And Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the River to the land of the Philistines, and to the border of Egypt; they brought presents, and served Solomon all the days of his life.
verse value 4920
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 79 letters. The shortest word is "was" (הָיָ֤ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·all·the·kingdoms" (בְּכׇל־הַמַּמְלָכ֔וֹת, 10 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "ruling" (מוֹשֵׁל֙), "in·all·the·kingdoms" (בְּכׇל־הַמַּמְלָכ֔וֹת), "from·the·river" (מִן־הַנָּהָר֙). The root שלמה appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "was" (root היה, 196x in I Kings); "and·Solomon" (root שלמה, 162x in I Kings); "all·days·of" (root יום, 100x in I Kings). First appearance of the root משל ("ruling") in I Kings. First appearance of the root נהר ("from·the·river") in I Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Egypt', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 6 words.
Radak
"Ruler over all the kingdoms." For they feared him, brought him tribute, and served him.
From the river, the land of the Philistines. As its Targum [translates]: From the River Euphrates to the land of the Philistines.
Metzudat David
From the river. That flows from Eden, which is the beginning of the east, to the land of the Philistines.
Presenting. They were presenting a tribute-offering; and they served Solomon by rendering him the tax.
Malbim
(1–8) The Questions: According to the order, it should have first arranged, "And Solomon's food for one day was...," etc., and afterward it should have said, "And Solomon reigned...," etc., "for he had dominion over all the region beyond the River," etc. And likewise, what is stated in verse 7, "And the officers provided...," etc., is superfluous, since this was already stated. Also, the contradiction that exists regarding the number of horse stalls between this book and the Book of Chronicles:
3. And Solomon needed to enlarge his table due to the greatness of his kingdom and the preciousness of the splendor of his glory, for he reigned over all the kingdoms. And the king's table grows according to the magnitude of his kingdom. And even in this, it was not a burden upon the people, for all of them brought gifts and served Solomon. And thereby, Israel sucked the milk of the nations, and abundance came to them from the lands that were subdued beneath them.
And Solomon’s provision for one day was thirty measures of fine flour, and threescore measures of meal;
verse value 2997
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 38 letters. Notable word values: "to·day" (לְי֣וֹם) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "howdah" (כֹּר֙, 2 letters) and the longest is "bread·of·Solomon" (לֶֽחֶם־שְׁלֹמֹ֖ה, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 220: howdah, howdah. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "bread·of·Solomon" (לֶֽחֶם־שְׁלֹמֹ֖ה), "to·day" (לְי֣וֹם), "choice·flour" (סֹ֔לֶת). The root כר appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·it·was" (root היה, 196x in I Kings); "bread·of·Solomon" (root שלמה, 162x in I Kings); "to·day" (root יום, 100x in I Kings). First appearance of the root כר ("howdah") in I Kings. First appearance of the root קמח ("flour") in I Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'one', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַיְהִ֥י [and·it·was] (31) + לֶֽחֶם־שְׁלֹמֹ֖ה [bread·of·Solomon] (453) + לְי֣וֹם [to·day] (86) + אֶחָ֑ד [one] (13) + שְׁלֹשִׁ֥ים [thirty] (680) + כֹּר֙ [howdah] (220) + סֹ֔לֶת [choice·flour] (490) + וְשִׁשִּׁ֥ים [sixty] (656) + כֹּ֖ר [howdah] (220) + קָֽמַח [flour] (148) = 2997.
Metzudat David
Solomon's bread. For all who come to his table.
Fine flour. Very pure flour.
Malbim
And therefore, “The food of Solomon in one day was...” – this means that it was fitting according to the wealth of the people of Israel, according to the greatness of Solomon’s kingdom, and according to the multitude of people who came to him daily from all around.
ten fat oxen, and twenty oxen out of the pastures, and a hundred sheep, beside harts, and gazelles, and roebucks, and fatted fowl.
verse value 3605
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 61 letters. Notable word values: "alone" (לְ֠בַ֠ד) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "cattle" (בָקָ֜ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·twenty" (וְעֶשְׂרִ֥ים, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 302: cattle, cattle. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "fat" (בְּרִאִ֗ים), "pasture" (רְעִ֖י), "from·hart" (מֵאַיָּ֤ל). The root בקר appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "from·hart" (root איל, 125x in I Kings); "ten" (root עשר, 39x in I Kings); "and·hundred" (root מאה, 25x in I Kings). First appearance of the root עשרים ("and·twenty") in I Kings. First appearance of the root מאה ("and·hundred") in I Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'flock', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 6 words.
Rashi
"Fatlings." [They were] fattened at the feeding trough:
"Pasture-fed." From [the word] "achu" [reed-grass/meadow]:
"And fatted geese." Some of our Rabbis say: [these were] fattened chickens (Bava Metzia 86b):
Radak
Healthy. Fat and well-fed, as in the Targum of Jonathan, "well-fed"; and likewise, "and Eglon was a stout man"; and likewise, "to make you fat."
“Pasture.” From the grazing [of the animals]. But the healthy ones are those that are fattened in the house.
“Barburim are fattened [birds].” The Targum of Jonathan renders it as “fat birds” [ve'ofa patimaya], yet it does not explain which specific birds they are. And some say that they are castrated birds, for they are fatter than the others. And in the words of our Sages of blessed memory, a bird that comes from Barbary is called “barburim,” named after its place of origin.
Ralbag
"Ten healthy oxen." This means that they were fat.
"And fatted geese." They are fat birds.
Metzudat Zion
Beri'im. Fat, like (Judges 3:17) 'and Eglon was a fat man' (ve'eglon ish bari):
Re'i. Grazers in pastures:
Me'eil tzvi ve-yachmur. These are names of species of clean animals:
U'varbarim avusim. Birds brought from the land of Berberia; they were fattened in the manger, which is the place designated for feeding them; an example is (Isaiah 1:3) 'and the donkey knows its master's manger' (uchamor avus ba'av):
For he had dominion over all the region on this side the River, from Tiphsah even to Gaza, over all the kings on this side the River; and he had peace on all sides round about him.
verse value 3199
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 66 letters. Notable word values: "to·him" (ל֛וֹ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "to·him" (ל֛וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "from·all·his·regions" (מִכׇּל־עֲבָרָ֖יו, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 260: stream, stream. 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "for·he" (כִּי־ה֞וּא), "ruling" (רֹדֶ֣ה), "in·all·region·of" (בְּכׇל־עֵ֣בֶר). The root עבר appears 3 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·all·kings·of" (root מלך, 341x in I Kings); "was" (root היה, 196x in I Kings); "and·until·Gaza" (root עד, 23x in I Kings). First appearance of the root רדה ("ruling") in I Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'stream', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 5 words. Full calculation: כִּי־ה֞וּא [for·he] (42) + רֹדֶ֣ה [ruling] (209) + בְּכׇל־עֵ֣בֶר [in·all·region·of] (324) + הַנָּהָ֗ר [stream] (260) + מִתִּפְסַח֙ [from·Tiphsah] (588) + וְעַד־עַזָּ֔ה [and·until·Gaza] (162) + בְּכׇל־מַלְכֵ֖י [in·all·kings·of] (152) + עֵ֣בֶר [beyond] (272) + הַנָּהָ֑ר [stream] (260) + וְשָׁל֗וֹם [and·peace] (382) + הָ֥יָה [was] (20) + ל֛וֹ [to·him] (36) + מִכׇּל־עֲבָרָ֖יו [from·all·his·regions] (378) + מִסָּבִֽיב [round·about] (114) = 3199.
Radak
"For he ruled." The reason is that the deer, gazelle, roebuck, and fattened geese that were at his table every day were what they would bring him as tribute from every part of the region beyond the river, for he was a ruler over them; that is to say, they feared him, and all the kings beyond the river continually presented him with tribute.
From Tapsach to Ezzah. These are countries beyond the river, and our Sages of blessed memory disputed this matter: some said that Tapsach is at the end of the world and Ezzah is at the end of the world, and others said that Tapsach and Ezzah were adjacent to one another, and just as he reigned over Tapsach and over Ezzah, so did he reign over the entire world.
Metzudat David
For he ruled. He came to give a reason for why there were so many at his table, needing them for this reckoning. And he said: since he ruled over all the men beyond the river and over all their kings, and he had peace from every side, even from the nations over which he did not rule -- for this reason many came to him, both from those at peace with him and from the nations over which he ruled.
Metzudat Zion
Rada. Ruler, like (Psalms 110:2) 'you shall rule in the midst of your enemies' (rada bikrev oiveich):
Mechol 'ivrav. From all its sides:
Malbim
“For he ruled now,” meaning that he again alludes to what will be recounted regarding the multitude of horses that belonged to Solomon, which were also a burden placed upon the people to maintain them. Yet even this was as fitting and proper, for the horses were prepared for war in times of need, and through them he subdued all the kingdoms, since they knew that he possessed military might, horses, and chariots, and they stood in awe of him. Consequently, he did not need to engage in warfare. That is to say, on this matter he accomplished three things: First, that he ruled with a strong hand. This is the difference between what was stated initially, “And Solomon reigned,” and what is stated here, “For he ruled,” explaining that he ruled over all the kings beyond the River. The implication is that one who fights and conquers rules over the nations he has conquered. This was not the case with Solomon, who did not fight against the nations; rather, their kings feared him, and through them he ruled, and thereby their peoples were subdued automatically. This occurred because they saw the greatness of his military power and his cavalry. Second, that he had peace on all his sides, meaning that even the nations in the other directions, over whom he did not rule, at least refrained from raising their hand to fight against him.
And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and under his fig-tree, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, all the days of Solomon.
verse value 5107
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 59 letters. The shortest word is "all" (כֹּ֖ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·Israel" (וְיִשְׂרָאֵ֜ל, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "to·safety" (לָבֶ֗טַח), "his·vine" (גַּפְנוֹ֙), "his·fig" (תְּאֵנָת֔וֹ). The root תחת appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Solomon" (root שלמה, 162x in I Kings); "and·Israel" (root ישראל, 120x in I Kings); "day" (root יום, 100x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'seven', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 3 words.
Metzudat David
Each. Each sat under his vine, and none wandered from it because of an enemy.
Malbim
3. And on this basis, “Judah and Israel dwelt in security,” for they had no need to engage in battle; neither did the foot of an enemy terrify them from without, nor was there rebellion and tumult within.
Cross-references: Genesis 49:9; Judges 20:1; II Kings 18:31
And Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen.
verse value 3668
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 49 letters. The shortest word is "thousand" (אֶ֛לֶף, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·twelve" (וּשְׁנֵים־עָשָׂ֥ר, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 111: thousand, thousand. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "stalls·of" (אֻֽרְוֺ֥ת), "for·his·chariot" (לְמֶרְכָּב֑וֹ). The root אלף appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·it·was" (root היה, 196x in I Kings); "to·Solomon" (root שלמה, 162x in I Kings); "and·twelve" (root שנה, 72x in I Kings). First appearance of the root סוס ("horses") in I Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'for·his·chariot', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיְהִ֣י [and·it·was] (31) + לִשְׁלֹמֹ֗ה [to·Solomon] (405) + אַרְבָּעִ֥ים [forty] (323) + אֶ֛לֶף [thousand] (111) + אֻֽרְוֺ֥ת [stalls·of] (607) + סוּסִ֖ים [horses] (176) + לְמֶרְכָּב֑וֹ [for·his·chariot] (298) + וּשְׁנֵים־עָשָׂ֥ר [and·twelve] (976) + אֶ֖לֶף [thousand] (111) + פָּרָשִֽׁים [horsemen] (630) = 3668.
Rashi
"Forty thousand stalls of horses." And in Chronicles (2 Chronicles 9:25) it says: "Four thousand." Our Sages explained (Sanhedrin 21b): There were forty thousand stalls, and in each one there were four thousand stable-compartments. Or: there were four thousand stalls, and in each one there were forty thousand stable-compartments.
Radak
"Forty thousand stalls of horses." And in Chronicles it says: four thousand stalls of horses. Our Sages of blessed memory explained: forty stables, and in each one there were four thousand horses; or forty thousand stables, and in each one there were forty horses. And the meaning of "arot" is mangers. Targum Yonatan renders it: "the manger of its owner" [urya de-marohi]. And our Sages of blessed memory said that he transgressed the prohibition of "He shall not multiply horses for himself." And the explanation of "He shall not multiply horses for himself" is that he shall not have idle horses. Since he had only twelve thousand horsemen, and he had forty thousand stalls of horses, he had many idle horses. And the reason Solomon multiplied horses and horsemen, although he had no war, was solely for honor and grandeur, so that they would accompany him when he traveled from place to place. Moreover, he did have some warfare when he took Hamath-zobah and Etzion-geber.
Ralbag
"And Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots." Now, "stalls" (aruvot) are mangers, where the horses would eat. And we find in Chronicles in place of this: "four thousand stalls of horses and chariots." It appears that there they counted the stalls, and in this place they counted the horses. The meaning is that he had forty thousand horses for his chariots in the stalls, and there were ten horses in each stall. And since it says afterward "for horses and for steeds," we know that the steeds (rekhesh) are one type among the types of horses, and I think they are the lightest [swiftest] in running, and they are those upon which they would ride in war. Or perhaps he means here: forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, but there were only four thousand stalls in which there were horses and chariots.
Metzudat David
Forty thousand. And in Chronicles (II 9:25) it is said 'four thousand.' And it is possible that there they counted the stalls, and here they counted the horses; and as though saying that he had forty thousand horses for his chariots in his stalls; and there were ten in each.
For his chariot. At times he rode on these, at times on those.
Metzudat Zion
Arot. '[The] manger of its master' (evus be'alav) (Isaiah 1:3); Targum: 'urvaya demarohi':
Parashim. They are those very accustomed to riding:
Malbim
"And Solomon had" means that for this purpose he had forty thousand stalls for horses. In Chronicles it is written "four thousand"; there it counted what he had for his personal use, as it is stated, "And he stored them in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem," for there it counted the glory of his wealth. And here it counted what he had for the army, to be ready for the day of battle and war.
And those officers provided victual for king Solomon, and for all that came to king Solomon’s table, every man in his month; they let nothing be lacking.
verse value 4030
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 66 letters. Verse gematria: 4030 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֥א, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·king·Solomon" (הַמֶּלֶךְ־שְׁלֹמֹ֖ה, 8 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "all·the·near" (כׇּל־הַקָּרֵ֛ב), "to·table·of" (אֶל־שֻׁלְחַ֥ן), "the·king·Solomon" (הַמֶּלֶךְ־שְׁלֹמֹ֖ה). The root שלמה appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·king" (root מלך, 341x in I Kings); "word" (root דבר, 191x in I Kings); "Solomon" (root שלמה, 162x in I Kings). First appearance of the root קרוב ("all·the·near") in I Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'his·month', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְכִלְכְּלוּ֩ [and·they·provided] (112) + הַנִּצָּבִ֨ים [who·were·standing] (197) + הָאֵ֜לֶּה [these] (41) + אֶת־הַמֶּ֣לֶךְ [the·king] (496) + שְׁלֹמֹ֗ה [Solomon] (375) + וְאֵ֧ת [and·(object marker)] (407) + כׇּל־הַקָּרֵ֛ב [all·the·near] (357) + אֶל־שֻׁלְחַ֥ן [to·table·of] (419) + הַמֶּלֶךְ־שְׁלֹמֹ֖ה [the·king·Solomon] (470) + אִ֣ישׁ [man] (311) + חׇדְשׁ֑וֹ [his·month] (318) + לֹ֥א [not] (31) + יְעַדְּר֖וּ [lacked] (290) + דָּבָֽר [word] (206) = 4030.
Rashi
They shall not lack a thing. Even [what is needed] in the days of summer [was available] in the days of rain:
Radak
"And they provided for him." But has this not already been mentioned above, "and they provided for the king and his household"? Why does it repeat, "and they provided for the king"? Rather, just as he mentioned the horses, he said that he also provided the food for the horses, and included in the provision was also what the horses needed to eat, as it is written, "and the barley and the straw for the horses and the steeds." And he also added, "and for all who came to the king's table," for above he mentioned the king and his household, who are constantly in his house, and now he added, "and for all who came to the king's table," other people who would come to the king's table from time to time.
They would not lack anything. They were not lacking anything of all that was needed for the king's table. And Targum Yonatan renders it: 'They do not withhold anything' [lo me'akvin midaam]. And this is the reason for what he mentioned, 'each man in his month' — that is, they were not remiss, in that each and every one of them would indeed bring [what was required] in his month.
Ralbag
"Nothing shall be lacking." This refers to the matter of "a man shall not be lacking."
Metzudat David
And all who approach. They are those who come to him from the lands of the idolaters.
They shall not lack anything. From all the matters they need.
Metzudat Zion
Yea'daru. They will be lacking, like (Isaiah 40:26) 'not one is missing' (ish lo nida'r):
Malbim
(7–8) "And the officers provided for them." Now he concludes his statement: through the officers whom he had appointed, he obtained all that was necessary for him, both for the king's table and for what was needed for the horses, and they also brought all that was required to the place where he would be.
Barley also and straw for the horses and swift steeds brought they to the place where it should be, every man according to his charge.
verse value 3734
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 52 letters. The shortest word is "where" (אֲשֶׁ֣ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·the·barley" (וְהַשְּׂעֹרִ֣ים, 7 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "and·the·barley" (וְהַשְּׂעֹרִ֣ים), "and·the·straw" (וְהַתֶּ֔בֶן), "to·the·horses" (לַסּוּסִ֖ים). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "where" (root אשר, 375x in I Kings); "would·be·there" (root היה, 196x in I Kings); "brought" (root בוא, 109x in I Kings). First appearance of the root מקום ("to·the·place") in I Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·to·the·steeds', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 6 words. Full calculation: וְהַשְּׂעֹרִ֣ים [and·the·barley] (631) + וְהַתֶּ֔בֶן [and·the·straw] (463) + לַסּוּסִ֖ים [to·the·horses] (206) + וְלָרָ֑כֶשׁ [and·to·the·steeds] (556) + יָבִ֗אוּ [brought] (19) + אֶל־הַמָּקוֹם֙ [to·the·place] (222) + אֲשֶׁ֣ר [where] (501) + יִֽהְיֶה־שָּׁ֔ם [would·be·there] (370) + אִ֖ישׁ [man] (311) + כְּמִשְׁפָּטֽוֹ [as·its·ordinance] (455) = 3734.
Rashi
"And the barley and the straw." These prefects used to provide them to the place where the king would be.
Radak
And regarding "rekes": it is a species of animal, and some say that they are mules, the offspring of horses, like the riders of the rekes.
"They shall bring it to the place that shall be there." Those who were stationed among them used to bring the provisions for the king's food to the king's house; from them [others] used to bring the provisions for the horses' food to the place where they were, whether those that were in Jerusalem or those that were in the chariot cities.
“A man according to his judgment.” Just as they ruled between them: this one shall bring it here, and this one shall bring it here.
Metzudat David
That which will be there. The gathering of horses and steeds.
Each according to his turn. Each officer in his month.
Metzudat Zion
U'l'rekash. The name of a species of swift-running animal; likewise (Esther 8:14) 'the riders of the Rekash' (rochevei harekash):
And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea-shore.
verse value 3504
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 52 letters. Notable word values: "God" (אֱלֹהִ֨ים) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "heart" (לֵ֔ב, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·understanding" (וּתְבוּנָ֖ה, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "and·understanding" (וּתְבוּנָ֖ה), "and·breadth·of" (וְרֹ֣חַב). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 375x in I Kings); "to·Solomon" (root שלמה, 162x in I Kings); "and·gave" (root נתן, 113x in I Kings). First appearance of the root רבה ("be or become great") in I Kings. First appearance of the root רחב ("and·breadth·of") in I Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'very', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַיִּתֵּן֩ [and·gave] (466) + אֱלֹהִ֨ים [God] (86) + חׇכְמָ֧ה [wisdom] (73) + לִשְׁלֹמֹ֛ה [to·Solomon] (405) + וּתְבוּנָ֖ה [and·understanding] (469) + הַרְבֵּ֣ה [be or become great] (212) + מְאֹ֑ד [very] (45) + וְרֹ֣חַב [and·breadth·of] (216) + לֵ֔ב [heart] (32) + כַּח֕וֹל [as·the·sand] (64) + אֲשֶׁ֖ר [that] (501) + עַל־שְׂפַ֥ת [on·shore·of] (880) + הַיָּֽם [sea] (55) = 3504.
Radak
"And his heart was large as the sand." Now, the sand is not the subject of measurement, but rather the subject of number. And even though it is written, "which cannot be measured nor numbered," the measurement is also mentioned in connection with the number, as it is stated, "And the number of the children of Israel was..." And "large" refers to measurement, not to number; rather, it means that he was large in all matters of wisdom, which are like the sand. And our Sages of blessed memory explained: Just as the sand serves as a boundary for the sea, so too was wisdom a boundary for Solomon.
Metzudat David
And large of heart. To hold in it all kinds of wisdom, and in each much knowledge, like the sand, etc.
Malbim
"And God gave"—besides the wisdom of governance, of which He spoke until now, God gave wisdom to Solomon and very much understanding. We have already explained in detail in the commentary on the Book of Proverbs the difference between wisdom and understanding: in wisdom are included all the wisdom of the moral traits and all matters upon which good and evil apply; and in understanding is included the theoretical wisdom upon which the names of truth and falsehood apply. And "breadth of heart"—to know all the details of the sciences and their properties and their species, which have no end.
And Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east, and all the wisdom of Egypt.
verse value 3159
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 38 letters. Verse gematria: 3159 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "and·was·greater" (וַתֵּ֙רֶב֙, 4 letters) and the longest is "all·sons·of·east" (כׇּל־בְּנֵי־קֶ֑דֶם, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 468: wisdom·of, wisdom·of. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "and·was·greater" (וַתֵּ֙רֶב֙), "from·wisdom·of" (מֵחׇכְמַ֖ת), "all·sons·of·east" (כׇּל־בְּנֵי־קֶ֑דֶם). The root חכם appears 3 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Solomon" (root שלמה, 162x in I Kings); "and·from·all" (root כל, 86x in I Kings); "Egypt" (root מצרים, 20x in I Kings). First appearance of the root קדם ("all·sons·of·east") in I Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'all·sons·of·east', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַתֵּ֙רֶב֙ [and·was·greater] (608) + חׇכְמַ֣ת [wisdom·of] (468) + שְׁלֹמֹ֔ה [Solomon] (375) + מֵחׇכְמַ֖ת [from·wisdom·of] (508) + כׇּל־בְּנֵי־קֶ֑דֶם [all·sons·of·east] (256) + וּמִכֹּ֖ל [and·from·all] (96) + חׇכְמַ֥ת [wisdom·of] (468) + מִצְרָֽיִם [Egypt] (380) = 3159.
Rashi
"From the wisdom of all the men of the East." What is the wisdom of the men of the East? They are knowledgeable in the constellations, etc., as stated in the Pesikta, in the section of Parah Adumah [the Red Heifer], and this entire passage is expounded there according to its own sense.
Radak
“Sons of the East”: The sons of the East were renowned for their wisdom, as it is written, “For they are filled from the East” [Isaiah 2:6]. And in the words of our Sages of blessed memory: What was the wisdom of the sons of the East? They were knowledgeable in the constellations and skilled in tiyyar, which means divination by birds. Similarly, in Arabic, a bird is called al-tayr. Likewise, the sons of Egypt were knowledgeable in wisdom, by which the magicians were called.
Ralbag
“From the wisdom of all the sons of the East and from all the wisdom of Egypt.” It might seem that in Solomon’s days there was great wisdom among these two nations:
Metzudat David
From the wisdom of all the children of the East. Who knew the constellations, and were cunning in omens; and it is the language of birds.
And from all the wisdom of Egypt. Who were knowledgeable in the wisdom of nature, and the mixture of the elements.
Metzudat Zion
Vetarav. From the language of increase:
Malbim
And the wisdom of Solomon was greater than the wisdom of all the men of the East, who were skilled in the science of astronomy and the like, and [greater than] the wisdom of Egypt, whose people were wise in the science of nature and the properties of things, to the extent that they were able to transform things by their occult arts.
For he was wiser than all men: than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol; and his fame was in all the nations round about.
verse value 2170
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 64 letters. The shortest word is "son" (בְּנֵ֣י, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·all·the·nations" (בְכׇֽל־הַגּוֹיִ֖ם, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 84: and·was·wise, Mahol. 10 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "and·was·wise" (וַיֶּחְכַּם֮), "from·all·the·man" (מִכׇּל־הָאָדָם֒), "than·Ethan" (מֵאֵיתָ֣ן). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·was·his·name" (root היה, 196x in I Kings); "son" (root בן, 72x in I Kings). First appearance of the root אדם ("from·all·the·man") in I Kings. First appearance of the root גוי ("in·all·the·nations") in I Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Mahol', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיֶּחְכַּם֮ [and·was·wise] (84) + מִכׇּל־הָאָדָם֒ [from·all·the·man] (140) + מֵאֵיתָ֣ן [than·Ethan] (501) + הָאֶזְרָחִ֗י [the·Ezrahite] (231) + וְהֵימָ֧ן [and·Heman] (111) + וְכַלְכֹּ֛ל [and·Calcol] (106) + וְדַרְדַּ֖ע [and·Darda] (284) + בְּנֵ֣י [son] (62) + מָח֑וֹל [Mahol] (84) + וַיְהִֽי־שְׁמ֥וֹ [and·was·his·name] (377) + בְכׇֽל־הַגּוֹיִ֖ם [in·all·the·nations] (116) + סָבִֽיב [round·about] (74) = 2170.
Rashi
"And he was wiser than all men." According to its plain meaning.
Ethan, Heman, Kalcol, and Darda. They were brothers, the sons of Zerah, son of Judah, as it is stated (1 Chronicles 2:6): “And the sons of Zerah were Zimri and Ethan.” (They were Levite singers.)
Benei Mahol. They knew how to compose the psalms that are spoken in the Maholot ["Dances"], which the Levites would recite on their platform: psalms that they composed in the Book of Psalms (Psalms 88, 89): "A Maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite"; and "A Maskil of Heman the Ezrahite." Midrash Agadah in the Pesikta: "Of all mankind" — this refers to Adam the first; "Ethan the Ezrahite" — this refers to Abraham; "Heman" — this refers to Moses; "Chalkol" — this refers to Joseph; "Darda" — this refers to the generation of the wilderness; "Mahol" — because it was forgiven (nimchal) to them for the incident of the Golden Calf.
Radak
“Of Ethan the Ezrahite.” According to its Targum: “Of Ethan, son of Zerah.” These four [names] we found among the sons of Zerah, son of Judah: Ethan, Heman, Chalcol, and Darda. And behold, it says that these three were sons of Mahol; thus, they were not [the same individuals]. And among the Levites we found in Tehillim [Psalms], among the singers: “A maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite”; “A maskil of Heman the Ezrahite.” And we found in Divrei HaYamim [Chronicles], among the sons of Gershon, son of Levi: “Eitani, son of Zerah.” And it is possible that this is Ethan the Ezrahite, and “Eitani” and “Ethan” are similar [in form]. And Heman we found among the sons of Kohath: “Heman the singer.” But Chalcol and Darda we did not find among the Levites. And our Sages of blessed memory expounded: “And he was wiser than all mankind” — this refers to the first man. And what was the wisdom of the first man? That from his wisdom he named all the beasts and all the birds of the heavens. “Ethan the Ezrahite” — this is our father Abraham, as it is stated: “A maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite.” Heman — this is Moses, as it is stated: “He is faithful in all My house.” Chalcol — this is Joseph, as it is stated: “And Joseph sustained [vayichallekol]…” Darda — this is the generation of the wilderness, a generation that possessed understanding [da’at]. “Sons of Mahol” — because their sin of the Golden Calf was forgiven [nichal] them.
Ralbag
Ethan, Heman, Kalcol, and Darda. And he called this one Ethan, Ethan the Ezrahite, because he was the son of Zerah. And he said "the sons of Mahol," to indicate that they were by their wisdom, worthy to praise God, blessed be He, with dance; or there were two names for Zerah, meaning that his name was also called Mahol.
Metzudat David
From Ethan , etc. These four men were famous in their generation as great wise men; and Solomon's wisdom surpassed them all.
Malbim
“And he was wiser than all men,” namely, the great wise men and the magicians who were in his time. And you already know what our Sages of blessed memory expounded on this matter. And see in Abarbanel, who explained at length the difference between Solomon’s wisdom and that of the other wise men: Since his wisdom was attained through a miracle, he grasped everything from the beginning to the end through sudden knowledge, not through gradual knowledge, which can only be attained through the apprehension of the senses, through toil and effort, over a long period of time, and through numerous propositions, and which is liable to error. It is impossible for one to grasp the roots of things, their essential forms, or the intellects abstracted from matter. See there at length.
Cross-references: Psalms 88:1; Psalms 89:1; I Chronicles 2:6
And he spoke three thousand proverbs; and his songs were a thousand and five.
verse value 2800
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 33 letters. Verse gematria: 2800 is divisible by 50, the years to the Jubilee (yovel). The shortest word is "parable" (מָשָׁ֑ל, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·spoke" (וַיְדַבֵּ֕ר, 5 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "parable" (מָשָׁ֑ל), "his·song" (שִׁיר֖וֹ), "and·thousand" (וָאָֽלֶף). The root אלף appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·it·was" (root היה, 196x in I Kings); "and·spoke" (root דבר, 191x in I Kings); "five" (root חמש, 29x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'parable', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיְדַבֵּ֕ר [and·spoke] (222) + שְׁלֹ֥שֶׁת [three] (1030) + אֲלָפִ֖ים [thousand] (161) + מָשָׁ֑ל [parable] (370) + וַיְהִ֥י [and·it·was] (31) + שִׁיר֖וֹ [his·song] (516) + חֲמִשָּׁ֥ה [five] (353) + וָאָֽלֶף [and·thousand] (117) = 2800.
Rashi
"Three thousand parables." Three sets of studies of parables, for three times is it written "The Proverbs of Solomon" in the Book of Proverbs:
"And his song was five." These three, and Song of Songs, and Ecclesiastes:
"And a thousand." In each [of the three thousand parables], it is sufficient for him to learn and expound aggadah (Eruvin 21b): For he would say that for every verse there are three thousand parables, and for every parable, one thousand and five interpretations.
Radak
“Three thousand parables” – these are not found among us. Likewise, “and his song was a thousand and five,” for many books were lost to Israel during their exile. Similarly, what he composed concerning natural science, as it states, “and he spoke of trees,” wherein he revealed their nature and their medicinal properties, and likewise concerning beasts, birds, creeping things, and fish – in all that is beneath the sphere of the moon, his wisdom excelled, and he composed books on these subjects, which are not found among us. However, in aggadic exposition, we have reviewed all the scriptural verses and found that he spoke only in approximately eight hundred verses. What, then, is the meaning of “he spoke three thousand”? It teaches that for every verse he spoke, there are two or three interpretations, as you have said: “A gold nose-ring and a chain of gold.”
Ralbag
"And he spoke three thousand proverbs." It appears that these are the proverbs which the Book of Proverbs included, and that from those songs, the song included in the Book of Song of Songs was selected. And therefore it says at the beginning of the Book of Proverbs: "The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel, to know wisdom and instruction…" meaning that only these proverbs have their benefit in these matters mentioned here. However, the other proverbs that Solomon spoke did not have their benefit in these matters, and therefore they were not written in these books written with the Holy Spirit. For this reason, it also says at the beginning of the Book of Song of Songs: "The Song of Songs, which is Solomon's," meaning that this Song is the most select of the songs that are Solomon's.
Metzudat David
Three thousand proverbs. He invented with his intellect and devised from his heart proverbs, to instill in the heart the fear of the Lord. And behold those proverbs are not found among us, for many of his writings were lost from us in our exile, and came into the hands of the idolaters, and from them they copied words and called them by their name; but stolen goods they are from us.
And his song was. He also made songs numbering one thousand and five. And they too are not with us, for they were lost.
Malbim
"And he spoke" — this refers not only to the wisdom fixed in his heart, but also to words of wisdom spoken through the Holy Spirit, and to the books he compiled. These are the three thousand parables, which constitute the Book of Proverbs, divided into three parts, as explained in the commentary. And "three thousand" implies three modes of learning (from the phrase "I will teach you wisdom"). And "his song was one thousand and five" — this refers to the Book of Song of Songs, divided into five songs. The last song, which begins with "We have a little sister," where it says there, "A man will bring of his fruit a thousand pieces of silver"; "the thousand is for you, Solomon" — it is called "the Song of the Thousand," as we have explained, praise God, in the commentary on "Songs of the Soul."
And he spoke of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon even to the hyssop that springs out of the wall; he spoke also of beasts, and of fowl, and of creeping things, and of fishes.
verse value 3961
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 79 letters. The shortest word is "that" (אֲשֶׁ֣ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·of·the·fish" (וְעַל־הַדָּגִֽים, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 501: that, that. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "from·the·cedar" (מִן־הָאֶ֙רֶז֙), "hyssop" (הָאֵז֔וֹב), "of·the·beast" (עַל־הַבְּהֵמָ֣ה). The root עול appears 3 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 375x in I Kings); "and·spoke" (root דבר, 191x in I Kings); "of·the·trees" (root על, 127x in I Kings). First appearance of the root ארז ("from·the·cedar") in I Kings. First appearance of the root לבנון ("in·Lebanon") in I Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·the·wall', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 5 words.
Rashi
"And He spoke concerning the trees." What is the remedy for each one, and that such-and-such a tree is suitable for such-and-such a building, and for planting in such-and-such soil; and likewise concerning the animals, what is their remedy, and the primary cause of their growth, their food, and the aggadic exposition (Yalkut Shimoni, Remez 178): What did the leper see to be purified by the highest of the high and the lowest of the low, and concerning the animals and the birds, what did He see to render this one valid for slaughter by one sign, and that one by two signs, and fish and locusts by none at all?
Radak
“And He spoke concerning the trees.” Why is the leper purified by means of the highest of the high and the lowest of the low—namely, the cedar wood and the hyssop? Because when he exalted himself like a cedar, he was smitten with leprosy; but as soon as he humbled himself like hyssop, he was purified and healed.
Concerning the beast and the bird. Why is a beast permitted by two signs, whereas a bird is permitted by one sign? One verse states that the bird was created from the dry land, as it is written: "And the Lord God formed out of the ground every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens" (Genesis 2:19). And another verse states that it was created from the waters, as it is written: "Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth" (Genesis 1:20). Rather, they were created from a muddy marsh.
"Concerning the swarming thing." Why are the eight creeping things listed in the Torah singled out, such that one who traps them or injures them is liable, whereas with regard to other creeping things one is exempt? It is because these eight have skins.
"And regarding fish: Why is it that beasts, wild animals, and birds require ritual slaughter, whereas fish do not require ritual slaughter? As it is stated: 'Or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered for them' (Numbers 11:22)—a mere gathering suffices. And the Targum renders 'And he discoursed about the trees' as: 'and he prophesied concerning the kings of the House of David, etc.'—as [printed] in the column."
Ralbag
"And he spoke concerning the trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon, etc." Now, this discourse serves to inform us of their causes, their foundations, and their intrinsic perfections; this is the contemplation of their natural properties. It appears that he thereby also informed us of their benefits for human healing and nourishment. Indeed, the scope of his contemplation encompassed all plants, from the most noble to the most base. Now, the criterion of their matter lies in nobility and lack thereof, according to their functions and their organs, and according to the nature of the nourishment from which they feed. This is because when their functions are more perfect, their form, from which those functions are arranged, is more noble. Likewise, that which is more related to the mineral nature and whose matter is more gross is less noble, for the nourishment is similar in some way to that which is nourished. Therefore, it is clear from this that the cedar of Lebanon is of more noble composition than the hyssop that is on the wall, because the functions of that plant are very perfect, and its organs are more numerous, and the nourishment of the hyssop is more gross; therefore, it grows on the wall. In general, it is clarified from this passage that he spoke about all plants, from the greatest to the smallest, and from the most noble to the most base. He also spoke in this manner about the living creature that walks, and about the flying creature, and about the creeping thing upon the earth, and about the fish. Now, he mentioned them in order: the walking living creature is more noble than the bird, and therefore it gives birth to living offspring in its body, whereas the bird does not do so, but rather lays a complete egg. However, the creeping thing of the earth lays an incomplete egg. This is also clarified from another matter: it is more base because the nourishment from which it feeds is closer to the mineral nature. This is the general rule for all species of these creeping things. And the creeping thing of the earth is more noble than the fish, for the fish lay a complete egg and produce a multitude of offspring, due to the weakness of the fundamental heat required for their formation. Now, the explanation of all these matters is appropriate for the Book of Plants and the Book of Living Creatures, and there we explained many of these matters.
Metzudat David
And he spoke of trees. He explained the nature of all trees, and the reckoning of the composition of the elements in each.
From the cedar , etc. Meaning: in all kinds of trees and herbs, from the large to the small.
Of beasts , etc. Their nature and the composition of the elements in them.
Metzudat Zion
Ha'ezov. The name of a certain herb:
Ba-kir. In the wall:
Haramesh. They are the creeping things that are low, short-legged, swarming upon the earth; like (Genesis 1:26) 'the creature that creeps upon the earth' (harames haromes al ha'aretz):
Malbim
And he also composed many compilations concerning the wisdom of nature; among them he spoke about the plant kingdom in all its species, from the cedar to the hyssop. Likewise, he spoke about the wisdom of living creatures in all their kinds: those that walk on four legs, those that fly, and those that swim in the water; and the creeping things, which include amphibians as well as small creeping insects.
And there came of all peoples to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all kings of the earth, who had heard of his wisdom.
verse value 4643
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 54 letters. The shortest word is "from" (מֵאֵת֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "from·all·the·peoples" (מִכׇּל־הָ֣עַמִּ֔ים, 8 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "from·all·the·peoples" (מִכׇּל־הָ֣עַמִּ֔ים), "all·kings·of" (כׇּל־מַלְכֵ֣י). The root שמע appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "who" (root אשר, 375x in I Kings); "all·kings·of" (root מלך, 341x in I Kings); "Solomon" (root שלמה, 162x in I Kings). First appearance of the root חכמה ("his·wisdom") in I Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Solomon', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 6 words.
Radak
"From all the kings of the earth." The kings of the earth used to come to Solomon to hear his wisdom, and the peoples would come to their kings when the kings returned from Solomon, to hear of his wisdom.
Metzudat David
From all the kings of the earth. For all the kings of the earth came to Solomon to hear his wisdom; and when they returned, the peoples came to their kings, to hear from them Solomon's wisdom.
Malbim
"And they came" – the explanation of Abarbanel: "From the kings of the lands" means that the kings of the lands, who had heard of his wisdom, sent emissaries from all the nations, the sages of each nation, to hear the wisdom of Solomon. And some say that the kings of the lands came to hear his wisdom, and upon their return to their countries, all the peoples came to learn a lesson from their mouths about what the kings had heard from him. And it can be said that this alludes to the Book of Ecclesiastes, which was spoken in an assembly, and in it he spoke in a manner of inquiry and search concerning all matters of the world, and in this there was a lesson also for the kings, to see the vanity of the world's success, and for the multitude of the peoples as well.
And Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon; for he had heard that they had anointed him king in the room of his father; for Hiram was ever a lover of David.
verse value 4595
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 77 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "his·servants" (אֶת־עֲבָדָיו֙, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 354: and·he·sent, they·smeared. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "king·of·Tyre" (מֶלֶךְ־צ֤וֹר), "they·smeared" (מָשְׁח֥וּ), "his·father" (אָבִ֑יהוּ). The root כי appears 3 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "king·of·Tyre" (root מלך, 341x in I Kings); "was" (root היה, 196x in I Kings); "to·Solomon" (root שלמה, 162x in I Kings). First appearance of the root חירם ("Hiram") in I Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'his·father', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 6 words.
Radak
And Hiram sent. He sent his servants to Solomon to establish with him the love of David his father, and if he should request anything from his land, he would send it to him, just as he had sent to David his father cedar logs.
Metzudat David
To Solomon. To speak to his heart words of peace and truth; and in the manner of kings with one another.
Malbim
"And Hiram sent" (II Samuel 5:11) mentions that Hiram sent messengers to David, along with cedar wood and carpenters, etc., and they built a house for David. Here, however, it states that he sent his servants. For there, he desired to conclude a covenant with him for the first time, and therefore it was necessary to send messengers. For the term "messenger" is applied to one who goes on an esteemed mission, as they were distinguished princes and messengers who acted as advocates and were authorized by the king to conclude the covenant with him according to the terms they would establish between them. But with Solomon, there was no need to establish a new covenant, for he stood under his father, and the covenant that he had with his father was also valid for the son who reigned after him. And he sent only his servants, to bless him and to inquire after his welfare. And the explanation is that he heard that he had been anointed, and therefore he sent his servants and did not need to send messengers, for Hiram loved David all his days, and the covenant was faithful and established between them from long ago, according to the covenant between him and David.
Verse structure: 4 words, 19 letters. The shortest word is "Solomon" (שְׁלֹמֹ֔ה, 4 letters) and the longest is "to·Hiram" (אֶל־חִירָ֖ם, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "to·Hiram" (אֶל־חִירָ֖ם). 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "saying" (root אמר, 324x in I Kings); "Solomon" (root שלמה, 162x in I Kings); "and·he·sent" (root שלח, 46x in I Kings). Full calculation: וַיִּשְׁלַ֣ח [and·he·sent] (354) + שְׁלֹמֹ֔ה [Solomon] (375) + אֶל־חִירָ֖ם [to·Hiram] (289) + לֵאמֹֽר [saying] (271) = 1289.
Radak
And Solomon sent. By the hand of Hiram's messengers, he [Solomon] replied to him [Hiram] with this word.
Malbim
And Solomon sent. Here, Abarbanel raised the question and marveled at the discrepancies between the narrative here and that mentioned in Chronicles (Divrei HaYamim). Since his method of reconciling the discrepancies is not correct in my view, I am transcribing the wording from Chronicles to draw attention to them and to examine their matter carefully:
There it is written (2 Chronicles 2:2): "And Solomon sent to Hiram, king of Tyre, saying: As you did with David my father, and sent him cedars to build him a house to dwell in, behold, I am building a house for the Name of the Lord my God, to consecrate it to Him, to burn before Him fragrant incense, and for the continual showbread, and for the burnt offerings in the morning and in the evening, on the Sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the appointed feasts of the Lord our God, forever; this is for Israel. And the house which I am building is great, for great is our God above all gods. And who is able to build Him a house, since the heavens and the heaven of heavens cannot contain Him? And who am I that I should build Him a house, except to burn incense before Him? Now, send me a man skilled to work in gold, silver, bronze, and iron, and in purple, crimson, and blue, who is skilled to engrave, with the skilled men who are with me in Judah and in Jerusalem, whom David my father provided. And send me cedar, pine, and algum trees from Lebanon, for I know that your servants know how to cut timber in Lebanon. And behold, my servants will be with your servants, to prepare me timber in abundance, for the house which I am building will be great and wonderful. And behold, for the cutters who cut the timber I have provided ground wheat for your servants, twenty thousand cors, and barley twenty thousand cors, and wine twenty thousand baths, and oil twenty thousand baths. And Hiram, king of Tyre, answered in writing, which he sent to Solomon: Because the Lord loves His people, He has made you king over them. And Hiram said: Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who made heaven and earth, who has given to King David a son who is wise, endowed with understanding and discernment, who will build a house for the Lord and a house for his kingdom. And now I have sent a man skilled in understanding, Huram-abi, the son of a woman of the daughters of Dan, and his father was from Tyre, skilled to work in gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, wood, purple, fine linen, blue, and crimson, and to engrave any design that is given him, together with your skilled men, and with the skilled men of my lord David your father. Now, let the wheat and barley, the oil and wine, which my lord has mentioned, be sent to his servants, and we will cut timber from Lebanon as much as you need, and we will bring it to you on rafts down the sea to Jaffa, and you will bring it up to Jerusalem."
Thus, the mission is not mentioned there. And in the first mission of Solomon, in which Hiram sent his servants to Solomon, it is written here in the introduction of his words a different matter, and there it is written a different matter, entirely different words. Also, the request here is different from the request there. Here it is written: "Command that they cut me cedars," which implies that he only requested workers to cut cedars from Lebanon which is in the Land of Israel. And there it is written: "Send me cedar trees," which indicates that he should send them to him from Lebanon which is in Hiram's territory. And he added pine and algum trees, and that he should send him cedar trees in abundance, which was not mentioned in the request here. There, he specified the wages: twenty thousand cors of wheat, etc. And here it is mentioned: "And I will give your servants wages as you shall say." Here he wanted Hiram to determine the wages for him and give them. Here he said: "For you know that there is no one among us." And there he said: "For I know." And there he added the request for a man skilled to work in gold, etc., which was not mentioned here. And likewise, Hiram's response is different in the two books. Here he said that he answered: "I have heard what you sent to me," etc. And there he added many words.
From all this, it is evident that there were five missions in this matter. First, Hiram sent to Solomon to comfort him and to strengthen the covenant and love with him. Then Solomon sent to Hiram, and Hiram answered Solomon with the words mentioned here. After Hiram's response, Solomon returned and sent to Hiram again, and Hiram answered with the words mentioned in Chronicles. In this way, Ezra the Scribe completed in Chronicles the words missing here, and the words explained here he did not need to repeat a second time, as we will clarify.
Now we will clarify in detail: Solomon, in his first request, did not immediately ask that he send him many cedar trees from Lebanon in Hiram's territory. Rather, in his wisdom, he began with a small request, that he only grant permission to his artisan servants to cut trees, meaning that they would perform the work of cutting the cedars of Lebanon which are in the Land of Israel. And he preceded his request with an introduction, on the basis of which Hiram would volunteer of his own accord to give him more than what he requested.
‘You know how that David my father could not build a house for the name of Hashem his God for the wars which were about him on every side, until Hashem put them under the soles of my feet.
verse value 6808
Insights
Verse structure: 23 words, 86 letters. Notable word values: "my·father" (אָבִ֗י) = 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "that" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "battle" (הַמִּלְחָמָ֖ה, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "David" (אֶת־דָּוִ֣ד), "surrounded·him" (סְבָבֻ֑הוּ), "hands·of" (כַּפּ֥וֹת). The root יהוה appears 2 times in this verse. 21 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "which" (root אשר, 375x in I Kings); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 254x in I Kings); "house" (root בית, 191x in I Kings). First appearance of the root כף ("hands·of") in I Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'surrounded·him', dividing the verse into phrases of 16 and 7 words.
Rashi
"One may not build a house, etc." He was not permitted [to do so] on account of the war. And the verse states (Deuteronomy 12:10): "And the Lord your God gives you rest from all your enemies round about," and only thereafter (verse 11): "Then unto the place which the Lord your God shall choose..." — "even unto His habitation shall you seek, etc." (verse 5).
Radak
"Because of the war." He did not wish to reveal to him the reason, for God had restrained him, since it was not fitting for his father’s honor, and he said to him this apparent reason:
"Who surrounded him." Every war, one after another; and likewise, "should war occur" [Exodus 1:10]. And the Targum: "The servants of battle who surrounded him."
"His foot." Thus, it is written [ketiv] in the singular, but read [keri] "my feet" [plural, first person]. The written form refers to David—meaning that for David too, He [God] placed his enemies under the soles of his feet. The read form refers to Solomon, meaning: I am a man of peace, and I had no warfare, and I have leisure to build the House.
Metzudat David
Until He gave. Meaning: my father was troubled with war all his days, until He completed this with me; and with the help of the Lord they are now under my feet.
Malbim
"You have known" — he [Solomon] prefaced an apology on behalf of David his father, that he did not engage in this great matter, not because of laziness or sloth, but because he was constantly preoccupied with his wars. And there are three intentions [or considerations] here: If taken literally, to construct such a great building requires a time of peace and tranquility. And if so, it is also because the Torah's commandment is that they shall not build the Chosen House until the Lord grants them rest from all their enemies, as our Sages of blessed memory stated: "Israel was commanded with three commandments: to appoint a king, to blot out the seed of Amalek, and to build the Chosen House." And they proved there that the building of the Chosen House would be at the end, as it is stated, "And the Lord will give you rest from all your enemies around you, so that you shall dwell in safety," and "the place which the Lord will choose." And a third matter I explained in my discourses in Artzot HaShalom, that the essence of this commandment is not the building itself, but rather that if they build the house, it should be for the sake of the Lord alone, without any external ulterior motives aiming to attain some honor or benefit for themselves. And as he [the commentator] scrutinizes here in what is written three times: "for the name of the Lord his God," "for the name of the Lord my God," "for My name," and it is known that it is very difficult for human nature to do something from which one expects great profit and benefit, yet not turn at all to one's own pleasure, but rather do it solely for the sake of the Lord, as stated there at length. And David had already been promised by Nathan that through the building of the house, rest from enemies would be found, as it is stated in Berakhot (page 7a): "Anyone who establishes a fixed place for his prayer, his enemies fall beneath him, as it is said, 'And I will appoint a place for My people Israel and will plant them, that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more; and men of violence shall afflict them no more as before.'" He promised him that after the house is built, they will find rest from their enemies. And therefore, it would have been impossible for David to build the house with a pure intention, solely for the sake of the Lord, since he also expected the benefit of finding rest from his surrounding enemies, who tormented him all day. Only Solomon, in whose days there was peace anyway, and who was promised by Nathan that he would be a man of rest, it was easier for him to build the house with a complete intention dedicated solely for the sake of the Lord, without any external ulterior motives. And this is what he said: "You have known David my father, that he could not build a house for the name of the Lord his God." This means that he was not able to build it with the intention solely for the sake of the Lord, without external ulterior motives, because of the wars that surrounded him, and it necessarily arose in his heart also the benefit for himself in building the house due to the war, to find rest from his enemies.
But now Hashem my God has given me rest on every side; there is neither adversary, nor evil occurrence.
verse value 1690
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 38 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֧ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 1690 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "to·me" (לִ֖י, 2 letters) and the longest is "from·around" (מִסָּבִ֑יב, 5 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "has·given·rest" (הֵנִ֨יחַ), "evil" (רָֽע). The root אין appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 254x in I Kings); "my·God" (root אלהים, 99x in I Kings); "nothing" (root אין, 25x in I Kings). First appearance of the root נוח ("has·given·rest") in I Kings. First appearance of the root שטן ("adversary") in I Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·around', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 5 words. Full calculation: וְעַתָּ֕ה [now] (481) + הֵנִ֨יחַ [has·given·rest] (73) + יְהֹוָ֧ה [Hashem] (26) + אֱלֹהַ֛י [my·God] (46) + לִ֖י [to·me] (40) + מִסָּבִ֑יב [from·around] (114) + אֵ֣ין [nothing] (61) + שָׂטָ֔ן [adversary] (359) + וְאֵ֖ין [and·nothing] (67) + פֶּ֥גַע [occurrence] (153) + רָֽע [evil] (270) = 1690.
Radak
"The LORD my God has given me rest" – for after the rest [was achieved] came the commandment to build the Temple, as it is written: "And He will give you rest from all your enemies round about," etc., and "And it shall be, the place that He will choose, etc." – of His dwelling place shall you inquire.
Metzudat Zion
Hanich. From the language of rest:
Eyn satan. No accuser:
Paga. A matter of encounter; likewise (Genesis 28:11) 'and he came upon the place' (vipage bamakom):
Malbim
And now, since the Lord my God has granted me rest on every side, and even without the Temple there is no war for me against my enemies, for there is no adversary among the neighboring nations, and no evil disaster that an enemy might strike me by chance from afar:
And, behold, I purpose to build a house for the name of Hashem my God, as Hashem spoke to David my father, saying: Your son, whom I will set upon your throne in your room, he shall build the house for My name.
verse value 5725
Insights
Verse structure: 21 words, 85 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֣ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "saying" (אֹמֵ֔ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "he·will·build" (הוּא־יִבְנֶ֥ה, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 26: Hashem, Hashem. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "on·your·throne" (עַל־כִּסְאֶ֔ךָ). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "as" (root אשר, 375x in I Kings); "saying" (root אמר, 324x in I Kings); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 254x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'my·God', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 14 words.
Malbim
And I say, meaning: I am the one who can say "to build a house for the name of the Lord my God," namely, with a specific intention solely for the sake of the Lord, without any external ulterior motive, since I have no hope of finding through the Temple rest from wars, as the Lord said to David my father: "Your son, whom I will set in your place upon your throne, he shall build a house for My name." For he will already find a stable kingdom in a time of tranquility; therefore, he will build the house precisely for My name, that is, for the name of the Lord in particular, which is the primary requirement accepted in the construction of this holy edifice.
Now therefore command you that they hew me cedar-trees out of Lebanon; and my servants shall be with your servants; and I will give you hire for your servants according to all that you shall say; for you know that there is not among us any that has skill to hew timber like to the Zidonians.’
verse value 6977
Insights
Verse structure: 25 words, 105 letters. The shortest word is "to·you" (לְךָ֔, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·let·them·cut·for·me" (וְיִכְרְתוּ־לִ֨י, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 30: for, that. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "and·let·them·cut·for·me" (וְיִכְרְתוּ־לִ֨י), "and·reward·of" (וּשְׂכַ֤ר), "you·will·say" (תֹּאמֵ֑ר). The root עבד appears 3 times in this verse. 20 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 375x in I Kings); "you·will·say" (root אמר, 324x in I Kings); "they·will·be" (root היה, 196x in I Kings). First appearance of the root צידני ("like·the·Zidonians") in I Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'you·will·say', dividing the verse into phrases of 15 and 10 words.
Rashi
Like the Sidonians. They were neighbors to the forest on one side, and under the dominion of Hiram.
Radak
"From Lebanon." The Lebanon was in the Land of Israel, and he [Solomon] was not asking him [Hiram] for the timber itself, but rather that he [Hiram] send him woodcutters who knew how to fell the trees. And similarly, he sent woodcutters to David.
Like the Sidonians. Sidon and Tyre are close to one another, and Hiram was ruler over all of them; and similarly, they are mentioned together: "What are you to me, O Tyre and Sidon?" (Joel 4:4); "Tyre and Sidon, for they are very wise" (Zechariah 9:2).
Metzudat David
And they shall cut me cedars. For the need of the building.
From Lebanon. That was in Hiram's land.
And my servants shall be with you , etc. Also my servants will be with them to help.
For there is none among us , etc. Therefore your servants will cut.
Like the Sidonians. Tyre and Sidon are close to one another, and they are one kingdom.
Metzudat Zion
Halevanon. The name of a forest:
Malbim
Now [Solomon] commanded, after this proposal, which indicates that he wished to build a very great and wondrous edifice, to the point that David his father did not have the power to build it, even though he was a great and awesome king over the kings of the earth. [Solomon] requested a very small thing: that permission be granted to the craftsmen and woodworkers in his [Hiram's] kingdom to do Solomon's work and help his [Solomon's] servants cut cedars from the Lebanon that is on the border of the Land of Israel. This is what is meant by 'Now, command, and let them cut': he did not ask that cedars be given to him from Hiram's own stock, but only craftsmen, cutters of cedars, to do the work in the forest of Lebanon that is in the Land of Israel, and that he [Solomon] would pay the wages of their labor according to whatever Hiram would assess upon him. And he explains the reason he requests craftsmen from him: because he knows that there is no man to be found in Israel who knows how to cut timber like the Sidonians.
And it came to pass, when Hiram heard the words of Solomon, that he rejoiced greatly, and said: ‘Blessed be Hashem this day, who has given to David a wise son over this great people.’
verse value 4296
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 73 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "son" (בֵּ֣ן, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·words·of" (אֶת־דִּבְרֵ֥י, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "and·he·rejoiced" (וַיִּשְׂמַ֣ח), "the·great" (הָרָ֖ב). 19 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "who" (root אשר, 375x in I Kings); "and·said" (root אמר, 324x in I Kings); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 254x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'very', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 12 words.
Ralbag
“And it came to pass when Hiram heard the words of Solomon.” It is possible that this statement was not made regarding those very matters that Solomon had sent to him, for there was nothing in them upon which Hiram could rejoice on account of the wisdom that was evident in them. Rather, it is said that when Hiram heard the words of Solomon concerning the wondrous wisdom that was in him, as the messengers had recounted it to him, he rejoiced greatly and thanked God, blessed be He, for having given to David a wise son to sit upon his throne. And He said this to indicate that, due to the abundance of his love for Solomon, Hiram was willing to fulfill Solomon’s desire. And behold, despite all this, Solomon’s words to Hiram were spoken with wisdom. Therefore, he sent word that he would do his bidding from the wages of his servants, in everything that he would say, because they were more skilled in the work of cutting timber. He relied on the fact that he would not burden Hiram by asking him, out of his love for David. And therefore he informed him that it was David’s own will to build it, but because he was unable to do so, the matter was transferred to Solomon. And he also directed his words toward this: that this House would be built for the Name of the Lord, who has the power to humble and subdue all enemies and haters, as if he combined in his words both appeasement and threat together.
Metzudat David
And he rejoiced greatly. For from the arrangement of his words Hiram recognized his wisdom. And in Chronicles (II 2:10-15) he is more lengthy in the beauty of the arrangement of his words; and here it is abbreviated.
Over the people. He rules over the people. And it is an abbreviated Scripture.
Malbim
And it came to pass when Hiram heard the words of Solomon: Behold, Hiram understood from the words of Solomon that in his heart he sought a matter greater than what he had asked. For he did not need to elaborate at length merely regarding craftsmen, since David his father had not been able to build the House, which indicates the greatness of the building and that he also required assistance and support for the construction. From this, Hiram understood that Solomon had hinted that Hiram should give him cedars from his own supply, for in the portion of Lebanon near Tyre there were cedars and cypresses that were better and exceedingly numerous. And this is what the verse states: “And it came to pass when Hiram heard,” meaning that when he understood his words, he rejoiced greatly and blessed God, Who had given to David a wise son. For this indicates the abundance of his wisdom, in that he asked for little according to propriety and custom, and yet he encompassed his words according to his understanding, so that Hiram himself would comprehend this and provide for him abundantly according to his desire.
And Hiram sent to Solomon, saying: ‘I have heard that which you have sent to me; I will do all your desire concerning timber of cedar, and concerning timber of cypress.
verse value 6042
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 71 letters. The shortest word is "to·me" (אֵלָ֑י, 3 letters) and the longest is "all·your·desire" (אֶת־כׇּל־חֶפְצְךָ֔, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 258: Hiram, cedars. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "all·your·desire" (אֶת־כׇּל־חֶפְצְךָ֔). The root עץ appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that·you·sent" (root אשר, 375x in I Kings); "saying" (root אמר, 324x in I Kings); "to·Solomon" (root שלמה, 162x in I Kings). First appearance of the root חפץ ("all·your·desire") in I Kings. First appearance of the root עץ ("in·trees·of") in I Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·me', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 7 words.
Ralbag
And behold, Hiram added and said that he would fulfill all his desire with cedar trees and cypress trees, and he would convey them to him by sea and bring them out to the land, to the place that Solomon chooses, and there he will untie the bindings by which the logs are tied to one another; and behold, the meaning of 'rafts' [doverot] is the tying of the logs to one another, in such a manner that the sailors would be able to convey them by sea—radilatz in the vernacular.
Metzudat David
Whatever you desire. What you desire.
And in cypress wood. Although he did not ask about the cypress, he assured him to do his desire also in this.
Malbim
“And he sent...”: “I have heard...” means: I have understood what you sent to me. I will do all your desire with the cedar trees. He did not say, “I will do your request,” but rather, “all your desire,” meaning: what you desired in your heart, even if you did not ask with your mouth. For you desire that I give you cedar trees from Lebanon, which is in Tyre; and so I will do.
My servants shall bring them down from Lebanon to the sea; and I will make them into rafts to go by sea to the place that you shall appoint me, and will cause them to be broken up there, and you shall receive them; and you shall accomplish my desire, in giving food for my household.’
verse value 8496
Insights
Verse structure: 21 words, 93 letters. Notable word values: "my·servants" (עֲ֠בָדַ֠י) = 86, equal to Elohim. Verse gematria: 8496 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "there" (שָׁ֖ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "from·Lebanon" (מִן־הַלְּבָנ֜וֹן, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 412: and·you, and·you. 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "will·bring·down" (יֹרִ֨דוּ), "I·will·put·them" (אֲשִׂימֵ֨ם), "floats" (דֹּבְר֤וֹת). The root ים appears 2 times in this verse. 19 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that·you·shall·send" (root אשר, 375x in I Kings); "my·household" (root בית, 191x in I Kings); "you·will·do" (root עשה, 143x in I Kings). First appearance of the root לחם ("bread") in I Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'you·will·lift', dividing the verse into phrases of 15 and 6 words.
Rashi
"I will make them rafts." In Chronicles (2 Chronicles 2:15) he calls them "rafts," in the Ashkenazic language "Pletzim," and in the foreign language "Ritz." They bind the logs together, float them on the surface of the water, and transport them as one transports ships.
Until the place that You will send me. That You will inform me to bring them there:
"And I shall break them up there." When one unties the bundle and brings them out onto the dry land, each log by itself, this is called "nipputz" [breaking up] (for anything whole that is divided into segments is called "nipputz"); despecier in Old French.
Radak
"Duvrot." These are the large beams whose heads are tied together and which are then thrown into the sea; therefore they are called *duvrot*, and in the vernacular [la'az], *tzatarah*.
"And I will scatter them." I will untie them and cast them there. And so too the Targum: "and I will cast them there." And it uses of it the term "nifutz" (scattering), which denotes dispersal upon breaking apart, for when the rafts are transported by sea they are tied at their heads, and when they are brought out onto dry land, they untie the bindings and scatter the beams here and there.
"Bread of my house": In payment for my servants, that they may cut down the timber and carry it to the place that you desire. And the meaning of "my house" is those who eat at my table. And what is mentioned in Chronicles refers to food for the woodcutters, the cutters of the timber.
Ralbag
"And I will disperse them there." This means: I will untie the bindings in such a manner that the logs would be ready to be carried, each log on its own; and it would appear that the sea was from the border of Hiram's kingdom, and therefore Hiram wished to convey the timber to Solomon up to the boundary of Solomon's kingdom.
"Provisions for his house." This means: to eat, for his household.
Metzudat David
To the sea. To the sea near Lebanon.
And I shall set them. Meaning: my servants will tie them one to another, to lead them in the sea to the place that you will command. And there they will untie the knots, to separate and scatter them one from another, so that they can carry each beam by itself.
And you. Meaning: your servants will carry them from there, to bring them to the place of the building.
My desire. On account of the trees of my forest and the work of my men, you will fulfill my desire by giving bread to the men of my house.
Metzudat Zion
Dvarot. Their meaning is beams bound together to guide them through the water, for [the phrase] 'vayinhag et hatzon' ("he drove the flock") (Exodus 3:1) — its Targum renders it: 'u-dvar'; and so too (Isaiah 5:17) 'sheep shall graze like rafts' (kidvarim):
Malbim
His servants shall bring them down from Lebanon, which is on the border of Tyre, to the sea; and he [Hiram] undertook to transport them to the place that Solomon would specify, and from there they would carry them to Jerusalem. And he [Hiram] made a condition with him [Solomon] that in return for this, he [Solomon] would do his [Hiram's] bidding, namely, to provide him [Hiram] with food for his [Hiram's] household.
So Hiram gave Solomon timber of cedar and timber of cypress according to all his desire.
verse value 2596
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 41 letters. The shortest word is "giving" (נֹתֵ֣ן, 3 letters) and the longest is "cypress" (בְרוֹשִׁ֖ים, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "and·wood·of" (וַעֲצֵ֥י), "all·delight" (כׇּל־חֶפְצֽוֹ). The root עץ appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·it·was" (root היה, 196x in I Kings); "to·Solomon" (root שלמה, 162x in I Kings); "giving" (root נתן, 113x in I Kings). First appearance of the root חירום ("Hiram") in I Kings. Full calculation: וַיְהִ֨י [and·it·was] (31) + חִיר֜וֹם [Hiram] (264) + נֹתֵ֣ן [giving] (500) + לִשְׁלֹמֹ֗ה [to·Solomon] (405) + עֲצֵ֧י [tree] (170) + אֲרָזִ֛ים [cedars] (258) + וַעֲצֵ֥י [and·wood·of] (176) + בְרוֹשִׁ֖ים [cypress] (558) + כׇּל־חֶפְצֽוֹ [all·delight] (234) = 2596.
Malbim
(24-25) "And Hiram sent to him cedar trees and pine trees, and Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand cors of wheat for his household's food, and twenty thousand cors of beaten oil, year by year." Here the narrative is incomplete, and Ezra completes it in his book: After this mission mentioned here, in which he agreed to give him trees from his own supply, Solomon returned and sent to him the mission mentioned in Chronicles: "As you did kindness to David my father and sent him cedar trees to build a house to dwell in, so now I am building a house for the Lord my God." That is to say, "Is this not similar to what you did with David, that you sent him cedar trees from your own supply, and likewise you promised to do for me? But behold, I am building for the name of the Lord my God, etc., and the house that I am building is large. Therefore, add to your kindness and send also a skilled man to work in gold and silver, etc., and send me cedar, pine, and almug trees from Lebanon." He added two things: a skilled man to work in gold, and also that he send almug trees. He added further, "and prepare for me timber in abundance." There it details the wages for the laborers who cut and felled the trees: to them he gave twenty thousand cors of wheat, and likewise barley, and also wine and oil, twenty thousand baths each. And concerning this came the second response from Hiram in the letter he sent to him: "A skilled man, endowed with understanding, the son of a woman of the daughters of Dan, and his father was from Tyre, skilled to work in gold and silver, stone and wood, purple and blue, fine linen and crimson, to engrave and execute any design that may be given to him, together with your servants and my father's servants, the master craftsmen of Tyre. And behold, I have sent cedar and pine timber from Lebanon to the sea, and they shall float down the sea in rafts to Joppa, and you shall carry them up from there to Jerusalem." And he revealed to him that he agreed to the wages specified for Hiram's servants, and that he would bring him the timber by sea to Joppa, from where he would transport them to Jerusalem.
And Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand measures of wheat for food to his household, and twenty measures of beaten oil; thus gave Solomon to Hiram year by year.
verse value 7051
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 72 letters. The shortest word is "howdah" (כֹּ֤ר, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·twenty" (וְעֶשְׂרִ֥ים, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 288: to·Hiram, to·Hiram. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "wheat" (חִטִּים֙), "food" (מַכֹּ֣לֶת), "oil" (שֶׁ֣מֶן). The root שלמה appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·his·household" (root בית, 191x in I Kings); "and·Solomon" (root שלמה, 162x in I Kings); "gave" (root נתן, 113x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'beaten', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 5 words.
Rashi
"Provisions for his household." The term denotes food.
"Beaten oil." This is pure oil, in which the olives are not ground between millstones, but rather crushed in a mortar, and it does not raise as much sediment as the oil that is ground.
Radak
"Provisions for his house." Like [the word] "food" (ma'akhal); and the grammatical form of the word is "ma'akholet," the aleph being absorbed into a dagesh. And so the Targum Yonatan [renders]: "he provides for the people of his house."
Year after year. As long as the servants of Hiram were engaged in Solomon’s work:
Ralbag
“Beaten oil.” It is the finest of oils, as explained in the Torah regarding the matter of the oil for the Menorah. They would crush the olives in a mortar without grinding them, and the oil that came out from this process is called “beaten oil.” Afterward, they ground them to extract the remaining oil. This matter was already mentioned in the Book of Chronicles concerning what Solomon gave annually as wages to the workers of Hiram. However, in this place, Scripture mentions what Solomon gave to Hiram year by year.
Metzudat David
Food. Like 'edible.' Meaning: food for the men of his house.
Oil. For since Hiram added to his request by giving him cypress trees, he too added to Hiram's request by giving him oil.
Year by year. Throughout the time that the trees were cut from Lebanon.
Metzudat Zion
Chatit. Made from crushed olives, which is better than that made from ground olives:
Koh yiten. Thus he would give:
And Hashem gave Solomon wisdom, as He promised him; and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon; and they two made a league together.
verse value 4596
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 63 letters. The shortest word is "gave" (נָתַ֤ן, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·cut" (וַיִּכְרְת֥וּ, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 405: to·Solomon, two. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "and·cut" (וַיִּכְרְת֥וּ), "two" (שְׁנֵיהֶֽם). The root שלמה appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "as" (root אשר, 375x in I Kings); "and·Hashem" (root יהוה, 254x in I Kings); "and·it·was" (root היה, 196x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'he·promised·him', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 9 words.
Radak
"And the Lord gave wisdom to Solomon." The meaning of this narrative is that in the multitude of structures which he built, his wisdom was evident, as it is stated regarding the Queen of Sheba: "And the Queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon, and the house that he had built..."
"And there was peace." Was there not also peace with the other kings? Rather, [this refers to] a lasting and firm peace, by virtue of the covenant that the two of them made, and [Hiram] supplied him with timber for the construction of this [Temple] which he built.
Ralbag
"And the Lord gave wisdom to Solomon, as He had spoken to him; and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon": This teaches that the abundance of Solomon's wisdom was the cause of there being peace between Hiram and Solomon, for because of his wisdom, Hiram loved him.
Metzudat David
And there was peace. On account of the spirit of wisdom found in Solomon, Hiram desired to be at peace with him.
Malbim
"And the Lord gave wisdom to Solomon": The text states that the peace that existed between Solomon and Hiram was not because Hiram had affection for David his father, but rather on account of Solomon’s wisdom. For the reason that Hiram made peace with David was because he was a man of war who conquered lands and needed his assistance, whereas the reason he had peace with Solomon was because of the abundance of his wisdom, and for this reason he added to conclude with him a covenant of love.
And king Solomon raised a levy out of all Israel; and the levy was thirty thousand men.
verse value 2555
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 40 letters. The shortest word is "tribute" (מַ֖ס, 2 letters) and the longest is "from·all·Israel" (מִכׇּל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "tribute" (מַ֖ס), "from·all·Israel" (מִכׇּל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל), "the·levy" (הַמַּ֔ס). The root מס appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "king" (root מלך, 341x in I Kings); "and·it·was" (root היה, 196x in I Kings); "Solomon" (root שלמה, 162x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·all·Israel', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיַּ֨עַל [and·he·raised] (116) + הַמֶּ֧לֶךְ [king] (95) + שְׁלֹמֹ֛ה [Solomon] (375) + מַ֖ס [tribute] (100) + מִכׇּל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל [from·all·Israel] (631) + וַיְהִ֣י [and·it·was] (31) + הַמַּ֔ס [the·levy] (105) + שְׁלֹשִׁ֥ים [thirty] (680) + אֶ֖לֶף [thousand] (111) + אִֽישׁ [man] (311) = 2555.
Rashi
"And it was the levy." This amounts to the wages of thirty thousand men.
Radak
"And King Solomon imposed a levy." In accordance with the custom of kingship, as it is stated, "and you shall be his servants." And the meaning of "the levy" is as we have explained in the Book of Samuel.
"And the forced labor was thirty thousand men." And behold, we have found that Solomon did not assign any of the children of Israel to servitude, for it was the strangers who were the cutters and the bearers. If you were to say that he imposed a tax of silver for the wages of the thirty thousand, what is the meaning of saying, "A month in Lebanon and two months at home"? Rather, it is said that the cutting of the timber in Lebanon was not hard labor like the quarrying of stones from the mountain and carrying them on the shoulder. The cutting of the timber in Lebanon was not labor but rather a craft—namely, to cut them—and from there they brought them in carts to the sea. Moreover, the strangers were only one hundred and fifty thousand and three thousand six hundred, and behold, he made seventy thousand bearers and eighty thousand cutters and three thousand six hundred overseers. If so, the thirty thousand who were in Lebanon were children of Israel, and they were there with the servants of Hiram. These thirty thousand rotated from month to month, for there were not thirty thousand of these in Lebanon at any one time, but only ten thousand in a month. And each ten thousand were in Lebanon for four months in the year and eight months at home. Behold, three times ten thousand completed the year in Lebanon for him. The parable is like Reuven, Shimon, and Levi. How so? Reuven went in Tishrei, and Shimon and Levi were at their homes. Shimon went in Marcheshvan, and Reuven and Levi were at their homes. Levi went in Kislev, and Reuven and Shimon were at their homes. Reuven went in Tevet, and Levi and Shimon were at their homes. Shimon went in Shevat, and Reuven and Levi were at their homes. Levi went in Adar, and Reuven and Shimon were at their homes. And so on for the remaining six months.
Ralbag
"And King Solomon imposed a levy on all Israel." Behold, this matter of the levy was as he mentioned, that they needed to select from Israel thirty thousand [men] to be engaged in the work of cutting down the timber and bringing it, in such a manner that it would not be too burdensome upon them. And this was that they would divide them into three groups: each group would spend one month in Lebanon and two months at home.
Metzudat David
A levy from all Israel. The levy was that men gave to go to Lebanon, to cut the trees with Hiram's servants.
Malbim
(27-28) “And the king went up...” — Behold, the servants of Hiram had done the work with the servants of Solomon in the forest which was in the border of Hiram. And besides this, he also cut cedars from Lebanon, which was in the border of Solomon, for he was also in need of small trees that they would find in the border of Israel. And for this work he brought up a levy of thirty thousand men, so that always ten thousand would work in every month, and twenty thousand of them would remain at home for two months to attend to the needs of their households.
And he sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month by courses: a month they were in Lebanon, and two months at home; and Adoniram was over the levy.
verse value 4697
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 70 letters. The shortest word is "month" (חֹ֚דֶשׁ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·Adoniram" (וַאֲדֹנִירָ֖ם, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "to·Lebanon" (לְבָנ֗וֹנָה), "changes" (חֲלִיפ֔וֹת). The root חדש appears 3 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "they·will·be" (root היה, 196x in I Kings); "at·his·home" (root בית, 191x in I Kings); "and·sent·them" (root שלח, 46x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'at·his·home', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיִּשְׁלָחֵ֣ם [and·sent·them] (394) + לְבָנ֗וֹנָה [to·Lebanon] (143) + עֲשֶׂ֨רֶת [ten] (970) + אֲלָפִ֤ים [thousand] (161) + בַּחֹ֙דֶשׁ֙ [in·the·month] (314) + חֲלִיפ֔וֹת [changes] (534) + חֹ֚דֶשׁ [month] (312) + יִהְי֣וּ [they·will·be] (31) + בַלְּבָנ֔וֹן [in·Lebanon] (140) + שְׁנַ֥יִם [two] (400) + חֳדָשִׁ֖ים [months] (362) + בְּבֵית֑וֹ [at·his·home] (420) + וַאֲדֹנִירָ֖ם [and·Adoniram] (311) + עַל־הַמַּֽס [over·the·levy] (205) = 4697.
Rashi
“Rotations.” Just as the verse concludes and says, “A month they shall be in Lebanon,” meaning that when ten thousand men were in Lebanon in Tishrei, and twenty thousand men were at home, in Marcheshvan the second ten thousand rotate and go out to Lebanon, while these [the first group] return home; and in Kislev the third ten thousand go out to Lebanon, while these [the second group] return home; and in Tevet the first group goes out and returns to Lebanon; and so the cycle repeats. Thus, each of the ten thousand groups spends one month in Lebanon and two months at home.
Regarding the tax, to collect it:
Radak
"Two months." Like "and two months" [with the conjunctive vav]; and so too "sun, moon," "Reuben, Simeon," "king, princes" [written without the vav], and others like them.
Ralbag
And behold, Adoniram was over this levy, for he was in charge of the levies.
Metzudat David
In a month. In each month they worked only ten thousand.
In turns. They changed in each month, for one month they were in Lebanon, and after this they were two months at home, throughout the time that the second and third ten thousand went. And after this the first returned to go; and so it goes round and round.
Over the levy. To force each one to go in his month.
And Solomon had threescore and ten thousand that bore burdens, and fourscore thousand that were hewers in the mountains;
verse value 2276
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 38 letters. The shortest word is "thousand" (אֶ֖לֶף, 3 letters) and the longest is "eighty" (וּשְׁמֹנִ֥ים, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 111: thousand, thousand. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "seventy" (שִׁבְעִ֥ים), "burden-bearer" (סַבָּ֑ל), "hewing" (חֹצֵ֥ב). The root אלף appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·it·was" (root היה, 196x in I Kings); "to·Solomon" (root שלמה, 162x in I Kings); "seventy" (root שבע, 38x in I Kings). First appearance of the root שמנה ("eighty") in I Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'burden-bearer', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיְהִ֧י [and·it·was] (31) + לִשְׁלֹמֹ֛ה [to·Solomon] (405) + שִׁבְעִ֥ים [seventy] (422) + אֶ֖לֶף [thousand] (111) + נֹשֵׂ֣א [lifting] (351) + סַבָּ֑ל [burden-bearer] (92) + וּשְׁמֹנִ֥ים [eighty] (446) + אֶ֖לֶף [thousand] (111) + חֹצֵ֥ב [hewing] (100) + בָּהָֽר [in·the·mountain] (207) = 2276.
Rashi
"Seventy thousand bore the burden": This refers to those who brought the stones from the mountain to the city, and eighty thousand were hewing them in the mountain. This makes a total of one hundred and fifty thousand, and all of them were proselytes who had been drawn in, having converted due to the greatness of Solomon and his table. And so it is written in II Chronicles (2:16): "And Solomon took a census of all the strangers, and found them to be one hundred and fifty thousand; and of these he made seventy thousand [bearers of burdens], etc."
Radak
“Carrying burdens.” Explanation: “Carrying” a load, and “burden” is a noun and not an adjective; or according to its Targumic translation, “that are lifted on the shoulders,” in which case “burden” would be an adjective modifying “shoulders,” and the meaning would be “carrying with burdens,” as it says in another measure, “and those who carry with burdens.” The verse calls it “burden” or “burdens” because he carries the load on his shoulders. If, however, “burden” is an adjective describing the person, as it says in Chronicles, “seventy thousand burden-bearers,” then the meaning is with a missing vav, “carrying and burdening,” like “sun and moon.” The interpretation is: “carrying” means carrying and transporting the stones on the mountain from place to place, and “burden-bearers” are those who bring the stone on their shoulders to the place where the carts arrived, since the carts could not ascend the mountain. These seventy thousand and eighty thousand were from the strangers among the nations, as it says in Chronicles that Solomon enumerated the strangers and found them to be one hundred fifty-three thousand six hundred, and he appointed seventy thousand as burden-bearers and eighty thousand as stone-cutters in the mountain, and the three thousand six hundred as overseers to compel the people to work, as it says, “Behold, the rulers over the people.” Only there it says three thousand six hundred, and here it says three thousand three hundred. And these extra three hundred overseers were over the three thousand three hundred, and they were overseers over overseers, like police officers and enforcers.
Ralbag
“And Solomon had seventy thousand burden-bearers.” “Burden” (savel) refers either to the load itself or serves as a descriptor for the one bearing the load. Now, the number of stone-cutters in the mountain was greater due to the difficulty of quarrying in that particular mountain, along with the need to ensure that the stones they quarried conformed to the specific dimensions assigned to them. And those who performed the labor, together with the overseers who compelled them to carry out the work, were all foreigners, as mentioned in the Book of Chronicles. There it is stated that their number was one hundred and fifty thousand, three thousand, and six hundred, according to the count Solomon made after the census David had taken. And I consider that these foreigners were from among the Gibeonites, for they were resident aliens, not proselytes of righteousness, and Saul destroyed them for this reason, so that they would not remain established throughout the territory of Israel; and for this reason seven of Saul's sons died. Then they returned to the Land of Israel. And since they were obligated to cut wood and draw water for the House of God, blessed be He, as explained in the Book of Joshua, they were therefore compelled to perform this labor. And the remaining three hundred were the standing officers, each of whom was among the taskmasters who oppressed the people performing the work. And those taskmasters were the princes of the standing officers, meaning that the standing officers appointed them as princes and oppressors over the working people.
Metzudat David
Bearers of burdens. They loaded upon the shoulder the burden of stones, from the place of the quarry to the place of the building. And in Chronicles (there, verse 17) it is said that the bearers of burdens and the hewers in the mountain were resident aliens; and it is possible that they were from the Gibeonites.
Metzudat Zion
Saval. A matter of burden; like (Isaiah 10:27) 'the yoke will depart from your shoulder' (ysur savlo me'al shichmek):
Chotzev. So called the quarrying of stones from where they grow; like (Isaiah 5:2) 'yes, and a winepress he dug out in it' (ugam yokev chatzav bo):
Malbim
And they were for Solomon; moreover, he had from the proselytes who were in the Land of Israel (they being the Gibeonites and those who remained of the nations which the Children of Israel did not dispossess in the Land of Israel), and they were one hundred and fifty thousand men, and he made of them seventy thousand bearers of burdens to carry the timber from Lebanon, which was within Solomon's border, from the sea of Jaffa to Jerusalem, and to carry the stones from the mountain to the place of construction, and eighty thousand hewers in the mountain.
besides Solomon’s chief officers that were over the work, three thousand and three hundred, who bore rule over the people that wrought in the work.
verse value 5058
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 65 letters. Notable word values: "alone" (לְ֠בַ֠ד) = 36, double chai. Verse gematria: 5058 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "alone" (לְ֠בַ֠ד, 3 letters) and the longest is "over·the·work" (עַל־הַמְּלָאכָ֔ה, 8 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "from·princes·of" (מִשָּׂרֵ֨י). The root שלוש appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 375x in I Kings); "to·Solomon" (root שלמה, 162x in I Kings); "who·were·engaged" (root עשה, 143x in I Kings). First appearance of the root מלאכה ("in·the·work") in I Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'hundred', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 4 words. Full calculation: לְ֠בַ֠ד [alone] (36) + מִשָּׂרֵ֨י [from·princes·of] (550) + הַנִּצָּבִ֤ים [who·were·standing] (197) + לִשְׁלֹמֹה֙ [to·Solomon] (405) + אֲשֶׁ֣ר [that] (501) + עַל־הַמְּלָאכָ֔ה [over·the·work] (201) + שְׁלֹ֥שֶׁת [three] (1030) + אֲלָפִ֖ים [thousand] (161) + וּשְׁלֹ֣שׁ [three] (636) + מֵא֑וֹת [hundred] (447) + הָרֹדִ֣ים [the·rulers] (259) + בָּעָ֔ם [over·the·people] (112) + הָעֹשִׂ֖ים [who·were·engaged] (425) + בַּמְּלָאכָֽה [in·the·work] (98) = 5058.
Rashi
The officers who stand. They are the ones who press and supervise the workers:
"Three thousand and three hundred." And in Chronicles II (2:17) it says: "and six hundred." I say that the three thousand and three hundred were appointed over one hundred and fifty thousand, so that each one was appointed over forty-five and more, and the three hundred that are added in Chronicles were appointed over all of them, so that each one was appointed over five hundred and more. And you should know this, for there are yet two other verses regarding this matter, and they contradict each other, as it is stated in this book (below 9:23): "These are the chiefs of the officers who were under Solomon, five hundred and fifty," and in Chronicles (II 8:10) it says: "two hundred and fifty." Thus, there are four verses that contradict each other. But we have to explain that in the latter verses, they were appointed over all of them, and for Solomon these were the converts to serve as bearers of burdens and to quarry stones in the mountains, and the rest of the workers were for the cities of the storehouses, who were citizens. These verses refer to them, and in the Book of Kings, he counted the officers who were converts in two counts: the chiefs of the forty-five alone, and the three hundred important ones he combined with the two hundred and fifty who were appointed over the workers of the cities of the storehouses, and he counted five hundred and fifty chiefs. And in Chronicles, he counted all the officers of the converts by themselves, the great ones with the small ones, three thousand and six hundred, and all of them were converts. And the officers of the cities of the storehouses, who were Israelites, two hundred and fifty, he counted separately.
"Who drove the people who did the work." [These are] the taskmasters over the people who performed the work:
Metzudat David
Besides. This number was besides the officers in charge of the work, who were three thousand three hundred. And in Chronicles (there) it is said 'and six hundred.' And it is possible that the additional three hundred there were those in charge of those in charge.
The taskmasters. Those who drove the people doing the work.
Metzudat Zion
Meshari hanitzavim. Equivalent to 'officials [who were] appointed [over the work]':
Ha-rodim. The rulers and supervisors:
Malbim
Besides the officers who stood, who were appointed over them—three thousand and three hundred—Chronicles states that there were three thousand and six hundred. This is because there were three thousand officers of fifty, and three hundred officers of five hundred; these were the rulers over the people who performed the work. And in Chronicles, where it is written "and six hundred overseers," [it explains] that they were appointed over the three thousand who stood, each one being in charge of ten.
And the king commanded, and they quarried great stones, costly stones, to lay the foundation of the house with hewn stone.
verse value 2728
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 49 letters. The shortest word is "and·he·commanded" (וַיְצַ֣ו, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·they·quarried" (וַיַּסִּ֩עוּ֩, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 103: stone, stone. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "and·they·quarried" (וַיַּסִּ֩עוּ֩), "to·found" (לְיַסֵּ֥ד). The root אבן appears 3 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "king" (root מלך, 341x in I Kings); "the·house" (root בית, 191x in I Kings); "stone" (root אבן, 23x in I Kings). First appearance of the root יקר ("valuable") in I Kings. First appearance of the root יסד ("to·found") in I Kings. Full calculation: וַיְצַ֣ו [and·he·commanded] (112) + הַמֶּ֡לֶךְ [king] (95) + וַיַּסִּ֩עוּ֩ [and·they·quarried] (152) + אֲבָנִ֨ים [stone] (103) + גְּדֹל֜וֹת [great] (443) + אֲבָנִ֧ים [stone] (103) + יְקָר֛וֹת [valuable] (716) + לְיַסֵּ֥ד [to·found] (104) + הַבָּ֖יִת [the·house] (417) + אַבְנֵ֥י [stone] (63) + גָזִֽית [wrought] (420) = 2728.
Rashi
And they journeyed. From the mountain, denoting uprooting.
Precious stones. Heavy:
"Hewn stones." [These are stones] that are chiseled and dressed. And if you should say, is it not already stated (below 6:7): "And the hammers and the axe were not heard in the house during its building"? — the explanation is that no iron [tool] was heard in the house during its building; rather, one would hew the stones outside, and then bring them in and build with them inside. (Thus it is expounded in Sotah 48b.)
Radak
"And they moved." As its Targum renders: "And they removed." He commanded the quarrymen in the mountain to quarry and to move from the mountain large stones to lay the foundation of the House. These are the stones about which it says, "stones of ten cubits and stones of eight cubits." For the rest of the buildings, they would quarry small stones, and these are called "stones of hewing." Likewise, it says nearby: "from above, precious stones, in measures of hewing." And "stones of hewing" is written without a vav, its usage being like that of "shemesh" (sun) and "yareach" (moon). Its meaning is: large stones for the foundation of the House, and "stones of hewing" for the rest of the building above. The "stone of hewing" was known among them by its measure, as it says nearby: "in measures of hewing." This is just as the measures of the "gazit" were known in the days of the Sages of the Mishnah—the measure of the gazit being five handbreadths—but those of Solomon were larger, but they had a known measure.
"Precious." Heavy. And even though it says "large stones," it added in its wording "precious," [meaning] that they were heavy to carry, for those [stones] are better for the foundation than the light ones. And the Targum [Yonatan renders]: "avnin yakaran" [heavy/costly stones] — translating "precious" according to its plain meaning — for the quarry of the stones was on a known mountain, whose stones were better and more beautiful than those of other quarries; therefore they were precious, because they were not found except on that mountain, and anything that is not commonly found is called "precious."
Ralbag
“Great stones, precious stones, to lay the foundation of the house.” It might seem that they were chosen from the quarry because they are found there heavier in weight, for they are stronger; therefore, He desired that the foundation of the house be made of such stones—namely, stones that are large in their very substance and abundant in hardness and weight.
“Hewn stones.” That is, they were carved with iron tools in such a manner that their surfaces would be straight and their angles perpendicular, to the greatest extent possible, for thereby the structure would be more enduring.
Metzudat David
And they moved [them]. Targum Jonathan: 'And they extracted.'
Precious. For such stones are good for the foundation of the building.
Dressed stones. Like 'and dressed stones.' And he means: hewn with flat surfaces and upright angles, in the most suitable manner to build from them the walls of the house above. Or it is without the missing Vav, and it speaks of the foundation stones, that they too were dressed stones; although it is not the way to be particular about foundation stones that are hidden from human sight, whether they be cut straight or bent and crooked -- nevertheless Solomon in the loftiness of his heart was particular about it in the building of the house of the Lord.
Metzudat Zion
Yikarot. Heavy and difficult:
Gazit. From the language of cutting; I mean: hewn squarely:
Malbim
“And the king commanded that they bring great stones, choice stones” — that is, he commanded that great stones be brought, great in quantity and precious in quality, namely, pure marble stones to lay the foundation of the House. Although it is the custom of the world to place inferior stones in the foundation, he commanded that even for the foundation, great and heavy stones be chosen, and that they be dressed stones.
And Solomon’s builders and Hiram’s builders and the Gebalites did fashion them, and prepared the timber and the stones to build the house.
verse value 2393
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 56 letters. The shortest word is "son" (בֹּנֵ֧י, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·the·Gebalites" (וְהַגִּבְלִ֑ים, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "and·they·fashioned" (וַֽיִּפְסְל֞וּ), "and·the·Gebalites" (וְהַגִּבְלִ֑ים), "and·they·prepared" (וַיָּכִ֛ינוּ). The root בנה appears 3 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·house" (root בית, 191x in I Kings); "Solomon" (root שלמה, 162x in I Kings); "son" (root בנה, 66x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·the·Gebalites', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַֽיִּפְסְל֞וּ [and·they·fashioned] (192) + בֹּנֵ֧י [son] (62) + שְׁלֹמֹ֛ה [Solomon] (375) + וּבֹנֵ֥י [and·builders·of] (68) + חִיר֖וֹם [Hiram] (264) + וְהַגִּבְלִ֑ים [and·the·Gebalites] (96) + וַיָּכִ֛ינוּ [and·they·prepared] (102) + הָעֵצִ֥ים [tree] (215) + וְהָאֲבָנִ֖ים [stone] (114) + לִבְנ֥וֹת [to·build] (488) + הַבָּֽיִת [the·house] (417) = 2393.
Rashi
"And they hewed [the stones]." In the mountains:
"And the Gebalites." A nation whose name is Gebal, and they are expert in hewing stones and in building, as it is stated (Ezekiel 27:9) concerning Tyre: "The elders of Gebal and her wise men were in you; they were your repairers of seams."
"And they shall prepare." This is the language of preparation.
Radak
And the stone-cutters. These are known artisans who carve stones to the precise dimensions required for the wall. The term is derived from the root *gavol* (boundary), for they set a boundary to the stone when they carve it. Some explain that "the men of Gebal" refers to those who were skilled stone artisans, as it is said, "The elders of Gebal and its wise men were in you, your plasterers" (Ezekiel 27:9). Jonathan [ben Uzziel] rendered it as *argobliya*. He similarly translated [the verse listing craftsmen] as "and for the wall-makers, and for the stone-cutters, and for the *argobliya*, and for the stone-carvers." According to his interpretation, the *gavlim* would be the wall-builders. He translated [the phrase] "the builders of Solomon and the builders of Hiram" as *ardiklei*, meaning the master artisans, under whom there are other artisans. Thus, "the builders of Solomon and the builders of Hiram" encompasses both the stone-carvers and the wood-carvers.
Ralbag
"And the builders of Solomon and the builders of Hiram and the Gebalites shaped [the stones]." This means that after these quarrymen had hewn the stones in the mountain, the builders of Solomon—who were the wise men of Israel in this craft—shaped them, and there were with them also artisans to perform this work from among the builders of Hiram, whom he sent to Solomon to perform the work together with the Gebalites, and they were from the people of Gebal, and some of them were expert in this craft, and therefore they assisted together in it. And they also prepared the timber that Hiram sent, and they shaped it in such a way that it would be ready for the construction of the House without any further preparation. And all of this was done outside the House, as it states afterward, 'And hammers, and the axe, and any iron tool were not heard in the House during its construction.' And this was so in order to indicate the perfection of the House, and therefore nothing came there for the building that would be lacking and require further preparation other than the building itself.
Metzudat David
And Hiram's builders. For also Hiram sent to him craftsmen from his land; and as is said below (7:13), and in Chronicles II 2:12.
Metzudat Zion
Vifasilu. A matter of leveling and smoothing the faces of stones; like (Exodus 34:1) 'carve for yourself' (psal l'cha):
Boni. Builders:
V'hagvilim. The men of Gebal, who were expert artisans; as it is written (Ezekiel 27:9) 'the elders of Gebal... were the repairers of your leaks [seams]':
Malbim
And they hewed. After they had cut down the trees from the forest and carried the stones from the quarry, then the builders engaged in hewing them, smoothing them, and beautifying them. By this means, they prepared everything so that it would be ready for construction, such that all that they brought to the house was already hewn according to all its requirements, needing no further work to be done upon it except to place it in its proper position, as it is stated: "Neither the sound of hammer nor of axe nor of any iron tool was heard in the house while it was being built."
Radak
Metzudat David
Malbim