New Living Translation
1 Kings 5:6
6“Therefore, please command that cedars from Lebanon be cut for me. Let my men work alongside yours, and I will pay your men whatever wages you ask. As you know, there is no one among us who can cut timber like you Sidonians!”
1 Kings 5:6 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)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.
- New International Version (NIV)“So give orders that cedars of Lebanon be cut for me. My men will work with yours, and I will pay you for your men whatever wages you set. You know that we have no one so skilled in felling timber as the Sidonians.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)Now therefore command that cedars of Lebanon be cut for me. And my servants will join your servants, and I will pay you for your servants such wages as you set, for you know that there is no one among us who knows how to cut timber like the Sidonians."
- New King James Version (NKJV)Now therefore, command that they cut down cedars for me from Lebanon; and my servants will be with your servants, and I will pay you wages for your servants according to whatever you say. For you know there is none among us who has skill to cut timber like the Sidonians.
Context of 1 Kings 5:6
4But now the Lord my God has given me peace on every side; I have no enemies, and all is well. 5So I am planning to build a Temple to honor the name of the Lord my God, just as he had instructed my father, David. For the Lord told him, ‘Your son, whom I will place on your throne, will build the Temple to honor my name.’ “Therefore, please command that cedars from Lebanon be cut for me. Let my men work alongside yours, and I will pay your men whatever wages you ask. As you know, there is no one among us who can cut timber like you Sidonians!” 7When Hiram received Solomon’s message, he was very pleased and said, “Praise the Lord today for giving David a wise son to be king of the great nation of Israel.” 8Then he sent this reply to Solomon: “I have received your message, and I will supply all the cedar and cypress timber you need.
Read all of 1 Kings 51 Kings 5:6 word by word
וְעַתָּ֡ה צַוֵּה֩ וְיִכְרְתוּ־לִ֨י אֲרָזִ֜ים מִן־הַלְּבָנ֗וֹן וַֽעֲבָדַי֙ יִהְי֣וּ עִם־עֲבָדֶ֔יךָ וּשְׂכַ֤ר עֲבָדֶ֙יךָ֙ אֶתֵּ֣ן לְךָ֔ כְּכֹ֖ל אֲשֶׁ֣ר תֹּאמֵ֑ר כִּ֣י׀ אַתָּ֣ה יָדַ֗עְתָּ כִּ֣י אֵ֥ין בָּ֛נוּ אִ֛ישׁ יֹדֵ֥עַ לִכְרָת־עֵצִ֖ים כַּצִּדֹנִֽים׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Now therefore commandצָוָהtsâvâh · to commandH6680
- thou that they hewכָּרַתkârath · to cut: cutH3772
- me cedar treesאֶ֫רֶז'erez · cedarH730
- out of Lebanonלְבָנוֹןlebânôn · LebanonH3844
- and my servantsעֶ֫בֶד‛ebed · servant/slaveH5650
- and unto thee will I giveנָתַןnâthan · to give: payH5414
- hireשָׂכָרώâkâr · wagesH7939
- according to all that thou shalt appointאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- for thou knowestיָדַעyâda‛ · to knowH3045
- not among us anyאִישׁ'îysh · man: anyoneH376
- timberעֵץ‛êts · tree: woodH6086
- like unto the Sidoniansצִידֹנִיtsîydônîy tsidônîy · SidonianH6722
Cross-references for 1 Kings 5:6
- 1 Kings 6:9After completing the Temple structure, Solomon put in a ceiling made of cedar beams and planks.
- 2 Chronicles 2:8“Also send me cedar, cypress, and red sandalwood logs from Lebanon, for I know that your men are without equal at cutting timber in Lebanon. I will send my men to help them.
- Psalms 29:5The voice of the Lord splits the mighty cedars; the Lord shatters the cedars of Lebanon.
- Romans 12:17Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable.
- Philippians 4:8And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.
- 1 Corinthians 12:14Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part.
- Ephesians 4:7However, he has given each one of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ.
- Genesis 10:15Canaan’s oldest son was Sidon, the ancestor of the Sidonians. Canaan was also the ancestor of the Hittites,
- Ezra 3:7Then the people hired masons and carpenters and bought cedar logs from the people of Tyre and Sidon, paying them with food, wine, and olive oil. The logs were brought down from the Lebanon mountains and floated along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea to Joppa, for King Cyrus had given permission for this.
Commentaries on 1 Kings 5:6
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 6Any that can skill to hew timber - An obsolete and barbarous expression for any that know how to cut timber. They had neither sawyers, carpenters, joiners, nor builders among them, equal to the Sidonians. Sidon was a part of the territories of Hiram, and its inhabitants appear to have been the most expert workmen. It requires more skill to fell and prepare timber than is generally supposed. Vitruvius gives some rules relative to this, lib. ii., cap. 9…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 6Solomon‘s message to Hiram and Hiram‘s answer 1 Kings 5:8-9 are given much more fully in 2 Chronicles 2:3-16. Cedar-trees - The Hebrew word here and elsewhere translated “cedar,” appears to be used, not only of the cedar proper, but of other timber-trees also, as the fir, and, perhaps, the juniper. Still there is no doubt that the real Lebanon cedar is most commonly intended by it. This tree, which still grows on parts of the mountain, but which threatens…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 6Solomon's main message was his request for cedars from Lebanon, showing Hiram's broad commercial influence. Ancient Near Eastern writings often mention using Lebanese cedars to build and furnish temples and palaces. Sidonians was a general term for Phoenicians. Sidon was older than Tyre.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 66. command thou that they hew me cedar trees out of Lebanon--Nowhere else could Solomon have procured materials for the woodwork of his contemplated building. The forests of Lebanon, adjoining the seas in Solomon's time, belonged to the Phoenicians, and the timber being a lucrative branch of their exports, immense numbers of workmen were constantly employed in the felling of trees as well as the transportation and preparation of the wood. Hiram stipulated…Read the comment
Topics related to 1 Kings 5:6
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on 1 Kings 5
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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