1 KingsChapter 5

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Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates to the land of the Philistines and on to the border of Egypt. They brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.

Solomon's provisions for a single day were thirty kors of fine flour and sixty kors of meal,

ten fattened oxen, twenty pasture-fed cattle, and a hundred sheep and goats, besides deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fattened fowl.

For he held sway over the whole region west of the Euphrates, from Tiphsah to Gaza, and over all its kings, and he had peace on every side.

So Judah and Israel lived in safety, everyone under his own vine and his own fig tree, from Dan to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon.

Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots and twelve thousand horsemen.

Those officers supplied provisions for King Solomon and for all who came to King Solomon's table, each in his appointed month; they let nothing be lacking.

They also brought barley and straw for the horses and the swift steeds to the place where they were needed, each according to his assigned duty.

God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore.

Solomon's wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the peoples of the East and all the wisdom of Egypt.

He was wiser than anyone else—wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, and than Heman, Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol—and his fame spread through all the surrounding nations.

He composed three thousand proverbs, and his songs numbered a thousand and five.

He spoke about trees, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of a wall; and he spoke about animals and birds, creeping things and fish.

People came from every nation to hear Solomon's wisdom, sent by all the kings of the earth who had heard how wise he was.

When Hiram king of Tyre heard that Solomon had been anointed king in place of his father, he sent his servants to him, for Hiram had always been a friend of David.

And Solomon sent this message to Hiram:

"You know that my father David could not build a house for the name of the LORD his God because of the wars that surrounded him on every side, until the LORD put his enemies under the soles of my feet.

But now the LORD my God has given me rest on every side; there is no adversary, no disaster.

So I intend to build a house for the name of the LORD my God, just as the LORD told my father David: 'Your son, whom I will set on your throne in your place, he shall build the house for my name.'

Now then, give orders that cedars of Lebanon be cut for me. My servants will work alongside your servants, and I will pay you whatever wages you set for your servants. For you know that we have no one who knows how to cut timber like the Sidonians."

When Hiram heard Solomon's message, he was overjoyed and said, "Blessed be the LORD this day, who has given David a wise son to rule this great people."

So Hiram sent word to Solomon: "I have received your message. I will do everything you desire with the cedar and cypress timber.

My servants will bring the logs down from Lebanon to the sea, and I will float them in rafts by sea to the place you designate. There I will have them broken apart, and you can take them away. And you, in turn, will meet my need by supplying food for my household."

So Hiram kept Solomon supplied with all the cedar and cypress timber he wanted,

and Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand kors of wheat as food for his household and twenty kors of pressed oil. This Solomon gave to Hiram year after year.

The LORD gave Solomon wisdom, just as he had promised him. There was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them made a treaty.

King Solomon conscripted laborers from all Israel—thirty thousand men in all.

He sent them to Lebanon in shifts of ten thousand a month, so that they spent one month in Lebanon and two months at home. Adoniram was in charge of the forced labor.

Solomon also had seventy thousand men to carry loads and eighty thousand to quarry stone in the hills,

besides his three thousand three hundred foremen who were in charge of the project and supervised the workers.

At the king's command they quarried huge, costly blocks of dressed stone to lay the foundation of the temple.

Solomon's builders and Hiram's builders, together with the men of Gebal, cut and shaped them, and they prepared the timber and the stone for building the temple.

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Summary2

Chapter 5

Main Theme: Solomon's wisdom, wealth, and preparations for temple construction through an alliance with King Hiram of Tyre.

Content: God gave Solomon exceptional wisdom and understanding, and he ruled over a mighty kingdom in peace—from the Euphrates to Egypt. Judah and Israel lived securely under his reign. Since the Lord had now given him rest from enemies, Solomon could fulfill the promise to build a temple, something his father David was unable to do because of wars. He made an agreement with King Hiram of Tyre for the delivery of cedar and cypress trees in exchange for wheat and oil, and organized a workforce of 30,000 men for forced labor.

Key Words/Images:

Wisdom (חָכְמָה): God gave Solomon wisdom greater than all the wise men of the East and Egypt, and his fame reached all nations.
Peace (שָׁלוֹם): The peace in the kingdom was the prerequisite for temple construction—no enemies or disaster threatened it.
Cedar from Lebanon: Symbolizes the precious materials for God's house, delivered through an international alliance.
Forced Labor (מַס): 30,000 Israelites were organized in shifts to work on the temple project.

Historical context

Historical and Cultural Context for 1 Kings 5

People

King Hiram of Tyre is a central figure in this chapter. He was the ruler of the Phoenician city-state of Tyre and had already enjoyed a friendly relationship with David (v. 15). Hiram reigned during a period when Tyre was at the height of its power as a trading nation. Phoenician kings named Hiram are known from biblical sources and later ancient records, and chronologically this aligns with Solomon's reign in the 900s BC. Hiram's role as a supplier of building materials and craftsmen reflects Tyre's position as a leader in trade and craftsmanship in the region.

Adoniram is mentioned as being in charge of the forced labor (v. 28). He likely held the same office under David (2 Sam 20:24, where he is called Adoram) and continued serving under Rehoboam, where he was stoned to death during the rebellion against royal authority (1 Kings 12:18). His long career testifies to continuity in the royal administration.

The wise men with whom Solomon is compared – Ethan the Ezrahite, Heman, Calcol, and Darda, "the sons of Mahol" (v. 11) – represent a well-known wisdom tradition. Ethan and Heman are also associated with psalms (Ps 88–89), and the designation "sons of Mahol" may mean "sons of singers," suggesting a connection between wisdom and music.

Places

Lebanon was the source of the famous cedar trees that were sought after throughout the Middle East. The cedar from Lebanon was the finest building material available and was used in temples and palaces across the ancient world. The Lebanon mountains lay outside Israelite control, which made the alliance with Tyre necessary.

From Tiphshah to Gaza (v. 4) marks the northern and southern boundaries of Solomon's dominion. Tiphshah was located on the Euphrates River, while Gaza lay at the border toward Egypt. This describes a kingdom extending from the Euphrates to the Egyptian border – the maximum extent of Israelite power in history.

"From Dan to Beersheba" (v. 5) is the traditional description of Israel's core territory from north to south, representing the entire settlement area of the people.

Events and Customs

The treaty between Solomon and Hiram follows the pattern for international trade agreements in antiquity. The agreement stipulated that Tyre would supply cedar and cypress trees, as well as expert craftsmanship, while Israel paid with agricultural products – wheat and olive oil (v. 25). Such annual deliveries of food to city-states dependent on imports were common in the eastern Mediterranean region.

Forced labor (מַס, mas) was a widespread practice in ancient monarchies. Solomon's system of rotating work crews – one month in Lebanon and two months at home (v. 28) – shows an organized administration. This practice later created discontent and contributed to the division of the kingdom after Solomon's death.

Transportation of timber by sea (v. 23) describes a well-known Phoenician practice. The timber was tied together into rafts (דֹּבְרוֹת, doverot) and shipped along the coast to a port closer to Jerusalem, probably Jaffa.

Key Terms

"From cedar in Lebanon to hyssop on the wall" (v. 13) expresses the totality of Solomon's knowledge of nature – from the largest and most majestic tree to the smallest plant. Hyssop was a small plant used in purification rituals. This shows that Solomon's wisdom included what we would today call botany and zoology.

"Rochav lev" (רֹחַב לֵב) – "breadth of heart" (v. 9) – describes Solomon's intellectual capacity. In Hebrew thought, the heart was the seat of understanding and will, not merely emotions. The expression denotes a comprehensive ability to understand.

"Kor" (כֹּר) was a large volume measure, estimated at 220–230 liters (equivalent to a homer). The enormous quantities of food mentioned in vv. 2–3 and v. 25 were intended to demonstrate the wealth and capacity of the kingdom.

Chapter-Specific Findings

Archaeological excavations at several sites have uncovered quarries with hewn stone blocks from the Iron Age that can be linked to large-scale building projects. At Jerusalem, remains of quarries have been found using techniques that correspond to the description in v. 31 of "great, costly stones, cut stones."

Phoenician influence on Israelite architecture is well documented. Excavations at several temples in the region reveal architectural features consistent with the description of cooperation between Israelite and Phoenician craftsmen. The term "Giblite" (הַגִּבְלִים, v. 32) refers to the inhabitants of Gebal (Byblos), another Phoenician city-state known for its expertise in stonework.

People11

Dan (The place name Dan mentioned in Genesis 14:14, not a person)1 David4 Ethan1 Solomon17 Mahol1 Darda1 Hadoram1 Judah1 Heman1 Jacob1 Calcol1

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Key words7

Solomon — The third king of Israel, known for his wisdom and the building of the temple in Jerusalem.
Hiram — King of Tyre, who helped Solomon obtain materials and craftsmen for the construction of the temple.
Cedar trees — Large, valuable trees from Lebanon, used in the building of the temple and other structures in Israel.
Construction work — The process of constructing or assembling a building, in this case the temple.
The Temple — A holy place for worship and sacrifices, built by Solomon in Jerusalem as a house for God's name.
Labor force — People who work on a specific task; here it refers to those who worked on the temple.
Quarries — Places where stone is extracted from the ground, used as building material for the temple.