Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary1 Kings 5

Francis D. Nichol (ed.) and contributors

1 Kings 5:1

Hiram king of Tyre. In 2 Sam. 5:11 and 1 Chron. 14:1 Hiram is mentioned as having sent workmen and materials to David for the building of his house. Josephus cites Menander of Ephesus, who wrote, in Greek, a history of Tyre about 300 B.C., to the effect that Hiram was the son of Abibaal and that he reigned 34 years, dying at the age of 53, and being succeeded by his son Baleazar (Against Apion 1. 18). According to Josephus the Temple was built in the 11th (Antiquities viii. 3. 1) or the 12th (Against Apion 1. 18) year of Hiram. Since the founding of the Temple took place in the fourth year of

Nichol, F. D. (1978). The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary : The Holy Bible with exegetical and expository comment. Commentary Reference Series (1 Ki 1:1). Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association.

Solomon (1 Kings 6:1), the reign of Hiram must have overlapped that of David by some seven or eight years.

Ellen G. White

Today, in our dealings with our neighbors, we are to be kind and courteous. We are to be as signs in the world, testifying to the power of divine grace to refine and ennoble those who give themselves to God’s service (Manuscript 18, 1905).

In the days of ancient Israel, when at the foot of Sinai Moses told the people of the divine command, “Let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them,” the response of the Israelites was accompanied by appropriate gifts. “They came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing,” and brought offerings. For the building of the sanctuary, great and expensive preparations were necessary; a large amount of the most precious and costly material was required; yet the Lord accepted only free-will offerings. “Of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering” was the divine command repeated by Moses to the congregation. Devotion to God and a spirit of sacrifice were the first requisites in preparing a dwelling-place for the Most High.

A similar call to self-sacrifice was made when David turned over to Solomon the responsibility of erecting the temple. Of the assembled multitude that had brought their liberal gifts, David asked, “Who then is willing to consecrate his service this day unto the Lord?” This call should ever have been kept in mind by those who had to do with the construction of the temple.

Chosen men were specially endowed by God with skill and wisdom for the construction of the wilderness-tabernacle. “Moses said unto the children of Israel, See, the Lord hath called by name Bezaleel ... of the tribe of Judah; and he hath filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship.... And he hath put in his heart that he may teach, both he, and Aholiab ... of the tribe of Dan. Them hath he filled with wisdom of heart, to work all manner of work, of the engraver, and of the cunning workman, and of the embroiderer ... and of the weaver, even of them that do any work, and of those that devise cunning work.” “Then wrought Bezaleel, ... and every wise-hearted man, in whom the Lord put wisdom and understanding.” Heavenly intelligences cooperated with the workmen whom God Himself chose.

The descendants of these men inherited to a large degree the skill conferred upon their forefathers. In the tribes of Judah and of Dan there were men who were regarded as especially “cunning” in the finer arts. For a time these men remained humble and unselfish; but gradually, almost imperceptibly, they lost their hold upon God and His truth. They began to ask for higher wages because of their superior skill. In some instances their request was granted, but more often those asking higher wages found employment in the surrounding nations. In place of the noble spirit of self-sacrifice that had filled the hearts of their illustrious ancestors, they cherished a spirit of covetousness, of grasping for more and more. They served heathen kings with their God-given skill, and dishonored their Maker.

It was to these apostates that Solomon looked for a master workman to superintend the construction of the temple on Mount Moriah. Minute specifications, in writing, regarding every portion of the sacred structure, had been entrusted to the king, and he should have looked to God in faith for consecrated helpers, to whom would have been granted special skill for doing with exactness the work required. But Solomon lost sight of this opportunity to exercise faith in God. He sent to the king of Tyre for “a man cunning to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, and in iron, and in purple, and crimson, and blue, and that can skill to grave with cunning men ... in Judah and in Jerusalem.”

The Phenician king responded by sending Huram, “a cunning man, endued with understanding, ... the son of a woman of the daughters of Dan, and his father was a man of Tyre.” This master workman, Huram, was a descendant, on his mother’s side, of Aholiab, to whom, hundreds of years before, God had given special wisdom for the construction of the tabernacle. Thus at the head of Solomon’s company of workmen there was placed an unsanctified man, who demanded large wages because of his unusual skill.

Huram’s efforts were not prompted by a desire to render his highest service to God. He served the god of this world—Mammon. The very fibers of his being had been inwrought with principles of selfishness, which were revealed in his grasping for the highest wages. And gradually these wrong principles came to be cherished by his associates. As they labored with him day after day, and yielded to the inclination to compare his wages with their own, they began to lose sight of the holy character of their work, and to dwell upon the difference between their wages and his. Gradually they lost their spirit of self-denial, and fostered a spirit of covetousness. The result was a demand for higher wages, which was granted them.

The baleful influences set in operation by the employment of this man of a grasping spirit, permeated all branches of the Lord’s service, and extended throughout Solomon’s kingdom. The high wages demanded and received gave many an opportunity to indulge in luxury and extravagance. In the far-reaching effects of these influences, may be traced one of the principal causes of the terrible apostasy of him who once was the wisest of mortals. The king was not alone in his apostasy. Extravagance and corruption were to be seen on every hand. The poor were oppressed by the rich; the spirit of self-sacrifice in God’s service was well nigh lost.

Herein lies a most important lesson for God’s people today,—a lesson that many are slow to learn. The spirit of covetousness, of seeking for the highest position and the highest wage, is rife in the world. The old-time spirit of self-denial and self-sacrifice is too seldom met with. But this is the only spirit that can actuate a true follower of Jesus. Our divine Master has given us an example of how we are to work. And to those whom He bade, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men,” He offered no stated sum as a reward for their services. They were to share with Him His self-denial and sacrifice.

Those who claim to be followers of the Master Worker, and who engage in His service as colaborers with God, are to bring into their work the exactitude and skill, the tact and wisdom, that the God of perfection required in the building of the earthly tabernacle. And now, as in that time and as in the days of Christ’s earthly ministry, devotion to God and a spirit of sacrifice should be regarded as the first requisites of acceptable service. God designs that not one thread of selfishness shall be woven into His work.

Great care should be taken in regard to the spirit pervading the Lord’s institutions. These institutions were founded in self-sacrifice, and have been built up by the self-denying gifts of God’s people and the unselfish labor of His servants. Everything connected with institutional service should bear the signature of heaven. A sense of the sacredness of God’s institutions should be encouraged and cultivated. The workers are to humble their hearts before the Lord, acknowledging His sovereignty. All are to live in accordance with principles of self-denial. As the true, self-sacrificing laborer, with his spiritual lamp trimmed and burning, strives unselfishly to advance the interests of the institution in which he is working, he will have a precious experience, and will be able to say, “The Lord indeed is in this place.” He will feel that he is highly privileged in being permitted to give to the Lord’s institution his ability, his service, and his unwearying vigilance.

In the early days of the third angel’s message those who established our institutions, and those who labored in them, were actuated by high motives of unselfishness. For their arduous labors they received no more than a mere pittance—barely enough for a meager support. But their hearts were baptized with the ministry of love. The reward of whole-souled liberality was apparent in their close fellowship with the Spirit of the Master Worker. They practiced the closest economy, in order that as many other laborers as possible might be planting the standard of truth in new places.

But in time a change came. The spirit of sacrifice was not manifest. In some of our institutions the wages of a few workers was increased beyond reason. Those who received these wages claimed that they deserved a greater sum than others, because of their superior talents. But who gave them their talents, their ability? With the increase of wages came a steady increase of covetousness, which is idolatry, and a steady decline of spirituality. Gross evils crept in, and God was dishonored. The minds of many who witnessed this grasping after higher and still higher wages, were leavened with doubt and unbelief. Strange principles, like evil leaven, permeated nearly the entire body of believers. Many ceased to deny self, and not a few withheld their tithes and offerings.

God in His providence called for a reform in His sacred work, which should begin at the heart, and work outwardly. Some who blindly continued to place a high estimate upon their services, were removed. Others received the message given to them, turned to God with full purpose of heart, and learned to abhor their covetous spirit. So far as possible, they endeavored to set a right example before the people by voluntarily reducing their wages. They realized that nothing less than complete transformation in mind and heart would save them from being swept off their feet by some masterly temptation.

The work of God in all its wide extent is one, and the same principles should control, the same spirit be revealed, in all its branches. It must bear the stamp of missionary work. Every department of the cause is related to all parts of the gospel field, and the spirit that controls one department will be felt throughout the entire field. If a portion of the workers receive large wages, there are others, in different branches of the work, who will call for higher wages, and the spirit of self-sacrifice will gradually be lost sight of. Other institutions and conferences will catch the same spirit, and the Lord’s favor will be removed from them; for He can never sanction selfishness. Thus our aggressive work would come to an end. Only by constant sacrifice can it be carried forward.

God will test the faith of every soul. Christ has purchased us at an infinite sacrifice. Although He was rich, yet for our sake He became poor, that we through His poverty might come into possession of eternal riches. All that we possess of ability and intellect has been lent us in trust by the Lord, to use for Him. It is our privilege to be partakers with Christ in His sacrifice (The Review and Herald, January 4, 1906).

Contact With Worldly Wise Men Paved Way for Ruin—Solomon prepared the way for his own ruin when he sought for wise men from other nations to build the temple. God had been the educator of His people, and He designed that they should stand in His wisdom, and with His imparted talents should be second to none. If they had the clean hands, the pure heart, and the noble, sanctified purpose, the Lord would communicate to them His grace. But Solomon looked to man instead of God, and he found his supposed strength to be weakness. He brought to Jerusalem the leaven of the evil influences which were perpetuated in polygamy and idolatry (The General Conference Bulletin, February 25, 1895).

1 Kings 5:2

Ellen G. White

2-9. David’s Public Relations—[1 Kings 5:2-9 quoted.] David had lived in friendship with the people of Tyre and Sidon, who had not in any way molested Israel. Hiram, king of Tyre, acknowledged Jehovah as the true God, and some of the Sidonians were turning from idol worship.

1 Kings 5:3

An house. After having given a general description of Solomon’s government, the record proceeds with an account of the great undertaking of his reign, the building of the Temple. A parallel account of this important enterprise is found in 2 Chron. 2 to 4. For the wars. It was not that David was so occupied with wars during his reign that he did not find time or opportunity to build the Temple, but that the Lord did not permit him to do this because of his having been so much a man of war (1 Chron. 22:8).

Ellen G. White

3-18 (ch. 7:13, 14, 40; 2 Chronicles 2:3-14). A Spirit of Sacrifice Vital in Every Phase of Our Work—The beginnings of Solomon’s apostasy may be traced to many seemingly slight deviations from right principles. Associations with idolatrous women was by no means the only cause of his downfall. Among the primary causes that led Solomon into extravagance and tyrannical oppression, was his course in developing and cherishing a spirit of covetousness.

1 Kings 5:4

Rest. It was not the Lord’s purpose that Israel should be in constant war against her neighbors. During the reign of David war was necessary for the establishment of the throne. But God had promised David a son who would be a “man of rest,” and that He would “give peace and quietness unto Israel in his days” (1 Chron. 22:9). The name Solomon means “peaceable.” Solomon recognized the fact that the rest he enjoyed had come to him as a blessing from God.

1 Kings 5:5

I purpose to build. David had purposed to build a house for God, but because God had not permitted him to carry out this noble purpose, he charged his son with this responsibility (1 Chron. 22:6–16). Solomon took upon himself this responsibility not only as a charge from his father but as a sacred commission from God. David’s purpose became his purpose, and God’s will his will. His first great business in life became that of building the Temple of the Lord. The Lord spake. When David first proposed to build a house for the Lord, God sent a message through Nathan the prophet making plain to David that this work should be undertaken not by him but by his son (2 Sam. 7:2–17; 1 Chron. 17:1–15). God Speaks to men in various ways, but frequently a prophet is chosen as the channel of communication.

1 Kings 5:6

Command thou. There is given here in abbreviated form a portion of Solomon’s message to Hiram, which is given much more fully in 2 Chron. 2:3–10. The request was not only for cedar trees but also for almug (2 Chron. 2:8) and fir trees (1 Kings 5:8, 10), and also for “a man cunning to work in gold,” silver, brass, and iron (2 Chron. 2:7). In return for the timber, Solomon undertook to provide Hiram with provisions of wheat, barley, wine, and oil (2 Chron. 2:10; cf. 1 Kings 5:11). The specific purpose of the building of the Temple is presented in much fuller detail in 2 Chron. 2:4–6. Cedar trees. The famous cedar of Lebanon was highly prized in antiquity. The Tyrians used it for masts for their ships (Eze. 27:5). Kings of Assyria and Babylon employed it for their temples and palaces. In Egypt cedar from Lebanon was used to a great extent. The forests of Lebanon were proverbial for their beauty and fragrance (Ps. 92:12; S. of Sol. 4:11; 5:15; Isa. 35:2; Eze. 31:3–9; Hosea 14:6, 7), watered by ever- flowing streams from snowy heights (S. of Sol. 4:15; Jer. 18:14; Eze. 31:4, 5, 7), while the rest of Palestine might be parched and dry. The modern cedar of Lebanon is usually from 50 to 80 ft. high and has a dome-shaped form. The leaves are produced in tufts, and the branches are long, spreading, and contorted. The famous cedars have largely disappeared from the Lebanon Mts. The tree still flourishes, however, in the Taurus Mts. That can skill. The Phoenicians in general and the Sidonians in particular are mentioned frequently in ancient literature for their mechanical and artistic skills. They were especially noted for the work of cutting logs and transporting timber.

1 Kings 5:7

Rejoiced greatly. There seems to have been a genuine friendship between Hiram and Solomon, going back, no doubt, to the sincere friendship between Hiram and David. Hiram’s answer to Solomon’s request is given more fully in 2 Chron. 2:11–16. Blessed be the Lord. This is an unusual response from a king of Tyre. Through his contacts with David and Solomon, Hiram had heard of the God of the Hebrews. The name of Jehovah at this time came to be honored by many of the neighbors of Israel, and the principles of His law and government came to be better understood. Barriers were broken down and conversions took place. There is no evidence, however, that Hiram himself became a worshiper of Jehovah or that his present answer gave evidence of a basic change in his religious beliefs. The words seem rather to be those of deference to the God of Israel, whom Hiram now acknowledged to have “made heaven and earth” (2 Chron. 2:12).

1 Kings 5:8

All thy desire. A more gracious response could not have been expected from anyone. Hiram entered fully into Solomon’s plans and agreed to do all that was requested. What he did was done with a willing spirit and a happy heart. The tasks of earth would be much lighter if the same spirit were found more often in the hearts of those who are given opportunities to respond to requested favors.

1 Kings 5:9

From Lebanon. The logs were probably floated down the mountains or let down on slides. Thence they were transported to the sea and collected into floats or rafts and conveyed to Joppa (2 Chron. 2:16), 34 mi. (54.4 km.) from Jerusalem. In the building of the second Temple, the same course was followed (Ezra 3:7).

1 Kings 5:10

Hiram gave Solomon. There appears to have been a formal, written agreement between Solomon and Hiram (2 Chron. 2:11). Solomon set forth the terms of the contract, and they were promptly accepted by Hiram. Hiram agreed to deliver the timber desired by Solomon in harmony with the stipulations agreed upon. Josephus states that copies of the letters between Hiram and Solomon were still in existence in the days of Menander (c. 300 B.C.), and could be seen in the Tyrian archives (Antiquities viii. 5. 3).

1 Kings 5:11

Solomon gave Hiram. The arrangement entered into between Solomon and Hiram was mutually advantageous. Solomon needed timber of which he had little and Hiram had much. Hiram needed foodstuffs of which Phoenicia produced little and of which Israel may have had an oversupply. Both gave of what they had and received what they needed, and both were benefited as a result. Both were happy in this arrangement that promoted prosperity as well as peace. Year by year. Solomon’s building activities continued over a period of years, and arrangements were made whereby a specified amount of wheat and oil was turned over to Hiram year by year in exchange for continued supplies and the services of the Tyrian workmen.

1 Kings 5:12

Wisdom. Wisdom is needed in all the affairs of life, in religion as well as business, in government as well as agriculture, in the home as well as the school. Wisdom promotes contentment and prosperity, happiness and godliness. True wisdom comes from God and leads to God.

1 Kings 5:13

Raised a levy. This seems to have been the first time that the Israelites were called upon to perform forced labor. Samuel had foretold that with the coming of the kingdom this would be the case (1 Sam. 8:16). David had bound into forced service “the strangers that were in the land of Israel” (1 Chron. 22:2), but Israelites thus far had escaped such service. In connection with the building of the Temple, 30,000 laborers were drafted.

Supposing a population of 1,300,000 able-bodied Israelites (2 Sam. 24:9), this would be one out of 43.

1 Kings 5:14

A month. This arrangement of only one month of service in three must have made this system of forced labor much less obnoxious than would otherwise have been the case. This type of labor was not looked upon as bond service of the type that was levied upon strangers, for “of the children of Israel did Solomon make no bondmen” (1 Kings 9:22). But it was nevertheless highly distasteful and was one of the chief causes of discontent at the close of Solomon’s reign (1 Kings 12:4). Adoniram. One of the chief officers of the state (see on ch. 4:6).

1 Kings 5:15

Bare burdens. These laborers were not Israelites but strangers (2 Chron. 2:17, 18), such as were appointed by David to “hew wrought stones” (1 Chron. 22:2). They were true bond servants, or slaves, and gave continuous service in such fields of heavy labor as the bearing of burdens or the hewing of stones.

1 Kings 5:16

Solomon’s officers. The number is given here as 3,300, but a parallel passage gives 3,600 (2 Chron. 2:18). 1 Kings 9:23 gives the number of the “chief of the officers that were over Solomon’s work” as 550, whereas 2 Chronicles 8:10 gives the number of “the chief of king Solomon’s officers” as 250. It will be noticed that the total number of officers of all classes in each case is 3,850. It appears that the writers of Kings and Chronicles classified the officers differently. It is even possible that there was a reorganization, in which some were promoted, and that one writer gives the classification as it was before, and the other as it was after, the reorganization.

1 Kings 5:17

Great stones. These stones were large and carefully hewn. Much labor was spent in preparing them and transporting them from the quarry to the site of the Temple in Jerusalem. They may have been employed not so much for the foundation of the Temple itself as for the substructure of the Temple area, formed into a square on the irregular summit of Mt. Moriah. In this substructure vast stones are still to be seen, which until recently were thought to date from the age of Solomon, but are now known to go back no further than Herodian times. Some of these stones are 30 ft. long and 7 1/2 ft. high.

1 Kings 5:18

Stonesquarers. The correct reading is “Giblites,” as in the margin. They were the inhabitants of Gebal, or Byblos, (see Eze. 27:9), a coastal city of Phoenicia. It seems that they were skillful workers in stone and were employed any other experts for the performance of tasks requiring special skills.