Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 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.
11. now Hiram the king had furnished, &c.] We read of the supply of timber in 1Ki 5:10, but the gold mentioned here does not appear in the earlier narrative. From 1Ki 9:14 below we learn that the amount was ‘six score talents.’ Taking the value of a talent of gold at 6000 this sum would be worth 720,000. Josephus ( Ant. viii. 5, 3) says Hiram had contributed much gold and still more silver.
Solomon gave Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee ] These would most likely be in the extreme northern border of Galilee and so not remote from Hiram’s frontier. But they would be inland cities and no doubt, to a maritime people like the Tyrians, some territory along the seaboard would have been more acceptable. Josephus specially notes that the cities were not far from Tyre. The region in which they were situate was that called (Isa 9:1) ‘Galilee of the nations’ to indicate that the inhabitants were yet in heathendom. This might be a reason why Solomon chose them for his present to the Tyrian king.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
By the spirit, if not by the letter, of the Law, Solomon had no right to give away these cities, or any part of the inheritance of Israel Lev. 25:13-34. But the exigences of a worldly policy caused the requirements of the Law to be set aside.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 11. Solomon gave Hiram twenty cities] It is very likely that Solomon did not give those cities to Hiram so that they should be annexed to his Tyrian dominions, but rather gave him the produce of them till the money was paid which he had advanced to Solomon for his buildings. It appears however that either Hiram did not accept them, or that having received the produce till he was paid, he then restored them to Solomon; for in the parallel place, 2Ch 8:2, it is said, The cities which Hiram had restored to Solomon, Solomon built them, and caused the children of Israel to dwell there. Some think that they were heathen cities which Solomon had conquered, and therefore had a right to give them if he pleased, as they were not any part of the land given by promise to the Israelites.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Or, near (as beth oft signifies, as hath been proved before)
the land of Galilee, bordering upon it; in those parts which were near and adjoining to Hirams dominions: with the cities understand the lands and territories belonging to them.
Quest. How could Solomon give away any part of that land wherein the people had a right by a Divine lot, and God had a right, as being the only proprietary of it; upon which ground the total alienation of it, or any part of it, was forbidden, Lev 25:23?
Answ. 1. It is not said that he gave them away wholly, and for ever; but he might assign them to him only for a time, until he was fully satisfied for his debt.
2. If these cities were possessed by Israelites, Solomon did not give him their particular possessions, but only his own royalties over them, and all the profits he received from them, which were very considerable, as may be gathered from that passage, 1Ki 12:4.
3. These cities, though they were within those large bounds which God fixed to the Land of Promise, Gen 15:18; Jos 1:4, yet were not within those parts which were distributed by Lot in Joshuas time, nor belonging to the tribe of Asher, (as some suppose,) as may be gathered both from Jos 19:27, where their border is said to go out only to the land of Cabul, to wit, exclusively; and Jos 19:30, where all their cities are said to be but twenty and two; and from 2Ch 8:2, where it is said of those cities, when Hiram restored them, that Solomon built them, and caused the children of Israel to dwell there; which makes it more than probable that these cities were not inhabited by Israelites, but by Canaanites, or other heathens; who being subdued and extirpated by David, or Solomon, those cities became a part of their dominions, and at their disposal; and afterwards were reckoned a part of Galilee, as Josephus notes; and may be one reason why he gave these rather than other cities, because they were in his power to give, when others were not.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
11. Solomon gave Hiram twenty citiesin the land of GalileeAccording to JOSEPHUS,they were situated on the northwest of it, adjacent to Tyre. Thoughlying within the boundaries of the promised land (Gen 15:18;Jos 1:4), they had never beenconquered till then, and were inhabited by Canaanite heathens(Jdg 4:2-13; 2Ki 15:29).They were probably given to Hiram, whose dominions were small, as aremuneration for his important services in furnishing workmen,materials, and an immense quantity of wrought gold (1Ki9:14) for the temple and other buildings [MICHAELIS].The gold, however, as others think, may have been the amount offorfeits paid to Solomon by Hiram for not being able to answer theriddles and apothegms, with which, according to JOSEPHUS,in their private correspondence, the two sovereigns amusedthemselves. Hiram having refused these cities, probably on account oftheir inland situation making them unsuitable to his maritime andcommercial people, Solomon satisfied his ally in some other way; and,taking these cities into his own hands, he first repaired theirshattered walls, then filled them with a colony of Hebrews (2Ch8:2).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
(Now Hiram the king of Tyre had furnished Solomon with cedar trees and fir trees,…. For the building of both his houses; see 1Ki 5:8,
and with gold, according to all his desire): which is not before mentioned, and accounts for it from whence Solomon had his gold; if he made no use, as some think he did not, of what his father left him; see 1Ki 7:51 with which he covered several parts of the temple, and made several vessels in it. Hiram traded to Ophir, and had it from thence; and he could supply Solomon with it, and did, before he sent a navy thither:
that then Solomon gave Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee; that is, by or near it, for they were not in the land of Canaan; for then Solomon could not have disposed of them, being allotted and belonging to one of the tribes of Israel, and part of the Lord’s inheritance; but they were upon the borders, particularly on the borders of Asher, if Cabul in Jos 19:27, can be thought to be the same with these; though some think that Solomon did not give Hiram the possession of these cities, but the royalties and revenues of them, their produce until the debt was paid: but they rather seem to be a gratuity, and a full grant of them, and might be cities which David had conquered, and taken out of the hands of the ancient inhabitants of them; and so Solomon had a right to dispose of them, being left him by his father; for it is plain as yet they were not inhabited by Israelites; see 2Ch 8:2. They are by a Jewish writer f said to be twenty two, very wrongly.
f Gloss. in T. Bab. Sabbat, fol. 54. 1.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(11) Gave Hiram . . . cities.This implies a debt to him for timber and gold, and probably stone also, over and above the payment in kind stipulated for in 1Ki. 5:9. From the notice in 2Ch. 8:2, that, when these cities were restored by Hiram, Solomon rebuilt them, and peopled them with Israelites, it seems likely that they were previously cities of the subject races, which he would have no scruple in alienating; although, indeed, the often-quoted enactment of the Law (Lev. 25:23-24), would not have been likely to be strictly observed under his self-reliant despotism.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
11. Twenty cities One city for every year of building. This gift of Solomon was evidently a token of his good-will to Hiram, and for a memorial of the aid given by the king of Tyre in the building of the temple and palace, but not a payment for service received. But what right, it has been asked, had Solomon to give away any part of the inheritance of the Lord’s people into the hands of a heathen king? According to the law (Lev 25:23) the land could not be sold forever; much less given away. We might answer, This was not the first nor the last instance in which this great king stepped aside from the law of Moses. Already, contrary to the express commands of the law, he had multiplied horses and chariots. But in this case the appearance of transgression largely disappears in the fact that these cities, when given to Hiram, were peopled not by Israelites but by heathens. Solomon may have regarded it as a prudent policy to hand over the government of these heathen cities, which were evidently of no great worth, to his friendly neighbour, who had rendered him so much service in building the Lord’s house.
Land of Galilee Not the entire province of this name as it existed under the Romans, but only the northern part of the land allotted to the tribe of Naphtali. Compare Jos 20:7. According to Josephus, these twenty cities lay not far from Tyre.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Solomon Has So Extended His Resources That He Feels It Necessary To Obtain A Secured Loan From Hiram, Secured Against Galilean Settlements ( 1Ki 9:11-14 ).
It is an indication of the wealth that Solomon had laid out on his enterprises, and the great cost involved, that even he had subsequently to resort to a private loan, in spite of the wealth continually flowing into his kingdom. But, of course, no hint is given of a commercial transaction here (unless possibly in the naming of the lands as Cabul). It simply consisted of ‘gifts’ between extremely wealthy kings. The ‘settlements’ (cities/towns/villages) are ‘given’, both as a gesture of gratitude and as security for a further loan, without any such commonplace suggestions being made. Hiram then views them and is not very pleased with their ‘quality’ but nevertheless decides to send Solomon a huge amount of gold. He knew, of course, that his investment was safe and that he would eventually get it back in return for the ‘settlements’, no doubt at a somewhat enhanced premium.
It is interesting that in the section chiasmus this passage parallels the activities of Hiram the Metalworker from Tyre. He also was seen by the author as not quite ‘up to scratch’, in that while he was genuinely skilful, he lacked the Spirit (in contrast with Bezalel).
Analysis.
a
b Then king Solomon gave Hiram twenty settlements in the land of Galilee (1Ki 9:11 b).
c And Hiram came out from Tyre to see the settlements which Solomon had given him, and they did not please him (1Ki 9:12).
b And he said, “What settlements are these which you have given me, my brother?” And he called them ‘the land of Cabul’ to this day (1Ki 9:13).
a And Hiram sent to the king six-score talents of gold (1Ki 9:14).
Note that in ‘a’ Hiram had already provided Solomon with much wealth, now in the parallel he will send more. In ‘b’ he receives twenty Galilean settlements, and in the parallel expresses his unhappiness with them. Centrally in ‘c’ we learn of his great displeasure with them. It may well have affected how much he sent as a ‘royal loan’, but nothing would be stated. They were after all allies.
1Ki 9:11 a ‘Hiram the king of Tyre had furnished Solomon with cedar-trees and pine-trees, and with gold, according to all his desire.’
The passage commences by referring back to all that Hiram the King had provided towards the building of the Temple and the Palace Complex. He had provided cedar-trees, pine-trees and gold in accordance with all his requirements (something for which Solomon had paid well – 1Ki 5:11). Relations between the two kings was very amicable. This is preparing for the next stage in their commercial transactions. No giving of gold had been previously referred to and the gold described here may be that in 1Ki 9:14, thus bringing all their dealings together as one.
1Ki 9:11 b ‘Then king Solomon gave Hiram twenty settlements (cities/villages) in the land of Galilee.’
King Solomon now gave Hiram twenty ‘settlements’ in the land of Galilee. These would be in a region close to Tyre. ‘Settlements’ could be cities, towns, or villages. ‘Galilee’ means ‘the circle or circuit’, and clearly indicated a large area of land which included Naphtali (Jos 20:7; Jos 21:32; 2Ki 15:29) and probably at this time parts of Asher. Tiglath Pileser will later refer in his inscriptions to both Galilee and Naphtali, indicating that they were not identical. It is referred to in Isa 9:2 as ‘Galilee of the nations’, an area with a mixed poulation.
In 18th century BC Alalakh in Syria the exchange of ‘settlements’ by contracts was seen as a means of adjusting borders. That may well be what is happening here. Solomon was ceding to Hiram a part of YHWH’s inheritance, a further indication of his casual attitude towards the covenant in spite of his protestations. The author would certainly not have been anything but displeased at the idea, but leaves us to pass our own judgment. (They may, of course, have been Canaanite settlements, especially in view of their poverty-stricken appearance, but this is nowhere stated, and the land was still part of YHWH’s inheritance. When they were later returned to Solomon he is said to have ensured their habitation by Israelites – 2Ch 8:2)
1Ki 9:12
‘ And Hiram came out from Tyre to see the settlements which Solomon had given him, and they did not please him.’
Hiram came from Tyre to complete the negotiations, meeting with Solomon at the sites in question, and not being pleased with what he saw. He did not feel that the area being ceded came up to expectations. In his view the gold that he would be giving was worth much more than he was getting, even if it was only as security. He had probably hoped that they would be lucrative trading towns.
The use of the appellative ‘king’ in the narrative as a whole is interesting. In 1Ki 9:11 it is ‘Hiram king of Tyre’ who supplies ‘Solomon’ followed by ‘King Solomon’ giving twenty settlements to ‘Hiram’. In each case the appellative is applied to the supplier. Now it is ‘Hiram’ and ‘Solomon’ as co-negotiators.
1Ki 9:13
‘ And he said, “What settlements are these which you have given me, my brother?” And he called them ‘the land of Cabul’ to this day.’
Hiram then politely expressed his dissatisfaction, although we do not know what affect it had. “What settlements are these which you have given me, my brother?” He was clearly not happy. He had probably expected larger towns. We can, however, understand why Solomon was careful about quite he was ready to cede. He had the feelings of his people to consider. ‘My brother’ expressed the treaty relationship between them.
The reference to ‘the land of Cabul’ produces difficulties. Some see it as a contemptuous term ‘ka bul’ (‘as nothing’), but tht would have been offensive to Solomon. Others refer it to the Arabic ‘kabala’ indicating ‘mortgaged’. Still others point to the Hebrew ‘yebul’ which signifies ‘borderland’. The last suggestion contains the right hint of displeasure without being insulting and may well be right.
1Ki 9:14
‘ And Hiram sent to the king six-score talents of gold.’
Hiram’s response to ‘the king’s’ gift was to send him one hundred and twenty talents of gold, possibly around four tons, a substantial sum. This is not to be seen as his valuation of the worth of the land. He would expect at some stage to receive back the equivalent in value, possibly in valuable produce (1Ki 5:11) but that would simply be ‘read in’ (compare the similar description of the purchase of a cave by Abraham in Genesis 23 which sounded like a general give-away, but was in fact careful negotiation). Later the settlements would be returned to Solomon who would in fact fortify them and settle them with Israelites (2Ch 8:2).
The significance of this extract from the official annals was that it indicated Solomon’s temporary embarrassment caused by his overspending. It may also have been expressing his unhappiness at the relationship between the two states. Why else should he draw attention to this displeasure, which did not reflect well on Solomon? We have already seen that the author of Kings was not totally satisfied with the sources used in building the Temple, seeing them as tainted.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
1Ki 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.
Ver. 11. In the land of Galilee. ] Called Galilee of the Gentiles, Isa 9:1 because by them inhabited, Jdg 1:31-32 till Solomon dispossessed them, and thus disposed of their country.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Now Hiram. Figure of speech Parenthesis.
fir, or cypress.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Now Hiram: 1Ki 5:6-10, 2Ch 2:8-10, 2Ch 2:16
king Solomon: 2Ch 8:2
of Galilee: Jos 20:7
Reciprocal: 1Ki 9:1 – all Solomon’s 1Ki 9:14 – General 2Ki 15:29 – Galilee Amo 1:9 – brotherly covenant Mat 4:15 – Galilee
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
1Ki 9:11-14. Solomon gave Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee Or, near the land of Galilee, bordering upon it; in those parts which were near, and adjoining to, Hirams dominions: with the cities, understand the territories belonging to them. These cities, though they were within those large bounds which God fixed to the land of promise, (Gen 15:18; Jos 1:4,) yet were not within those parts which were distributed by lot in Joshuas time. It is probable they were not inhabited by Israelites, but by Canaanites, or other heathen; who having been subdued and made tributary by David or Solomon, those cities became a part of their dominions; and afterward were reckoned a part of Galilee, as Josephus notes. They pleased him not Were not suitable to his desire, and the genius of his people. He called them the land of Cabul A Phenician word, says Josephus, which signifies displeasing. But Rabbi Salomon writes that the land was so called because it was quasi compedita, id est, argillacea, tenax, et infrugifera, bound, stiff, clayey, and unfruitful. Hiram did not like it, because, though it might be very good, yet being a thick and stiff clay, and therefore requiring great pains to cultivate and manure it, it was very unsuitable to the disposition of the Tyrians, who were delicate, and lazy, and luxurious, and wholly given to merchandise. And, on his returning them, there is no doubt but Solomon gave him an equivalent, more to his taste. And Hiram sent to the king Or rather, For Hiram had sent, &c. And this seems to be here added, both to declare the quantity of the gold sent, which had been only named before, (1Ki 9:11,) and as the reason why he resented Solomons action, because so great a sum required a better recompense.