Now when Hiram king of Tyre heard that Solomon had been anointed king in his father’s place, he sent envoys to Solomon; for Hiram had always been a friend of David.
Parallel translations
- WEB Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon; for he had heard that they had anointed him king in the place of his father, and Hiram had always loved David.
- KJV And Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants unto Solomon; for he had heard that they had anointed him king in the room of his father: for Hiram was ever a lover of David.
- NKJV Now Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon, because he heard that they had anointed him king in place of his father, for Hiram had always loved David.
- NASB Now Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon when he heard that they had anointed him king in place of his father, for Hiram had always been a friend of David.
- NLT King Hiram of Tyre had always been a loyal friend of David. When Hiram learned that David’s son Solomon was the new king of Israel, he sent ambassadors to congratulate him.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Hiram king of Tyre sent envoys to Solomon, for he had loved David and heard of Solomon's accession. This opens the alliance for building the temple.
Overview
Hiram's longstanding friendship with David now extended to Solomon, providing skilled labor and materials. Tyre's renowned craftsmen and cedar were essential for the coming temple. This cooperation of a Gentile king in building God's house foreshadows how the nations would contribute to the worship of the true God.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- 1 Chr 14:1Now Hiram king of Tyre sent envoys to David, along with cedar logs, stonemasons, and carpenters, to build a palace for him.
- 2 Sam 5:11Now Hiram king of Tyre sent envoys to David, along with cedar logs, carpenters, and stonemasons, and they built a palace for David.
- 2 Chr 2:3Then Solomon sent word to Hiram king of Tyre: “Do for me as you did for my father David when you sent him cedars to build himself a house to live in.
- 1 Kgs 5:10So Hiram provided Solomon with all the cedar and cypress timber he wanted,
- Ps 45:12The Daughter of Tyre will come with a gift; men of wealth will seek your favor.
- 1 Kgs 5:13Then King Solomon conscripted a labor force of 30,000 men from all Israel.
- Amos 1:9This is what the LORD says: “For three transgressions of Tyre, even four, I will not revoke My judgment, because they delivered up a whole congregation of exiles to Edom and broke a covenant of brotherhood.
- 1 Kgs 9:12–14So Hiram went out from Tyre to inspect the towns that Solomon had given him, but he was not pleased with them.
- 2 Sam 8:10he sent his son Joram to greet King David and bless him for fighting and defeating Hadadezer, who had been at war with Toi. Joram brought with him articles of silver and gold and bronze,
- 2 Sam 10:1–2Some time later, the king of the Ammonites died and was succeeded by his son Hanun.
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Christ at the center
Solomon's glory, wisdom, and temple where God's presence dwells are a shadow of the greater Son of David — 'one greater than Solomon is here' — and of the true Temple, Christ himself.
How 1 Kings 5:1 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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