1 Kings 5
Solomon Gathers Building Materials for the Temple
5:1 (5:15)1 King Hiram of Tyre2 sent messengers3 to Solomon when he heard that he had been anointed king in his father’s place. (Hiram had always been an ally of David.)
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
5:7 When Hiram heard Solomon’s message, he was very happy. He said, “The
5:10 So Hiram supplied the cedars and evergreens Solomon needed,15
5:11 and Solomon supplied Hiram annually with 20,000 cors16 of wheat as provision for his royal court,17 as well as 20,000 baths18 of pure19 olive oil.20
5:12 So the
5:13 King Solomon conscripted22 work crews23 from throughout Israel, 30,000 men in all. 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 of24 the work crews. 5:15 Solomon also had 70,000 common laborers25 and 80,000 stonecutters26 in the hills, 5:16 besides 3,30027 officials who supervised the workers.28 5:17 By royal order29 they supplied large valuable stones in order to build the temple’s foundation with chiseled stone. 5:18 Solomon’s and Hiram’s construction workers,30 along with men from Byblos,31 did the chiseling and prepared the wood and stones for the building of the temple.32