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And Hiram sent in the navy his servants, shipmen that had knowledge of the sea, with the servants of Solomon.
1 Kings 9:27 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB Hiram sent in the fleet his servants, sailors who had knowledge of the sea, with the servants of Solomon.
  • BSB And Hiram sent his servants, men who knew the sea, to serve in the fleet with Solomon’s servants.
  • NKJV Then Hiram sent his servants with the fleet, seamen who knew the sea, to work with the servants of Solomon.
  • NASB And Hiram sent his servants with the fleet, sailors who knew the sea, along with the servants of Solomon.
  • NLT Hiram sent experienced crews of sailors to sail the ships with Solomon’s men.

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

King Hiram of Tyre supplied experienced sailors to serve alongside Solomon's men. It shows cooperation between Israel and Phoenicia in maritime trade.

Overview

Israel lacked a seafaring tradition, so Hiram's skilled Phoenician mariners manned the fleet together with Solomon's servants. This partnership extended the earlier alliance that had supplied timber and craftsmen for the temple. The nations bringing their skill and wealth to Solomon's kingdom pictures, in a partial way, the gathering of the peoples that Scripture promises will one day honor the greater Son of David.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 5

  • 1 Kgs 10:11And the navy also of Hiram, that brought gold from Ophir, brought in from Ophir great plenty of almug trees, and precious stones.
  • 1 Kgs 5:9My servants shall bring them down from Lebanon unto the sea: and I will convey them by sea in floats unto the place that thou shalt appoint me, and will cause them to be discharged there, and thou shalt receive them: and thou shalt accomplish my desire, in giving food for my household.
  • 1 Kgs 5:6Now therefore command thou that they hew me cedar trees out of Lebanon; and my servants shall be with thy servants: and unto thee will I give hire for thy servants according to all that thou shalt appoint: for thou knowest that there is not among us any that can skill to hew timber like unto the Sidonians.
  • 2 Chr 20:36–37And he joined himself with him to make ships to go to Tarshish: and they made the ships in Eziongaber.
  • 1 Kgs 22:49Then said Ahaziah the son of Ahab unto Jehoshaphat, Let my servants go with thy servants in the ships. But Jehoshaphat would not.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (5)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — 1 Kings videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on 1 Kings 9:27YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on 1 KingsMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

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 9:27 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

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.