1 Kings 5:3

3 "You know that my father David was surrounded by war. He couldn't build a temple for the name of the LORD our God until the LORD let him defeat his enemies.

1 Kings 5:3 Meaning and Commentary

1 Kings 5:3

Thou knowest how that David my father could not build an house
unto the name of the Lord his God
As he designed, and was desirous of; and which Hiram might know not only by common fame, but from David himself, between whom there was an intercourse, and that in relation to cedars for building, which David had of Hiram, ( 2 Chronicles 2:3 ) ;

for the wars which were about him on every side;
or warriors, as the Targum, the Philistines, Moabites, Edomites, and Syrians:

until the Lord put them under the soles of his feet;
made them subject and tributary to him, as he did at length, see ( 2 Samuel 7:1 ) ( 8:1 ) so the "Cetib", or textual reading, is; but the "Keri", or marginal reading, is, "under the soles of my feet"; that is, Solomon's, which agrees with what follows; it was true of both.

1 Kings 5:3 In-Context

1 King Hiram of Tyre sent his officials to Solomon when he heard that Solomon had been anointed king to succeed his father. Hiram had always been David's friend.

2 Solomon sent word to Hiram, by saying,

3 "You know that my father David was surrounded by war. He couldn't build a temple for the name of the LORD our God until the LORD let him defeat his enemies.

4 But the LORD my God has surrounded me with peace. I have no rival and no trouble.

5 Now I'm thinking of building a temple for the name of the LORD my God as the LORD spoke to my father David: 'Your son, whom I will put on your throne to succeed you, will build a temple for my name.'