1 Kings 5:1-2

Solomon Gathers Building Materials for the Temple

5:1 (5:15) ¹  King Hiram of Tyre ²  sent messengers ³  to Solomon when he heard that he had been anointed king in his father’s place. (Hiram had always been an ally of David.) 5:2 Solomon then sent this message to Hiram:

1 Kings 5:8-9

5:8 Hiram then sent this message to Solomon: “I received ⁴  the message you sent to me. I will give you all the cedars and evergreens you need. ⁵  5:9 My servants will bring the timber down from Lebanon to the sea. I will send it by sea in raft-like bundles to the place you designate. ⁶  There I will separate the logs ⁷  and you can carry them away. In exchange you will supply the food I need for my royal court.” ⁸ 

¹ sn The verse numbers in the English Bible differ from those in the Hebrew text (BHS) here; 5:1-18 in the English Bible corresponds to 5:15-32 in the Hebrew text. See the note at 4:21.

² map For location see Map1-A2; Map2-G2; Map4-A1; JP3-F3; JP4-F3.

³ tn Heb “his servants.”

⁴ tn Heb “heard.”

⁵ tn Heb “I will satisfy all your desire with respect to cedar wood and with respect to the wood of evergreens.”

⁶ tn Heb “I will place them [on? as?] rafts in the sea to the place where you designate to me.” This may mean he would send them by raft, or that he would tie them in raft-like bundles, and have ships tow them down to an Israelite port.

⁷ tn Heb “smash them,” i.e., untie the bundles.

⁸ tn Heb “as for you, you will satisfy my desire by giving food for my house.”