SOLOMON'S PREPARATIONS FOR BUILDING THE TEMPLE 1. Hiram] see 2 Samuel 5; 1 Chronicles 14:1. It has been questioned whether this Hiram, who was living as late as Solomon's twentieth year (1 Kings 9:10), is really identical with the Hiram mentioned in connexion with David (2 Samuel 5:11; 1 Chronicles... [ Continue Reading ]
COULD NOT BUILD AN HOUSE] see 1 Chronicles 2:28. Here the reason given why David could not build the Temple is the turmoil that filled his reign.... [ Continue Reading ]
OCCURRENT] i.e. occurrence.... [ Continue Reading ]
AS THE LORD SPAKE] see 2 Samuel 7:18.... [ Continue Reading ]
BLESSED _be_ THE LORD] Hiram, who, as king of Tyre, was a worshipper of Melkarth and Ashtoreth, would not regard the Lord (Jehovah) as, the only God, but would acknowledge His as the God of Israel. Jehovah's existence and power were similarly recognised by the Syrian Naaman, who was himself a worshi... [ Continue Reading ]
CONVEY THEM, ETC.] RV make them into rafts to go by sea.' THE PLACE] Joppa (2 Chronicles 2:16). TO BE DISCHARGED] RV 'to be broken up.'... [ Continue Reading ]
MEASURES] Heb. _cors_ (see on 1 Kings 4:22). For TWENTY MEASURES OF PURE OIL LXX has '20,000 baths of oil' (a 'bath' being one-tenth of a 'cor': cp. 2 Chronicles 2:10. For the export of corn and other produce from Judah to Tyre cp. Ezekiel 27:17. The nearness of Lebanon must have prevented the Tyria... [ Continue Reading ]
THIRTY THOUSAND MEN] These were probably taken from native Israelites (cp. the prediction in 1 Samuel 8:11); whereas the 150,000 labourers mentioned in 1 Kings 5:15 were 'strangers that were in the land of Israel' (2 Chronicles 2:17 : cp. 1 Kings 9:20; 1 Kings 9:2). David seems to have imposed force... [ Continue Reading ]