He was the son of a widow of the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a worker in bronze. And he was full of wisdom, understanding, and skill for making any work in bronze. He came to King Solomon and did all his work.
Solomon sends to Tyre for the man who will cast the bronze work of the temple. The record then pauses to tell us who he was: his mother's tribe, his father's city, and the wisdom God gave him. That short biography raises three questions. Why does a foreigner's son handle the holy vessels? Why only one metal? And who does he picture?
A man of two bloodlines
Here his mother's tribe is Naphtali. In 2 Chronicles it is Dan. Writers treat this as a puzzle with an answer, not a contradiction:
Arno Clemens GaebeleinThen Solomon sent and brought Hiram out of Tyre. This was not the king, but a master workman. His father was from Tyre. His mother was by birth of the tribe of Dan; she was a widow, and she had married a man of Naphtali. This reconciles an alleged discrepancy. In Chronicles he is called Huram. His correct name was probably Huram-abi ("abi" meaning "my father").
Israel and the nations working together
Israelites alone built the tabernacle. The temple is different, and Hiram's parentage marks the change:
H. L. RossierIn the wilderness the Lord had chosen Bezaleel of Judah and Aholiab of Dan for the work of the tabernacle. At that time the work of the tabernacle fell to the children of Israel alone. The people were completely separate from the nations and could have no work in common with them. The scene changes under Solomon: the nations, now reconciled, serve God together with His own people. The Lord's Anointed has dominion over them both. Hiram belonged to both by birth. The alliance of Israel with the Gentiles formed his parentage — a remarkable fact, and one that fits the scene before us.
This was more than a hiring decision. Fereday sees God's wider purpose for His house in it:
W. W. FeredayThe two kings brought Israelite and Gentile together, and the skilled workman united both in one person. This reminds us again that when the Lord caused the temple to be built, He had Gentiles in mind for blessing as well as His people Israel. "Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord say, 'The Lord will surely separate me from His people.' … these I will bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer … for My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples" (Isaiah 56:3-7).
Filled with wisdom — a picture of the Spirit
The verse does not say Hiram learned his trade; it says he was filled. Commentators read the whole range of his ability as a portrait:
Leslie M. GrantWe sometimes hear of a man who is "a jack of all trades, master of none," but here was a man who was a master of all trades. No one else could come near his ability. God had prepared him for this very purpose: building the temple. In him we see a picture of the Holy Spirit of God, who is fully skilled in every detail of the work of building God's house.
Why bronze, and not gold
Two metals dominate the temple, and the verse assigns Hiram only one of them:
H. L. RossierGold is always the symbol of divine righteousness that brings us into God's presence. Because of divine righteousness we can stand before Him. We have it in Christ in heaven. Bronze is the symbol of the righteousness of God displaying upon earth what He is for sinful man. The furniture of the temple was made of gold. The furniture of the court was bronze, cast in the earth. Hiram worked in bronze only.
The purpose behind the skill
Hiram's work filled the court, outside the holy place, where everyone could see it. Rossier ties the picture together:
H. L. RossierIn a word, it is the righteousness of God, but shown to the outside world in His government. The furniture of the court shows us what is needed so that nothing hinders this display. The Spirit of God, whom Hiram represents, is occupied with this. So we find God opening His house so that we may dwell there with Him. Christ supplies us with the divine righteousness (the gold) we need for this. The Son, as King of Righteousness, shows the glory of His kingdom. And the Spirit acts so that this righteousness can be shown without hindrance before the eyes of all men on earth.
The craftsman shared the name of his king. One writer sees both sides of such an honour:
F. W. GrantHow suggestive it is of privileges given, and at the same time of responsibilities taken on.
Summary
- Filled — his skill came from God, not from training. God prepared him for this work before Solomon ever sent for him.
- Fitted — mother from Israel, father from Tyre. He belonged to both peoples, like the temple itself: Israel and the nations at work together.
- Focused — of the temple's two metals he handled only bronze. Bronze is righteousness shown on earth, in the open court, where people are.
- For all — the foreigner at the furnace is an early hint of the house called a house of prayer for all peoples.
- Followed by responsibility — he carried his king's name and his king's honour. Privilege given is privilege answered for.