17. brought great stones—The stone of Lebanon is "hard, calcareous, whitish and sonorous, like free stone" [SHAW]. The same white and beautiful stone can be obtained in every part of Syria and Palestine. hewed stones—or neatly polished, as the Hebrew word signifies ( :-). Both Jewish and Tyrian builders were employed in hewing these great stones. read more
18. and the stone squarers—The Margin, which renders it "the Giblites" ( :-), has long been considered a preferable translation. This marginal translation also must yield to another which has lately been proposed, by a slight change in the Hebrew text, and which would be rendered thus: "Solomon's builders, and Hiram's builders, did hew them and bevel them" [THENIUS]. These great bevelled or grooved stones, measuring some twenty, others thirty feet in length, and from five to six feet in... read more
1. Preparations for building ch. 5 read more
Solomon’s conscription of laborers 5:13-18Solomon’s forced laborers were non-Israelites (2 Chronicles 8:7-8). Israelites also served, but they were not slaves (1 Kings 9:22). Solomon’s method of providing workers for state projects became very distasteful to the people eventually, perhaps because of how it was administered (cf. 1 Kings 12:18)."[Adoniram, also known as Hadoram, 2 Chronicles 10:18] was probably one of the most hated men in Israel, an embodiment of autocracy." [Note: J. Barton... read more
Solomon’s Preparations for building the Temple1. Hiram] see 2 Samuel 5; 1 Chronicles 14:1. It has been questioned whether this Hiram, who was living as late as Solomon’s twentieth year (1 Kings 9:10), is really identical with the Hiram mentioned in connexion with David (2 Samuel 5:11; 1 Chronicles 1:1), because, according to Josephus, his reign lasted only 34 years. But it is possible that David did not undertake the buildings in which Hiram assisted him until comparatively late in his life.3.... read more
(16) The chief of Solomon’s officers we should certainly have supposed to have been taken from the Israelites (as clearly were the 550 named in 1 Kings 9:23). But the passage in Chronicles (2 Chronicles 2:18)—reckoning them at 3,600—seems to imply that they were, like the overseers of Israel in the Egyptian bondage (Exodus 5:14-15), taken from the subject races. read more
(17) Great stones.—The stones, so emphatically described as “great stones, costly stones, and hewed stones,” were necessary, not so much for “the foundation” of the Temple itself, which was small, but for the substructure of the area, formed into a square on the irregular summit of Mount Moriah. In this substructure vast stones are still to be seen, and are referred by many authorities to the age of Solomon. The labour of transport must have been enormous, especially as all were worked... read more
(18) The stone-squarers.—This rendering is a curious gloss on the proper name, “Giblites” (see margin)—the inhabitants of Gebal (mentioned in Ezekiel 27:9 in connection with Tyre, and probably in Psalms 83:7), a city on the coast of Phœnicia—simply because the context shows that they were clever in stone-squaring. As they are distinguished from Hiram’s builders, it is possible that they were serfs under them, like the Canaanites under Solomon’s builders. read more
The Spade-work of the Kingdom 1 Kings 5:15 Alike as to its structure, furniture, and services, the temple of Solomon had a spiritual and an evangelical signification. Our Lord institutes analogies between Himself and the temple, and the apostles repeatedly refer to the sacred palace as typical of the Christian Church. The temple on Zion, with everything relating to it, was full of prophetic significance; and we do no violence to the text when we see in it an anticipation of a large class of... read more
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Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - 1 Kings 5:18
1 Kings 5:18. And the stone-squarers— Calmet and Houbigant, after the Vulgate, understand the Hebrew here as a proper name, הגבלים 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 Psalms 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... read more