Bible Strands
1 Kings 9:11
King Solomon gave twenty towns in the land of Galilee to Hiram king of Tyre, who had supplied him with cedar and cypress logs and gold for his every desire.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator records Solomon’s transfer of twenty Galilean towns to Hiram of Tyre immediately following the completion of Solomon’s twenty-year construction of the temple and royal palace. This transfer occurs after Hiram’s prior provision of timber and gold to fund those projects.
The words — The Hebrew נִשָּׂא (ni.Sa') literally means "he had lifted" or "supported," denoting Hiram's material backing of Solomon's building efforts. The term אֲרָזִים ('a.ra.Zim) specifies "cedars," identifying the specific high-value timber supplied from Lebanon.
The thread — This transaction links to 1 Kings 5:6, where Solomon initially requests the cedar supply, and to 2 Chronicles 8:2, which records Solomon rebuilding those same towns and settling Israelites within them. Joshua 20:7 further anchors the region by listing Kedesh in Galilee among the designated cities.
Why it lands — The text requires the reader to observe that diplomatic agreements and resource exchanges are recorded as historical operations rather than theological endorsements. It demands an assessment of how human administration and material provision function alongside the fulfillment of divine building timelines.
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The Hebrew words
King James Version
(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.
Cross-references
- 2 Chronicles 8:2 Solomon rebuilt the cities Hiram had given him and settled Israelites there.
- Joshua 20:7 So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah.
- 1 Kings 5:6 Now therefore, order that cedars of Lebanon be cut down for me. My servants will be with your servants, and I will pay your servants whatever wages you set, for you know that there are none among us as skilled in logging as the Sidonians.”
- 2 Chronicles 2:8 Send me also cedar, cypress, and algum logs from Lebanon, for I know that your servants have skill to cut timber there. And indeed, my servants will work with yours
- 2 Chronicles 2:16 We will cut logs from Lebanon, as many as you need, and we will float them to you as rafts by sea down to Joppa. Then you can take them up to Jerusalem.”