CLARITY EDITION · OLD TESTAMENT
1 Kings 9
Chapter 9 of 22
Chapter Overview
What happens in 1 Kings 9
God appears to Solomon a second time with both a promise and a warning. Solomon completes his building projects and expands trade. But there are hints of trouble in his use of forced labor and his giving away Israelite cities.
Scripture
1 Kings 9
God Appears to Solomon Again
Study note
After the temple and palace were finished, God appeared to Solomon a second time. He promised to put his name on the temple forever. But God also warned that if Solomon or his descendants turned away to worship other gods, Israel would be cut off from the land and the temple would be destroyed.
1 Solomon finished three projects. He built the Lord's temple, his own palace, and all his other buildings. And it came to pass, when Solomon had finished the building of the house of the LORD, and the king's house, and all Solomon's desire which he was pleased to do,
2 the Lord appeared to him a second time, just as he had at Gibeon. That the LORD appeared to Solomon the second time, as he had appeared unto him at Gibeon.
3 The Lord told him, "I have heard your prayer. I have made this temple holy by placing my name here permanently. My eyes and my heart will always be here." And the LORD said unto him, I have heard thy prayer and thy supplication, that thou hast made before me: I have hallowed this house, which thou hast built, to put my name there for ever; and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually.
4 "Live before me with truth and goodness, as your father David did. Follow all my commands. Keep my laws and rules." And if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, in integrity of heart, and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded thee, and wilt keep my statutes and my judgments:
5 "Then I will keep your royal throne over Israel. I told your father David, 'You will always have a son on Israel's throne.'" Then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom upon Israel for ever, as I promised to David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man upon the throne of Israel.
6 "But what if you or your children stop following me? What if you ignore my commands and serve other gods?" But if ye shall at all turn from following me, ye or your children, and will not keep my commandments and my statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods, and worship them:
7 "then I will remove Israel from the land I gave them. I will reject this temple I made holy for my name. Israel will become a joke and an insult among all nations." Then will I cut off Israel out of the land which I have given them; and this house, which I have hallowed for my name, will I cast out of my sight; and Israel shall be a proverb and a byword among all people:
8 "This temple looks great now. But one day, all who pass by will gasp in shock. They will ask, 'Why did the Lord do this to this land and this temple?'" And at this house, which is high, every one that passeth by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss; and they shall say, Why hath the LORD done thus unto this land, and to this house?
9 "And the answer will be, 'Because they turned their backs on the Lord their God, who brought their ancestors out of Egypt. They chose to worship and serve foreign gods. Therefore the Lord brought all this disaster upon them.'" And they shall answer, Because they forsook the LORD their God, who brought forth their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and have taken hold upon other gods, and have worshipped them, and served them: therefore hath the LORD brought upon them all this evil.
Solomon's Dealings with Hiram
Study note
After twenty years of building, Solomon gave Hiram twenty cities in Galilee as payment. But Hiram was not pleased with them, calling the area Cabul, which may mean 'worthless.' Despite this, Hiram sent Solomon 120 talents of gold.
10 Twenty years passed while Solomon was building the Lord's temple and his royal palace. And it came to pass at the end of twenty years, when Solomon had built the two houses, the house of the LORD, and the king's house,
11 King Hiram of Tyre had supplied Solomon with all the cedar, cypress, and gold he needed. In return, Solomon gave Hiram twenty towns in the Galilee region. (Now Hiram the king of Tyre had furnished Solomon with cedar trees and fir trees, and with gold, according to all his desire,) that then king Solomon gave Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee.
12 When Hiram traveled from Tyre to inspect the towns Solomon gave him, he was disappointed. And Hiram came out from Tyre to see the cities which Solomon had given him; and they pleased him not.
13 "What kind of towns are these, my friend?" Hiram complained. He nicknamed the area Cabul, and that name has stuck ever since. And he said, What cities are these which thou hast given me, my brother? And he called them the land of Cabul unto this day.
14 Hiram had already sent Solomon 120 talents of gold. And Hiram sent to the king sixscore talents of gold.
Solomon's Building Projects and Labor Force
Study note
Solomon used forced labor to build the temple, his palace, the supporting terraces called the Millo, the wall of Jerusalem, and the cities of Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer. The remaining non-Israelite peoples were made permanent forced laborers, while Israelites served as soldiers, officials, and officers.
15 Here is how King Solomon used forced labor. He built the Lord's temple, his palace, and the Millo. He also built Jerusalem's wall, Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer. And this is the reason of the levy which king Solomon raised; for to build the house of the LORD, and his own house, and Millo, and the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, and Megiddo, and Gezer.
16 Egypt's Pharaoh had previously attacked Gezer, burned it to the ground, and killed the Canaanites living there. He then gave the city to his daughter as a wedding present when she married Solomon. For Pharaoh king of Egypt had gone up, and taken Gezer, and burnt it with fire, and slain the Canaanites that dwelt in the city, and given it for a present unto his daughter, Solomon's wife.
17 Solomon rebuilt Gezer and Lower Beth-horon. And Solomon built Gezer, and Beth-horon the nether,
18 He also rebuilt Baalath, along with Tadmor out in the wilderness within his domain. And Baalath, and Tadmor in the wilderness, in the land,
19 He also built all his storage cities and towns for chariots and horses. He built all he wanted in Jerusalem, Lebanon, and his whole kingdom. And all the cities of store that Solomon had, and cities for his chariots, and cities for his horsemen, and that which Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem, and in Lebanon, and in all the land of his dominion.
20 There were still non-Israelite peoples left in the land: Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. And all the people that were left of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, which were not of the children of Israel,
21 The children of those people, whom the Israelites had not been able to wipe out fully, were put to work by Solomon in forced labor crews. They still serve that way today. Their children that were left after them in the land, whom the children of Israel also were not able utterly to destroy, upon those did Solomon levy a tribute of bondservice unto this day.
22 Solomon did not make any Israelites work as slaves. They served as soldiers, officials, leaders, officers, and chariot and horse commanders. But of the children of Israel did Solomon make no bondmen: but they were men of war, and his servants, and his princes, and his captains, and rulers of his chariots, and his horsemen.
23 There were 550 chief officers who watched over Solomon's building projects and the workers. These were the chief of the officers that were over Solomon's work, five hundred and fifty, which bare rule over the people that wrought in the work.
24 Pharaoh's daughter moved from the City of David. She went into the palace Solomon built for her. Then he built the Millo. But Pharaoh's daughter came up out of the city of David unto her house which Solomon had built for her: then did he build Millo.
25 Three times each year, Solomon offered burnt offerings and peace offerings on the altar he built for the Lord. He also burned incense before the Lord. This completed his obligations regarding the temple. And three times in a year did Solomon offer burnt offerings and peace offerings upon the altar which he built unto the LORD, and he burnt incense upon the altar that was before the LORD. So he finished the house.
Solomon's Fleet of Ships
Study note
Solomon built a fleet of ships at Ezion-geber on the Red Sea. Hiram sent skilled sailors to serve alongside Solomon's men. They sailed to Ophir and brought back 420 talents of gold.
26 King Solomon also put together a fleet of ships at Ezion-geber. This place was near Elath on the Red Sea coast in the land of Edom. And king Solomon made a navy of ships in Ezion-geber, which is beside Eloth, on the shore of the Red sea, in the land of Edom.
27 Hiram sent skilled sailors from his own crews to work with Solomon's men in the fleet. And Hiram sent in the navy his servants, shipmen that had knowledge of the sea, with the servants of Solomon.
28 They sailed to Ophir and brought back 420 talents of gold, which they delivered to King Solomon. And they came to Ophir, and fetched from thence gold, four hundred and twenty talents, and brought it to king Solomon.
Key Themes
Themes in 1 Kings 9
God's blessings come with conditions and responsibilitiesThe warning against apostasy and turning from GodThe temptation to compromise sacred things for political gainProsperity can lead to carelessness with God's gifts
Apply This Today
Living 1 Kings 9
God's second appearance to Solomon contained a stern warning alongside a wonderful promise. Spiritual privilege does not guarantee spiritual safety. The greater our blessings, the greater our responsibility to remain faithful. We must never take God's favor for granted.
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