1 Kings 7:9

7:9 All of these were built with the best ¹  stones, chiseled to the right size ²  and cut with a saw on all sides, ³  from the foundation to the edge of the roof ⁴  and from the outside to the great courtyard.

1 Kings 9:13

9:13 Hiram asked, ⁵  “Why did you give me these cities, my friend ⁶ ?” He called that area the region of Cabul, a name which it has retained to this day. ⁷ 

1 Kings 9:23

9:23 These men were also in charge of Solomon’s work projects; there were a total of 550 men who supervised the workers. ⁸ 

1 Kings 21:1

Ahab Murders Naboth

21:1 After this the following episode took place. ⁹  Naboth the Jezreelite owned a vineyard in Jezreel adjacent to the palace of King Ahab of Samaria. ¹⁰ 

1 Kings 21:27

21:27 When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and fasted. He slept in sackcloth and walked around dejected.

1 Kings 22:11

22:11 Zedekiah son of Kenaanah made iron horns and said, “This is what the Lord says, ‘With these you will gore Syria until they are destroyed.’”

1 Kings 22:23

22:23 So now, look, the Lord has placed a lying spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours; but the Lord has decreed disaster for you.”

[7:9]  ¹ tn Or “valuable” (see 5:17).

[7:9]  ² tn Heb “according to the measurement of chiseled [stone].”

[7:9]  ³ tn Heb “inside and out.”

[7:9]  ⁴ tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew word טְפָחוֹת (tÿfakhot) is uncertain, but it is clear that the referent stands in opposition to the foundation.

[9:13]  ⁵ tn Heb “and he said.”

[9:13]  ⁶ tn Heb “my brother.” Kings allied through a parity treaty would sometimes address each other as “my brother.” See 1 Kgs 20:32-33.

[9:13]  ⁷ tn Heb “he called them the land of Cabul to this day.” The significance of the name is unclear, though it appears to be disparaging. The name may be derived from a root, attested in Akkadian and Arabic, meaning “bound” or “restricted.” Some propose a wordplay, pointing out that the name “Cabul” sounds like a Hebrew phrase meaning, “like not,” or “as good as nothing.”

[9:23]  ⁹ tn Heb “these [were] the officials of the governors who were over the work belonging to Solomon, five hundred fifty, the ones ruling over the people, the ones doing the work.”

[21:1]  ¹³ tn Heb “after these things.” The words “the following episode took place” are added for stylistic reasons.

[21:1]  ¹⁴ sn King Ahab of Samaria. Samaria, as the capital of the northern kingdom, here stands for the nation of Israel.