1 Kings Chapter 5

“And Hiram king of Tyre sent servants unto Solomon, etc.] His ambassadors, to condole him on the death of his father, and congratulate him on his accession to the throne; this king is called by the Phoenician historians f69 Hirom, and by Eupolemus f70 Suron, as he is Huram in (<140203>2 Chronicles 2:3); and by Theophilus of Antioch f71 Hierom the son of Abelmalus, in the twelfth year of whose reign the temple was built: for he had heard that they had anointed him, king in the room of his father; that the Israelites had anointed him king: for Hiram was ever a lover of David; a friend and ally of his; and we never…”

“HIRAM SENDS TO CONGRATULATE SOLOMON. (Kg1 5:1-6) Hiram . . . sent his servants unto Solomon--the grandson of David's contemporary [KITTO]; or the same Hiram [WINER and others]. The friendly relations which the king of Tyre had cultivated with David are here seen renewed with his son and successor, by a message of condolence as well as of congratulation on his accession to the throne of Israel. The alliance between the two nations had been mutually beneficial by the encouragement of useful traffic. Israel, being agricultural, furnished corn and oil, while the Tyrians, who were a commercial people, gave in exchange…”

“Hiram, king of Tyre - Menander of Ephesus, who wrote a history of Tyre in Greek, founded upon native Tyrian documents, about 300 B.C., mentioned this Hiram as the son of Abibaal king of Tyre, and said that he ascended the throne when he was nineteen; that he reigned thirty-four years, and, dying at the age of fifty-three, was succeeded by his son Baleazar. Menander spoke at some length of the dealings of Hiram with Solomon. Sent his servants - This appears to have been an embassy of congratulation. return to 'Top of Page'”

“They - That is, thy servants. And this assistance which these Gentiles gave to the building of Solomon's temple, was a type of the calling of the Gentiles, and that they should be instrumental in building and constituting Christ's spiritual temple. Cedar - trees - Which for their soundness, and strength, and fragrancy, and durableness, were most proper for his design. Of these David had procured some, but not a sufficient number. Lebanon - Which was in Solomon's jurisdiction: and therefore he doth not desire that Hiram would give him the cedars, because they were his own already; but only that his servants might…”

“5:1-18 King Hiram of Tyre had . . . been a loyal friend of David (2 Sam 5:11-12). This might mean that the two shared a covenantal relationship (a treaty). Hiram was a valuable ally and commercial partner (1 Kgs 5:7-11, 18; 9:11, 26-28; 10:22). His name is a shortened form of Ahiram, a name seen elsewhere in Phoenician inscriptions.”

“am 2990, bc 1014, An, Ex, Is, 477 Hiram: Kg1 5:10, Kg1 5:13, Kg1 9:12-14; Ch2 2:3, Huram sent: Sa2 8:10, Sa2 10:1, Sa2 10:2; Psa 45:12 for Hiram: Sa2 5:11; Ch1 14:1; Amo 1:9 3 Kings (1 Kings) 5:2”

“Solomon's negotiations with Hiram of Tyre. - Kg1 5:1. When king Hiram of Tyre heard that Solomon had been anointed king in the place of David, he sent his servants, i.e., an embassage, to Solomon, to congratulate him (as the Syriac correctly explains) on his ascent of the throne, because he had been a friend of David the whole time (כּל־הימים, i.e., as long as both of them David and Hiram were kings). On Hiram and the length of his reign, see the remarks on Sa2 5:11. This is passed over in the Chronicles as having no essential bearing upon the building of the temple. Kg1 5:2-3 Solomon thereupon communicated to…”