1 Kings 5:7-12·~1 min

Hiram’s Reply to Solomon

Hiram rejoices at Solomon’s message and blesses the Lord for giving David a wise son over the people. He then sends his formal reply.

W⁷hen Hiram received Solomon’s message, he rejoiced greatly and said, “Blessed be the LORD this day! He has given David a wise son over this great people!” ⁸Then Hiram sent a reply to Solomon, saying:

Hiram agrees to provide cedar and cypress, describes how the timber will be brought by sea, and asks for food in return. Solomon then supplies wheat and pure olive oil year after year.

⁹“I have received your message; I will do all you desire regarding the cedar and cypress timber. My servants will haul the logs from Lebanon to the Sea, and I will float them as rafts by sea to the place you specify. There I will separate the logs, and you can take them away. And in exchange, you can meet my needs by providing my household with food.” ¹⁰So Hiram provided Solomon with all the cedar and cypress timber he wanted, ¹¹and year after year Solomon would provide Hiram with 20,000 cors of wheat as food for his household, as well as 20,000 baths of pure olive oil.

The Lord gives Solomon wisdom as promised, and peace between Hiram and Solomon is sealed in a treaty. The arrangement rests on both divine gift and political harmony.

¹²And the LORD gave Solomon wisdom, as He had promised him. There was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them made a treaty.

Section summaryHiram receives Solomon’s request with joy and blesses the Lord for giving David a wise son. He agrees to supply timber, sets terms for transport and payment, and the chapter closes the exchange by naming Solomon’s wisdom and the peace between the two kings.

Role in the chapterThis section answers Solomon’s request and turns goodwill into an ordered partnership. It shows the temple project advancing through agreement, provision, and the peace God has given Solomon.