1 Reis 5

1 Reis 5

Morgan - Blessed be the Lord this day, which hath given unto David a wise son over this great people.—1 Kings 5.7. These words of the King of Tyre constitute one of the illustrations constantly, if incidentally, occurring in these Hebrew records of the fact that men outside the actual covenant people had some very definite knowledge of God. This man used the special name or title of God, which was that of the Hebrews, namely, JEHOVAH. Moreover, he recognized the coming of Solomon to the throne, as the appointment and gift of God. In this case almost certainly this knowledge was directly due to the influence of the people of God (ESPECIALLY HIS FRIENDSHIP WITH DAVID). David had obtained timber for the building of his own house from Hiram King of Tyre, and a friendship had existed between them. Whether this was the same man, or his son—for forty years had elapsed between these two events—he "was ever a lover of David." These stories all serve to remind us that men everywhere have capacity for receiving truth about God; and some of them at least suggest that God may make Himself known to men in other ways than those of the more self-evident lines of revelation. Perhaps the case of Melchizedek is the supreme example of this. In any case, all such stories as that of Hiram should serve to call us to the sense of opportunity and responsibility of revealing God to thosewith whom we are brought into contact in every walk of life. In these words of Hiram, we have not only a recognition of God, and of His government, but a definite act of worship in an ascription of praise to JEHOVAH. 1 Kings 5:8 So Hiram sent word to Solomon, saying, "I have heard the message which you have sent me; I will do what you desire concerning the cedar and cypress timber. timber: 1Ki 6:15,34 2Sa 6:5 2Ch 3:5 Related Passages: Words in this color in parallel passages in 2 Chronicles give additional details not found in 1 Kings 2 Chronicles 2:11, 13-14+ Then Huram, king of Tyre, answered in a letter sent to Solomon: “Because the LORD loves His people, He has made you king over them.” 13 “Now I am sending Huram-abi, a skilled man, endowed with understanding, 14 the son of a Danite woman and a Tyrian father, who knows how to work in gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone and wood, and in purple, violet, linen and crimson fabrics, and who knows how to make all kinds of engravings and to execute any design which may be assigned to him, to work with your skilled men and with those of my lord David your father. SOLOMON'S FAVORABLE RESPONSE So Hiram sent word to Solomon, saying, "I have heard the message which you have sent me; I will do what you desire concerning the cedar and cypress timber - Hiram responds favorably to Solomon's request by sending him a letter (2Ch 2:11+) From 2Ch 2:13-14+ we learn King Hiram is sending an expert artisan, HURAM-ABI, aka Hiram, son of a Jewish widow from tribe of Naphtali (1Ki 7:13-14ff+) 1 Kings 5:9 "My servants will bring them down from Lebanon to the sea; and I will make them into rafts to go by sea to the place where you direct me, and I will have them broken up there, and you shall carry them away. Then you shall accomplish my desire by giving food to my household." Lebanon (KJV): De 3:25 and I will (KJV): 2Ch 2:16 giving food: 2Ch 2:15 Ezr 3:7 Eze 27:17 Ac 12:20 Related Passage: Words in this color in parallel passages in 2 Chronicles give additional details not found in 1 Kings 2 Chronicles 2:15-16+ “Now then, let my lord send to his servants wheat and barley, oil and wine, of which he has spoken. “We will cut whatever timber you need from Lebanon and bring it to you on rafts by sea to Joppa, so that you may carry it up to Jerusalem.” Rafts from Tyre to Joppa by sea From Joppa to Jerusalem by land My servants will bring them down from Lebanon to the sea; and I will make them into rafts to go by sea (bind them into rafts and have them floated) to the place where you direct me (Joppa, Jaffa, the nearest harbor to Jerusalem on Mediterranean Sea), and I will have them broken up (untie the bundles of logs) there, and you shall carry them away - This represents the contents of Hiram's letter to Solomon. Hiram would transport the timber to Joppa and it was Israel's responsibility to take them to Jerusalem. Then you shall accomplish my desire by giving food to my household - NET has "In exchange you will supply the food I need for my royal court." (1Ki 5:9NET) So here the payment was specifically to provide food for Hiram's palace. Tyre did not have extensive farming like Israel and relied on trade to meet their needs. 1 Kings 5:10 So Hiram gave Solomon as much as he desired of the cedar and cypress timber. 1 Kings 4:33, 1 Kings 6:9-10, 2 Chronicles 2:8, Isaiah 60:13 HIRAM'S GENEROSITY TO SOLOMON So Hiram gave Solomon as much as he desired of the cedar and cypress timber (the wood of evergreens) - Ryken comments that "How appropriate, then, for a Gentile king to give cedar trees for the temple. This is a fulfillment of the biblical promise that kings would bear gifts to the temple of God in Jerusalem (Ps. 68:29)." (King Solomon: The Temptations of Money, Sex, and Power) 1 Kings 5:11 Solomon then gave Hiram 20,000 kors of wheat as food for his household, and twenty kors of beaten oil; thus Solomon would give Hiram year by year. NET 1 Kings 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. CSB 1 Kings 5:11 and Solomon provided Hiram with 100,000 bushels of wheat as food for his household and 110,000 gallons of oil from crushed olives. Solomon did this for Hiram year after year. ESV 1 Kings 5:11 while Solomon gave Hiram 20,000 cors of wheat as food for his household, and 20,000 cors of beaten oil. Solomon gave this to Hiram year by year. NIV 1 Kings 5:11 and Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand cors of wheat as food for his household, in addition to twenty thousand baths, of pressed olive oil. Solomon continued to do this for Hiram year after year. NLT 1 Kings 5:11 In return, Solomon sent him an annual payment of 100,000 bushels of wheat for his household and 110,000 gallons of pure olive oil. Kors, 1Ki 4:22 2Ch 2:10 Related Passages: Words in this color in parallel passages in 2 Chronicles give additional details not found in 1 Kings 1 Kings 4:22 (click to see my attempt to depict the size of this daily ration for Solomon) Solomon's provision for one day was thirty kors of fine flour and sixty kors of meal, 2 Chronicles 2:10+ “Now behold, I will give to your servants, the woodsmen who cut the timber, 20,000 kors of crushed wheat and 20,000 kors of barley, and 20,000 baths of wine (~116,000 gallons - only estimates) and 20,000 baths of oil.” (See comment below by Keil) Solomon then gave Hiram 20,000 kors of wheat as food for his household (1Ki 5:9), and twenty kors of beaten oil; thus Solomon would give Hiram year by year. Note for his household probably means for Hiram's court. A KOR was a unit of dry measure equivalent to about 6 bushels (~ 220 liters - but this number varies on the source consulted). In any event, that's a "truckload" (as they say) of wheat and barley for Tyre! 20,000 kors of wheat equals approximately 4.4 million liters, 124,400 bushels, or 3,732 tons (these are only estimates). Note that there is no mention of barley or wine to Hiram's household as was mentioned for the servants in 2Ch 2:10+. Also the oil to Hiram's household was specifically beaten oil (See Keil's conclusion below). Keil - the payment for the wood delivered by Solomon to Hiram, which is not mentioned in the Chronicles, is stated here in 1 Kings 5:11....year by year," probably as long as the delivery of the wood or the erection of Solomon's buildings lasted. ...For the circumstance that the quantity of wheat, which Solomon supplied to Hiram for his court, was just the same as that which he gave to the Sidonian workmen, does not warrant our identifying the two accounts. The fellers of the trees also received barley, wine, and oil in considerable quantities; whereas the only other thing which Hiram received for his court was oil, and that not common oil, but the finest olive oil, namely 20 cors of כּתית שׁמן, i.e., beaten oil, the finest kind of oil, which was obtained from the olives when not quite ripe by pounding them in mortars, and which had not only a whiter colour, but also a purer flavour than the common oil obtained by pressing from the ripe olives. NET NOTE - The Hebrew text has “twenty cors,” but the ancient Greek version and the parallel text in 2 Chr 2:10 read “twenty thousand baths.” ED: And all the modern translations (see above) use this larger number for the amount of oil.