1 Kings 9:12

12 But when Hiram came from Tyre to see the towns Solomon had given him, he was not at all pleased with them.

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 It took Solomon twenty years to build the LORD ’s Temple and his own royal palace. At the end of that time,

11 he gave twenty towns in the land of Galilee to King Hiram of Tyre. (Hiram had previously provided all the cedar and cypress timber and gold that Solomon had requested.)

12 But when Hiram came from Tyre to see the towns Solomon had given him, he was not at all pleased with them.

13 “What kind of towns are these, my brother?” he asked. So Hiram called that area Cabul (which means “worthless”), as it is still known today.

14 Nevertheless, Hiram paid Solomon 9,000 pounds of gold.