1 Kings 5 Study Notes: Preparations to Build the Temple
King Hiram of Tyre, a longtime friend of David, welcomes Solomon’s intention to build a temple now that God has given rest, as promised to David. Hiram supplies cedar and cypress in exchange for food, the two kings make a treaty, and Solomon drafts laborers to quarry stone and cut timber.
General
How did Hiram respond when he received Solomon’s message (1 Kings 5:7)?
Answer: He rejoiced and praised the LORD for David’s son and his wisdom
Hiram was overjoyed by Solomon’s message. He blessed the LORD, praising Him for granting David a son of such wisdom to rule so large a nation (5:7). A Gentile king gives the credit for Solomon’s wisdom to Israel’s God. The queen of Sheba will do the same, blessing the LORD for placing Solomon on Israel’s throne (10:9). The Chronicles account of the same exchange has Hiram praising Israel’s God, maker of heaven and earth, for granting David a son of such discernment (2 Chronicles 2:12).
- 1 Kings 5:7 (BSB)“When Hiram received Solomon’s message, he rejoiced greatly and said, “Blessed be the LORD this day! He has given David a wise son over this great people!””Hiram rejoices at Solomon’s message and praises the LORD for giving David a wise son.
- 1 Kings 10:9 (BSB)“Blessed be the LORD your God, who has delighted in you to set you on the throne of Israel. Because of the LORD’s eternal love for Israel, He has made you king to carry out justice and righteousness.””The queen of Sheba likewise blesses the LORD for setting Solomon on Israel’s throne.
- 2 Chronicles 2:12 (BSB)“And Hiram added: “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who made the heavens and the earth! He has given King David a wise son with insight and understanding, who will build a temple for the LORD and a royal palace for himself.”In the parallel account Hiram blesses the God of Israel, the Creator, for giving David a wise son.
Theological
What was Hiram’s response to Solomon’s proposal according to 5:7?
Answer: He rejoiced and praised the LORD for David’s son and his wisdom
Hiram responded with great joy and an outright blessing of the LORD for granting David a son of such wisdom to rule so large a nation (5:7). A Gentile king ascribes Solomon’s wisdom to Israel’s God, anticipating the queen of Sheba’s similar praise (10:9). The parallel in 2 Chronicles 2:12 fills out his praise, naming Israel’s God as the Creator of heaven and earth.
- 1 Kings 5:7 (BSB)“When Hiram received Solomon’s message, he rejoiced greatly and said, “Blessed be the LORD this day! He has given David a wise son over this great people!””Hiram rejoices at Solomon’s message and praises the LORD for giving David a wise son.
- 1 Kings 10:9 (BSB)“Blessed be the LORD your God, who has delighted in you to set you on the throne of Israel. Because of the LORD’s eternal love for Israel, He has made you king to carry out justice and righteousness.””The queen of Sheba likewise blesses the LORD for setting Solomon on Israel’s throne.
- 2 Chronicles 2:12 (BSB)“And Hiram added: “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who made the heavens and the earth! He has given King David a wise son with insight and understanding, who will build a temple for the LORD and a royal palace for himself.”In the parallel account Hiram blesses the God of Israel, the Creator, for giving David a wise son.
General
Why did Hiram, the king of Tyre, send envoys to Solomon when he became king (1 Kings 5:1)?
Answer: He had long been a loyal friend to David
When Hiram, the king of the coastal city of Tyre, learned that Solomon now reigned as the anointed successor of David, he sent a delegation to him, because the two kings, Hiram and David, had long been friends (5:1). That friendship went back years: Hiram had sent messengers, cedar, and skilled builders for David’s palace (2 Samuel 5:11), and men from Tyre and Sidon had delivered huge amounts of cedar to David (1 Chronicles 22:4). Hiram’s goodwill toward David now opens the way for Solomon’s building of the temple.
- 1 Kings 5:1 (BSB)“Now when Hiram king of Tyre heard that Solomon had been anointed king in his father’s place, he sent envoys to Solomon; for Hiram had always been a friend of David.”Hiram king of Tyre sends envoys to the new king, and the narrator explains his motive.
- 2 Samuel 5:11 (BSB)“Now Hiram king of Tyre sent envoys to David, along with cedar logs, carpenters, and stonemasons, and they built a palace for David.”Hiram had earlier sent envoys, cedar logs and craftsmen to build David’s palace.
- 1 Chronicles 22:4 (BSB)“and more cedar logs than could be counted; for the Sidonians and Tyrians had brought a large quantity of cedar logs to David.”The Sidonians and Tyrians had already supplied David with great quantities of cedar.
Theological
What motive does 5:1 give for Hiram of Tyre sending envoys to the newly anointed Solomon?
Answer: He had long been a loyal friend to David
The narrator explains Hiram’s embassy by his longstanding friendship with David (5:1). The relationship is attested earlier, when Hiram supplied envoys, cedar and skilled builders for David’s palace (2 Samuel 5:11), and when Tyrian and Sidonian cedar flowed to David in large quantities (1 Chronicles 22:4). The continuity of that alliance into Solomon’s reign provides the material and skilled help for the temple project.
- 1 Kings 5:1 (BSB)“Now when Hiram king of Tyre heard that Solomon had been anointed king in his father’s place, he sent envoys to Solomon; for Hiram had always been a friend of David.”Hiram king of Tyre sends envoys to the new king, and the narrator explains his motive.
- 2 Samuel 5:11 (BSB)“Now Hiram king of Tyre sent envoys to David, along with cedar logs, carpenters, and stonemasons, and they built a palace for David.”Hiram had earlier sent envoys, cedar logs and craftsmen to build David’s palace.
- 1 Chronicles 22:4 (BSB)“and more cedar logs than could be counted; for the Sidonians and Tyrians had brought a large quantity of cedar logs to David.”The Sidonians and Tyrians had already supplied David with great quantities of cedar.
General
How did Solomon supply workers for cutting timber in Lebanon (1 Kings 5:13-14)?
Answer: He drafted Israelite workers to serve in monthly shifts
Solomon raised a forced labor force from all Israel and sent the men to Lebanon in rotating shifts, one month away followed by two months back home, with Adoniram in charge (5:13-14). Many more workers carried loads and cut stone in the hill country, and at the king’s command they quarried large, costly stones for the temple’s foundation, while builders from both kings, together with men from Gebal, prepared the stone and timber (5:15-18). This recalls Samuel’s warning that a king would take the people’s sons to work for him (1 Samuel 8:11-12), and after Solomon’s death the people told his son that his father had burdened them with a heavy yoke (12:4).
- 1 Kings 5:13-14 (BSB)“Then King Solomon conscripted a labor force of 30,000 men from all Israel. He sent them to Lebanon in monthly shifts of 10,000 men, so that they would spend one month in Lebanon and two months at home. And Adoniram was in charge of the forced labor.”Solomon conscripts workers from all Israel and sends them to Lebanon in rotating monthly shifts under Adoniram.
- 1 Kings 5:17-18 (BSB)“And the king commanded them to quarry large, costly stones to lay the foundation of the temple with dressed stones. So Solomon’s and Hiram’s builders, along with the Gebalites, quarried the stone and prepared the timber and stone for the construction of the temple.”Large, costly stones are quarried for the temple’s foundation, and the builders of Solomon and Hiram prepare stone and timber together.
- 1 Samuel 8:11-12 (BSB)“He said, “This will be the manner of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons and appoint them to serve his own chariots and horses, and to run in front of his chariots. He will appoint some for himself as commanders of thousands and of fifties, and others to plow his ground, to reap his harvest, and to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots.”Samuel had warned that a king would take the people’s sons to work his ground and make his equipment.
- 1 Kings 12:4 (BSB)““Your father put a heavy yoke on us. But now you must lighten the burden of your father’s service and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you.””After Solomon’s death the people tell his son that his father had put a heavy yoke on them.
Theological
By what means did Solomon provide the labor for the timber work in Lebanon (5:13-14)?
Answer: He drafted Israelite workers to serve in monthly shifts
Solomon drafted workers out of all Israel, rotating the men through Lebanon a month at a time followed by two months back home, under Adoniram’s oversight (5:13-14). Alongside them, great numbers of carriers and stonecutters quarried large, costly stones for the temple foundation, and the builders of Solomon and Hiram prepared the materials together (5:15-18). The conscription recalls Samuel’s warning that a king would put Israel’s sons to work in his service (1 Samuel 8:11-12), and the burden resurfaces after Solomon’s death in the people’s complaint of a heavy yoke (12:4).
- 1 Kings 5:13-14 (BSB)“Then King Solomon conscripted a labor force of 30,000 men from all Israel. He sent them to Lebanon in monthly shifts of 10,000 men, so that they would spend one month in Lebanon and two months at home. And Adoniram was in charge of the forced labor.”Solomon conscripts workers from all Israel and sends them to Lebanon in rotating monthly shifts under Adoniram.
- 1 Kings 5:17-18 (BSB)“And the king commanded them to quarry large, costly stones to lay the foundation of the temple with dressed stones. So Solomon’s and Hiram’s builders, along with the Gebalites, quarried the stone and prepared the timber and stone for the construction of the temple.”Large, costly stones are quarried for the temple’s foundation, and the builders of Solomon and Hiram prepare stone and timber together.
- 1 Samuel 8:11-12 (BSB)“He said, “This will be the manner of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons and appoint them to serve his own chariots and horses, and to run in front of his chariots. He will appoint some for himself as commanders of thousands and of fifties, and others to plow his ground, to reap his harvest, and to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots.”Samuel had warned that a king would take the people’s sons to work his ground and make his equipment.
- 1 Kings 12:4 (BSB)““Your father put a heavy yoke on us. But now you must lighten the burden of your father’s service and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you.””After Solomon’s death the people tell his son that his father had put a heavy yoke on them.
General
True or False: The narrator says Solomon’s wisdom came from the LORD, in keeping with what the LORD had earlier promised.
Answer: True
This is true. In the middle of the account of the timber deal, the narrator pauses to credit Solomon’s wisdom to the LORD, who was keeping His earlier promise (5:12). The promise was the one made in the dream at Gibeon, where God said He would give Solomon a heart full of wisdom and discernment (3:12). The same verse adds that Hiram and Solomon were at peace and made a treaty, setting that agreement right beside the wisdom God had given. Joshua had testified that none of the LORD’s good promises ever failed (Joshua 23:14).
- 1 Kings 5:12 (BSB)“And the LORD gave Solomon wisdom, as He had promised him. There was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them made a treaty.”The narrator credits the LORD with Solomon’s wisdom and records peace and a treaty between Hiram and Solomon.
- 1 Kings 3:12 (BSB)“behold, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been another like you, nor will there ever be.”God had promised at Gibeon to give Solomon a wise and discerning heart.
- Joshua 23:14 (BSB)“Now behold, today I am going the way of all the earth, and you know with all your heart and soul that not one of the good promises the LORD your God made to you has failed. Everything was fulfilled for you; not one promise has failed.”Joshua testified that not one of the good promises the LORD made had failed.
Theological
True or False: In 5:12 the narrator attributes Solomon’s wisdom to the LORD, in fulfillment of His earlier promise.
Answer: True
This is true. The narrator interrupts the negotiations to affirm that Solomon’s wisdom was the LORD’s gift in fulfillment of His word (5:12), pointing back to the Gibeon promise of a heart full of wisdom and discernment (3:12). The peace and treaty with Hiram recorded in the same verse stand beside that gift, and the whole verse displays God’s faithfulness to His word, the faithfulness Joshua confessed when he said none of God’s good promises had failed (Joshua 23:14).
- 1 Kings 5:12 (BSB)“And the LORD gave Solomon wisdom, as He had promised him. There was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them made a treaty.”The narrator credits the LORD with Solomon’s wisdom and records peace and a treaty between Hiram and Solomon.
- 1 Kings 3:12 (BSB)“behold, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been another like you, nor will there ever be.”God had promised at Gibeon to give Solomon a wise and discerning heart.
- Joshua 23:14 (BSB)“Now behold, today I am going the way of all the earth, and you know with all your heart and soul that not one of the good promises the LORD your God made to you has failed. Everything was fulfilled for you; not one promise has failed.”Joshua testified that not one of the good promises the LORD made had failed.
General
What did Solomon say made it the right time for him to build the LORD’s house (1 Kings 5:4-5)?
Answer: God had granted peace, and had promised that David’s son would build it
Solomon told Hiram that the LORD had now given him peace all around, with no enemy and no disaster (5:4), so he intended to build the temple for the LORD’s Name, just as the LORD had told David that his son would do (5:5). God had promised David that a descendant from his own body would build a temple honoring His Name, and that his throne would be established forever (2 Samuel 7:12-13). The law had also linked the place for God’s Name with the time of rest from enemies (Deuteronomy 12:10-11). Solomon’s plan rests on God’s promise, and at the dedication he will declare that the LORD has kept His word (8:20).
- 1 Kings 5:4-5 (BSB)“But now the LORD my God has given me rest on every side, and there is no adversary or crisis. So behold, I plan to build a house for the Name of the LORD my God, according to what the LORD said to my father David: ‘I will put your son on your throne in your place, and he will build the house for My Name.’”Solomon says God has now given rest and that he intends to build according to God’s word to David.
- 2 Samuel 7:12-13 (BSB)“And when your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. He will build a house for My Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.”God promised David that his own descendant would build a temple honoring His Name, and that his throne would be established forever.
- Deuteronomy 12:10-11 (BSB)“When you cross the Jordan and live in the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, and He gives you rest from all the enemies around you and you dwell securely, then the LORD your God will choose a dwelling for His Name. And there you are to bring everything I command you: your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and special gifts, and all the choice offerings you vow to the LORD.”The law tied the choosing of a dwelling for God’s Name to the time when He gave His people rest from their enemies.
- 1 Kings 8:20 (BSB)“Now the LORD has fulfilled the word that He spoke. I have succeeded my father David, and I sit on the throne of Israel, as the LORD promised. I have built the house for the Name of the LORD, the God of Israel.”At the dedication Solomon declares that the LORD has fulfilled His word and the house has been built.
Theological
On what grounds does Solomon announce in 5:4-5 that he will now begin the temple for the LORD’s Name?
Answer: God had granted peace, and had promised that David’s son would build it
Solomon cites two grounds: the rest the LORD has given on every side, with neither adversary nor calamity (5:4), and the divine word to David that his son would be the temple-builder for God’s Name (5:5). The latter is the dynastic promise of 2 Samuel 7:12-13, which joined the building of the house to the establishment of David’s throne forever. Deuteronomy 12:10-11 had connected the chosen dwelling for God’s Name with rest from enemies. The temple project is thus covenant fulfillment, as Solomon will confess at its dedication (8:20).
- 1 Kings 5:4-5 (BSB)“But now the LORD my God has given me rest on every side, and there is no adversary or crisis. So behold, I plan to build a house for the Name of the LORD my God, according to what the LORD said to my father David: ‘I will put your son on your throne in your place, and he will build the house for My Name.’”Solomon says God has now given rest and that he intends to build according to God’s word to David.
- 2 Samuel 7:12-13 (BSB)“And when your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. He will build a house for My Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.”God promised David that his own descendant would build a temple honoring His Name, and that his throne would be established forever.
- Deuteronomy 12:10-11 (BSB)“When you cross the Jordan and live in the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, and He gives you rest from all the enemies around you and you dwell securely, then the LORD your God will choose a dwelling for His Name. And there you are to bring everything I command you: your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and special gifts, and all the choice offerings you vow to the LORD.”The law tied the choosing of a dwelling for God’s Name to the time when He gave His people rest from their enemies.
- 1 Kings 8:20 (BSB)“Now the LORD has fulfilled the word that He spoke. I have succeeded my father David, and I sit on the throne of Israel, as the LORD promised. I have built the house for the Name of the LORD, the God of Israel.”At the dedication Solomon declares that the LORD has fulfilled His word and the house has been built.
General
What did Hiram ask in return for supplying the timber Solomon needed (1 Kings 5:9)?
Answer: Food for his own court
Hiram agreed to do all Solomon wished concerning the timber. His men would bring the logs of cedar and cypress down from the Lebanon mountains to the coast, float them in rafts to the place Solomon chose, and break them up there for Solomon’s workers to collect. In exchange, Hiram asked Solomon to keep his royal household supplied with food (5:8-9). So Hiram supplied the timber, and every year Solomon sent him large amounts of wheat and pure olive oil (5:10-11). Tyre had timber and skilled loggers, and Israel had grain and oil. Cedar had already been gathered from Tyre and Sidon in David’s day (1 Chronicles 22:4), and when the temple was rebuilt after the exile, cedar was again shipped from Lebanon in exchange for food and oil (Ezra 3:7).
- 1 Kings 5:8-9 (BSB)“Then Hiram sent a reply to Solomon, saying: “I have received your message; I will do all you desire regarding the cedar and cypress timber. My servants will haul the logs from Lebanon to the Sea, and I will float them as rafts by sea to the place you specify. There I will separate the logs, and you can take them away. And in exchange, you can meet my needs by providing my household with food.””Hiram agrees to supply cedar and cypress, floated by sea, and asks for food for his household in return.
- 1 Kings 5:10-11 (BSB)“So Hiram provided Solomon with all the cedar and cypress timber he wanted, and year after year Solomon would provide Hiram with 20,000 cors of wheat as food for his household, as well as 20,000 baths of pure olive oil.”Hiram provides the timber, and Solomon sends wheat and olive oil to Hiram every year.
- 1 Chronicles 22:4 (BSB)“and more cedar logs than could be counted; for the Sidonians and Tyrians had brought a large quantity of cedar logs to David.”Cedar from the Sidonians and Tyrians had already been gathered for David’s preparations.
- Ezra 3:7 (BSB)“They gave money to the masons and carpenters, and food and drink and oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre to bring cedar logs from Lebanon to Joppa by sea, as authorized by Cyrus king of Persia.”When the temple was later rebuilt, cedar was again brought from Lebanon by sea in exchange for food, drink and oil.
Theological
What payment did Hiram request for the timber he supplied (5:9)?
Answer: Food for his own court
Hiram undertook to haul the logs of cedar and cypress down from the Lebanon range to the coast, raft them to Solomon’s chosen site, and break up the rafts there, asking in return that Solomon supply food for his royal household (5:8-9). The arrangement was carried out year by year, with Solomon sending wheat and pure olive oil (5:10-11). Tyrian cedar had already been supplied for David’s preparations (1 Chronicles 22:4), and the same exchange of cedar for provisions recurs in the rebuilding after the exile (Ezra 3:7).
- 1 Kings 5:8-9 (BSB)“Then Hiram sent a reply to Solomon, saying: “I have received your message; I will do all you desire regarding the cedar and cypress timber. My servants will haul the logs from Lebanon to the Sea, and I will float them as rafts by sea to the place you specify. There I will separate the logs, and you can take them away. And in exchange, you can meet my needs by providing my household with food.””Hiram agrees to supply cedar and cypress, floated by sea, and asks for food for his household in return.
- 1 Kings 5:10-11 (BSB)“So Hiram provided Solomon with all the cedar and cypress timber he wanted, and year after year Solomon would provide Hiram with 20,000 cors of wheat as food for his household, as well as 20,000 baths of pure olive oil.”Hiram provides the timber, and Solomon sends wheat and olive oil to Hiram every year.
- 1 Chronicles 22:4 (BSB)“and more cedar logs than could be counted; for the Sidonians and Tyrians had brought a large quantity of cedar logs to David.”Cedar from the Sidonians and Tyrians had already been gathered for David’s preparations.
- Ezra 3:7 (BSB)“They gave money to the masons and carpenters, and food and drink and oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre to bring cedar logs from Lebanon to Joppa by sea, as authorized by Cyrus king of Persia.”When the temple was later rebuilt, cedar was again brought from Lebanon by sea in exchange for food, drink and oil.
General
What reason did Solomon give Hiram for why David had not built the LORD’s temple (1 Kings 5:3)?
Answer: David was kept busy by wars on every side
Solomon reminded Hiram that his father David had been unable to build the temple for the LORD’s Name because of the wars fought against him on every side, until God subdued all his foes (5:3). David’s desire to build had arisen in a season when God granted him peace from his enemies (2 Samuel 7:1), but his reign was marked by warfare. In Chronicles David also tells Solomon that God had told him not to build because of the many lives he had taken in his great battles (1 Chronicles 22:8). God reserved the work for a son to whom He would give peace from his enemies (1 Chronicles 22:9).
- 1 Kings 5:3 (BSB)““As you are well aware, due to the wars waged on all sides against my father David, he could not build a house for the Name of the LORD his God until the LORD had put his enemies under his feet.”Solomon explains to Hiram why David had not built the LORD’s house.
- 2 Samuel 7:1 (BSB)“After the king had settled into his palace and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies around him,”David’s wish to build came only after the LORD had given him rest from his enemies around him.
- 1 Chronicles 22:8-9 (BSB)“but this word of the LORD came to me: ‘You have shed much blood and waged great wars. You are not to build a house for My Name because you have shed so much blood on the ground before Me. But a son will be born to you who will be a man of rest. I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side; for his name will be Solomon, and I will grant to Israel peace and quiet during his reign.”David told Solomon that God had forbidden him to build because of the blood he had shed, and had promised a son who would have rest from all his enemies.
Theological
What explanation does Solomon offer Hiram in 5:3 for David’s not building the house of the LORD?
Answer: David was kept busy by wars on every side
Solomon attributes David’s inability to build to the warfare pressing on him from all sides, until the LORD subdued his enemies beneath his feet (5:3). Though David’s desire to build came in a season of rest (2 Samuel 7:1), his reign as a whole was one of conflict, and Chronicles records David’s own testimony that God forbade him to build because of the blood he had shed in great wars (1 Chronicles 22:8). The temple was to be the work of the son to whom God promised peace on every side (1 Chronicles 22:9).
- 1 Kings 5:3 (BSB)““As you are well aware, due to the wars waged on all sides against my father David, he could not build a house for the Name of the LORD his God until the LORD had put his enemies under his feet.”Solomon explains to Hiram why David had not built the LORD’s house.
- 2 Samuel 7:1 (BSB)“After the king had settled into his palace and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies around him,”David’s wish to build came only after the LORD had given him rest from his enemies around him.
- 1 Chronicles 22:8-9 (BSB)“but this word of the LORD came to me: ‘You have shed much blood and waged great wars. You are not to build a house for My Name because you have shed so much blood on the ground before Me. But a son will be born to you who will be a man of rest. I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side; for his name will be Solomon, and I will grant to Israel peace and quiet during his reign.”David told Solomon that God had forbidden him to build because of the blood he had shed, and had promised a son who would have rest from all his enemies.