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 Solomon for his building projects. Hiram may have called them Cabul, a word that sounds like the Hebrew word for "good for nothing"(v. 13), because they were not in a productive region. This cheap gift did not contribute to ongoing good relations between Israel and Phoenicia.
"The border villages may have been fortified for defence [sic] purposes and seem to have been redeemed later (2 Ch. 8:2), perhaps following successful trade (v. 14) or tribute brought from Sheba (cf. 10:10)."97
"This episode shows a conniving side of Solomon."98
