1 Kings 5

Solomon builds a temple for God, a palace for himself, and many other structures.

image of 1 Kings 5

18
verses
2
min


Solomon's Building Projects

1 And Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants unto Solomon; for he had heard that they had anointed him king in the room of his father: for Hiram was ever a lover of David.
2 And Solomon sent to Hiram, saying,
3 Thou knowest how that David my father could not build an house unto the name of the LORD his God for the wars which were about him on every side, until the LORD put them under the soles of his feet.
4 But now the LORD my God hath given me rest on every side, so that there is neither adversary nor evil occurrent.
5 And, behold, I purpose to build an house unto the name of the LORD my God, as the LORD spake unto David my father, saying, Thy son, whom I will set upon thy throne in thy room, he shall build an house unto my name.
6 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.
7 And it came to pass, when Hiram heard the words of Solomon, that he rejoiced greatly, and said, Blessed be the LORD this day, which hath given unto David a wise son over this great people.
8 And Hiram sent to Solomon, saying, I have considered the things which thou sentest to me for: and I will do all thy desire concerning timber of cedar, and concerning timber of fir.
9 My servants shall bring them down from Lebanon unto the sea: and I will convey them by sea in floats unto the place that thou shalt appoint me, and will cause them to be discharged there, and thou shalt receive them: and thou shalt accomplish my desire, in giving food for my household.
10 So Hiram gave Solomon cedar trees and fir trees according to all his desire.
11 And Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand measures of wheat for food to his household, and twenty measures of pure oil: thus gave Solomon to Hiram year by year.
12 And the LORD gave Solomon wisdom, as he promised him: and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon; and they two made a league together.
13 And king Solomon raised a levy out of all Israel; and the levy was thirty thousand men.
14 And he sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month by courses: a month they were in Lebanon, and two months at home: and Adoniram was over the levy.
15 And Solomon had threescore and ten thousand that bare burdens, and fourscore thousand hewers in the mountains;
16 Beside the chief of Solomon's officers which were over the work, three thousand and three hundred, which ruled over the people that wrought in the work.
17 And the king commanded, and they brought great stones, costly stones, and hewed stones, to lay the foundation of the house.
18 And Solomon's builders and Hiram's builders did hew them, and the stonesquarers: so they prepared timber and stones to build the house.

Commentary

1 Kings 5 is a chapter that focuses on the building of the temple of the Lord by King Solomon. The chapter begins with King Hiram of Tyre sending a message to Solomon, offering to provide him with cedar and cypress timber for the temple. Solomon then sends a reply to Hiram, offering to provide him with food and other supplies in exchange for the timber. The chapter then goes on to describe the labor force that Solomon assembled to build the temple. He gathered 30,000 Israelites from all over the country, as well as 70,000 laborers from the Hittites and other nations. He also appointed 3,300 supervisors to oversee the work. The chapter then describes the materials that were used to build the temple. Solomon used cedar and cypress timber from Lebanon, as well as gold, silver, bronze, and iron. He also used precious stones to decorate the temple. Finally, the chapter ends with a description of the completion of the temple. Solomon dedicated the temple to the Lord and offered sacrifices to Him. The people of Israel then celebrated the completion of the temple with a great feast. In 1 Kings 5, we see the great effort that King Solomon put into building the temple of the Lord. He gathered a large labor force and used the best materials available to construct the temple. The chapter also shows us the importance of the temple to the people of Israel, as they celebrated its completion with a great feast. This chapter serves as a reminder of the importance of honoring God and His house.

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FAQ

Assuming a reader with an average reading speed of 300 WPM reads the 1 Kings, chapter 5 it would take approximately 2 minutes to finish.

There are 18 verses in 1 Kings, chapter 5.