer sees the mix as a pattern of something larger:
Of the foreigners that were in Israel he set seventy thousand to be bearers of burdens, eighty thousand to be stonecutters in the mountains, and three thousand six hundred officers and overseers (2 Chron. 2:2, 17, 18). Under Solomon we see this remarkable combination of JEW and GENTILE in the work. In the same way it is CHRIST JESUS, risen and glorified, whom Solomon pictured, who builds the Temple of God. He has reconciled both Jew and Gentile to God in one body by the Cross, and He employs those who are His own, called out from both, in His service.
A further 30,000 appear two verses earlier. One writer counts them apart from these:
In 1 Kings 5:13, we read of a levy of 30,000 men. We must count these as extra workmen, for they were sent to Lebanon.
A modern reader may wonder what 150,000 men could do on two buildings. The answer lies in the method of the work:
The size and the elaborate details of these buildings required such numbers. Building methods today would not need so many men. But the labor at that time was all hand labor, which is much slower and harder work than present-day construction. 70,000 of these Gentiles were to carry burdens. That included carrying lumber from Joppa to Jerusalem, and carrying stone from the quarries to the site of the temple and Solomon's house. 80,000 worked as stonecutters in the mountains. Of course, these worked in shifts. The remaining 3,600 supervised the work.
The verse puts these 80,000 men "in the hill country". One writer describes where those great stones came from:
A friend who lives near Jerusalem told me there are immense caves under the city. The quantity of broken stones, and especially some great stones that were half cut but never finished, makes it clear that these great stones came out of pits. The pits were prepared like this: the top was levelled and marked out, then the sides were cut by channels, then the underside cut. But just think of the huge labour needed to raise these great stones out of the pit into daylight, to move them, and to put them in place.
Commentators read the split in the workforce as a picture of two kinds of work among believers. The quarrymen stand for the slow, hidden shaping of character:
Those who quarried stone had hard underground work, slowly shaping stones that were later built into the temple with no tools needed, and no noise (ch. 6:7). As a picture, this is the work of bringing souls out of the darkness of their sins. It means dealing with them to shape their character, so that they fit in perfectly with the rest of believers as a holy temple in the Lord. This is God's workmanship, but He uses believers to carry out His work.
Another writer takes the picture further. He separates the men who prepared the stones from the men who set them:
The men who worked in the quarry shaped the stones for Solomon's temple, where there was no sound of hammer or of axe (1 Kings 6:7). They did not place the stones in position — that was the business of the builders. Both were necessary, but the quarrymen prepared the stones, and the builders carried on the building... There will be no sound of hammer or of axe in heaven; all the shaping and fitting will have been done. But we can use the same figure for a present, though lesser, application to the work of the evangelist, and of the pastor and teacher.
The verse counts these men but names none of them. One writer weighs what such numbers say to anyone who thinks their own ability is too small to matter:
There is a special use for the man of the one talent. If he uses his talent rightly, he is the backbone of all effort. The men with one talent number in the tens of thousands. Solomon would never have built the temple at Jerusalem if he had not had 70,000 men who carried burdens and 80,000 stonecutters in the mountains. The men with five talents can be counted on the fingers of one hand.
- Counted. 70,000 carriers and 80,000 stonecutters. The number only looks excessive until you remember that every stone was cut, lifted and moved by hand.
- Combined. Israelites and foreigners worked on one house. Commentators see in this a picture of Jew and Gentile serving Christ together.
- Concealed. The stonecutters worked underground. The shaping that mattered most happened where no one could see it.
- Complementary. Quarrymen prepared the stones; builders set them. Both jobs were needed, and neither man could do the other's.
- Crucial. Not one of the 150,000 is named, yet without them the house is never built. That is the worth of one talent well used.
besides the overseers whom Solomon had set over the work, three thousand three hundred, who ruled over the people that wrought in the work.
Behind the temple's silence stood an army: 70,000 carriers, 80,000 quarrymen, and above them 3,300 chief officers. The verse looks like a payroll line. Yet commentators find in it both a picture of how God carries on His work and a warning about what heavy service can become.
These verses describe the preparatory work on the temple. One writer sees Solomon's wisdom behind the way each worker was placed.
In verses 13-18 we witness the organization of the preparatory work on the temple. Each is employed according to his own ability. The wisdom of Solomon directs everything. His workers come to assist Hiram's for the wood with which to build, carrying burdens, cutting stones out of the mountain.
The workforce was not made up of Israelites alone. One writer sees in that mix a picture of something far larger.
It was under Solomon that we see this remarkable combination of Jew and Gentile in the work. So it is Christ Jesus, risen and glorified, of whom Solomon was a picture, who builds the temple of God. Having reconciled both Jew and Gentile to God in one body by the Cross, He employs those who are His own, called out from both, in His service.
This verse counts 3,300 chief officers; the record in Chronicles counts 3,600. A separate levy of 30,000 men appears a few verses earlier. One writer keeps these groups distinct.
Then he raised a very large body of men from among the people to work at cutting the timber and shaping the stone for the temple and for Solomon's palace. Of these, 70,000 were carriers, 80,000 were quarrymen and 3,600 were overseers. In 1 Kings 5:13 we read of a levy of 30,000 men. These must be counted as extra workmen, because he sent them to Lebanon.
The verse counts the men whose job was to oversee others. One commentator sees in them something God still supplies among His people.
There were also 3,300 supervisors of the work, which reminds us that God has provided in the Church today, elder men of experience and dependability to help and encourage His saints in the work God appoints.
The temple needed more than one trade. So does God's work now.
God has varied workmen in His house and in His vineyard; and the original terms of service are that the Holy Spirit divides to every one as He will. He has quarrymen, stone-squarers, masons, and builders. Are all quarrymen? Surely not. But each has his work to do, and the building is carried forward by each one doing his own appointed work.
All that supervised labour happened out of sight, so that the building itself went up without a sound.
Those who quarried stone had hard underground work, shaping the stones little by little. The stones were then built into the temple with no tools needed and no noise (ch. 6:7). This pictures the work of bringing souls out of the darkness of their sins, and of shaping their character to fit in perfectly with the rest of believers as a holy temple in the Lord. This is God's workmanship, but He uses believers to carry out His work.
That quietness has long been taken as a lesson in how God's work should be done.
It was to be the temple of the God of peace, so no iron tool must be heard in it. Quietness and silence both suit and help acts of worship. God's work should be done with as much care and as little noise as possible... Clamour and violence often hinder, but never further the work of God. These thoughts are well worth considering, especially by those who can never state their own opinions without violently attacking those of others. Such people never do anything for God without inviting the crowd to come and see their zeal for the Lord of Hosts.
Labour on this scale had a cost. One writer traces the nation's later complaint back to it.
In time the people groaned under the burden. Solomon groaned too, with disappointment of heart. It was probably the weight of taxation that made the people ask Rehoboam to make their service less harsh and their yoke lighter (1 Kings 12:4). Men will not complain like this when the Lord reigns in Zion. His glory will far exceed that of Solomon, but it will be as true then as now, "My yoke is easy, and my burden is light" (Matt. 11:30).
- Wisdom organises. Solomon's wisdom shaped the whole workforce. Each man worked according to his own ability.
- Wisdom includes. Jew and Gentile worked on one house. It pictures the risen Christ building with people called out from both.
- Wisdom oversees. Scripture counts the 3,300 overseers. God still provides experienced people to help and encourage others in the work.
- Wisdom works unseen. The shaping happened underground, so the house rose in silence. God's work needs much care and little noise.
- Wisdom's cost. The same labour later became a yoke the nation begged to have lightened. Only the greater King's yoke is easy.
And the king commanded, and they brought great stones, costly stones, hewn stones, to lay the foundation of the house.
Commentary for this verse has not been generated yet.
And Solomon's builders and Hiram's builders and the Giblites hewed them, and prepared timber and stones to build the house.
Work on the temple did not start on the hill in Jerusalem. It started far away, where workers quarried and shaped the stone and timber. Verse 18 names the three groups who did that work. Who were the men of Gebal, and what does this shared preparation picture?
One writer sees Solomon's wisdom behind the way this workforce was arranged.
In verses 13-18 we watch the preparatory work on the temple being organised. Each man is employed according to his own ability. The wisdom of Solomon directs everything. His workers come to help Hiram's with the wood for building, carrying loads, cutting stones out of the mountain. The men of Gebal have their part in the work.
Older translations call the third group "stone-squarers," with "Gebalites" in the margin. They came from a real city on the coast, and their skill shows up elsewhere in Scripture.
A coastal city of Phoenicia. Identified with Jebeil, the ancient Byblus, near the mouth of the river Adonis. Its inhabitants are called Giblites in Joshua 13:5. Some were workers in stone and helped in the work of the temple, 1 Kings 5:18, margin. Others were caulkers, Ezekiel 27:9.
Another group with the same name appears elsewhere in the Bible. One writer sorts out which group this chapter means.
As well as Solomon's and Hiram's builders, verse 18 speaks of the Gebalites quarrying stones. There were Gebalites connected with Edom, Ammon and Moab (Psalm 83:6-7). But the Gebalites (or Giblites) in our chapter are more likely those spoken of in Joshua 13:4-5, closer to the Sidonians and to Lebanon.
Hiram's men and the men of Gebal were not Israelites. One writer sees their share in this house as a picture of something still to come.
This cooperation of the Gentiles in building the temple is also prophetic, for the riches of the Gentiles are promised to Israel. Jews and Gentiles will unite to show His glory.
Another writer looks ahead to a future temple and expects the same willing help there.
The nations beyond the land of Israel were called to join in this great work. They gave themselves to it with zeal and complete goodwill. So it will be when the millennial temple is built.
The verse says they "prepared the timber and the stone." The workers finished every piece away from the building site. That is why the temple went up without the sound of a tool.
"When the house was built, it was with stone prepared at the quarry, so that neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron was heard in the house while it was being built" (1 Kings 6:7). Stone placed upon stone, each fitted into its appointed place, and all these white marble stones were polished like a palace.
The Bible Treasury quotes Matthew Henry on that silence:
It was to be the temple of the God of peace, so no iron tool was to be heard in it. Quietness and silence both suit and help religious exercises. God's work should be done with as much care and as little noise as possible. The temple was thrown down with axes and hammers. Those who did it roared in the middle of the congregation (Psalm 74:4, 6). But it was built up in silence. Noise and violence often hinder, but never advance, the work of God.
One writer applies the same order to the people who make up God's house today.
Each stone represents the individual believer, once dead in trespasses and sins, but now made alive by the Spirit of the living God. So we are told to "look to the rock from which you were hewn" (Isaiah 51:1). The evangelist is God's quarryman, used by Him to break these stones out of the world in which they are embedded by nature. This is often hard work, needing great skill. Then comes the work of the pastor, leading them into a deeper experience of divine truth... Then these stones must be "polished like a palace." This is the work of the teacher. He opens up the mysteries of God and leads souls upward, onward, Godward, into closer conformity to Christ. The present world is God's workyard, in which there is fellowship of labour.
- Prepared — the workers finished the timber and the stone at the quarry, not at the building site.
- Partnered — Solomon's men, Hiram's men and the men of Gebal worked side by side. Solomon's wisdom gave each man work to match his ability.
- Phoenician — Gebal was a city on the coast. Older versions call its stoneworkers "stone-squarers"; others of its people sealed the seams of ships.
- Prophetic — foreign hands on Israel's house picture a day when Jews and Gentiles unite to show God's glory.
- Peaceful — the shaping came first, so the house rose without hammer or axe. God's work still goes best with care and little noise.