1 Kings 10:12

The king made the almug wood into steps for the house of the LORD and for the king’s palace, and into lyres and harps for the singers. Never before had such almug wood been brought in, nor has such been seen again to this day.)

Berean Standard Bible

Follow its threads on the canvas →

Study note

Setting — The narrator records King Solomon’s actions during his reign, specifically after the Queen of Sheba’s departure, as he processes timber imported from Ophir by Hiram’s fleet.

The words — אַלְמֻגִּים (al.mu.Gim) translates literally to almug wood, and מִסְעָד (mis.'Ad) denotes supports or steps. The text states the king fashioned this timber into architectural supports and musical instruments for temple singers.

The thread — The use of crafted wood for liturgical music appears in 1 Chronicles 23:5 and 1 Chronicles 25:1, where instruments are designated for praising Yahweh. Psalms 92:1 later reflects on the practice of singing praises with such appointed instruments.

Why it lands — The passage reports a historical claim of material uniqueness and documents the allocation of royal resources to both sacred architecture and worship music. It requires the reader to note the text’s explicit boundary on the timber’s availability and its direct application to temple service.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

King James Version

And the king made of the almug trees pillars for the house of the Lord, and for the king’s house, harps also and psalteries for singers: there came no such almug trees, nor were seen unto this day.

Cross-references

1 Chronicles 23:5 4,000 are to be gatekeepers, and 4,000 are to praise the LORD with the instruments I have made for giving praise.”
1 Chronicles 25:1 Additionally, David and the commanders of the army set apart some of the sons of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun to prophesy with the accompaniment of lyres, harps, and cymbals. The following is the list of the men who performed this service:
Psalms 92:1 A Psalm. A song for the Sabbath day. It is good to praise the LORD, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High,
Psalms 150:3 Praise Him with the sound of the horn; praise Him with the harp and lyre.
Revelation 14:2 And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of many waters and the loud rumbling of thunder. And the sound I heard was like harpists strumming their harps.