Solomon’s Letter to Hiram
1 Solomon decided to build a temple for the name of the Lord and a royal palace for himself, 2:1 1Kg 5:5; 2Ch 2:122 so he assigned 70,000 men as porters, 80,000 men as stonecutters in the mountains, and 3,600 as supervisors over them. 2:2 1Kg 5:15–16; 9:23; 2Ch 2:18; 8:10
3 Then Solomon sent word to King Hiram 2:3 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr, Vg; other Hb mss read Huram; 2Sm 5:11; 1Kg 5:1–2, 2:3 2Sm 5:11; 1Kg 5:1–2 of Tyre: 2:3–10 1Kg 5:2–6,10–11
Do for me what you did for my father David. You sent him cedars to build him a house to live in. 2:3 1Ch 14:14 Now I am building a temple for the name of the Lord my God in order to dedicate it to him for burning fragrant incense before him, 2:4 Ex 30:7 for displaying the rows of the Bread of the Presence continuously, 2:4 Ex 25:30 and for sacrificing burnt offerings for the morning and the evening, 2:4 Ex 29:38–42 the Sabbaths 2:4 Nm 28:9–10 and the New Moons, and the appointed festivals of the Lord our God. This is ordained for Israel permanently. 5 The temple that I am building will be great, for our God is greater than any of the gods. 2:5 Ex 15:11; 1Ch 16:256 But who is able to build a temple for him, since even heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain him? 2:6 1Kg 8:27; 2Ch 6:18 Who am I then that I should build a temple for him except as a place to burn incense before him? 7 Therefore, send me an artisan who is skilled in engraving to work with gold, silver, bronze, and iron, and with purple, crimson, and blue yarn. He will work with the artisans who are with me in Judah and Jerusalem, 2:7 Ex 31:3–5; 2Ch 2:13–14 appointed by my father David. 2:7 1Ch 22:14–16; 28:218 Also, send me cedar, cypress, and algum 2:8 = almug in 1Kg 10:11–12, 2:8 1Kg 10:11–12 logs from Lebanon, for I know that your servants know how to cut the trees of Lebanon. Note that my servants will be with your servants 2:8–9 2Ch 9:10–119 to prepare logs for me in abundance because the temple I am building will be great and wondrous. 10 I will give your servants, the woodcutters who cut the trees, one hundred twenty thousand bushels 2:10 Lit 20,000 cors of wheat flour, one hundred twenty thousand bushels of barley, one hundred twenty thousand gallons 2:10 Lit 20,000 baths of wine, and one hundred twenty thousand gallons of oil.
Hiram’s Reply
11 Then King Hiram of Tyre wrote a letter 2:11 Lit Tyre said in writing and sent it to Solomon:
Because the Lord loves his people, he set you over them as king. 2:11 1Kg 10:9; 2Ch 9:8
12 Hiram also said:
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who made the heavens and the earth! 2:12 Ps 33:6; 102:25 He gave King David a wise son with insight and understanding, 2:12 1Kg 5:7 who will build a temple for the Lord and a royal palace for himself. 2:12 2Ch 2:113 I have now sent Huram-abi, 2:13 Lit Huram my father a skillful man who has understanding. 2:13–14 1Kg 7:1414 He is the son of a woman from the daughters of Dan. His father is a man of Tyre. He knows how to work with gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and wood, with purple, blue, crimson yarn, and fine linen. He knows how to do all kinds of engraving and to execute any design that may be given him. I have sent him to be with your artisans and the artisans of my lord, your father David. 15 Now, let my lord send the wheat, barley, oil, and wine to his servants as promised. 2:15 2Ch 2:1016 We will cut logs from Lebanon, as many as you need, and bring them to you as rafts by sea to Joppa. You can then take them up to Jerusalem. 2:16 1Kg 5:8–9
Solomon’s Workforce
17 Solomon took a census of all the resident alien men in the land of Israel, after the census that his father David had conducted, 2:17 2Sm 24:1–9; 1Ch 21:1–5 and the total was 153,600. 18 Solomon made 70,000 of them porters, 80,000 stonecutters in the mountains, and 3,600 supervisors to make the people work. 2:18 1Kg 5:15–16; 2Ch 2:2