1 Kings 9:10-13

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9:10 After twenty years, during which Solomon built the Lord’s temple and the royal palace, ¹  9:11 King Solomon gave King Hiram of Tyre ²  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. ³  9:13 Hiram asked, ⁴  “Why did you give me these cities, my friend ⁵ ?” He called that area the region of Cabul, a name which it has retained to this day. ⁶ 

[9:10]  ¹ tn Heb “the two houses, the house of the Lord and the house of the king.”

[9:11]  ² map For location see Map1 A2; Map2 G2; Map4 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.

[9:12]  ³ tn Heb “they were not agreeable in his eyes.”

[9:13]  ⁴ tn Heb “and he said.”

[9:13]  ⁵ 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]  ⁶ 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.”