EXPOSITION. of the de.rk contrast which his own time CHAPTER IX. 10-28. supplied-and this lee.de him to speak of the SOLOMON'S BUILDINGS AND UNDERTAKINGS. meo.ns by which all these enterprises were -So fo.r the historio.n ho.s spoken exclu- e.ccomplished. The pe.rticulo.rs here given aively of the two greatest works of Solomon's o.re but fragmentary, e.nd o.re grouped to. reign, the Temple and the Po.le.oe, and prin- getber in o. somewhat irregular manner. It oipo.lly of the former. Even the message would seem o.s if both this account Md that just rela,ted was, as we ho.ve seen, the re- of the chronicler ho.d beon compiled from sponse to the prayer offered when the temple much more copious histories, each writer was consecrated. But he uow proceeds to having cited those particulo.rs which ap- mention other proofs of Solomon's great- peared to him to be the most interesting and ness, and of the prosperity of his reign- important. But the design of the historian doubtless because the glory of Israel then in either oe.se is evident, viz., (1) to recount reo.ohed its olimo.x, and the o.uthor would be _the principo.l undertakings of this illustrioua tempted to linger over these dete.ile beoau~ king, and (2) to indicate the resources whicb 190 THE FIRST BOOK OF KINGS. [OB. IX, 10-28.
enabled him to accomplish such ambitious jectured that Hiram had hoped for the noble and extensive designs. These latter were bay of Acco or Ptolemeie (Milman, Raw- (1) the alliance with Hiram, which secured linson), but surely he had eeaboe.rd enough him the necessal."y mate1ials (vers. 11-14); already. It was rather corn le.nds he would most need and desire. His disappointment (2) the forced labour of the subject races is amply accounted for by the fa.et the.t the (vers. 20-23) ; and (3) the voyages of bis country assigned him was a hungry and fleet (vers. 26-28). mountainous, and therefore comparatively Ver. 10.-And it came to pass at the end useless, tract. " The region le.y on the of twenty years [seven of which were occu- summit of a broad mountain ridge 11 pied on the temple and thirteen on the (Porter).] palace (eh. vii. l)J, when [or, during which. Ver. 13.-And he eaJd, What cities ara LXX. EV O<s wi:oooµ~rrE. This may well be these which thou hast given me, my the meaning of n~; ,~~. though,~~. qui, brother ? [Cf. chap. xx. 32. It would seem, e.t first sight, as if this form of speech was undoubtedly sometimes. has the iense of then, as now, the usage of courts. But the quum] Solomon had bllilt the two houses, Fellahin of Peles tine, the "modern Cano.an- the ho11Be of the Lord and the king's house. ites," still address each other as "my [Obserre how all the palaces are regarded father" or "my brother." See Conder,"Tent- as one house. Note on eh. vii. 1.J work, " p. 332] . And he called them the Ver. 11.-(Now B1ram the king of Tyre land of Cabul [The meaning of this word is [Here we have a parenthesis referring us quite uncertain. The LXX. reads "Oprnv, back to ch.v. S--10] had fllI'Ilished. Solomon With cedar trees and With fir trees and which shows that they must have read ?l:J) With gold [The gold is here mentioned for instead of ,1:::i:,; indeed, it is possible that the first time. No doubt Hiram's shipping the words have the se.me meaning (Gesen.) had brought it in before the Jewish navy Stanley (S. and P. p. 364) thinks these cities was built. It was this probably that led to formed the boundariJ between the two king- the construction of a :fleetJ according to all doms, a.nd refers to the use of op,a in Matt. his desire), that then [this is the apodosis :xv. 21 ; Luke vi. 17, &c. According to to ,er. 10] king Solomon gave Hiram Josephus, Xaf3ciJ,.wv is a Phamician word, twenty cities [really they were mere vii,. meaning displeasing ; but his etymologies lages. "It is a genuine Eastern trick to are to be received with caution, and Gesenius dignify a small present with a pompous justly pronounces this a mere conjecture name " (Thomson). Bat i-.;, is a word of from the context. Thenius and Ewald re- very wide meanirlg] ill the land of Galilee. gard the word as compounded of :, and ,:::i ~,~~ lit., circuit, region (like Ciccar, eh. = as nothing ; Keil connects it with the vii 46), hence often found as here with the root ,:in, which would yield the meaning art. = the region of the Gentiles (Isa. ix. pawned or pledged, a.nd hence concludes that 1 ; 1 Me.cc. v. 15; Matt. iv. 15), so called this strip of territory was merely given to because it was inha1ited by Pharnicians (see Rimm as a security for the repayment of a 2 Sam.xriv. 7,and Strabo, xvi. p. 7G0), origin- loan (see below on ver. 14); while Bii.hr de- e.lly designated but a small part of the con- rives it from S:::i:,, an unused root, akin to siderable tract of country later known as the the preceding = vinxit, constrinxit, and province of " Galilee," viz., the northern would see in it a name bestowed on the part in the tribe of Naphtali (Josh. xx. 7; region because of its confined geographical 2 Kings xv. 29; Isa.. ix. 1. Cf. Jos., Ant. v. position. He does not understand the word, 1. IS). It is easy to see why this particu- howernr, as a term of contempt. "How," lar region was surrendered to Hiram. (1) he asks, " could Hiram give the district a It was near bis country (2 Sam. xxiv. 7); (2) permanent name which contained a mockery the people werePbu,nicians, allied to Hiram, of himself rather than of the la.nd? " But but strangers to Solomon, both in race and the word was obviously an expression of religion ; (3) Solomon could not with pro- dispa.rag~ment, if not disgust, which, fall- priety alienate any part of Immannel's land, ing from Hiram's lips, was caught up and or convey to a foreigner the dominion over repeated with a view to mark not so much the people of the Lord. Levit. xxv. 23 !or- his displeasure as Solomon's meanness. Bu~ ba.Je the alienation of the land ; Deut. xvii. it is not necessary to find e. meaning for ~he 15 the rule of a stranger. word for it is to be considered that e. city Ver. 12.-And H1ram came out from Tyre bearing this name existed at tha~ time and to see the cities which Solomon ha.d given in this neighbourhood (Josh. XlX. 27), the llim ; and they pleased him not. [H~b. site of which, in a.II probability, is marked by ll)ere flQt right in his eye,. It has been con- the modern Kabul, eight miles ee.st of Acoho 0B, IX. 10-28.j THE FIRST BOOK OF KJNGS. 191