1 Kings 9:14-28

14 And Hiram had sent the king 120 talents of gold. ^[a]

15 This is the account of the forced labor that King Solomon imposed to build the house of the LORD, his own palace, the supporting terraces, ^[b] and the wall of Jerusalem, as well as Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer.

16 Pharaoh king of Egypt had attacked and captured Gezer. He had set it on fire, killed the Canaanites who lived in the city, and given it as a dowry to his daughter, Solomon’s wife.

17 So Solomon rebuilt Gezer, Lower Beth-horon,

18 Baalath, and Tamar ^[c] in the Wilderness of Judah, ^[d]

19 as well as all the store cities that Solomon had for his chariots and horses ^[e]—whatever he desired to build in Jerusalem, Lebanon, and throughout the land of his dominion.

20 As for all the people who remained of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites (the people who were not Israelites)—

21 their descendants who remained in the land, those whom the Israelites were unable to devote to destruction ^[f]—Solomon conscripted these people to be forced laborers, as they are to this day.

22 But Solomon did not consign any of the Israelites to slavery, because they were his men of war, his servants, his officers, his captains, and the commanders of his chariots and cavalry.

23 They were also the chief officers over Solomon’s projects: 550 supervisors over the people who did the work.

24 As soon as Pharaoh’s daughter had come up from the City of David to the palace that Solomon had built for her, he built the supporting terraces.

25 Three times a year Solomon offered burnt offerings and peace offerings on the altar he had built for the LORD, burning incense with them before the LORD. So he completed the temple.

26 King Solomon also assembled a fleet of ships at Ezion-geber, which is near Eloth ^[g] in Edom, on the shore of the Red Sea. ^[h]

27 And Hiram sent his servants, sailors who knew the sea, to serve in the fleet with Solomon’s servants.

28 They sailed to Ophir and imported gold from there—420 talents ^[i]—and delivered it to Solomon.

1 Kings 9:14-28 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO 1 KINGS 9

This chapter relates a second vision Solomon had at Gibeon, in which he received an answer to his prayer in the preceding chapter, 1Ki 9:1-9 that passed between him and Hiram king of Tyre, 1Ki 9:10-14, the places that Solomon built or repaired, 1Ki 9:15-19, the Canaanitish people that became bondmen to him, and the officers he had among the children of Israel, 1Ki 9:20-23 the removal of Pharaoh's daughter to the house built for her, 1Ki 9:24. Solomon's attention to religious services, 1Ki 9:25 and the navy of ships he employed, which brought him in great riches, 1Ki 9:26-28.

Footnotes

• [a]. 120 talents is approximately 4.52 tons or 4.1 metric tons of gold.
• [b]. Hebrew the Millo; also in verse 24
• [c]. Alternate MT reading; the other alternate reads Tadmor
• [d]. Hebrew in the wilderness in the land
• [e]. Or horsemen or charioteers
• [f]. Forms of the Hebrew cherem refer to the giving over of things or persons to the LORD, either by destroying them or by giving them as an offering.
• [g]. Eloth is a variant of Elath; see LXX, 2 Kings 14:22, and 2 Kings 16:6.
• [h]. Or the Sea of Reeds
• [i]. 420 talents is approximately 15.8 tons or 14.4 metric tons of gold.