1 Kings 7:13-51

The Furnishing And Embellishment Of The Temple (1 Kings 7:13).

The passage is divided into two parts. The first part emphasises that what is described was the work of Hiram, a skilled metalworker and carpenter from Tyre who was half Israelite, half Tyrian. He was called on to complete the furnishing and embellishing of the Temple for the Inner court. It will be noted that there is a deliberate attempt to parallel him with Bezalel, the craftsman who made the original Tabernacle furnishings and embellishments (Exodus 35:30), for he is described in similar terms. What is lacking is the idea that that he was filled with the Holy Spirit, or that he was a full-born Israelite. The second part describes all the furnishings for the new Sanctuary, for which overall credit is given to Solomon.

The whole passage is also divided into three subsections by the following closing phrases;

1). ‘So was the work of the pillars finished' (1 Kings 7:22). In the subsection up to this point we have described the making by Hiram of the two bronze pillars Yakin and Boaz which were clearly seen as of great importance. Interpreted they meant ‘He establishes' and ‘with strength'.

2). ‘So Hiram made an end of doing all the work that he had wrought for king Solomon for the house of YHWH' (1 Kings 7:40). In the subsection up to this point we have a description of the making by Hiram of the molten sea, together with the ten lavers and many accompanying implements.

3). ‘Thus all the work that king Solomon wrought in the house of YHWH was finished' (1 Kings 7:51). This completes the passage and in this subsection we have described the full variety of the embellishments and furnishings of the Temple, including the ones crafted by Hiram, which Solomon had arranged for, and what they consisted of material-wise.

We can compare with this how in chapter 6 the passage was divided into three parts by the references to ‘he built the house and finished it' and its equivalents (1 Kings 6:9; 1 Kings 6:14; 1 Kings 6:38).

The first part of the passage, which refers to the activities of Hiram the Metalworker is also carefully crafted and can be analysed as follows:

a And king Solomon sent and fetched Hiram out of Tyre. He was the son of a widow of the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a worker in bronze, and he was filled with wisdom and understanding and skill, to work all works in bronze (1 Kings 7:13 a)..

b And he came to king Solomon, and wrought all his work (1 Kings 7:14 b).

c The making of the two free standing pillars, Yakin and Boaz (1 Kings 7:15).

d The making of the molten Sea (1 Kings 7:23).

c The making of the ten large washing bowls of water (the lavers) (1 Kings 7:27).

b And Hiram made the lavers, and the shovels, and the basins (1 Kings 7:40 a).

a So Hiram made an end of doing all the work that he wrought for king Solomon in the house of YHWH (1 Kings 7:40 b).

Note how in ‘a' Hiram wrought all Solomon's work for him, and in the parallel he made an end of all the work that he wrought for king Solomon. In ‘b' he came to king Solomon and wrought all his work, and in the parallel some of what he wrought is described. In ‘c' he made the two free standing pillars, and in the parallel he made the ten lavers. Centrally in ‘d' he made the molten Sea.