1 Kings 5:6

6 Therefore command thou, that thy servants hew down to me cedars of the Lebanon (And so command thou, that thy servants cut down cedars in Lebanon for me); and my servants (shall) be with thy servants; and I shall give to thee the meed of thy servants, whatever thou shalt ask; for thou knowest, that in my people (there) is not a man that can hew trees, as (well as the) Sidonians can (do it)/as (well as) the men of Sidon.

1 Kings 5:6 Meaning and Commentary

1 Kings 5:6

Now therefore command thou that they hew me cedars out of
Lebanon
That is, order his servants to cut them down there for him. Some think that Lebanon belonged to the land of Israel, and therefore Solomon did not ask for the cedars upon it, but for his servants to hew them for him; but as it lay upon the borders of Israel, part of it might belong to them, and another part to Hiram, and on which the best cedars might grow, and so he furnished Solomon both with trees, and men to cut them, as it seems from ( 1 Kings 5:10 ) ; see also ( 2 Chronicles 2:3 2 Chronicles 2:8 ) ;

and my servants shall be with thy servants:
to assist them, and to carry the timber from place to place, and to learn how to hew timber:

and unto thee will I give hire for thy servants, according to all that
thou shalt appoint;
pay them for their work and service, as Hiram himself should judge fit and reasonable for them; no mention being made of paying for the timber, seems to countenance the notion that the trees were Solomon's; but when the quantity of provisions sent yearly to Hiram for his household, besides what the servants had, is observed, it seems to have been sent as an equivalent to the timber received by Solomon, see ( 1 Kings 5:10 1 Kings 5:11 ) ;

for thou knowest that there is not among us any that can skill to hew
timber like unto the Sidonians;
it is not said Tyrians, the Sidonians, perhaps, being more skilful in this than they were; and the Sidonians are said by Homer ^F25 to be (poludaidaloi) , very ingenious: and they were both under the jurisdiction and at the command of Hiram; so Eupolemus

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FOOTNOTES:

F26 makes the inscription of Solomon's letter to him to run thus, to Suron (that is, Hiram) king of Tyre, Sidon, and Phoenicia. The Jews being chiefly employed in husbandry, and in feeding cattle, were very unskilful in mechanic arts, and in this of cutting down trees, and hewing timber; for there is skill to be exercised therein; the proper time of cutting down trees should be observed, the part in which they are to be cut, and the position in which they are to be put when cut down, as Vitruvius ^F1 directs, with other things, and Pliny ^F2 observes the same.

F25 Iliad. 23. ver. 743.
F26 Ut supra. (Apud Euseb. Praepar. Evangel. l. 9. c. 32, 34.)
F1 De Architectura, l. 2. c. 9.
F2 Nat. Hist. l. 16. c. 39.

1 Kings 5:6 In-Context

4 But now my Lord God hath given rest to me by compass, and none adversary is, neither evil assailing; (But now the Lord my God hath given peace to me all around, and there is no adversary, nor evil, assailing me;)

5 wherefore I think to build a temple to the name of my Lord God, as God spake to David, my father, and said, Thy son, whom I shall give to thee for thee upon thy throne, he shall build an house to my name. (and so I shall build a Temple in honour of the name of the Lord my God, as God spoke to my father David, and said, Thy son, whom I shall put on thy throne in thy place, he shall build a House in honour of my name.)

6 Therefore command thou, that thy servants hew down to me cedars of the Lebanon (And so command thou, that thy servants cut down cedars in Lebanon for me); and my servants (shall) be with thy servants; and I shall give to thee the meed of thy servants, whatever thou shalt ask; for thou knowest, that in my people (there) is not a man that can hew trees, as (well as the) Sidonians can (do it)/as (well as) the men of Sidon.

7 Therefore when Hiram had heard the words of Solomon, he was full glad, and said, Blessed be the Lord God today, that hath given to David the son most wise upon this people full much. (And so when Hiram had heard Solomon's words, he was very glad, and said, Blessed be the Lord God today, who hath given David a most wise son to rule over this great people.)

8 And Hiram sent to Solomon, and said, I have heard whatever things thou sentest to me (for); I shall do all thy will, in trees of cedars, and in trees of box (and I shall provide all the cedar, and fir, or pine, trees, that thou needeth, or wanteth).