1 Kings 9:12

12 But when Hiram left Tyre to look over the villages that Solomon had given him, he didn't like what he saw.

1 Kings 9:12 Meaning and Commentary

1 Kings 9:12

And Hiram came out from Tyre to see the cities which Solomon
had given him
For these cities, being in or near Galilee, were not far from Tyre:

and they pleased him not;
being either out of repair, as some think; see ( 2 Chronicles 8:2 ) or the ground barren, and unfruitful; which is not likely, being in a very fruitful country, as the tribes on which they bordered were: but they were not agreeable to him, they did not suit with the disposition of him and his people, who were given not to husbandry, but to merchandise; and the land about these would require a good deal of pains and labour to till, which they were not used to.

1 Kings 9:12 In-Context

10 At the end of twenty years, having built the two buildings, The Temple of God and his personal palace,

11 Solomon rewarded Hiram king of Tyre with a gift of twenty villages in the district of Galilee. Hiram had provided him with all the cedar and cypress and gold that he had wanted.

12 But when Hiram left Tyre to look over the villages that Solomon had given him, he didn't like what he saw.

13 He said, "What kind of reward is this, my friend? Twenty backwoods hick towns!" People still refer to them that way.

14 This is all Hiram got from Solomon in exchange for four and a half tons of gold!