וּשְׁלֹמֹה הָיָה מוֹשֵׁל בְּכָל־הַמַּמְלָכוֹת מִן־הַנָּהָר אֶרֶץ פְּלִשְׁתִּים וְעַד גְּבוּל מִצְרָיִם מַגִּשִׁים מִנְחָה וְעֹבְדִים אֶת־שְׁלֹמֹה כָּל־יְמֵי חַיָּיו

Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines, and further south to the border of Egypt; they, the inhabitants of this entire region, brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life. Not all of these nations were under his direct rule, but they were subject to his authority and considered him the supreme king.

וַיְהִי לֶחֶם־שְׁלֹמֹה לְיוֹם אֶחָד שְׁלֹשִׁים כֹּר סֹלֶת וְשִׁשִּׁים כֹּר קָמַח

Solomon’s provision for one day, the daily consumption of Solomon’s household, which included his large family, his court workers, and his guests, was thirty kor of high-quality flour and sixty kor of regular flour, which was thinner than the highest-quality flour. The kor was the largest unit of volume for both dry and liquid produce. A kor was approximately 220 L; some say about 360 L. The term appears in Aramaic, Sumerian, and Akkadian as well.

עֲשָׂרָה בָקָר בְּרִאִים וְעֶשְׂרִים בָּקָר רְעִי וּמֵאָה צֹאן לְבַד מֵאַיָּל וּצְבִי וְיַחְמוּר וּבַרְבֻּרִים אֲבוּסִים

The king’s provision also included ten fattened oxen, twenty grazing oxen, which would graze in the pasture and were consequently thinner than the ten fattened oxen but were perhaps tastier due to their physical activity, and one hundred sheep, along with deer, gazelle, fallow deer, all undomesticated species that were hunted for the court, and fattened fowl [barburim]. This may refer to swans, which are called barburim in modern Hebrew, or, alternatively, it may refer to chickens or geese. These dishes were supplied not merely to satisfy the hunger of the members of Solomon’s household but as a royal luxury.

כִּי־הוּא רֹדֶה בְּכָל־עֵבֶר הַנָּהָר מִתִּפְסַח וְעַד־עַזָּה בְּכָל־מַלְכֵי עֵבֶר הַנָּהָר וְשָׁלוֹם הָיָה לוֹ מִכָּל־עֲבָרָיו מִסָּבִיב

For he ruled over the entire region beyond the Euphrates River to the west, from Tifsah, which according to one opinion was located along the Euphrates River, to Gaza, over all the kings beyond the river, and he had peace on all sides around.

וַיֵּשֶׁב יְהוּדָה וְיִשְׂרָאֵל לָבֶטַח אִישׁ תַּחַת גַּפְנוֹ וְתַחַת תְּאֵנָתוֹ מִדָּן וְעַד־בְּאֵר שָׁבַע כֹּל יְמֵי שְׁלֹמֹה

Judah and Israel lived in security, serenity, and peace, each man under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon.

וַיְהִי לִשְׁלֹמֹה אַרְבָּעִים אֶלֶף אֻרְוֹת סוּסִים לְמֶרְכָּבוֹ וּשְׁנֵים־עָשָׂר אֶלֶף פָּרָשִׁים

Solomon had forty thousand horses’ stables for his chariots and twelve thousand horsemen. These were not just for show, but for regional deterrence and as an accessible force when necessary. Solomon also traded in these animals, transferring horses from Egypt to the northern kingdoms. This was a major source of income for his kingdom (see 10:28–29).

וְכִלְכְּלוּ הַנִּצָּבִים הָאֵלֶּה אֶת־הַמֶּלֶךְ שְׁלֹמֹה וְאֵת כָּל־הַקָּרֵב אֶל־שֻׁלְחַן הַמֶּלֶךְ־שְׁלֹמֹה אִישׁ חָדְשׁוֹ לֹא יְעַדְּרוּ דָּבָר

These officials mentioned in the previous section, the governors of the thirteen districts, provisioned King Solomon and everyone who came to King Solomon’s table; each had his month; they did not leave anything lacking. Each officer collected taxes from the district under his jurisdiction, to provide the king’s requirements for one month a year.

וְהַשְּׂעֹרִים וְהַתֶּבֶן לַסּוּסִים וְלָרָכֶשׁ יָבִאוּ אֶל־הַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר יִהְיֶה־שָּׁם אִישׁ כְּמִשְׁפָּטוֹ

The barley and the straw, which were used primarily as food for the horses and steeds, would be brought to the place where they were, Solomon’s large stalls, by each official according to his assignment.

וַיִּתֵּן אֱלֹהִים חָכְמָה לִשְׁלֹמֹה וּתְבוּנָה הַרְבֵּה מְאֹד וְרֹחַב לֵב כַּחוֹל אֲשֶׁר עַל־שְׂפַת הַיָּם

God granted wisdom to Solomon and very great discernment, and breadth of interest, the motivation and capacity to broaden the horizons of knowledge, like the sand that is on the seashore. His wisdom covered many areas. Wisdom is the basic ability to acquire knowledge, while discernment refers to analytical skills.

וַתֵּרֶב חָכְמַת שְׁלֹמֹה מֵחָכְמַת כָּל־בְּנֵי־קֶדֶם וּמִכֹּל חָכְמַת מִצְרָיִם

Solomon’s wisdom exceeded the wisdom of all the children of the east, who had advanced cultures and traditions, and all the wisdom of Egypt, which considered itself the center of civilization at that time.

וַיֶּחְכַּם מִכָּל־הָאָדָם מֵאֵיתָן הָאֶזְרָחִי וְהֵימָן וְכַלְכֹּל וְדַרְדַּע בְּנֵי מָחוֹל וַיְהִי־שְׁמוֹ בְכָל־הַגּוֹיִם סָבִיב

He became the wisest of all people, more than Eitan the Ezrahite, and Heiman, Kalkol, and Darda, sons of Mahol. Alternatively, sons of mahol [dance] means that they composed the hymns that were sung in the Temple. These men were considered the intellectual giants of their time. His renown was in all the nations around. He was renowned not only for being a great ruler but for his great wisdom, which was revered far and wide.

וַיְדַבֵּר שְׁלֹשֶׁת אֲלָפִים מָשָׁל וַיְהִי שִׁירוֹ חֲמִשָּׁה וָאָלֶף

He spoke, created, three thousand proverbs, wise adages and maxims; and his songs that he wrote were one thousand and five.

וַיְדַבֵּר עַל־הָעֵצִים מִן־הָאֶרֶז אֲשֶׁר בַּלְּבָנוֹן וְעַד הָאֵזוֹב אֲשֶׁר יֹצֵא בַּקִּיר וַיְדַבֵּר עַל־הַבְּהֵמָה וְעַל־הָעוֹף וְעַל־הָרֶמֶשׂ וְעַל־הַדָּגִים

He spoke matters of wisdom and insight not only about human life but also of the trees, from the cedar that is in the Lebanon to the small hyssop that comes out on the wall; he spoke of the animals, and of the birds, of crawling creatures, and of fish. His proverbs and songs covered all of these topics, as he was expert in every area of human knowledge.

וַיָּבֹאוּ מִכָּל־הָעַמִּים לִשְׁמֹעַ אֵת חָכְמַת שְׁלֹמֹה מֵאֵת כָּל־מַלְכֵי הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר שָׁמְעוּ אֶת־חָכְמָתוֹ

There came from all the peoples to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all kings of the earth, who had heard of his wisdom.

וַיִּשְׁלַח חִירָם מֶלֶךְ־צוֹר אֶת־עֲבָדָיו אֶל־שְׁלֹמֹה כִּי שָׁמַע כִּי אֹתוֹ מָשְׁחוּ לְמֶלֶךְ תַּחַת אָבִיהוּ כִּי אֹהֵב הָיָה חִירָם לְדָוִד כָּל־הַיָּמִים

Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon, for he had heard that it was he who had been anointed king in place of his father, for Hiram had been a friend of David all the days. This friendship might have been due to the fact that David was a good customer of Hiram, who had sent David materials and expert architects for the construction of David’s house. When Solomon succeeded his father, Hiram sent him a delegation in order to offer his congratulations and strengthen their diplomatic ties, following the accepted etiquette between kings.

וַיִּשְׁלַח שְׁלֹמֹה אֶל־חִירָם לֵאמֹר׃

Solomon sent to Hiram, saying:

אַתָּה יָדַעְתָּ אֶת־דָּוִד אָבִי כִּי לֹא יָכֹל לִבְנוֹת בַּיִת לְשֵׁם ה' אֱלֹהָיו מִפְּנֵי הַמִּלְחָמָה אֲשֶׁר סְבָבֻהוּ עַד תֵּת־ה' אֹתָם תַּחַת כַּפּוֹת רַגְלָי

You knew of David my father that he was unable to build a house for the name of the Lord his God. As part of David’s dream to establish fully a kingdom of Israel, he yearned to build a permanent Temple for God in a specific location, in accordance with the commandment of the Torah. However, although David chose Mount Moriah as the site for the Temple, he was unable to build it himself, due to the warfare and enemies that surrounded him, until the Lord delivered them under my feet. The prophet prohibited David from building the Temple because he was a man of war, who had spilled much blood. Here, however, Solomon mentions the wars not as an essential impediment but simply as an activity that kept his father too busy to devote much time to this great project.

וְעַתָּה הֵנִיחַ ה' אֱלֹהַי לִי מִסָּבִיב אֵין שָׂטָן וְאֵין פֶּגַע רָע

But now, after my father has suppressed all the surrounding nations, the Lord my God has granted me rest all around; none hinder, and there is no trouble. My kingdom enjoys peace and tranquility.

וְהִנְנִי אֹמֵר לִבְנוֹת בַּיִת לְשֵׁם ה' אֱלֹהָי כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר ה' אֶל־דָּוִד אָבִי לֵאמֹר בִּנְךָ אֲשֶׁר אֶתֵּן תַּחְתֶּיךָ עַל־כִּסְאֶךָ הוּא־יִבְנֶה הַבַּיִת לִשְׁמִי

Behold, I propose to build a House for the name of the Lord my God, as the Lord spoke to David my father, saying: Your son, whom I will put on your throne in your place, he will build the House for My name. I wish to complete my father’s project, as God informed him that his son would do so.

וְעַתָּה צַוֵּה וְיִכְרְתוּ־לִי אֲרָזִים מִן־הַלְּבָנוֹן וַעֲבָדַי יִהְיוּ עִם־עֲבָדֶיךָ וּשְׂכַר עֲבָדֶיךָ אֶתֵּן לְךָ כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר תֹּאמֵר כִּי אַתָּה יָדַעְתָּ כִּי אֵין בָּנוּ אִישׁ יֹדֵעַ לִכְרָת־עֵצִים כַּצִּדֹנִים

After this introduction, Solomon got down to business: Now, command that they hew cedars for me from the Lebanon for the construction of the Temple; my servants, who are not experts in hewing, will be with your servants, and I will give you your servants’ wages according to everything that you will say. This may include payment for the wood itself. It is unclear whether in those times natural resources were considered the property of the kingdom, and therefore could not be taken without payment, or whether they were considered ownerless, in which case payment was necessary only for the laborers’ work. For you know that there is no man among us who knows to hew timber like the Sidonites, the residents of the Phoenician kingdom. These cedar trees grew in the Lebanon, and hewing a large quantity of them certainly required expertise.

וַיְהִי כִּשְׁמֹעַ חִירָם אֶת־דִּבְרֵי שְׁלֹמֹה וַיִּשְׂמַח מְאֹד וַיֹּאמֶר בָּרוּךְ ה' הַיּוֹם אֲשֶׁר נָתַן לְדָוִד בֵּן חָכָם עַל־הָעָם הָרָב הַזֶּה

It was when Hiram heard the words of Solomon that he rejoiced greatly over the new king of Israel’s friendly message and large order of wood, and he said: Blessed is the Lord today, who has given to David a wise son over this numerous people.

וַיִּשְׁלַח חִירָם אֶל־שְׁלֹמֹה לֵאמֹר שָׁמַעְתִּי אֵת אֲשֶׁר־שָׁלַחְתָּ אֵלָי אֲנִי אֶעֱשֶׂה אֶת־כָּל־חֶפְצְךָ בַּעֲצֵי אֲרָזִים וּבַעֲצֵי בְרוֹשִׁים

Hiram sent to Solomon, saying: I have heard and accepted that which you sent to me. I will do everything that you desire with cedarwood and juniper wood.

עֲבָדַי יֹרִדוּ מִן־הַלְּבָנוֹן יָמָּה וַאֲנִי אֲשִׂימֵם דֹּבְרוֹת בַּיָּם עַד־הַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר־תִּשְׁלַח אֵלַי וְנִפַּצְתִּים שָׁם וְאַתָּה תִשָּׂא וְאַתָּה תַּעֲשֶׂה אֶת־חֶפְצִי לָתֵת לֶחֶם בֵּיתִי

My servants will take them, the trees, down from the Lebanon to the sea; I will place them in the sea as rafts and have them sail to the place that you will send to me. On account of the trees’ size and weight, the easiest way to move them southward was by tying them together into rafts and sending them by sea. And I will dismantle them there, and you will carry them, the trees, away to Jerusalem. You will do my wish, to provide food for my household. You will pay for my expenses.

וַיְהִי חִירוֹם נֹתֵן לִשְׁלֹמֹה עֲצֵי אֲרָזִים וַעֲצֵי בְרוֹשִׁים כָל־חֶפְצוֹ

Hiram gave Solomon cedarwood and juniper wood, all that he desired.

וּשְׁלֹמֹה נָתַן לְחִירָם עֶשְׂרִים אֶלֶף כֹּר חִטִּים מַכֹּלֶת לְבֵיתוֹ וְעֶשְׂרִים כֹּר שֶׁמֶן כָּתִית כֹּה־יִתֵּן שְׁלֹמֹה לְחִירָם שָׁנָה בְשָׁנָה

Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand kor of wheat, provision for his household, and twenty kor of virgin oil, extracted by manually beating olives, which is a higher-quality oil than that produced in an oil press. So Solomon would give to Hiram year by year, each year of the construction of the Temple and Solomon’s other construction projects. II Chronicles (2:9) lists additional food items that Solomon pledged to send Hiram. That verse further indicates that the food payment was for the workers’ provisions.

וַה' נָתַן חָכְמָה לִשְׁלֹמֹה כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר לוֹ וַיְהִי שָׁלֹם בֵּין חִירָם וּבֵין שְׁלֹמֹה וַיִּכְרְתוּ בְרִית שְׁנֵיהֶם

The Lord gave wisdom to Solomon, as He had said to him (3:12). There was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them established a covenant. They probably met for a ceremonial signing of a covenant of peace.

וַיַּעַל הַמֶּלֶךְ שְׁלֹמֹה מַס מִכָּל־יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיְהִי הַמַּס שְׁלֹשִׁים אֶלֶף אִישׁ

King Solomon raised a levy from all Israel; the levy was not monetary but a draft of thirty thousand men for the king’s labor.

וַיִּשְׁלָחֵם לְבָנוֹנָה עֲשֶׂרֶת אֲלָפִים בַּחֹדֶשׁ חֲלִיפוֹת חֹדֶשׁ יִהְיוּ בַלְּבָנוֹן שְׁנַיִם חֳדָשִׁים בְּבֵיתוֹ וַאֲדֹנִירָם עַל־הַמַּס

He sent them to Lebanon to assist Hiram in choosing and transporting the trees. The thirty thousand men did not all travel together; rather, he sent ten thousand men a month, in shifts, in shifts of ten thousand: One month they would be in the Lebanon, in active service for the kingdom, and two months each would be at his home, after which they returned to Lebanon for a month, and so on. Adoniram, one of Solomon’s ministers, was in charge of the levy, as stated above (4:6).

וַיְהִי לִשְׁלֹמֹה שִׁבְעִים אֶלֶף נֹשֵׂא סַבָּל וּשְׁמֹנִים אֶלֶף חֹצֵב בָּהָר

Despite the massive use of wood from Lebanon, the Temple was built mainly from stone. Therefore, in addition to the thirty thousand men that he sent to Lebanon, Solomon had seventy thousand porters, who transported hewn stones to the construction site, and eighty thousand quarrymen.

לְבַד מִשָּׂרֵי הַנִּצָּבִים לִשְׁלֹמֹה אֲשֶׁר עַל־הַמְּלָאכָה שְׁלֹשֶׁת אֲלָפִים וּשְׁלֹשׁ מֵאוֹת הָרֹדִים בָּעָם הָעֹשִׂים בַּמְּלָאכָה

Those were the king’s ordinary laborers, besides Solomon’s chief officers who were appointed managers in charge of the labor. These numbered three thousand three hundred, who governed the people who were performing the labor. They were in charge of supervising the pace and quality of the work.

וַיְצַו הַמֶּלֶךְ וַיַּסִּעוּ אֲבָנִים גְּדֹלוֹת אֲבָנִים יְקָרוֹת לְיַסֵּד הַבָּיִת אַבְנֵי גָזִית

The king commanded, and they transported great stones, heavy stones, to lay the foundation of the House with hewn stones, chiseled and molded stones. Due to the sanctity of the site, the stones were not chiseled near the Temple, and for technical reasons the main chiseling was performed at the quarry.

וַיִּפְסְלוּ בֹּנֵי שְׁלֹמֹה וּבֹנֵי חִירוֹם וְהַגִּבְלִים וַיָּכִינוּ הָעֵצִים וְהָאֲבָנִים לִבְנוֹת הַבָּיִת

Solomon’s builders, Hiram’s builders, and the Gevalites, men of Geval, shaped them, and they prepared the wood and the stones to build the House. All this labor was performed in preparation for the immense project of the construction of the Temple.