1 Kings 9

Covenant with Solomon; his Egyptian wife; Gentile slaves; Hiram
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Text
Explanation
.1 ¶ And it came to pass, when Solomon had finished the building of the house of the LORD, and the king's house, and all Solomon's desire which he was pleased to do,
 2 That the LORD appeared to Solomon the second time, as he had appeared unto him at Gibeon.
 3 And the LORD said unto him, I have heard thy prayer and thy supplication, that thou hast made before me: I have hallowed this house, which thou hast built, to put my name there for ever; and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually.
 4 And if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, in integrity of heart, and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded thee, and wilt keep my statutes and my judgments:
   1 - When Solomon had finished He had taken seven years for building the temple 1ki0601, 1ki0638 and another 13 years for the palace v10, 2ch0801.
  4 - If ... walk before me Sadly he didn't ec01. God's promises are conditional when dependent on human response.
.5 Then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom upon Israel for ever, as I promised to David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man upon the throne of Israel.
 6 But if ye shall at all turn from following me, ye or your children, and will not keep my commandments and my statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods, and worship them:
.7 Then will I cut off Israel out of the land which I have given them; and this house, which I have hallowed for my name, will I cast out of my sight; and Israel shall be a proverb and a byword among all people:
.8 And at this house, which is high, every one that passeth by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss; and they shall say, Why hath the LORD done thus unto this land, and to this house?
 9 And they shall answer, Because they forsook the LORD their God, who brought forth their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and have taken hold upon other gods, and have worshipped them, and served them: therefore hath the LORD brought upon them all this evil.
  5 - Israel for ever ... as ... to David God would resume the promise. Whether through David or Solomon or others whom He might choose, Israel would be content. Sadly ancient Israel failed to reform in the time given them da0924 and He removed His presence from their temple mt2337f. The kingdom of God was taken from them and given to another "nation" mt2143. The new Israel was the Christian church ro0228, ro0416, ga0328. Christ "the son of David" would rule mi0502, ac0234, ro0103. Finally all Israel would be saved – spiritual Israel, not ethnic Israel. ro1126.
  7 - Cut off Israel is0119f, ez2007, zp0301.
  7 - A proverb Leading to misery and condemnation de2837.
.10 ¶ And it came to pass at the end of twenty years, when Solomon had built the two houses, the house of the LORD, and the king's house,
 11 (Now Hiram the king of Tyre had furnished Solomon with cedar trees and fir trees, and with gold, according to all his desire,) that then king Solomon gave Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee.
 12 And Hiram came out from Tyre to see the cities which Solomon had given him; and they pleased him not. 
 13 And he said, What cities are these which thou hast given me, my brother? And he called them the land of Cabul unto this day. 
 14 And Hiram sent to the king sixscore talents of gold.
  10 - King's house Likely a reference to the whole palace complex.
  13 - Land of Cabul The meaning of "Cabul" is uncertain. The name apparently reinforces Hiram's disgust.
.15 ¶ And this is the reason of the levy which king Solomon raised; for to build the house of the LORD, and his own house, and Millo, and the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, and Megiddo, and Gezer.   Levy This draft of workers is also discussed at 1ki0513.
  Milo Apparently a point of military fortification.
  Wall David had strengthened it 2sa0509. Solomon strengthened it more 1ki1127. Repairs and modifications were made by later kings je1902, 2ch3314.
  Hazor Important for defense against invasion  from the north. It had been the city of Jabin jos1101 which Joshua conquered jos1113 and later assigned to Napthali jos1936. It was captured by the wicked king Tiglath-pileser III 2ki1529.
  Megiddo An important city in the plain of Esdraelon. See map. It had military importance as did Hazor discussed above. It was assigned to the tribe of Manasseh jos1711. Other mentions at jg0519, 2ki2329.
.16 For Pharaoh king of Egypt had gone up, and taken Gezer, and burnt it with fire, and slain the Canaanites that dwelt in the city, and given it for a present unto his daughter, Solomon's wife.
 17 And Solomon built Gezer, and Bethhoron the nether,
.18 And Baalath, and Tadmor in the wilderness, in the land,
 19 And all the cities of store that Solomon had, and cities for his chariots, and cities for his horsemen, and that which Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem, and in Lebanon, and in all the land of his dominion.
  17 - Gezer Rebuilt by Solomon around 1000 BC. Compare v15. It was abut 30 miles west of Jerusalem toward the sea.
  18 - Tadmor The Hebrew word is Tamor but it appears as "Tadmor" in 2ch0804. A city 132 mi (211 km) northeast of Damascus bears this name. Some doubt that the kingdom included territory so far away but Josephus (Antiquities viii 6.11) confirms that it was "in the wilderness." and the words, in the Land, seem to assume that readers knew it was far away although still part of the kingdom of Israel. See map.
  19 - Desired to build Solomon's ambitious building projects must have placed a great burden on the people 1sa0811, ec0204.
.20 And all the people that were left of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, which were not of the children of Israel,
 21 Their children that were left after them in the land, whom the children of Israel also were not able utterly to destroy, upon those did Solomon levy a tribute of bondservice unto this day.
 22 But of the children of Israel did Solomon make no bondmen: but they were men of war, and his servants, and his princes, and his captains, and rulers of his chariots, and his horsemen.
  21 - Tribute of bondservice Forced labor was used by David although not for Israelites 1ch2202.
 23 These were the chief of the officers that were over Solomon's work, five hundred and fifty, which bare rule over the people that wrought in the work.
 24 But Pharaoh's daughter came up out of the city of David unto her house which Solomon had built for her: then did he build Millo.
.25 And three times in a year did Solomon offer burnt offerings and peace offerings upon the altar which he built unto the LORD, and he burnt incense upon the altar that was before the LORD. So he finished the house.
.26 And king Solomon made a navy of ships in Eziongeber, which is beside Eloth, on the shore of the Red sea, in the land of Edom. 
 27 And Hiram sent in the navy his servants, shipmen that had knowledge of the sea, with the servants of Solomon.
.28 And they came to Ophir, and fetched from thence gold, four hundred and twenty talents, and brought it to king Solomon.
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  24 - Pharaoh' daughter ... her house Solomon considered the area around the temple as sacred, too. 2ch0811.
  25 - Three times a year Three feasts were to be attended by Hebrew males each year. These were The Feast of Unleavened Bread, associated with Passover, The Feast of Weeks, later called Pentecost, and The Feast of Tabernacles ex2314, de1616, 2ch0313.
  25 - Solomon did offer We cannot assume he acted as a priest. This was forbidden le0107ff, le02, nu16. A person who brought an animal for sacrifice was said to offer it although he depended on the agency of the priests.
  28 - Ophir This would have been Punt, now Somalia.  Image PK17
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