1 Kings · chapter 5 of 22
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1 Kings 5 tells how Solomon prepares to build the temple of the Lord. He asks Hiram, king of Tyre, for cedar and cypress timber from Lebanon, and Hiram praises Israel's God and agrees in exchange for wheat and oil. Solomon organizes large crews of laborers and stonecutters, and the two kings make a treaty of peace.
After describing Solomon's peace and prosperity, the book reaches the central project of his reign: the house of the Lord. This chapter shows the preparations and explains why David could not build it and why the task fell to his son, in a time of rest on every side.
Hiram, king of Tyre, had been a friend of David, and when he hears that Solomon is the new king he sends servants to him. Solomon replies that David could not build a house for the name of the Lord because of the wars around him, but now God has given him rest on every side, with no adversary or disaster. So, in line with the promise made to David, Solomon plans to build the temple and asks Hiram to have his servants cut cedars of Lebanon; Solomon's servants will work with them, and he will pay whatever wages Hiram sets, because no one knows how to cut timber like the Sidonians.
Hiram rejoices greatly and blesses the Lord for giving David a wise son over so great a people. He promises to send cedar and cypress logs by sea in rafts to the place Solomon names. In return Solomon gives him wheat and oil for his household every year. The Lord gave Solomon wisdom as he had promised, and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon, who made a treaty.
Solomon raises a forced labor of thirty thousand men from all Israel and sends them to Lebanon in shifts of ten thousand a month, one month in Lebanon and two at home. He also had seventy thousand carriers, eighty thousand stonecutters in the hills and three thousand three hundred foremen. At the king's command they quarried great, costly stones for the foundation of the house, and the builders of Solomon and of Hiram, together with men of Gebal, shaped them.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
Solomon explains that David could not build the temple because of the wars of his time, but now the Lord has given him rest on every side. The building comes at the moment God has prepared.
Solomon says he intends to build a house for the name of the Lord, as the Lord told David. The temple is not a project of prestige but the answer to a promise from God.
Hiram rejoices and blesses the Lord for giving David a wise son over a great people. A foreign king recognizes God's work in Israel, which anticipates the witness to the nations that the temple will have.
The Lord gave Solomon wisdom as he had promised, and there was peace between him and Hiram. Solomon's wisdom shows in fair dealings and agreements that benefit both peoples.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: The king of Tyre, a friend of David, who sent servants to Solomon. — 1 Kings 5:1
Answer: Because of the wars surrounding him until the Lord put his enemies under his feet. — 1 Kings 5:3
Answer: That his servants cut cedars of Lebanon for the temple. — 1 Kings 5:6
Answer: He rejoiced greatly and blessed the Lord for giving David a wise son. — 1 Kings 5:7
Answer: Wheat and oil for his household every year. — 1 Kings 5:11
Answer: Thirty thousand men, in shifts of ten thousand a month: one month in Lebanon and two at home. — 1 Kings 5:13-14
Solomon does not rush to do something great for himself; he recognizes that the time to build is given by the Lord. We often want God to do what we have planned; this chapter invites us to wait for his rest and his timing. In a small group, talk about a project God has put on your heart and how to prepare for it patiently.
The chapter also highlights collaboration: a foreign king contributes his expertise and resources. Value the skills of others, inside and outside the church, and think about how to care for those who work in ministry, being fair in what you ask of them and grateful for what they give.
1 Kings 5 leaves everything ready for the great project: timber, stone and workers wait in place. In 1 Kings 6, construction of the temple begins and its form and details are described.
David wanted to build it and prepared materials, but the Lord said his son would do it. Solomon explains that David was busy with wars and that God gave him a time of rest. The Bible presents the temple as a gift from God and not merely a human achievement.
They were the people of the Phoenician coast, with cities such as Tyre and Sidon, famous for their skill with timber, trade and seafaring. Solomon acknowledges that they know that work best, which is why he asks for their help.
The text presents the measure as an organization in shifts that gave the men two months of rest for each month of service. Later, in 1 Kings 12, the weight of these burdens will become a cause of complaint and of the division of the kingdom.