1 Kings 9:11 (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. KJV

Hiram – This man had good relations with David and was willing to continue them with his son. (Contrast this with King Saul, who did not seem to get along with many non-Hebrews.) He made a treaty with Solomon and the two had business dealing with each other (1Kings 5 and 10). As I read 1 Kings and 2 Chronicles, it is clear that the grand building projects of Solomon were accomplished because of Hiram. He supplied lumber, gold, Huram-Abi (1Kings 2:13), and other workers for the projects. Yes, he was paid for these, but Solomon certainly used non-Hebrews to build the temple. Solomon also used the aliens in Israel as workers (1Kings 2:17). (Contrast this with the building projects of Nehemiah.) It is important to know that Hiram also gave the God of Israel praise (2Chronicles 2:12). Was he a convert? Who really knows for sure.

Tyre – This kingdom was north of Israel. It was also a city and seaport that had great wealth. Just north of Tyre was Sidon, which was also a seaport city/kingdom. Further up the coast was the city of Byblos (Not Babylon.) At times they are identified separately, and then at times they seem to be one country. The good relations were not maintained and there are many prophecies about Tyre and Sidon, both good and bad.

Solomon – His riches get many peoples attention and they want to claim their share. Others believe they have wisdom that compares to his and push their thoughts onto everyone. In his life these brought him much attention and granted him favor and great privileges. He even wrote parts of the Hebrew Bible. All of these make him someone that is very hard to pin descriptions and characterizations on. Were the riches and attention the reason for his problems? I have tried to highlight his riches in 2 Chronicles 9:11.

He is the second-born son of David with Bathsheba, the first one died. Nehemiah 13:26 sums up Solomon’s life, he was loved by God who made him king, but his foreign women led him astray.

To be clear, Solomon “built” the Temple, but David had the desire, got the plans from God, bought the land, and supplied most of the building materials especially the metals, and he even retained some of the craftsmen. It was a team effort, but Solomon rode to fame with the Temple on what David had done.  

No expense was spared for either project, and Solomon made silver of little value because of all the gold he brought to Jerusalem and Israel. So, was gold and riches the problem? Gold can metaphorically represent many things, but the gold in the Temple and Jerusalem attracted problems. The Temple was stripped and refilled many times before Babylon took what was left and tore the building down. On a different note, which lasted longer, his gold or his writings of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, and several Psalms?  

Samuel before he anointed Saul warned Israel about having a king. This leads to an awkward thought, if Solomon was so good why did the people want Rehoboam to “lighten the load” when Solomon died? (1 Kings 12:4)   

Cedar and fir trees – The trees of Lebanon were highly prized and sought after in the ancient world. It is one of the few places in the Levant that trees grew to those heights. In the Temple they were used in many places. The big one was they covered all of the stone inside the Temple, and then the wood was overlaid with gold. (Think the Ark of the Covenant.) 2 Chronicles 2:16 tells of those logs being made into rafts and floated to Joppa. That is very impressive, I had heard that Egypt also got wood from Tyre. Those trees are mentioned in Judges 9 and Isaiah 2:13.  

Gold – Most translations list the amounts of the gold received in talents. If your Bible has footnotes look what those numbers are in pounds and tons. There is a lot of gold associated with Solomon.  

Twenty – The number twenty appears connected to several things in this narrative.

• Twenty years of building
• The numbers of towns given as payment
• Amount of food given to Hiram (20,000)

My studies on Solomon have produced a variety of thoughts/characterizations over the years. This study has clarified some and spawned others, not all of them are about Solomon.

• Having a lot of money does not make everything you do right or pleasing in the sight of God.
• Very wise individuals do make mistakes.
• Solomon and his legacy are a picture of religion. I did not say relationship with God. He took what David started and built something that pleased God. As more money, knowledge, and prestige poured in he left God and went after worldly pursuits and lusts.