1 KINGS—NOTE ON 1 KINGS 5:3 God has given Solomon the REST ON EVERY SIDE that he had promised to David (2 Samuel 7:11). This picture reflects what happens when the people of Israel have a wise ruler and they walk in obedience to God’s commandments. The time is right for the divinely ordained temple-... [ Continue Reading ]
1 KINGS—NOTE ON 1 KINGS 5:6 SIDONIANS is a general term for the Phoenicians, famous for their expertise in TIMBER. Sidon, like Tyre, was on the Phoenician coast, south of what is now Beirut. MY SERVANTS WILL JOIN YOUR SERVANTS... SUCH WAGES AS YOU SET. Solomon suggests to Hiram a cooperative effort... [ Continue Reading ]
1 KINGS—NOTE ON 1 KINGS 5:7 BLESSED BE THE LORD. A Gentile recognizes God’s blessing on his GREAT PEOPLE, Israel. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.length, img; i [ Continue Reading ]
1 KINGS—NOTE ON 1 KINGS 5:9 MY SERVANTS SHALL BRING IT DOWN. Hiram responds with proposals of his own—that his own men should cut the wood and transport it down the coast to Israel, and that Solomon’s men should be involved only after this has been done. Instead of wages for Hiram’s laborers, paymen... [ Continue Reading ]
1 KINGS—NOTE ON 1 KINGS 5:13 SOLOMON DRAFTED FORCED LABOR OUT OF ALL ISRAEL. 1 Kings 9:15 makes it clear that Solomon did not force _Israelites_ to work abroad, but only workers from the _Canaanite_ population of Israel. Two quite distinct groups are intended in 1 Kings 5:13 and 1 Kings 9:15. The fi... [ Continue Reading ]
1 KINGS—NOTE ON 1 KINGS 5:14 AT HOME likely refers to Solomon’s house or palace, the construction of which will be described in ch. 1 Kings 7:1. Even at this early stage, it seems, Solomon is spending twice as much time on his palace as on the temple (see 1 Kings 6:38), while giving the appearance t... [ Continue Reading ]
1 KINGS—NOTE ON 1 KINGS 5:17 DRESSED STONES probably describes “ashlar” masonry, which uses uniform, rectangular blocks that can be joined with mortar. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.length, img; i [ Continue Reading ]
1 KINGS—NOTE ON 1 KINGS 5:18 The MEN OF GEBAL are workers from Byblos, a coastal city north of Tyre. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.length, img; i [ Continue Reading ]