Solomon Gathers Building Materials for the Temple
5:1 King Hiram of Tyre sent messengers to Solomon when he heard that he had been anointed king in his father’s place. (Hiram had always been an ally of David.)
Tyre and Sidon were sister cities on the Mediterranean Sea. The Phoenicians established a large shipping and trading industry. The Phoenicians not only spread their alphabet system to many of the ancient nations, but they spread knowledge of Solomon and the advanced and powerful Israelite empire as well. The Athenian philosophers most likely were inspired by Solomon to pursue philosophy, science, and history. King Hiram always had the greatest respect for King David.
God placed the Phoenicians next door to Israel so that their ships could spread the teachings of Jehovah into all nations. King Hiram would assist Solomon, because of his love, esteem, and respect for King David. Since Tyre blessed Israel, then Tyre would be blessed by the Abrahamic Covenant. They would possess the most powerful shipping industry in the known world. Tyre would not collapse until Rome subdued them into a tribute nation some 1,000 years later. The Phoenicians would become the last mighty empire that Rome conquered before their 200 years of Pax Romano.
5:2 Solomon then sent this message to Hiram: 5:3 “You know that my father David was unable to build a temple to honor the Lord his God, for he was busy fighting battles on all fronts while the Lord subdued his enemies.
David was man of war. He never had time to build a temple, because he was securing Israel’s borders. Besides, God would not allow David to build his temple, because David’s hands were too bloody.
5:4 But now the Lord my God has made me secure on all fronts; there is no adversary or dangerous threat.
Nations cannot build when they are at war. All of their natural resources are spent on war materials. Nations build when they are powerful and when they are at peace. Greece, Rome, and all of the other empires built after they secured their borders.
5:5 So I have decided to build a temple to honor the Lord my God, as the Lord instructed my father David, ‘Your son, whom I will put on your throne in your place, is the one who will build a temple to honor me.’
David secured the borders, made the blueprints, and gathered all of the supplies for the temple. However, Solomon was to build it. The temple should be called David’s Temple instead of Solomon’s Temple. Notice that Solomon clearly testified to Hiram that Jehovah was his God, not just the God of his father.
5:6 So now order some cedars of Lebanon to be cut for me. My servants will work with your servants. I will pay your servants whatever you say is appropriate, for you know that we have no one among us who knows how to cut down trees like the Sidonians.”
The cedars of Lebanon grew in great numbers on the western slopes of the Lebanese Mountains east of Tyre. They were very old trees with hard but beautiful wood. They were excellent for construction, because they were not subject to decay, worms, or insect infestation. The cedar trees from Lebanon were of legendary quality, not only in the Bible, but in other ancient literature as well.
5:7 When Hiram heard Solomon’s message, he was very happy. He said, “The Lord is worthy of praise today because he has given David a wise son to rule over this great nation.”
King Hiram was happy to hear that Solomon was going to build the temple. He even offered praise to Jehovah for giving David such a wise son. King Hiram most likely regarded Jehovah as just one of many gods. He did recognize the wisdom of Solomon. This knowledge of Solomon’s wisdom would later travel into to all of the nations of the world through the ships of the Phoenicians.
5:8 Hiram then sent this message to Solomon: “I received the message you sent to me. I will give you all the cedars and evergreens you need.
King Hiram agreed to send the cedars to Israel.
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. There I will separate the logs and you can carry them away. In exchange you will supply the food I need for my royal court.”
King Hiram sent the cedars to Israel in rafts. In exchange, Israel would supply food for Hiram’s royal court. This was a good exchange for both nations. Tyre had plenty of trees but a shortage of food. Israel had plenty of food but a shortage of cedar trees.
5:10 So Hiram supplied the cedars and evergreens Solomon needed, 5:11 and Solomon supplied Hiram annually with 20,000 cors of wheat as provision for his royal court, as well as 20,000 baths of pure olive oil. 5:12 So the Lord gave Solomon wisdom, as he had promised him. And Hiram and Solomon were at peace and made a treaty.
This treaty arrangement continued for many years, keeping peace between the two nations. The Phoenicians would remain a powerful shipping industry for a long time. They would become the last great empire that the Romans would have to conquer before Rome entered their 200 years of peace, called “Pax Romana.”
5:13 King Solomon conscripted work crews from throughout Israel, 30,000 men in all.
King Solomon drafted 30,000 Israelites to perform forced labor. This forced labor would later became one of the causes of the civil war between Judah and Israel.
5:14 He sent them to Lebanon in shifts of 10,000 men per month. They worked in Lebanon for one month, and then spent two months at home. Adoniram was supervisor of the work crews.
The Israelites would work one month and then take two months off. They were basically drafted into hard labor for four months a year.
5:15 Solomon also had 70,000 common laborers and 80,000 stonecutters in the hills, 5:16 besides 3,300 officials who supervised the workers.
According to 2 Chronicles 2:17-18, these 150,000 common laborers and their supervisors were non-Israelite inhabitants of the land.
5:17 By royal order they supplied large valuable stones in order to build the temple’s foundation with chiseled stone.
Royal order means that these men were forced by law to supply large valuable stones for the building of the foundation of the temple. These huge stones were cut out of an extensive quarry deep under the city. Archaeologists rediscovered this quarry only in the mid-19th century.
5:18 Solomon’s and Hiram’s construction workers, along with men from Byblos, did the chiseling and prepared the wood and stones for the building of the temple.
The Gebalites were citizens of Gebal, which was a town located about 60 miles north of Tyre.