Verse-by-Verse Commentary
The Book of 1 Kings
Chapter 5: I Purpose to Build an House Unto the Name of the LORD
With rest given on every side, Solomon turns to the great work his father David longed for: building a house for the name of the LORD. He allies with Hiram of Tyre for cedar and fir, and vast companies of workers hew timber and quarry costly stones to lay the foundation of the temple.
About This Commentary
This is a verse-by-verse study of 1 Kings chapter 5. For each section you will find the KJV text, the Hebrew words that sharpen the meaning, plain explanation, and a Gospel Focus. Chapter 5 records the preparations for building the temple. Every Scripture quotation is from the King James Version.
Solomon's League With Hiram (1 Kings 5:1-12)
Having rest on every side, Solomon arranges with Hiram of Tyre for the cedar and fir to build the LORD's house.
He Shall Build an House Unto My Name
"And Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants unto Solomon; for he had heard that they had anointed him king in the room of his father: for Hiram was ever a lover of David. And Solomon sent to Hiram, saying, Thou knowest how that David my father could not build an house unto the name of the LORD his God for the wars which were about him on every side, until the LORD put them under the soles of his feet. But now the LORD my God hath given me rest on every side, so that there is neither adversary nor evil occurrent. And, behold, I purpose to build an house unto the name of the LORD my God, as the LORD spake unto David my father, saying, Thy son, whom I will set upon thy throne in thy room, he shall build an house unto my name. Now therefore command thou that they hew me cedar trees out of Lebanon; and my servants shall be with thy servants: and unto thee will I give hire for thy servants according to all that thou shalt appoint: for thou knowest that there is not among us any that can skill to hew timber like unto the Sidonians. And it came to pass, when Hiram heard the words of Solomon, that he rejoiced greatly, and said, Blessed be the LORD this day, which hath given unto David a wise son over this great people. And Hiram sent to Solomon, saying, I have considered the things which thou sentest to me for: and I will do all thy desire concerning timber of cedar, and concerning timber of fir. My servants shall bring them down from Lebanon unto the sea: and I will convey them by sea in floats unto the place that thou shalt appoint me, and will cause them to be discharged there, and thou shalt receive them: and thou shalt accomplish my desire, in giving food for my household. So Hiram gave Solomon cedar trees and fir trees according to all his desire. And Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand measures of wheat for food to his household, and twenty measures of pure oil: thus gave Solomon to Hiram year by year. And the LORD gave Solomon wisdom, as he promised him: and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon; and they two made a league together."
Word Study
"rest on every side," Hebrew menuchah (מְנוּחָה), "rest, quietness, settled repose." Solomon can build the temple because "the LORD my God hath given me rest (menuchah) on every side." David, a man of war, could not build it; the house of God is built in a season of rest, not of warfare. This is deeply fitting: God's dwelling is a house of peace, and it was for Solomon (whose name means peace) to build it. There is a gospel pattern here. The true temple, the church, the dwelling of God by the Spirit, is built upon the rest that Christ, the Prince of Peace, has won; "he is our peace" (Ephesians 2:14), and having "made peace through the blood of his cross" (Colossians 1:20), He builds His people into "an habitation of God through the Spirit" (Ephesians 2:22). Notice too that a Gentile king, Hiram of Tyre, gladly supplies materials for God's house and blesses the LORD, a quiet foreshadowing of the nations brought in to be built together into God's temple, "in whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God" (Ephesians 2:22). The house of the LORD is built in peace, and even the Gentiles bring their gifts to it.
Explanation
Hiram, king of Tyre and a longtime friend of David, sends congratulations to the new king, and Solomon seizes the opportunity to arrange for the temple's materials. He explains that David could not build God's house because of constant war, but now the LORD has given rest on every side, fulfilling God's word that David's son would build the house for His name. Solomon asks Hiram for cedar from Lebanon, whose Sidonian woodsmen were unmatched, offering Israeli labor alongside and generous payment in food. Hiram rejoices, blesses the LORD for giving David a wise son, and agrees to supply cedar and fir, floated by sea to Israel, in exchange for wheat and oil. The two kings make a treaty of peace, and the great work of preparation begins, all in a time of God-given rest.
Gospel Focus
That the temple was built in a time of rest, not war, is rich with gospel meaning. God's dwelling is a house of peace, built not by the sword but in the calm the LORD gives. And the true temple, God's dwelling among His people, is founded on a greater rest: the peace Christ made "through the blood of his cross." He "is our peace," and on that finished peace He builds His church, "an habitation of God through the Spirit." We do not build God's house by striving and warfare of the flesh, but out of the rest Christ has won. And here, even a Gentile king brings his best to the house of God and blesses the LORD, a foretaste of the nations gathered in, "builded together for an habitation of God." The church is being built of Jew and Gentile alike, on the peace of Christ, into a temple for God's own dwelling. Rest in the peace He has made, and bring your gifts to the building of His house.
The Labor and the Foundation Stones (1 Kings 5:13-18)
Vast companies of workers hew timber and quarry great costly stones to lay the foundation of the house.
Costly Stones to Lay the Foundation
"And king Solomon raised a levy out of all Israel; and the levy was thirty thousand men. And he sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month by courses: a month they were in Lebanon, and two months at home: and Adoniram was over the levy. And Solomon had threescore and ten thousand that bare burdens, and fourscore thousand hewers in the mountains; Beside the chief of Solomon's officers which were over the work, three thousand and three hundred, which ruled over the people that wrought in the work. And the king commanded, and they brought great stones, costly stones, and hewed stones, to lay the foundation of the house. And Solomon's builders and Hiram's builders did hew them, and the stonesquarers: so they prepared timber and stones to build the house."
Word Study
"to lay the foundation," Hebrew yasad (יָסַד), "to found, establish, lay a foundation." The workers brought "great stones, costly stones, and hewed stones, to lay the foundation (yasad) of the house." A building endures by its foundation, and the temple's was laid with massive, precious, carefully shaped stones. This points forward unmistakably. The true temple is founded on Christ, "for other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 3:11), and He is the "chief corner stone, elect, precious" (1 Peter 2:6), the "great stone, costly" on which all rests. Believers, in turn, are "lively stones" quarried out of the world, shaped and fitted, "built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone" (Ephesians 2:20). Note that the stones were "hewed" and "prepared", shaped before being set in place (the next chapter adds that no tool was heard at the building itself, 6:7). So God quarries and shapes His living stones, often through the hammer and chisel of trial, away from the final scene, that they may be fitly framed together into His holy temple. The costly foundation stones of Solomon's temple preach the precious, unshakable foundation of the true house of God, Jesus Christ.
Explanation
The scale of the work is enormous. Solomon conscripts a labor levy of thirty thousand Israelites, sent to Lebanon in rotating shifts of ten thousand a month, under Adoniram. Besides these, he has seventy thousand burden-bearers and eighty thousand stonecutters in the mountains, overseen by thousands of officers. Great, costly, carefully hewn stones are quarried to lay the temple's foundation, and Solomon's and Hiram's builders, with the stonesquarers, shape the timber and stone. All is prepared with immense labor and care for the house of God. The chapter closes with everything readied, timber floated from Lebanon and massive foundation stones cut and dressed, so that the actual building, described in chapter 6, can proceed.
Gospel Focus
The great, costly, carefully hewn foundation stones of the temple preach the gospel of the true house of God. Its foundation is Christ, the "chief corner stone, elect, precious," on whom the whole building rests, "other foundation can no man lay." And believers are the living stones built upon Him, quarried out of the world, shaped and fitted for their place. The stones were hewn and prepared before being laid, and so God shapes His people, often by the chisel of trial and the hammer of discipline, that we may be "fitly framed together" into "an holy temple in the Lord" (Ephesians 2:21). The great labor and care lavished on Solomon's temple reflect the far greater care with which God builds His eternal house, sparing not His own Son to be its foundation. Are you resting on that precious foundation, and yielding to the Master-builder's shaping, that you may be a living stone in the temple of God? Nothing built on any other foundation will stand; everything built on Christ endures for ever.
Chapter 5 in Review
1 Kings 5 records the preparations for building the temple. Having rest on every side, Solomon takes up the work David longed to do but could not, for God had said David's son would build the house for His name. He allies with Hiram of Tyre, who gladly supplies cedar and fir in exchange for wheat and oil, blessing the LORD for David's wise son. Then vast companies of workers, a levy of thirty thousand, seventy thousand burden-bearers, eighty thousand stonecutters, quarry great, costly stones and hew timber to lay the foundation of the house.
For the Apostolic reader, the chapter is full of the gospel of God's house. The temple was built in a time of rest, foreshadowing the true temple, the church, built on the peace Christ made through the blood of His cross, "for he is our peace." A Gentile king bringing his best to God's house foreshadows the nations built together into God's habitation. And the great, costly, carefully hewn foundation stones point to Christ, the precious chief cornerstone, on whom believers as living stones are built and fitly framed into a holy temple for God. Rest on that foundation, and yield to the Builder's shaping.
- The temple was built in rest, not war; God's house is founded on the peace Christ has made.
- A Gentile king brought his gifts to God's house, a foretaste of the nations built together into God's habitation.
- The costly foundation stones point to Christ, the "chief corner stone, elect, precious."
- The stones were hewn and prepared; God shapes His living stones, often by trial, to fit His temple.
Questions for Reflection
- Are you building on the rest and peace Christ has won, or striving in the warfare of the flesh?
- Are you resting on the one true foundation, Jesus Christ, the precious cornerstone?
- Will you yield to the Master-builder's shaping, that you may be a living stone in His temple?
References & Sources
Scripture is quoted from the King James Version (KJV). The Hebrew terms are standard and can be checked in any Hebrew lexicon. Supporting passages are listed so every claim can be verified in its own setting. If anything here does not look right, a verse, a reference, or a wording, please tell us at info@FruitBearers.net. Thank you for helping us keep Bible Learning error free.
- Rest for building; the house of peace; the Gentiles' gifts: 1 Kings 5:1-12; Ephesians 2:14; Colossians 1:20; Ephesians 2:22.
- The foundation stones; Christ the precious cornerstone; living stones: 1 Kings 5:13-18; 1 Corinthians 3:11; 1 Peter 2:6; Ephesians 2:20-21.