King Solomon built a fleet of ships at Ezion-geber, which is near Eloth on the shore of the Red Sea, in the land of Edom.
Among lists of Solomon's building projects, this verse records something new: Israel's king now had a fleet. It lay at the far south of his land, on ground that once belonged to Edom — so why would a people who were not sailors need ships?
The Harbour Named in the Verse
Eloth and Ezion-geber sat at the top of the Gulf of Akaba. The place had a long history before Solomon and after him.
Morrish Bible DictionarySeaport town at the extreme north of the Gulf of Akaba branch of the Red Sea. It is first mentioned during the wanderings of the Israelites. Later it came under Solomon's rule, and near it, at Ezion-geber, he had a navy of ships. Later still we read that Azariah built it, and that it was given back to Judah. After that Rezin conquered it, and the Syrians held it, until it became a frontier town of Rome. Elath is now called Aqaba and is in Jordan; it is the only seaport of that country.
Ships, but Not Sailors
Israel had ships now, but no tradition of the sea. (Where the ESV says "a fleet of ships," older translations say "a navy.")
Morrish Bible DictionaryThe Israelites were not a seafaring people. Solomon had a 'navy of ships' at Ezion Geber, on the eastern branch of the Red Sea. But Hiram sent his sailors, 'who had knowledge of the sea', along with the servants of Solomon… The word for 'galley' in Isaiah 33:21 is the same as the word translated 'navy' in Kings.
Edom Under His Hand
The shipyard stood "in the land of Edom." One writer takes that detail as a measure of how far Solomon's rule reached.
J. N. DarbySolomon brings under his control everything that could have stood in the way of fully enjoying the promised land, to its whole extent, whether on the side of Tyre or of Syria… Edom itself was his possession, and all the way to the Red Sea everyone was the king's subject. The king of Tyre, who represents the Gentile glory of the world, supplied all that he needed to carry out his plans.
What the Ships Carried
The fleet had one job: bring wealth home. One writer gives the details, then asks an uncomfortable question.
Leslie M. GrantHe built a fleet of ships near Elath, on the shores of the Red Sea. With it he could carry valuable goods from other countries to Israel (v.26). Hiram joined him in this project by sending experienced seamen, since Tyre was a leading sea trading country. It was not a long trip to Ophir, in Saudi Arabia, where at that time there was much gold. Now, it is reported, no gold can be found there at all. Perhaps Solomon took all the gold that was there: 420 talents, which comes to 55,000 pounds! With wealth like that, why did he tax the people so heavily? (1 Kings 12:4).
The King and His Gentile Friend
Another writer sees these verses as part of the kingdom's outward glory, with Hiram at the centre of it.
H. L. RossierIn verses 26-28 we again find the relationship of Solomon with Hiram in view of the glory and external affairs of the kingdom. Gold flows into Jerusalem. Hiram is the Gentile friend, always ready to serve the greatness of the king who sits on Jehovah's throne. In the same way, his good will for the house of the Lord extends to the wealth and prosperity of the kingdom.
The Warning Inside the Wealth
Not every writer reads the gold as pure gain. One weighs Solomon's record against the limits set for Israel's king.
C. H. MackintoshHow very remarkable that the three things the king was told not to do were exactly the things done — and done on a large scale — by the greatest and wisest of Israel's kings.
Commentators differ: some read the fleet as a picture of glory, others as an early step in a drift that ended badly.
The Same Harbour, a Later King
Years later another king, Jehoshaphat, tried to copy Solomon at this same port. It went wrong.
Leslie M. GrantJehoshaphat clearly wanted to follow Solomon in building ships to bring gold from Ophir, but his ships were wrecked at Ezion Geber. 2 Chronicles 20:37 shows us the reason. Jehoshaphat had unwisely allied himself with Ahaziah the son of Ahab, who followed his father in wickedness. So God sent a prophet to tell Jehoshaphat that He would destroy his works. Ezion Geber means "the counsel of a man." Jehoshaphat had sought that kind of counsel, not the counsel of God.
Summary
- Place. Solomon built the fleet at Ezion-geber, beside Eloth, at the top of the Gulf of Akaba — a port later lost, rebuilt, and today called Aqaba.
- Partner. Israel was not a seafaring nation, so Hiram of Tyre supplied the crews who knew the sea.
- Possession. The shipyard stood in Edom, showing how far Solomon's rule reached — as far as the Red Sea, all were the king's subjects.
- Picture. Gold flowed into Jerusalem through a willing Gentile friend, a sign of a kingdom whose glory the nations serve.
- Peril. That same wealth broke the limits set for Israel's king. That same harbour later wrecked a king who took a man's counsel instead of God's.