1KI 5

1 Kings 5:14

WEB

He sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month by courses: for a month they were in Lebanon, and two months at home; and Adoniram was over the men subject to forced labor.

BSB

He sent them to Lebanon in monthly shifts of 10,000 men, so that they would spend one month in Lebanon and two months at home. And Adoniram was in charge of the forced labor.

KJV

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.

Matthew Henry

Verses 10–18

1 Kings 5:10–18

Here is, I. The performance of the agreement between Solomon and Hiram. Each of the parties made good his engagement. 1. Hiram delivered Solomon the timber, according to his bargain, Kg1 5:10. The trees were Solomon's, but perhaps - Materiam superabat opus - The workmanship was of more value than the article. Hiram is therefore said to deliver the trees. 2. Solomon conveyed to Hiram the corn which he had promised him, Kg1 5:11. Thus let justice be followed (as the expression is, Deu 16:20), justice on both sides, in every bargain.

II. The confirmation of the friendship that was between them hereby. God gave Solomon wisdom (Kg1 5:12), which was more and better than any thing Hiram did or could give him; but this made Hiram love him, and enabled Solomon to improve his kindness, so that they were both willing to ripen their mutual love into a mutual league, that it might be lasting. It is wisdom to strengthen our friendship with those whom we find to be honest and fair, lest new friends prove not so firm and so kind as old ones.

III. The labourers whom Solomon employed in preparing materials for the temple. 1. Some were Israelites, who were employed in the more easy and honourable part of the work, felling trees and helping to square them, in conjunction with Hiram's servants; for this he appointed 30,000, but employed only 10,000 at a time, so that for one month's work they had two months' vacation, both for rest and for the despatch of their own affairs at home, Kg1 5:13, Kg1 5:14. It was temple service, yet Solomon takes care that they shall not be over-worked. Great men ought to consider that their servants must rest as well as they. 2. Others were captives of other nations, who were to bear burdens and to hew stone (Kg1 5:15), and we read not that these had their resting times as the other had, for they were doomed to servitude. 3. There were some employed as directors and overseers (Kg1 5:16), 3300 that ruled over the people, and they were as necessary and useful in their place as the labourers in theirs; here were many hands and many eyes employed, for preparation was now to be made, not only for the temple, but for all the rest of Solomon's buildings, at Jerusalem, and here in the forest of Lebanon, and in other places of his dominion, of which see Kg1 9:17-19. He speaks of the vastness of his undertakings (Ecc 2:4, I made me great works), which required this vast number of workmen.

IV. The laying of the foundation of the temple; for that is the building his heart is chiefly upon, and therefore he begins with that, Kg1 5:17, Kg1 5:18. It should seem, Solomon was himself present, and president, at the founding of the temple, and that the first stone (as has been usual in famous buildings) was laid with some solemnity. Solomon commanded and they brought costly stones for the foundation; he would do every thing like himself, generously, and therefore would have some of the costliest stones laid, or buried rather, in the foundation, though, being out of sight, worse might have served. Christ, who is laid for a foundation, is an elect and precious stone (Isa 28:16), and the foundations of the church are said to be laid with sapphires, Isa 54:11, compare Rev 21:19. That sincerity which is our gospel perfection obliges us to lay our foundation firm and to bestow most pains on that part of our religion which lies out of the sight of men.

Cross-references: 1Kgs 5:10 · 1Kgs 5:11 · Deut 16:20 · 1Kgs 5:12 · 1Kgs 5:13 · 1Kgs 5:14 · 1Kgs 5:15 · 1Kgs 5:16 · 1Kgs 9:17 · Eccl 2:4 · 1Kgs 5:17 · 1Kgs 5:18 · Isa 28:16 · Isa 54:11 · Rev 21:19

Hebrew interlinear

H7971

שָׁלַחshâlach/shaw-lakh'/

v — send

Derivation: a primitive root;

to send away, for, or out (in a great variety of applications)

KJV: × any wise, appoint, bring (on the way), cast (away, out), conduct, × earnestly, forsake, give (up), grow long, lay, leave, let depart (down, go, loose), push away, put (away, forth, in, out), reach forth, send (away, forth, out), set, shoot (forth, out), sow, spread, stretch forth (out).

שָׁלַח

vb — send

שָׁלַח 814 vb. send

Qal

1. send: human subj.

2. send: subj. י׳ (God)

3. stretch out, esp. acc. hand

4. rarely send away: human subj.

5. let loose

Niph. letters were sent

Pi.

1. send off, away, human subj.

2.

a. send away, subj. י׳

b. give over

c. cast out

d. send out, forth

3. let go, set free

4. shoot forth branches

5. let down

6. shoot

7. Phrases

Pu. be sent off (started on journey); be put away, divorced, of wife; be impelled(?)

Hiph. and I (י׳) will send

H3844

לְבָנוֹןLᵉbânôwn/leb-aw-nohn'/

n-pr-loc — Lebanon

Derivation: from 3825; (the) white mountain (from its snow);

Lebanon, a mountain range in Palestine

KJV: Lebanon.

לְבָנוֹן

n.pr.mont — Lebanon

לְבָנוֹן 71 n.pr.mont. Lebanon

H6235

עֶשֶׂרʻeser/eh'ser/

n — ten

Derivation: masculine of term עֲשָׂרָה; from 6237;

ten (as an accumulation to the extent of the digits)

KJV: ten, (fif-, seven-) teen.

עֶשֶׂר

n.m — ten

עֶשֶׂר, עֲשָׂרָה 176 n.m. and f. ten

H505

אֶלֶףʼeleph/eh'-lef/

n-m — thousand

Derivation: prop, the same as 504;

hence (the ox's head being the first letter of the alphabet, and this eventually used as a numeral) a thousand

KJV: thousand.

אֶ֫לֶף

n.m — thousand

אֶ֫לֶף n.m. thousand

H2320

חֹדֶשׁchôdesh/kho'-desh/

n-m — new, month

Derivation: from 2318;

the new moon; by implication, a month

KJV: month(-ly), new moon.

חֹ֫דֶשׁ

n.m — newness

חֹ֫דֶשׁ 282 n.m. (newness), new moon, month

H2487

חֲלִיפָהchălîyphâh/khal-ee-faw'/

n-f — alternation

Derivation: from 2498;

alternation

KJV: change, course.

חֲלִיפָה

n.f — a change

[חֲלִיפָה] n.f. a change (from the idea of replacing, changing, substituting)

1. change of raiment

2. relays

3. revival after death, under fig. of relief from milit. service

4. changing, varying, of course of life

H1961

הָיָהhâyâh/haw-yaw/

v — exist, be, become, come to pass

Derivation: a primitive root (compare 1933);

to exist, i.e. be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)

KJV: beacon, × altogether, be(-come), accomplished, committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), do, faint, fall, follow, happen, × have, last, pertain, quit (one-) self, require, × use.

הָיָה

vb — fall out

הָיָה 3570 vb. fall out, come to pass, become, be

Qal

I.

1.

a. Fall out, happen

b. occur, take place, come about, come to pass

2. esp. & very oft., come about, come to pass

a.

(1). וַיְהִי and it came to pass that, most often (c. 292 t.)

(2). rarely also Pf. c. וְ conj. וְהָיָה

b. less oft. וְהָיָה Pf. consec. and it shall come to pass, or frequentat. came to pass (repeatedly, etc.)

II. Come into being, become

1.

a. abs., in lively narrative, arise, appear, come

b. sq. prep.

2. become

a. sq. pred. noun (to be viewed as implicit accus.)

b. sq. pred. adj.

c. become like

d. sq. pred. לְ pers.

e. sq. לְ pred.

f. oft. c. לְ pred. לְ pers.

g. with עַל and לְ

h. sts. c. לְ pers. only = became the property of, come into the possession of

III. Be (often with subbordinate idea of becoming)

1. exist, be in existence

2. abide, remain, continue

3. with word of locality, be in or at a place, be situated, stand, lie

4. as copula, joining subj. & pred.

5. periphrastic conjug.

Niph.

1. either be done, be brought about, or occur, come to pass

2. be done, finished, gone

H8147

שְׁנַיִםshᵉnayim/shen-ah'-yim/

n — two, twofold

Derivation: dual of 8145; feminine שְׁתַּיִם;

two; also (as ordinal) twofold

KJV: both, couple, double, second, twain, twelfth, twelve, twenty (sixscore) thousand, twice, two.

שְׁנַ֫יִם

n.m — two

שְׁנַ֫יִם, שְׁתַּיִם 768 n.m. et f. du. two

H1004

בַּיִתbayith/bah'-yith/

n-m — a house

Derivation: probably from 1129 abbreviated;

a house (in the greatest variation of applications, especially family, etc.)

KJV: court, daughter, door, + dungeon, family, + forth of, × great as would contain, hangings, home(born), (winter) house(-hold), inside(-ward), palace, place, + prison, + steward, + tablet, temple, web, + within(-out).

בֵּית

prep — between

בֵּית fem. of בַּיִן, בֵּין prep. between

בַּ֫יִת

n.m — house

בַּ֫יִת 2034 n.m. house

1. house

2. place

3. receptacle

4. of house as containing a family

5. household, family (592 t.)

6. house, including household affairs

7. lit. housewards, hence metaph. inwards

8. מִבַּיִת

a. adv. on the inside

b. prep. within

H141

אֲדֹנִירָםʼĂdônîyrâm/ad-o-nee-rawm'/

n-pr-m — Adoniram

Derivation: from 113 and 7311; lord of height;

Adoniram, an Israelite

KJV: Adoniram.

אֲדֹנִירָם

n.pr.m — Adoniram

אֲדֹנִירָם n.pr.m. (my Lord is exalted) official of Solom.

H5921

עַלʻal/al/

prep — above, over, upon, against

Derivation: properly, the same as 5920 used as a preposition (in the singular or plural often with prefix, or as conjunction with a particle following);

above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications

KJV: above, according to(-ly), after, (as) against, among, and, × as, at, because of, beside (the rest of), between, beyond the time, × both and, by (reason of), × had the charge of, concerning for, in (that), (forth, out) of, (from) (off), (up-) on, over, than, through(-out), to, touching, × with.

כִּי עַל כֵּן

forasmuch as

כִּי עַל כֵּן forasmuch as

עַל

subst — above

עַל, עָ֑ל

I. subst. height

II. As prep. upon, and hence on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against

1. Upon, of the substratum upon which an object in any way rests, or on which an action is performed

a.

(a). of clothing, etc., which any one wears

(b). With verbs of covering or protecting, even though the cover or veil be not over or above the thing covered, but around or before it

b. Of what rests heavily upon a person, or is a burden to him

c. Of a duty, payment, care, etc., imposed upon a person, or devolving on him

d. על is used idiom. to give pathos to the expression of an emotion, by emphasizing the person who is its subject, and who, as it were, feels it acting upon him

e. חָיָה עַל to live upon (as upon a foundation or support)

f. Of the ground or basis, on which a thing is done

2. It expresses excess

3. It denotes elevation or pre-eminence

4. It expresses addition

5. It expresses the idea of being extended, or suspended over anything, without however being in contact with it, above, over

6. From the sense of inclining or impending over, על comes to denote contiguity or proximity, Engl. by (or sts. on)

7. In connection with verbs of motion (actual or fig.)

8. By writers of the silver age, על is sts. used with the force of a dative

9. With other particles:

III. As conj.

a. עַל אֲשֶׁר because that

b. עַל כִּי similar in meaning, but less frequent

c. עַל alone:

(a). because

(b). notwithstanding that, although

IV. Compounds:

1. with כְּ (rare and late)

a. as concerning, as upon

b. the like of their deeds is the like of (that which) he will repay

2. מֵעַל from upon, from over, from by

H4522

מַסmaç/mas/

n-m — burden

Derivation: or מִס; from 4549;

properly, a burden (as causing to faint), i.e. a tax in the form of forced labor

KJV: discomfited, levy, task(-master), tribute(-tary).

מַס

n.m — body of forced labourers

מַס n.m. usu. coll. body of forced labourers, task-workers, labour-band or gang, also (late) forced service, task-work, serfdom

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