1 Kings 9

This chapter belongs to the section of 1 Kings that covers Solomon's reign (chapters 1–11). It opens with God's response to the temple dedication prayer of 1 Kings 8 and then summarizes Solomon's building projects and trade.

Outline

• Verses 1–9: After Solomon finishes building the temple and the royal palace, the LORD appears to him a second time, as He had at Gibeon. The LORD declares that He has hallowed the temple. If Solomon walks as David did, the LORD will establish his throne forever. But if Israel serves other gods, He will cut Israel off from the land and cast off even the temple.
• Verses 10–14: At the end of twenty years, when Solomon has completed both houses, he gives twenty cities in Galilee to Hiram king of Tyre, who had supplied cedar, fir, and gold. Displeased with the cities, Hiram calls the region "the land of Cabul." Hiram sends Solomon 120 talents of gold.
• Verses 15–23: A list follows of the projects Solomon built with the levy (conscripted laborers): the temple, the palace, the Millo, the wall of Jerusalem, Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer, as well as store cities and cities for chariots. Gezer was a city that Pharaoh king of Egypt had captured and given to his daughter as a dowry. Solomon made the remaining descendants of the native peoples of Canaan into a levy of bondservants, while the children of Israel served as soldiers and officials. The chief officers overseeing the work numbered 550.
• Verses 24–25: Pharaoh's daughter moves into her new palace, and Solomon offers burnt offerings and peace offerings three times a year.
• Verses 26–28: Solomon builds ships at Ezion-geber on the shore of the Red Sea in the land of Edom. Together with Hiram's seamen, his servants sail to Ophir and bring back 420 talents of gold.

Key Verses

• 1 Kings 9:3, "to put my name there for ever": In answer to the prayer of chapter 8, God confirms that the temple is the place where His name dwells.
• 1 Kings 9:4–5, "as David thy father walked": The promise of the throne made to David is reaffirmed, conditioned on obedience.
• 1 Kings 9:7, "this house, which I have hallowed for my name, will I cast out of my sight": A warning that anticipates the later destruction of the temple.

People and Places

• Solomon: King of Israel, who built the temple and the royal palace.
• David: Solomon's father, cited as the standard for the promise of the throne.
• Hiram: King of Tyre, who supplied building materials, gold, and seamen.
• Pharaoh's daughter: Solomon's wife, for whom he built a palace.
• Gibeon: The place where Solomon first encountered God (1 Kings 3).
• Hazor and Gezer: Cities that Solomon built, along with Megiddo.
• Ezion-geber and Ophir: Ezion-geber was a port on the Red Sea, and Ophir was a source of gold. The exact location of Ophir is unknown.

Points for Reflection

• Verse 22 states that Solomon did not make bondservants of the children of Israel, yet 1 Kings 5 records that he raised a levy of thirty thousand men out of Israel. Some interpreters harmonize the two accounts by suggesting that the kind or duration of the labor differed.
• The parallel passage, 2 Chronicles 8, states that Solomon built the cities that Hiram had given to him, which appears to reverse the direction of the transaction described in this chapter. Various interpretations have been offered.
• The Davidic covenant (2 Samuel 7) promises that David's throne will endure forever, whereas this chapter attaches the condition of obedience. The warning is commonly read as fulfilled in the Babylonian exile and the destruction of the temple. On the basis of Luke 1:32–33, Christian tradition understands David's eternal throne to be fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
• 2 Chronicles 7, which records the same vision, contains an additional verse: "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray" (2 Chronicles 7:14). This verse does not appear in 1 Kings 9.