1 Kings 9:14

And Hiram sent וַיִּשְלַח must be understood as pluperfect, " Now Hiram had sent, " referring to 1 Kings 9:11 . This fact is mentioned to explain the gift of the cities, viz; that they were in payment for the gold he had furnished. The timber and stone and labour had been paid for in corn and wine and oil See on 1 Kings 5:11 ] to the king sixscore talents of gold . [This sum is variously estimated at from half a million to a million and a quarter of our money.. Keil, who, as we have seen, interprets Cabul to mean pledged, says somewhat positively that these 120 talents were merely lent to Solomon to enable him to prosecute his undertakings, and that the twenty cities were Hiram's security for its repayment. He further sees in the restoration of these cities ( 2 Chronicles 8:2 , where see note) a proof that Solomon must have repaid the amount lent him. The "sixscore talents "should be compared with the 120 talents of 1 Kings 10:10 , and the 666 talents of 1 Kings 10:14 .]