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Texts -- 1 Kings 9:1-28 (NET)

Context
The Lord Gives Solomon a Promise and a Warning
9:1 After Solomon finished building the Lord’s temple , the royal palace , and all the other construction projects he had planned , 9:2 the Lord appeared to Solomon a second time , in the same way he had appeared to him at Gibeon . 9:3 The Lord said to him, “I have answered your prayer and your request for help that you made to me . I have consecrated this temple you built by making it my permanent home ; I will be constantly present there. 9:4 You must serve me with integrity and sincerity , just as your father David did. Do everything I commanded and obey my rules and regulations . 9:5 Then I will allow your dynasty to rule over Israel permanently , just as I promised your father David , ‘You will not fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel .’ 9:6 “But if you or your sons ever turn away from me, fail to obey the regulations and rules I instructed you to keep , and decide to serve and worship other gods , 9:7 then I will remove Israel from the land I have given them, I will abandon this temple I have consecrated with my presence , and Israel will be mocked and ridiculed among all the nations . 9:8 This temple will become a heap of ruins ; everyone who passes by it will be shocked and will hiss out their scorn , saying , ‘Why did the Lord do this to this land and this temple ?’ 9:9 Others will then answer , ‘Because they abandoned the Lord their God , who led their ancestors out of Egypt . They embraced other gods whom they worshiped and served . That is why the Lord has brought all this disaster down on them.’”
Foreign Affairs and Building Projects
9:10 After twenty years , during which Solomon built the Lord’s temple and the royal palace , 9:11 King Solomon gave King Hiram of Tyre twenty cities in the region of Galilee , because Hiram had supplied Solomon with cedars , evergreens , and all the gold he wanted . 9:12 When Hiram went out from Tyre to inspect the cities Solomon had given him, he was not pleased with them. 9:13 Hiram asked , “Why did you give me these cities , my friend ?” He called that area the region of Cabul , a name which it has retained to this day . 9:14 Hiram had sent to the king one hundred twenty talents of gold . 9:15 Here are the details concerning the work crews King Solomon conscripted to build the Lord’s temple , his palace , the terrace , the wall of Jerusalem , and the cities of Hazor , Megiddo , and Gezer . 9:16 (Pharaoh , king of Egypt , had attacked and captured Gezer . He burned it and killed the Canaanites who lived in the city . He gave it as a wedding present to his daughter , who had married Solomon .) 9:17 Solomon built up Gezer , lower Beth Horon , 9:18 Baalath , Tadmor in the wilderness , 9:19 all the storage cities that belonged to him , and the cities where chariots and horses were kept. He built whatever he wanted in Jerusalem , Lebanon , and throughout his entire kingdom . 9:20 Now several non-Israelite peoples were left in the land after the conquest of Joshua, including the Amorites , Hittites , Perizzites , Hivites , and Jebusites . 9:21 Their descendants remained in the land (the Israelites were unable to wipe them out completely ). Solomon conscripted them for his work crews , and they continue in that role to this very day . 9:22 Solomon did not assign Israelites to these work crews ; the Israelites served as his soldiers , attendants , officers , charioteers , and commanders of his chariot forces . 9:23 These men were also in charge of Solomon’s work projects; there were a total of 550 men who supervised the workers . 9:24 Solomon built the terrace as soon as Pharaoh’s daughter moved up from the city of David to the palace Solomon built for her. 9:25 Three times a year Solomon offered burnt offerings and peace offerings on the altar he had built for the Lord , burning incense along with them before the Lord . He made the temple his official worship place. 9:26 King Solomon also built ships in Ezion Geber , which is located near Elat in the land of Edom , on the shore of the Red Sea . 9:27 Hiram sent his fleet and some of his sailors , who were well acquainted with the sea , to serve with Solomon’s men . 9:28 They sailed to Ophir , took from there four hundred twenty talents of gold , and then brought them to King Solomon .

Pericope

NET
  • 1Ki 9:1-9 -- The Lord Gives Solomon a Promise and a Warning
  • 1Ki 9:10-28 -- Foreign Affairs and Building Projects

Bible Dictionary

  • Solomon

    [ebd] peaceful, (Heb. Shelomoh), David's second son by Bathsheba, i.e., the first after their legal marriage (2 Sam. 12). He was probably born about B.C. 1035 (1 Chr. 22:5; 29:1). He succeeded his father on the throne in early man...
    [isbe] SOLOMON - sol'-o-mun (shelomoh; New Testament Solomon): I. EARLY LIFE 1. Name and Meaning 2. Sources 3. Birth and Upbringing 4. His Accession 5. Closing Days of David II. REIGN OF SOLOMON 1. His Vision 2. His Policy 3. Its R...
    [smith] (peaceful). I. Early life and occasion to the throne . --Solomon was the child of David?s old age, the last born of all his sons. (1 Chronicles 3:5) The yearnings of the "man of war" led him to give to the new-horn infant ...
    [nave] SOLOMON Son of David by Bathsheba, 2 Sam. 12:24; 1 Kin. 1:13, 17, 21. Named Jedidiah, by Nathan the prophet, 2 Sam. 12:24, 25. Ancestor of Joseph, Matt. 1:6. Succeeds David to the throne of Israel, 1 Kin. 1:11-48; 2:12; 1...

  • Hiram

    [ebd] high-born. (1.) Generally "Huram," one of the sons of Bela (1 Chr. 8:5). (2.) Also "Huram" and "Horam," king of Tyre. He entered into an alliance with David, and assisted him in building his palace by sending him able workme...
    [isbe] HIRAM - hi'-ram (chiram; Septuagint Chiram, but Cheiram, in 2 Sam 5:11; 1 Ch 14:1): There is some confusion regarding the form of this name. In the books of Samuel and Kings the prevailing form is "Hiram" (chiram); but in 1 ...
    [nave] HIRAM 1. Called Huram, king of Tyre. Builds a house for David, 2 Sam. 5:11; 1 Chr. 14:1; 2 Chr. 2:3. Aids Solomon in building the temple, 1 Kin. 5; 2 Chr. 2:3-16. Dissatisfied with cities given by Solomon, 1 Kin. 9:11-13. ...

  • Tyre

    [isbe] TYRE - tir (tsowr. tsor, "rock"' Turos, "Tyrus"; modern Sur): 1. Physical Features: The most noted of the Phoenician cities situated on the coast, lat. 33ø 17 minutes, about 20 miles South of Sidon and about 35 North of C...
    [smith] (a rock), a celebrated commercial city of Phoenicia, on the coast of the Mediterranean. Its Hebrew name, Tzor , signifies a rock; which well agrees with the site of Sur , the modern town, on a rocky peninsula, formerly an isl...
    [nave] TYRE 1. Kingdom of, Hiram, king of, 1 Kin. 5:1; 2 Chr. 2:3. Sends material to David for his palace, 2 Chr. 2:3. Men and materials sent from, to Solomon, for the erection of the temple and his castles, 1 Kin. 5:1-11; 9:10, ...

  • Gezer

    [ebd] a precipice, an ancient royal Canaanitish city (Josh. 10:33; 12:12). It was allotted with its suburbs to the Kohathite Levites (21:21; 1 Chr. 6:67). It stood between the lower Beth-horon and the sea (Josh. 16:3; 1 Kings 9:17...
    [isbe] GEZER - ge'-zer (gezer): A city of great military importance in ancient times, the site of which has recently been thoroughly explored. The excavations at this spot are the most thorough and extensive of any in Palestine, an...
    [smith] (a precipice), an ancient city of Canaan, whose king, Hiram or Elam, coming to the assistance of Lachish, was killed with all his people by Joshua. (Joshua 10:33; 12:12) It formed one of the landmarks on the north boundary of...
    [nave] GEZER, called also Gazer and Gob. A Canaanite royal city; king of, defeated by Joshua, Josh. 10:33; 12:12. Canaanites not all expelled from, but made to pay tribute, Josh. 16:10; Judg. 1:29. Allotted to Ephraim, Josh. 16:3,...

  • JERUSALEM, 2

    [isbe] JERUSALEM, 2 - IV. General Topography of Jerusalem. From the foregoing description of the "natural site," it will be seen that we have to deal with 5 natural subdivisions or hills, two on the western and three on the eastern...

  • SOLOMON'S SERVANTS

    [isbe] SOLOMON'S SERVANTS - ('adbhedhe shelomoh; douloi Salomon): "The children of Solomon's servants" constituted a company or guild of the Jewish exiles who returned with Zerubbabel from Babylonia to Jerusalem in 537 BC, pursuant...

  • Government

    [nave] GOVERNMENT Paternal functions of, Gen. 41:25-57. Civil service school provided by, Dan. 1:3-20. Maintains a system of public instruction, 2 Chr. 17:7-9. Executive departments in. See: Cabinet; King; Ruler; Statecraft. Ju...

  • Millo

    [ebd] (Heb. always with the article, "the" Millo). (1.) Probably the Canaanite name of some fortification, consisting of walls filled in with earth and stones, which protected Jerusalem on the north as its outermost defence. It is...
    [isbe] MILLO - mil'-o. (millo generally interpreted to mean a "filling," e.g. a solid tower or an earth embankment; in Jdg 9:6,20; 2 Ki 12:20, we get beth millo', translated in English Versions of the Bible "House of Millo," which ...
    [smith] (a rampart, mound) a place in ancient Jerusalem. Both name and place seem to have been already in existence when the city was taken from the Jebusites by David. (2 Samuel 5:9; 1 Chronicles 11:8) Its repair or restoratio...
    [nave] MILLO 1. The house of Millo, possibly a clan at Shechem, Judg. 9:6, 20. 2. A name given to part of the citadel of Jerusalem, 2 Sam. 5:9; 1 Chr. 11:8. King Solomon raises a levy to repair, 1 Kin. 9:15, 24; 11:27. Repaired ...

  • Diplomacy

    [nave] DIPLOMACY. 1 Cor. 9:20-23 See: Tact. Instances of Of Abimelech, Gen. 21:22, 23; 26:26-31. The Gibeonites, in securing a league with the Israelites through deception, Josh. 9:3-16. Of Jephthah, with the king of Moab, uns...

  • Cabul

    [ebd] how little! as nothing. (1.) A town on the eastern border of Asher (Josh. 19:27), probably one of the towns given by Solomon to Hiram; the modern Kabul, some 8 miles east of Accho, on the very borders of Galilee. (2.) A dist...
    [isbe] CABUL - ka'-bul (kabhul; Codex Vaticanus, Chobamasomel; Codex Alexandrinus, Chabol apo aristeron): (1) A city on the boundary between Asher and Zebulun (Josh 19:27). It corresponds to the Chabolo of Josephus (Vita, 43, etc.)...
    [smith] One of the landmarks on the boundary of Asher, (Joshua 19:27) now Kabul , 9 or 10 miles east of Accho . Name of the land given to Hiram by Solomon. (1 Kings 9:10-13)
    [nave] CABUL 1. A city in the N. of Palestine, Josh. 19:27. 2. Name given by Hiram to certain cities in Galilee, 1 Kin. 9:13.

  • Blessing

    [nave] BLESSING For blessing before eating, See: Prayer, Thanksgiving Before Taking Food. See also Benedictions. Responsive Blessings of the Law Deut. 28:1-14 For the responsive Curses of the law, See: Curse. Divine, Contingent...

  • Probation

    [nave] PROBATION, Rom. 5:4. Adam on, Gen. 2:15-17; 3:3. Amorites, Gen. 15:16. Solomon, 1 Kin. 3:14; 9:4-9, with 1 Kin. 11:9-12. Taught in parables of the talents and pounds, Matt. 25:14-30; Luke 19:12-27; the fig tree, Luke 13...

  • Red Sea

    [isbe] RED SEA - (yam-cuph (Ex 10:19 and often), but in many passages it is simply hayam, "the sea"' Septuagint with 2 or 3 exceptions renders it by he eruthra thalassa, "the Red Sea"; Latin geographers Mare Rubrum): 1. Name 2. Pec...
    [smith] Name. --The sea known to us as the Red Sea was by the Israelites called "the sea," (Exodus 14:2,9,16,21,28; 15:1,4,8,10,19; Joshua 24:6,7) and many other passages, and specially "the sea of Suph ." (Exodus 10:19; 13:18; 15:4...
    [nave] RED SEA The locusts which devastated Egypt destroyed in, Ex. 10:19. Israelites cross; Pharaoh and his army drowned in, Ex. 14; 15:1, 4, 11, 19; Num. 33:8; Deut. 11:4; Josh. 2:10; 4:23; 24:6, 7; Judg. 11:16; 2 Sam. 22:16; Ne...

  • ALLIANCE

    [isbe] ALLIANCE - a-li'-ans. 1. In the Patriarchal Stories: Frequent references are made to alliances between the patriarchs and foreigners. Abraham is reported to have had "confederates" among the chiefs of the Canaanites (Gen 14:...

  • Treaty

    [nave] TREATY Between nations: Israelites and Gibeonites, Josh. 9:3-15; Judah and Syria, 1 Kin. 15:19. Cession of territory by, 1 Kin. 9:10-14; 20:34. Sacredness of, Josh. 9:16-21, with Josh. 2:8-21. Reciprocity, 1 Kin. 5:1-12. ...

  • Tadmor

    [ebd] palm, a city built by Solomon "in the wilderness" (2 Chr. 8:4). In 1 Kings 9:18, where the word occurs in the Authorized Version, the Hebrew text and the Revised Version read "Tamar," which is properly a city on the southern...
    [isbe] TADMOR - tad'-mor, tad'-mor (tadhmor): A city built by Solomon in the wilderness (2 Ch 8:4), the Roman Palmyra. Tadmor is the native name and is found on inscriptions. It occurs also in the Kere of 1 Ki 9:18, where the Kethi...
    [smith] (city of palms), called "Tadmor in the wilderness," is the same as the city known to the Greeks and Romans under the name of Palmyra. It lay between the Euphrates and Hamath, to the southeast of that city, in a fertile tract ...
    [nave] TADMOR, a city built in the wilderness by Solomon, 1 Kin. 9:18; 2 Chr. 8:4.

  • Idolatry

    [nave] IDOLATRY. Wicked Practices of Human sacrifices, Lev. 18:21; 20:2-5; Deut. 12:31; 18:10; 2 Kin. 3:26, 27; 16:3; 17:17, 18; 21:6; 23:10; 2 Chr. 28:3; 33:6; Psa. 106:37, 38; Isa. 57:5; Jer. 7:31; 19:4-7; 32:35; Ezek. 16:20, 2...

  • Galilee

    [isbe] GALILEE - gal'-i-le (ha-galil, hagelilah, literally, "the circuit" or "district"; he Galilaia): 1. Galilee of the Nations: Kedesh, the city of refuge, is described as lying in Galilee, in Mt. Naphtali (Josh 20:7; compare 21:...
    [smith] (circuit). This name, which in the Roman age was applied to a large province, seems to have been originally confined to a little "circuit" of country round Kedesh-Naphtali, in which were situated the twenty towns given by Sol...
    [nave] GALILEE 1. The northern district of Palestine. A city of refuge in, Josh. 20:7; 21:32; 1 Chr. 6:76. Cities in, given to Hiram, 1 Kin. 9:11, 12. Taken by king of Assyria, 2 Kin. 15:29. Prophecy concerning, Isa. 9:1; Matt. ...

  • Backsliders

    [nave] BACKSLIDERS. Lev. 26:14-42; Deut. 4:9; Deut. 8:11-14; Deut. 28:58, 59, 63 vs. 15-68;; 1 Kin. 9:6-9; Deut. 29:18 vs. 18-28.; Deut. 32:15-30; Josh. 24:27 vs. 20-27.; 2 Chr. 15:2-4; Ezra 8:22; Job 34:26, 27; Psa. 44:20, 21; Ps...

  • Ophir

    [ebd] (1.) One of the sons of Joktan (Gen. 10:29). (2.) Some region famous for its gold (1 Kings 9:28; 10:11; 22:48; Job 22:24; 28:16; Isa. 13:12). In the LXX. this word is rendered "Sophir," and "Sofir" is the Coptic name for Ind...
    [isbe] OPHIR - o'-fer, o'-fir ('owphiyr (Gen 10:29), 'owphir (1 Ki 10:11), 'ophir): 1. Scriptural References: The 11th in order of the sons of Joktan (Gen 10:29 = 1 Ch 1:23). There is a clear reference also to a tribe Ophir (Gen 10...
    [smith] (abundane). The eleventh in order of the sons of Joktan. (Genesis 10:29; 1 Chronicles 1:23) (B.C. after 2450.) A seaport or region from which the Hebrews in the time of Solomon obtained gold. The gold was proverbial for i...
    [nave] OPHIR 1. Son of Joktan, Gen. 10:29; 1 Chr. 1:23. 2. A country celebrated for its gold and other valuable merchandise. Products of, used by Solomon and Hiram, 1 Kin. 9:28; 10:11; 2 Chr. 8:18; 9:10. Jehoshaphat sends ships t...
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Hymns

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  • [1Ki 9:15] We Love The Venerable House

Questions

  • They formed one of the seven nations of Canaan, descended from Canaan (Gen. 10:15,17). They dwelt near Lebanon. The Shechemites and Gibeonites were affiliated with them (Judg. 3:3; Gen. 34:2; Josh. 9:3-7). Esau intermarried w...
  • They were one of the seven nations of Canaan and were governed by many independent kings (Josh. 5:1; Josh. 9:10). They originally inhabited a mountain district in the south (Num. 13:29), but later acquired an extensive tract ...
  • You will not find the names of all of Solomon's wives. If they were recorded, it would be a book in and of itself. We know that one of his wives was the daughter of Pharaoh (1 Kings 9:16; 2 Chronicles 8:11). And we are told h...
  • I've heard and read the same statement a number of times, but have never troubled myself to look up each passage. I'm not surprised that looking up "heaven" and "hell" in a concordance would give you contradictory results. T...

Resources/Books

Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • Here we have the third round of Jacob's battle with Esau. The first was at birth (25:21-28) and the second was over the birthright (25:29-34). In all three incidents Jacob manipulated his brother."This chapter [27] offers one...
  • The long account of Jacob's relationship with Laban (chs. 29-31) is the centerpiece of the Jacob story (chs. 25-35). It is a story within a story, and it too has a chiastic structure. At its center is the account of the birth...
  • This pericope serves a double purpose. It introduces the rigorous conditions under which the Egyptians forced the Israelites to live, and it sets the stage for the birth of Moses.1:8-14 The new king (v. 8) was perhaps Ahmose ...
  • 14:1-4 Scholars have not been able to locate definitely the sites referred to in verse 2."An Egyptian papyrus associates Baal Zephon with Tahpahnes . . . a known site near Lake Menzaleh in the northeastern delta region."235Ho...
  • The Book of Samuel covers the period of Israel's history bracketed by Samuel's conception and the end of David's reign. David turned the kingdom over to Solomon in 971 B.C.3David reigned for 40 and one-half years (2 Sam. 2:11...
  • David also observed that the ark's presence in Obed-edom's house resulted in blessing for its host. This made him more eager than ever to install the ark in Jerusalem.Verse 13 probably means after the priests had taken six st...
  • I. The reign of Solomon chs. 1-11A. Solomon's succession to David's throne 1:1-2:121. David's declining health 1:1-42. Adonijah's attempt to seize the throne 1:5-533. David's charge to Solomon 2:1-94. David's death 2:10-12B. ...
  • The Holy Spirit led the writer of Kings to give an interpretation of history, not just a chronologically sequential record of events. This is true of all the writers of the Old Testament historical books. Some of the events i...
  • The flowing narrative of chapters 1-2 now gives way to reports and lists that catalogue facts about Solomon's reign.The writer constructed the Solomon narrative (chs. 3-11), like so many others in the Old Testament, to draw a...
  • Delegation of authority is a mark of wisdom. Azariah (v. 2) was apparently Zadok's grandson (1 Chron. 6:8-9). "The priest"is a common designation for the high priest. Secretaries (v. 3) prepared official documents and records...
  • Solomon's forced laborers were non-Israelites (1 Chron. 8:7-8). Israelites also served, but they were not slaves (9:22). Solomon's method of providing workers for state projects became very distasteful to the people eventuall...
  • Solomon's palace complex took longer to build than the temple because it was much larger. The king evidently completed the temple and then began work on his palace (cf. 9:10). Solomon seems to have built several separate but ...
  • God responded to Solomon's dedication of himself and his nation as He had responded to David (2 Sam. 7) and to Solomon earlier (ch. 3). He offered Solomon continued blessing for continued dedication.First, God promised He wou...
  • Solomon mortgaged 20 Galilean towns (settlements) bordering Phoenicia to Hiram. This brought the border of Phoenicia farther south. This arrangement compensated Hiram for all the lumber and 9,000 pounds of gold he had sent So...
  • Solomon was powerful enough to conscript laborers to build the Millo and a wall around Jerusalem. The Millo (lit. filling) evidently refers to the terraces on the east side of Mt. Zion (cf. 2 Sam. 5:9). Solomon enlarged these...
  • God blessed Solomon with an effective navy that brought added wealth from the South and the East. Ophir (v. 28) evidently was in southwest Arabia (10:11; Job 22:24; 28:16).The writer documented in this section further evidenc...
  • Jeroboam, who would become the first king of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, was from Ephraim, the most prominent tribe in the North (v. 26).Part of Benjamin affiliated voluntarily with Judah eventually (v. 32; cf. 12:21; 2 C...
  • The writer of Kings referred to other ancient records (v. 41; cf. 14:19, 29). The Acts of Solomon was the first of these.120It is no longer extant.Solomon's long reign of 40 years (971-931 B.C.) ended with the king in decline...
  • Aharoni, Yohanan. "The Building Activities of David and Solomon."Israel Exploration Journal24:1(1974):13-16.Aharoni, Yohanan, and Michael Avi-Yonahl. The Macmillan Bible Atlas. Revised ed., New York: Macmillan Publishing Co.,...
  • Jehoiakim's son Jehoiachin, whose other names were Jeconiah and Coniah, succeeded him on the throne but only reigned for three months (598-597 B.C.). When Nebuchadnezzar's troops were besieging Jerusalem the Babylonian king p...
  • Nebuzaradan, Nebuchadnezzar's commander-in-chief, returned to destroy Jerusalem more thoroughly and to preclude any successful national uprising in Judah.His burning of Yahweh's house (v. 9) was a statement that the Babylonia...
  • Numbers in Chronicles That Disagree With Their Old Testament Parallels89HigherSameLowerParallel PassageEvaluation of ChroniclesA.1 Chron. 11:11300 slain by Jashobeam, not 8002 Sam. 23:8Scribal errorB.1 Chron. 18:4Hadadezer's ...
  • The Chronicler's main interest in David's reign, as we have seen, focused on the Davidic Covenant with its promises to David and his descendants. In recounting the events of Solomon's reign he proceeded to emphasize the templ...
  • God blessed Solomon by giving him good relations with King Hiram of Tyre (v. 1). Hiram evidently returned the cities Solomon had previously given to him (v. 2; cf. 1 Kings 9:10-14). Solomon developed these towns. Solomon also...
  • 45:1 The psalmist claimed to be full of joy and inspiration as he composed this song. He said what he did out of a full heart.45:2 To him the king was the greatest man he knew. One evidence of this was his gracious speech for...
  • This message to the people involved another symbolic act (cf. 13:1-11). This incident may have occurred between 609 and 605 B.C.19:1 Yahweh told Jeremiah to take some of Judah's elders and senior priests and to go and purchas...
  • This section consists of a small collection of messianic prophecies.33:14 Future days would come, the Lord promised, when He would fulfill His promises concerning the restoration of all Israel."The predicted restoration (the ...
  • This great ship (commercial empire) was headed for shipwreck.27:25 Ships from Tarshish, probably Spain, carried Tyre's merchandise. Tyre became very rich because of all this sea trade.27:26-27 Tyre's merchants had brought her...
  • This lamentation should help us realize that the judgment Jesus just announced in such strong language was not something that delighted Him. It broke His heart. This is also clear from His personalizing the people in Jerusale...
  • Another comment triggered teaching of a similar nature. The continuing theme is the messianic kingdom.13:31 This incident followed the former one chronologically. Therefore it is probable that Jesus' words about Jews not ente...
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