1 And Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants unto Solomon; for he had heard that they had anointed him king in the room of his father: for Hiram was ever a lover of David.

2 And Solomon sent to Hiram, saying,

3 Thou knowest how that David my father could not build an house unto the name of the LORD his God for the wars which were about him on every side, until the LORD put them under the soles of his feet.

4 But now the LORD my God hath given me rest on every side, so that there is neither adversary nor evil occurrent.

5 And, behold, I purpose to build an house unto the name of the LORD my God, as the LORD spake unto David my father, saying, Thy son, whom I will set upon thy throne in thy room, he shall build an house unto my name.

6 Now therefore command thou that they hew me cedar trees out of Lebanon; and my servants shall be with thy servants: and unto thee will I give hire for thy servants according to all that thou shalt appoint: for thou knowest that there is not among us any that can skill to hew timber like unto the Sidonians.

7 And it came to pass, when Hiram heard the words of Solomon, that he rejoiced greatly, and said, Blessed be the LORD this day, which hath given unto David a wise son over this great people.

8 And Hiram sent to Solomon, saying, I have considered the things which thou sentest to me for: and I will do all thy desire concerning timber of cedar, and concerning timber of fir.

9 My servants shall bring them down from Lebanon unto the sea: and I will convey them by sea in floats unto the place that thou shalt appoint me, and will cause them to be discharged there, and thou shalt receive them: and thou shalt accomplish my desire, in giving food for my household.

10 So Hiram gave Solomon cedar trees and fir trees according to all his desire.

11 And Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand measures of wheat for food to his household, and twenty measures of pure oil: thus gave Solomon to Hiram year by year.

12 And the LORD gave Solomon wisdom, as he promised him: and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon; and they two made a league together.

13 And king Solomon raised a levy out of all Israel; and the levy was thirty thousand men.

14 And he sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month by courses: a month they were in Lebanon, and two months at home: and Adoniram was over the levy.

15 And Solomon had threescore and ten thousand that bare burdens, and fourscore thousand hewers in the mountains;

16 Beside the chief of Solomon's officers which were over the work, three thousand and three hundred, which ruled over the people that wrought in the work.

17 And the king commanded, and they brought great stones, costly stones, and hewed stones, to lay the foundation of the house.

18 And Solomon's builders and Hiram's builders did hew them, and the stonesquarers: so they prepared timber and stones to build the house.

1 And Hiram king of Tyre sent his seruants vnto Solomon: (for hee had heard that they had anointed him King in the roume of his father,) for Hiram was euer a louer of Dauid.

2 And Solomon sent to Hiram, saying,

3 Thou knowest how that Dauid my father could not build an house vnto the Name of the Lord his God, for the warres which were about him on euery side, vntill the Lord put them vnder the soles of his feet.

4 But now the Lord my God hath giuen me rest on euery side, so that there is neither aduersary, nor euill occurrent.

5 And behold, I purpose to build an house vnto the Name of the Lord my God, as the Lord spake vnto Dauid my father, saying, Thy sonne, whom I will set vpon thy throne in thy roume, he shall build an house vnto my Name.

6 Now therefore command thou, that they hew me Cedar trees out of Lebanon, and my seruants shall bee with thy seruants: and vnto thee will I giue hire for thy seruants, according to all that thou shalt appoint: for thou knowest that there is not among vs, any that can skill to hew timber, like vnto the Sidonians.

7 And it came to passe when Hiram heard the wordes of Solomon, that hee reioyced greatly, and said, Blessed be the Lord this day, which hath giuen vnto Dauid a wise sonne ouer this great people.

8 And Hiram sent to Solomon, saying, I haue considered the things which thou sentest to me for: and I will doe all thy desire concerning timber of Cedar, and concerning timber of firre.

9 My seruants shall bring them downe from Lebanon vnto the Sea: and I wil conuey them by sea in flotes, vnto the place that thou shalt appoint me, and will cause them to be discharged there, and thou shalt receiue them: and thou shalt accomplish my desire, in giuing food for my houshold.

10 So Hiram gaue Solomon Cedar trees, and Firre trees, according to all his desire.

11 And Solomon gaue Hiram twentie thousand measures of wheate for food to his houshold, and twentie measures of pure oile: thus gaue Solomon to Hiram yeere by yeere.

12 And the Lord gaue Solomon wisedome, as hee promised him: and there was peace betweene Hiram and Solomon, and they two made a league together.

13 And King Solomon raised a leuie out of all Israel, and the leuie was thirtie thousand men.

14 And hee sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a moneth by courses: a moneth they were in Lebanon, and two moneths at home: and Adoniram was ouer the leuie.

15 And Solomon had threescore and ten thousand that bare burdens, and fourescore thousand hewers in the mountaines:

16 Besides the chiefe of Solomons officers which were ouer the worke, three thousand and three hundred, which ruled ouer the people that wrought in the worke.

17 And the king commanded, and they brought great stones, costly stones, and hewed stones, to lay the foundation of the house.

18 And Solomons builders, and Hirams builders, did hewe them, and the stone-squarers: so they prepared timber and stones to build the house.

I == 2nd Sam 5:11 ; 1st Kings 5:10 , 18 ; 1st Chr 14:1 ; 2nd Chr 2:3

 

 

III == 1st Chr 22:8 ; 28:3

 

 

 

IV == 1st Kings 4:24 ; 1st Chr 22:9

 

V == 2nd Sam 7:13 ; 1st Chr 17:12 ; 22:10 ; 2nd Chr 2:4

 

 

VI == 2nd chr 2:8 , 10

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IX == 2nd Chr 2:16 ; Ezra 3:7 ; Ezek 27:17 ; Acts 12:20

 

 

 

 

 

XI == 2nd Chr 2:10

 

 

 

 

XII = 2nd Chr 2:10

 

 

 

 

XIV == 1st Kings 4:6

 

 

XV == 1st Kings 9:21 ; 2nd Chr 2:17-18

 

 

 

 

 

XVII == 1st Chr 22:2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1 Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the River to the land of the Philistines, down to the border of Egypt; they paid Solomon tribute and were his vassals as long as he lived.

2 Solomon's supplies for each day were thirty kors of fine flour, sixty kors of meal,

3 ten fatted oxen, twenty pasture-fed oxen, and a hundred sheep, not counting harts, gazelles, roebucks, and fatted fowl.

4 He ruled over all the land west of the Euphrates, from Tiphsah to Gaza, and over all its kings, and he had peace on all his borders round about.

5 Thus Judah and Israel lived in security, every man under his vine or under his fig tree from Dan to Beer-sheba, as long as Solomon lived.

6 Solomon had four thousand stalls for his twelve thousand chariot horses.

7 These commissaries, one for each month, provided food for King Solomon and for all the guests at the royal table. They left nothing unprovided.

8 For the chariot horses and draft animals also, each brought his quota of barley and straw to the required place.

9 Moreover, God gave Solomon wisdom and exceptional understanding and knowledge, as vast as the sand on the seashore.

10 Solomon surpassed all the Cedemites and all the Egyptians in wisdom.

11 He was wiser than all other men - than Ethan the Ezrahite, or Heman, Chalcol, and Darda, the musicians - and his fame spread throughout the neighboring nations.

12 Solomon also uttered three thousand proverbs, and his songs numbered a thousand and five.

13 He discussed plants, from the cedar on Lebanon to the hyssop growing out of the wall, and he spoke about beasts, birds, reptiles, and fishes.

14 Men came to hear Solomon's wisdom from all nations, sent by all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom.

15 When Hiram, king of Tyre, heard that Solomon had been anointed king in place of his father, he sent an embassy to him; for Hiram had always been David's friend.

16 Solomon sent back this message to Hiram:

17 "You know that my father David, because of the enemies surrounding him on all sides, could not build a temple in honor of the LORD, his God, until such a time as the LORD should put these enemies under the soles of his feet.

18 But now the LORD, my God, has given me peace on all sides. There is no enemy or threat of danger.

19 So I purpose to build a temple in honor of the LORD, my God, as the LORD predicted to my father David when he said: 'It is your son whom I will put upon your throne in your place who shall build the temple in my honor.'

20 Give orders, then, to have cedars from the Lebanon cut down for me. My servants shall accompany yours, since you know that there is no one among us who is skilled in cutting timber like the Sidonians, and I will pay you whatever you say for your servants' salary."

21 When he had heard the words of Solomon, Hiram was pleased and said, "Blessed be the LORD this day, who has given David a wise son to rule this numerous people."

22 Hiram then sent word to Solomon, "I agree to the proposal you sent me, and I will provide all the cedars and fir trees you wish.

23 My servants shall bring them down from the Lebanon to the sea, and I will arrange them into rafts in the sea and bring them wherever you say. There I will break up the rafts, and you shall take the lumber. You, for your part, shall furnish the provisions I desire for my household."

24 So Hiram continued to provide Solomon with all the cedars and fir trees he wished;

25 while Solomon every year gave Hiram twenty thousand kors of wheat to provide for his household, and twenty thousand measures of pure oil.

26 The LORD, moreover, gave Solomon wisdom as he promised him, and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon, since they were parties to a treaty.

27 King Solomon conscripted thirty thousand workmen from all Israel.

28 He sent them to the Lebanon each month in relays of ten thousand, so that they spent one month in the Lebanon and two months at home. Adoniram was in charge of the draft.

29 Solomon had seventy thousand carriers and eighty thousand stonecutters in the mountain,

30 in addition to three thousand three hundred overseers, answerable to Solomon's prefects for the work, directing the people engaged in the work.

31 By order of the king, fine, large blocks were quarried to give the temple a foundation of hewn stone.

32 Solomon's and Hiram's builders, along with the Gebalites, hewed them out, and prepared the wood and stones for building the temple.

So much can be added from 2 Chr. that those additions will be in parenthesis.

v 1-6. There was now peace in the land so Solomon immediately set about to build the temple. He knew David and Hiram had a good relationship and informed him of his goal to obey the Lord and David by building the temple. Solomon requested to purchase cedar (also fir and algum) [which was use on steps in the temple and his house and for frames for harps and lyres] from Lebanon). Lebanon had not given Israel any trouble so they had not conquered it, but apparently Tyre had control over it and could sell timber from it. Solomon offered his workmen (70,000 carriers, 80,000 stone masons and 3,600 overseers), to work along with Hiram’s skilled workers. (They were skilled, 2 Chr. 2:7, in all metal, dyed cloth and engraving.) ( In 2 Chr, 2:1-10 Solomon declares the great purpose of the temple and his testimony of being unworthy before the Lord except to bring sacrifices to him). 

v 7-12. Perhaps through David, Hiram had come to know  the Lord, and he recognized Solomon’s wisdom. Hiram would agree with the Queen of Sheba, 10:9, that God made Solomon king because He loved his people Israel. He was pleased to do business with the young son of David and offered to be responsible for rafting the  logs to where an appropriate location (Joppa and Solomon would take it to Jerusalem). Hiram’s family and workers were to receive about 125,000 bushels of ground wheat, and 115,000 gallons of olive oil. (2 Chr. 2:10, also 125,000 bushels of barley and 115,000 gallons of wine.) It has been suggested that the food in Kings was for Hiram’s household, and that in Chronicles for the workmen. The two kings good treaty relationship lasted for many years.

v 13-18. The conscripted men were apparently Israelites, as were his chief officers, v 16, who were over the work. There were 30,000 who served by courses, 1 month working, 2 months home. The rest of them were not Israelites, 2 Chr. 2:17, but had been captured or chose to live in the land. They would have received good treatment, as Israel was not to oppress a stranger, Ex, 23:9.