Solomon Prepares to Build the Temple

5:1 (5:15) King Hiram of Tyre sent messengers to Solomon when he heard that he had been anointed king in his father’s place. (Hiram had always been an ally of David.) 5:2 Solomon then sent this message to Hiram: 5:3 “You know that my father David was unable to build a temple to honor the Lord his God, for he was busy fighting battles on all fronts while the Lord subdued his enemies. 5:4 But now the Lord my God has made me secure on all fronts; there is no adversary or dangerous threat. 5:5 So I have decided to build a temple to honor the Lord my God, as the Lord instructed my father David, ‘Your son, whom I will put on your throne in your place, is the one who will build a temple to honor me.’ 5:6 So now order some cedars of Lebanon to be cut for me. My servants will work with your servants. I will pay your servants whatever you say is appropriate, for you know that we have no one among us who knows how to cut down trees like the Sidonians.” 5:7 When Hiram heard Solomon’s message, he was very happy. He said, “The Lord is worthy of praise today because he has given David a wise son to rule over this great nation.” 5:8 Hiram then sent this message to Solomon: “I received the message you sent to me. I will give you all the cedars and evergreens you need. 5:9 My servants will bring the timber down from Lebanon to the sea. I will send it by sea in raft-like bundles to the place you designate. There I will separate the logs and you can carry them away. In exchange you will supply the food I need for my royal court.” 5:10 So Hiram supplied the cedars and evergreens Solomon needed, 5:11 and Solomon supplied Hiram annually with 20,000 cors of wheat as provision for his royal court, as well as 20,000 baths of pure olive oil. 5:12 So the Lord gave Solomon wisdom, as he had promised him. And Hiram and Solomon were at peace and made a treaty. 5:13 King Solomon conscripted work crews from throughout Israel, 30,000 men in all. 5:14 He sent them to Lebanon in shifts of 10,000 men per month. They worked in Lebanon for one month, and then spent two months at home. Adoniram was supervisor of the work crews. 5:15 Solomon also had 70,000 common laborers and 80,000 stonecutters in the hills, 5:16 besides 3,300 officials who supervised the workers. 5:17 By royal order they supplied large valuable stones in order to build the temple’s foundation with chiseled stone. 5:18 Solomon’s and Hiram’s construction workers, along with men from Byblos, did the chiseling and prepared the wood and stones for the building of the temple.

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Solomon prepares to build the Lord’s temple. He arranges for cedar from Hiram of Tyre, organizes labor from Israel, and gets the materials ready for the work. The passage shows that God had given Solomon rest and wisdom, and that the temple project was the next step in the promise made to David.

When Hiram of Tyre hears that Solomon has become king, he sends word of friendship. Solomon replies that David had not been able to build the temple because he had been busy with war, but now the Lord has given Solomon peace and security. Solomon says the time has come to build a house for the Lord, just as God had told David.

Solomon asks Hiram for cedar wood from Lebanon. He admits that Israel does not have men skilled in cutting timber like the Sidonians, so he needs help from outside Israel. Hiram is glad to cooperate. He praises the Lord for giving David a wise son, and he agrees to provide the timber in exchange for food for his royal court.

The passage then describes the large scale of the project. Solomon organizes work crews from throughout Israel, with supervisors and laborers, and the workers prepare stones and wood for the temple foundation. The narrator presents this as orderly preparation for a holy task. The main point is that the temple begins with God’s gift of rest, wisdom, and provision, and Solomon uses those gifts to obey the Lord’s command.

• The Lord gave Solomon peace and wisdom, and those gifts made the temple project possible.
• The temple was not just a royal building; it was the house the Lord had promised should be built.
• Solomon acted in line with the word the Lord had already given through David.
• Hiram of Tyre responded with friendship and practical help.
• Solomon showed humility and wisdom by using skilled workers and needed materials from outside Israel.
• The work on the temple was large, ordered, and carefully managed.
• The passage reports labor organization as part of the project; it does not stop to give a full moral evaluation of Solomon’s policies here.

• The Lord had given Solomon rest and wisdom.
• Solomon was to build a temple for the Lord, as the Lord had instructed David.
• The temple work required careful order, provision, and skilled labor.
• Do not treat royal power or building projects as good in themselves; they are only good when used in obedience to the Lord.

This passage belongs to the Davidic and Mosaic covenant setting in Israel’s history. The Lord had promised David that his son would build a house for the Lord, and Solomon’s preparations show that promise moving forward. The temple becomes the central place of Israel’s worship under the old covenant, showing that the Lord intends to dwell among his people in the way he has appointed. The passage also fits the broader Bible storyline by showing God giving rest, wisdom, and provision so that his purposes can be carried out in ordered obedience.

God’s people should use peace, resources, and abilities for the Lord’s purposes, not for self-display. Wise planning, humble cooperation, and careful work can serve worship when they are done in obedience to God. This passage also reminds readers not to confuse the old-covenant temple with modern church buildings or with political power.

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