Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 1 Kings 5:18
And Solomon’s builders and Hiram’s builders did hew [them], and the stonesquarers: so they prepared timber and stones to build the house.
18. and the stonesquarers ] The text of A.V. is due to the Targum, which translates by ‘masons’. But the margin of A. V. suggests that the word is not a common but a proper noun and gives ‘Giblites’ as in Eze 27:9. This is certainly a much more natural combination, than to class along with the men of Solomon and the men of Hiram, the stone squarers as of a different order. In Ezekiel the men of Gebal are spoken of as skilled in caulking ships, and they were not improbably able handicraftsmen in other branches. Josephus gives us no help. He speaks merely of ‘workmen whom Hiram sent.’ But the Vulgate reads ‘Giblii’ as a proper name and in many MSS. Biblii or Byblii. In the Vatican LXX. the verse is left out, but the Alexandrine gives . Now Gebal was a Phnician city not far from the sea coast, to the north of Berytus ( Beyrout). The Greeks called it Byblos, but the name is found also spelt (Zosim. i. 58; Eze 27:9. LXX.). Thus the LXX. supports the proper name, which, to keep clear that it means the people of Gebal, we ought to write ‘the Gebalites.’ This has been adopted by R.V.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The stone-squarers – The Gebalites (see the margin), the inhabitants of Gebal, a Phoenician city between Beyrout and Tripolis, which the Greeks called Byblus, and which is now known as Jebeil.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 18. And the stone-squarers] Instead of stone-squarers the margin very properly reads Giblites, haggiblim; and refers to Eze 27:9, where we find the inhabitants of Gebal celebrated for their knowledge in ship-building. Some suppose that these Giblites were the inhabitants of Biblos, at the foot of Mount Libanus, northward of Sidon, on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea; famous for its wines; and now called Gaeta. Both Ptolemy and Stephanus Byzantinus speak of a town called Gebala, to the east of Tyre: but this was different from Gebal, or Biblos. It seems more natural to understand this of a people than of stone-squarers, though most of the versions have adopted this idea which we follow in the text.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
The stone-squarers, Heb. the Gibites; the inhabitants of Gebel, a place near Zidon, named Psa 83:7; Eze 27:9, famous for artificers and architects, Jos 13:5. These are here mentioned apart, as distinct from the rest of Hirams builders, as the most eminent of them.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
18. and the stone squarersTheMargin, which renders it “the Giblites” (Jos13:5), has long been considered a preferable translation. Thismarginal translation also must yield to another which has lately beenproposed, by a slight change in the Hebrew text, and whichwould be rendered thus: “Solomon’s builders, and Hiram’sbuilders, did hew them and bevel them” [THENIUS].These great bevelled or grooved stones, measuring some twenty, othersthirty feet in length, and from five to six feet in breadth, arestill seen in the substructures about the ancient site of the temple;and, in the judgment of the most competent observers, were thoseoriginally employed “to lay the foundation of the house.”
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And Solomon’s builders and Hiram’s builders did hew [them],…. The stones; for it seems Solomon had not only hewers of wood, but of stone, from Hiram:
and the stonesquarers; or rather the Giblites, the men of Gebal, which were under the jurisdiction of Tyre, and were skilful in this sort of work, as some of them were in others, see Eze 27:9;
so they prepared timber and stones to build the house; both Solomon’s and Hiram’s builders, and the large number of workmen, both Israelites and strangers; which latter were an emblem of the Gentiles concerned in the building of the spiritual temple, the church of Christ, Zec 6:15; and whereas the number of strangers that wrought for the building was far greater than that of the Israelites, it may denote the greater number of Gentiles in the Gospel church state mentioned besides these: thus gave Solomon to Hiram year by year: so long as the building lasted, and the workmen were employed; but Abarbinel thinks that he gave it to him as long as he lived, out of his great munificence and liberality.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
With 1Ki 5:18 the account of the preparations for the building of the temple, which were the object of Solomon’s negotiations with Hiram, is brought to a close. “Solomon’s builders and Hiram’s builders, even the Giblites, hewed and prepared the wood and the stones for the building of the house.” The object to is not the square stones mentioned before, but the trees (beams) and stones mentioned after . is to be taken as explanatory, “even the Giblites,” giving a more precise definition of “Hiram’s builders.” The Giblites are the inhabitants of the town of Gebal, called Byblos by the Greeks, to the north of Beirut (see at Jos 13:5), which was the nearest to the celebrated cedar forest of the larger Phoenician towns. According to Eze 27:9, the Giblites (Byblians) were experienced in the art of shipbuilding, and therefore were probably skilful builders generally, and as such the most suitable of Hiram’s subjects to superintend the working of the wood and stone for Solomon’s buildings. For it was in the very nature of the case that the number of the Phoenician builders was only a small one, and that they were merely the foremen; and this may also be inferred from the large number of his own subjects whom Solomon appointed to the work.
(Note: Without any satisfactory ground Thenius has taken offence at the word , and on the strength of the critically unattested of the lxx and the paraphrastic of Josephus, which is only introduced to fill in the picture, has altered it into , “ they bordered them (the stones). ” This he explains as relating to the “ bevelling ” of the stones, upon the erroneous assumption that the grooving of the stones in the old walls encircling the temple area, which Robinson ( Pal. i. 423) was the first to notice and describe, “ occurs nowhere else in precisely the same form; ” whereas Robinson found them in the ancient remains of the foundations of walls in different places throughout the land, not only in the neighbourhood of Jerusalem, viz., at Bethany, but also at Carmel on the mountains of Judah, at Hebron, Semua (Esthemoa), Beit Nusib (Nezib), on Tabor, and especially in the north, in the old remains of the walls of the fortification es Shukif, Hunn, Banias, Tyrus, Jebail (Byblus), Baalbek, on the island of Ruwad (the ancient Aradus), and in different temples on Lebanon (see Rob. Pal. ii. 101,198, 434,627; iii. 12,213, 214; and Bibl. Researches, p. 229). Bttcher ( n. ex. Krit. Aehrenl. ii. p. 32) has therefore properly rejected this conjecture as “ ill-founded, ” though only to put in its place another which is altogether unfounded, namely, that before the word ( “ the Tyrians ” ) has dropped out. For this has nothing further in its favour than the most improbable assumption, that king Hiram gathered together the subjects of his whole kingdom to take part in Solomon ‘ s buildings. – The addition of , which is added by the lxx at the end of the verse, does not warrant the assumption of Thenius and Bttcher, that has dropped out of the text. For it is obvious that the lxx have merely made their addition e conjectura, and indeed have concluded that, as the foundation for the temple was laid in the fourth year of Solomon ‘ s reign, the preliminary work must have occupied the first three years of his reign.)
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
(18) The stone-squarers.This rendering is a curious gloss on the proper name, Giblites (see margin)the inhabitants of Gebal (mentioned in Eze. 27:9 in connection with Tyre, and probably in Psa. 83:7), a city on the coast of Phniciasimply because the context shows that they were clever in stone-squaring. As they are distinguished from Hirams builders, it is possible that they were serfs under them, like the Canaanites under Solomons builders.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
18. The stonesquarers Rather, as in the margin, the Giblites, whose city, Gebal, lay on the seacoast, and whose land lay in the vicinity of Lebanon. See on Jos 13:5. According to Eze 27:9, they were skilled in ship building. In one of the ravines of Lebanon, which opens at the port of the ancient Gebal, Tristram discovered extensive cedar groves; and observes that the Giblites probably cut and launched at their own port cedars from this very valley, which would be far more accessible to them than those on the distant inland moraines and snow-covered heights.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
1Ki 5:18. And the stone-squarers Calmet and Houbigant, after the Vulgate, understand the Hebrew here as a proper name, haggibliim, the Giblites: so it is rendered in the Margin of our Bibles. The people of Giblos were celebrated for their works in stone and wood. See Eze 27:9 and Psa 83:7. Note; 1. Where the heart is set upon the work of building up God’s church, we shall do it with all our might. 2. The stones being prepared, the foundation of the temple is laid: they were rich and costly, to support the glorious superstructure. Christ is this precious foundation; built upon him, every believer’s soul exceeds even Solomon’s temple in all its glory, as being the everlasting habitation of God through the Spirit.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
REFLECTIONS
READER! let us pause over what we have read in this chapter, and in the view here afforded us of such workmen as Hiram’s servants, behold how striking a representation it bears to numbers in the present day, to whom abilities of nature and of art are given, but to whom perhaps is given no grace! how many possess the ordinary gifts of the Spirit, who know nothing of his gracious work upon the heart! how many minister in holy things, who are yet no partakers in the spirit of holy things! of all the awful scriptures to this amount we meet with in the word of God; none can exceed in terror that declaration of Jesus: Many will say unto me in that day, Lord! Lord! have we not prophesied (that is preached) in thy name? And in thy name have cast out devils; (that is perhaps have been made instrumental to others in the delivery of the word of salvation, by which the strong man armed is cast out of the soul) and in thy name done many wonderful works. And what can be more wonderful than to behold sinners awakened and converted through the instrumentality of a preached gospel? And then, saith Jesus, will I profess unto them, “I never knew you:” that is, perhaps never knew them in a way of vital union, their own souls never having been savingly brought into fellowship and communion with the Lord Jesus. Oh! Reader, what an awful consideration, to have been made helpful to the salvation of others, while uninterested for our own. To be daily ministering in the temple without a real connection with the Lord of the temple!
Let us turn our thoughts from the contemplation of a state so dreadfully alarming, to the consideration of the reverse side of the subject, and in the happy, the inexpressibly happy state of the souls built upon the same foundation as the apostles and prophets are, which is the Lord Jesus Christ, the chief corner-stone; look up to our God and Father in Christ Jesus, with an humble hope that he is our portion. Yes! dearest Jesus! I would say for myself, and all thy people, thou art the foundation of all my hopes, all my desires, all my wishes, and all my joys. God, my Father, of his infinite love laid this foundation. On thy glorious person, as the God-man, the whole structure rests; thy blood and righteousness is the grand cement which unites and keeps it eternally together; and in thee the whole building, thy church, which is thy body, fitly framed together, groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord. Come, then, blessed Jesus! carry on, complete, adorn and finish, the work in my soul; let thy mercy be built up forever, and let the top stone of the spiritual building be brought forth with shoutings of grace, grace unto it.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
1Ki 5:18 And Solomon’s builders and Hiram’s builders did hew [them], and the stonesquarers: so they prepared timber and stones to build the house.
Ver. 18. And Hiram’s builders did hew them.] In Lebanon was the temple framed; in Zion set up: neither hammer nor axe was heard in that holy structure. There was nothing but noise in Lebanon; nothing in Zion, but silence and peace. Whatever tumults are abroad, it is fit – saith a right reverend writer a here – there should be all quietness and concord in the Church.
And the stone squarers.
a Dr Hall.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
stonesquarers = men of Gebal, or Giblites, as Eze 27:9, now Jubeil, forty miles north of Sidon. Compare Psa 83:7. Phoenician masons’ marks still visible on them.
so = and.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
the stonesquarers: or, Giblites, Jos 13:5, Psa 83:7, Eze 27:9
Reciprocal: 1Ki 6:7 – built of stone 2Ki 12:12 – masons 2Ki 22:6 – builders 1Ch 14:1 – and timber 1Ch 22:2 – masons 2Ch 8:16 – General Pro 24:27 – General
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
1Ki 5:18. Solomons builders and Hirams did hew them It seemed Solomons servants learned of Hirams, or, at least, were directed by them to assist in the work. And the stone-squarers Hebrew, the Giblites, the inhabitants of Gebal, a place near Zidon, mentioned Psa 83:7; Eze 27:9, famous for artificers and architects, Jos 13:5. These are here distinguished from the rest of Hirams builders, as the most eminent of them. So they prepared timber and stones to build the house Made all ready, not only to lay the foundation, but to raise the superstructure.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
5:18 And Solomon’s builders and Hiram’s {f} builders did hew [them], and the stonesquarers: so they prepared timber and stones to build the house.
(f) The Hebrew word is Giblim, which some say were excellent masons.