God appears a second time with the conditional covenant of blessing or exile; then Solomon's building, his levy, Hiram's twenty towns, and the navy of Ophir.
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
And it came to pass, when Solomon had finished the building of the house of Hashem, and the king’s house, and all Solomon’s delight which he was pleased to do,
verse value 5848
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 60 letters. Verse gematria: 5848 is divisible by 86, the value of Elohim. The shortest word is "and" (וְאֵת֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·house·of·Hashem" (אֶת־בֵּית־יְהֹוָ֖ה, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 375: Solomon, Solomon. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "the·house·of·Hashem" (אֶת־בֵּית־יְהֹוָ֖ה), "all·desire·of" (כׇּל־חֵ֣שֶׁק). The root שלמה appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 375x in I Kings); "king" (root מלך, 341x in I Kings); "the·house·of·Hashem" (root יהוה, 254x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'king', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַֽיְהִי֙ [and·it·was] (31) + כְּכַלּ֣וֹת [when·he·finished] (476) + שְׁלֹמֹ֔ה [Solomon] (375) + לִבְנ֥וֹת [to·build] (488) + אֶת־בֵּית־יְהֹוָ֖ה [the·house·of·Hashem] (839) + וְאֶת־בֵּ֣ית [and·the·house·of] (819) + הַמֶּ֑לֶךְ [king] (95) + וְאֵת֙ [and] (407) + כׇּל־חֵ֣שֶׁק [all·desire·of] (458) + שְׁלֹמֹ֔ה [Solomon] (375) + אֲשֶׁ֥ר [that] (501) + חָפֵ֖ץ [delights] (178) + לַעֲשֽׂוֹת [to·do] (806) = 5848.
Radak
“And all the desires of Solomon” – as is explicitly stated in Chronicles: “And all that came into the heart of Solomon to do, he did in the house of the Lord and in his own house, and he succeeded.”
Metzudat Zion
Chasek. A matter of desire:
Malbim
"And all my desire" – for the House of the Lord and the House of the King were matters of necessity; but besides these, he built structures that he did not need, only because he desired to build, to plant, and to increase his works, even though they were not needed, merely so that he might perform many deeds, as it is stated: "I increased my works; I built myself houses."
that Hashem appeared to Solomon the second time, as He had appeared to him at Gibeon.
verse value 2366
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 36 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֛ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 2366 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "and·appeared" (וַיֵּרָ֧א, 4 letters) and the longest is "to·Solomon" (אֶל־שְׁלֹמֹ֖ה, 6 letters). The root ראה appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "as" (root אשר, 375x in I Kings); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 254x in I Kings); "to·Solomon" (root שלמה, 162x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'second', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיֵּרָ֧א [and·appeared] (217) + יְהֹוָ֛ה [Hashem] (26) + אֶל־שְׁלֹמֹ֖ה [to·Solomon] (406) + שֵׁנִ֑ית [second] (760) + כַּאֲשֶׁ֛ר [as] (521) + נִרְאָ֥ה [appeared] (256) + אֵלָ֖יו [to·him] (47) + בְּגִבְעֽוֹן [in·Gibeon] (133) = 2366.
Metzudat David
As, etc. Meaning: in the manner of the appearance of prophecy that appeared to him at Gibeon.
Malbim
"And the Lord appeared unto Solomon again." Although this was the third time, the vision he saw at the beginning of the construction is not counted, for it was not a complete prophecy. Therefore, it is written there (above 6:11), "And the word of the Lord came to Solomon," which is a lower degree, as Maimonides wrote in the Guide for the Perplexed (Part III). Therefore, this vision is not counted in Chronicles. And this is what the verse states: "He appeared to him again, as He had appeared to him at Gibeon," for there it was a complete prophecy. And I have already explained this in detail in the introduction to my book Shirei HaNefesh.
And Hashem said to him: ‘I have heard your prayer and your supplication, that you have made before Me: I have hallowed this house, which you have built, to put My name there for ever; and Mine eyes and My heart shall be there perpetually.
verse value 9963
Insights
Verse structure: 22 words, 105 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֜ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "there" (שָׁ֖ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·your·supplication" (וְאֶת־תְּחִנָּתְךָ֮, 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): "your·prayer" (אֶת־תְּפִלָּתְךָ֣), "and·your·supplication" (וְאֶת־תְּחִנָּתְךָ֮), "you·made·supplication" (הִתְחַנַּ֣נְתָּה). The root אשר appears 2 times in this verse. 20 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (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 'for·ever', dividing the verse into phrases of 17 and 5 words.
Rashi
"And my eyes and my heart." The Targum of Jonathan: "And My Presence shall dwell there, if My will is done." Let my eyes be there, if my heart and my desire are there.
Radak
"And my eyes and my heart shall be there all the days." My providence and My will shall be there all the days. And the Targum Jonathan translates: "And My Shechinah shall dwell in it, if My will is done there, all the days."
Metzudat David
To set My name. To cause My name to rest in it, to be the house of the Lord.
My eyes and My heart. Meaning: My providence.
Malbim
“I have heard your prayer.” Behold, in his prayer he prayed for two matters: 1. That the Lord should cause His Divine Presence to dwell in the House continually, and that He should hear the prayers of those who pray there; 2. For the perpetuity of the Kingdom of the House of David. He told him that He had heard his prayer regarding these two matters. If concerning the matter of the Temple, He said, “I have consecrated the House,” and He told him that He consecrated it for two purposes: 1. To place My Name there, meaning that it should always be called the House of the Lord, and the Name of the Lord should be invoked upon it; 2. That My eyes and My heart should be there, meaning that He should watch over it with a special, miraculous providence, which is indicated by the mention of the eyes, and that it should be with great love, which is the matter of the heart. And this applies at two times: when the Temple stands and Israel is worthy, His eyes and His heart will be there; and even when it is destroyed, the Name of the Lord will be invoked upon it, and all will regard the place as sanctified for the Name of the Lord. And there is a difference between “forever” (ad olam) and “all the days” (kol hayamim), for “all the days” denotes the specific days during which something continues (as in “all the days that the son of Jesse lived,” “all the days that you live upon the land”), and it means that all the days that it will be standing, My eyes and My heart will be there. But “My Name I will place there forever,” meaning that this will not cease at any time, even in its destruction.
And as for you, if you will walk before Me, as David your father walked, in integrity of heart, and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded you, and will keep My statutes and Mine ordinances;
verse value 6106
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 68 letters. Verse gematria: 6106 is divisible by 86, the value of Elohim. The shortest word is "went" (הָלַ֜ךְ, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·integrity·of·heart" (בְּתׇם־לֵבָ֣ב, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "in·integrity·of·heart" (בְּתׇם־לֵבָ֣ב), "uprightness" (וּבְיֹ֔שֶׁר), "I·commanded·you" (צִוִּיתִ֑יךָ). The root אשר appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "as" (root אשר, 375x in I Kings); "to·do" (root עשה, 143x in I Kings); "went" (root הלך, 115x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'I·commanded·you', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 3 words.
Malbim
And you, however, regarding the second matter concerning the perpetuity of the kingdom of the House of David, this depends on the condition: "If you will walk before Me…" — that is, with an upright heart, meaning that the deed shall be performed with sincerity, without external ulterior motives, and with integrity in beliefs and opinions. Consequently, through this, you will walk before Me to do all that I have commanded you: to observe the positive commandments, and to guard the statutes and ordinances in the negative commandments, for "guarding" implies the obligation of "remain and do not do."
then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel for ever; according as I promised to David your father, saying: There shall not fail you a man upon the throne of Israel.
verse value 5743
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 72 letters. The shortest word is "to·you" (לְךָ֙, 2 letters) and the longest is "upon·Israel" (עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "the·throne·of" (אֶת־כִּסֵּ֧א), "your·kingdom" (מַֽמְלַכְתְּךָ֛), "concerning·David" (עַל־דָּוִ֤ד). The root כסא appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "as" (root אשר, 375x in I Kings); "saying" (root אמר, 324x in I Kings); "I·spoke" (root דבר, 191x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·ever', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 11 words.
Malbim
"And I will establish at that time the kingdom of the House of David forever, as I have spoken..." – The meaning is that the utterance was conditional: if they observe the Torah of the Lord.
But if you shall turn away from following Me, you or your children, and not keep My commandments and My statutes which I have set before you, but shall go and serve other gods, and worship them;
verse value 8191
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 88 letters. Notable word values: "God" (אֱלֹהִ֣ים) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "you" (אַתֶּ֤ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·bow·down" (וְהִשְׁתַּחֲוִיתֶ֖ם, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 501: that, and·you·shall·walk. 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "you·will·return" (תְּשֻׁב֜וּן), "and·your·sons" (וּבְנֵיכֶם֙), "from·after·me" (מֵֽאַחֲרַ֔י). The root שוב appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 375x in I Kings); "and·you·shall·walk" (root הלך, 115x in I Kings); "I·gave" (root נתן, 113x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·your·face', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 6 words.
Radak
"If you shall indeed turn away, you." Its meaning is: "you and Israel."
Metzudat David
You. Meaning: you and the men of this generation.
Malbim
"If you return again": It is clear to me that the promise of the kingdom to the son of David was unconditional, whereas the promise regarding the third generation was conditional, as it is stated: "The Lord has sworn to David a truth, He will not turn back from it: 'From the fruit of your body I will set upon your throne'" (and this was unconditional), "If your children will keep My covenant... then their children also will sit forever upon your throne" (and this was conditional). And this is what is said: "If you return again, you and your children, from following Me," then:
then will I cut off Israel out of the land which I have given them; and this house, which I have hallowed for My name, will I cast out of My sight; and Israel shall be a proverb and a by word among all peoples;
verse value 8132
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 92 letters. Notable word values: "and·it·shall·be" (וְהָיָ֧ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "from·upon" (מֵעַ֨ל, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·all·the·peoples" (בְּכׇל־הָעַמִּֽים, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 501: that, that. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "and·the·house" (וְאֶת־הַבַּ֙יִת֙), "to·parable" (לְמָשָׁ֥ל), "and·to·byword" (וְלִשְׁנִינָ֖ה). The root על appears 2 times in this verse. 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 375x in I Kings); "and·it·shall·be" (root היה, 196x in I Kings); "and·the·house" (root בית, 191x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'my·face', dividing the verse into phrases of 15 and 5 words.
Rashi
"And the house which I have sanctified for My Name" – This is a condition between Me and you: if you do not heed, what is stated there (Leviticus 26:31)? "I will make your sanctuaries desolate."
And as for "to mock": As the Targum translates it, "to jeer," meaning they will recount the evils that befall him and mock him, as it is written (Genesis 37:9): "and he told" (vayesaper), and [in Aramaic] "ve'ishtei" [and he related]. And the term "shinun" (mocking) is also a term for "speech," as it is written (Deuteronomy 6:7): "And you shall teach them diligently to your children."
Radak
"And a byword." [Referring] to the speech that the nations will speak concerning the abundance of their evil:
Metzudat David
I will send. Meaning: the house will be destroyed.
For a proverb. They will speak of them in a simile, similar to some matter, according to the greatness of the downfall that will come upon them.
Metzudat Zion
U'leshinah. A matter of speech; likewise (Deuteronomy 6:7) 'and you shall teach them diligently to your children' (ushinantam l'vanecha); I mean: they will speak of them:
Malbim
And I will cut off: then He will cut off Israel, because they will follow the king in his deeds, and consequently the monarchy will be abolished.
"And the house I will cast out from My presence" – this means that My providence will not be upon it, and consequently, many evils and troubles will befall them, both Israel — which will become a byword — and the house, for:
and this house which is so high [shall become desolate], and every one that passes by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss; and when they shall say: Why has Hashem done thus to this land, and to this house?
verse value 4073
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 68 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "this" (הַזֶּה֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·the·house" (וְהַבַּ֤יִת, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 17: this, this. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "upper" (עֶלְי֔וֹן), "every·one·who·passes·by" (כׇּל־עֹבֵ֥ר), "will·be·astonished" (יִשֹּׁ֣ם). The root בית appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·they·shall·say" (root אמר, 324x in I Kings); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 254x in I Kings); "it·will·be" (root היה, 196x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·will·hiss', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 9 words.
Rashi
“And this house shall be lofty.” As long as you have not sinned. But once you sin, everyone who passes by it will be appalled and hiss. And so it is written in Chronicles (II 7:21): “And this house, which was lofty—everyone who passes by it, etc.” And its interpretation is: “And this house, which was lofty and awesome even to idol-worshippers,” as stated above (8:41): “And even to the stranger who is not of your people, etc.” But now, in its destruction, everyone who passes by it, even an idol-worshipper, will be appalled and hiss, and say that it is because of the sin of Israel.
Yeshom. It means "they will be astonished," similar to (Leviticus 26:32): "your enemies will be astonished at it," and (Job 18:20): "the latter will be astonished at his day."
And he whistled. "Siffle" in the language of the gentiles; and this is the custom of anyone who suddenly witnesses a catastrophe, to whistle.
Radak
"Yehiyeh 'elyon" – as it is stated in Chronicles, "asher hayah 'elyon" (which was exalted); and Jonathan [ben Uzziel] rendered it in the Targum: "dihavah 'il'ay yeha chariv" (that which was exalted shall be laid waste). And there are those who explain that "yehiyeh" means "it shall be ruin," and they interpret "'elyon" as a term denoting cutting off, akin to "ke'alot gadish ba'eto" (as a stack of sheaves is gathered in its season) [Job 5:26], and "al ta'aleni b'chatzi yamim" (do not take me away in the midst of my days) [Psalm 102:25].
Ralbag
"And this house shall be lofty." This means: "And this house, which was lofty," in the sense of the saying, "Thus shall Job do; such was his intention, thus was he doing." And so it is written in the Book of Chronicles, where it is stated there: "And this house was lofty."
"Every passerby over it shall be appalled and shall hiss." This means that every non-Jew who passes by it will be astonished and dismayed, and will whistle with his lips at this out of great amazement, and they will all recognize that this was due to the sin of Israel, for God, blessed be He, will bring upon Israel one of the evils, and then it will be known to all that their sins caused it. Do you not see that Nebuchadnezzar, when he destroyed the Temple, sent a great executioner to Jeremiah, as it is written in the Book of Jeremiah, and said to him: "The Lord your God spoke this evil against this place, and the Lord has come and done as He spoke, because you sinned against the Lord and did not listen to His voice, and this thing has happened to you."
Metzudat David
Will be exalted. Like 'was exalted,' future in place of past. And he means: the house that was exalted and esteemed will be a ruin; and every passerby will marvel at its destruction. And they will say. One to another.
Metzudat Zion
Yisum. A matter of astonishment; likewise (Job 17:8) 'the upright are astounded' (yishomu yesharim):
U'shark. A sound produced by gathering the lips is called a whistle; the custom is to whistle when one sees the destruction of something important; likewise (Micah 6:16) 'its inhabitants will be whistled at' (vu'yoshiveha l'shirka):
Malbim
And this house, inasmuch as it will be exalted, and all will regard it as a holy and exalted place in importance, and from this very aspect, everyone who passes by it will be astonished and will hiss at its destruction, for since the place will be extremely holy, the astonishment at its destruction will be greater. And also, this alludes to what our Sages of blessed memory stated: "The more sanctified something is, the more desolate it becomes." And from this very aspect of its being exalted, the astonishment and the hissing will increase (and in Chronicles it is written: "And this house was exalted"). And thereby they will say: "For what reason has the Lord done thus to this land and to this house?" After everyone knows that the land and the house are unique to the Lord, they will know that its destruction is under the providence of the Lord, and they will inquire about its cause.
Cross-references: Deuteronomy 29:23; II Chronicles 7:21
they shall be answered: Because they forsook Hashem their God, who brought forth their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and laid hold on other gods, and worshipped them, and served them; therefore has Hashem brought all this evil upon them.’
verse value 7295
Insights
Verse structure: 25 words, 117 letters. Notable word values: "he·brought" (הֵבִ֤יא) = 18, chai, 'life'. The shortest word is "because" (עַל֩, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·they·bowed·down" (וַיִּשְׁתַּחֲו֥וּ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 501: that, who. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "they·forsook" (עָזְב֜וּ), "brought·out" (הוֹצִ֣יא), "their·fathers" (אֶת־אֲבֹתָם֮). The root על appears 3 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 375x in I Kings); "and·they·shall·say" (root אמר, 324x in I Kings); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 254x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·they·worked·them', dividing the verse into phrases of 18 and 7 words.
Malbim
And they said concerning those who forsook the Lord their God, Who had brought their fathers out of the land of Egypt, that thereby He set them apart as His portion, so that they would not be under the dominion of the stars and constellations. Yet they clung to other gods; therefore, the Lord brought upon them all this evil, which He did not do to any other nation, for He did not distinguish them to be under His providence, nor did His wrath grow great against them for worshipping the stars, as it is stated: “Whom the Lord has allotted to all the nations.”
And it came to pass at the end of twenty years, wherein Solomon had built the two houses, the house of Hashem and the king’s house—
verse value 5145
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 55 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "year" (שָׁנָ֔ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "that·he·built" (אֲשֶׁר־בָּנָ֥ה, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "from·end·of" (מִקְצֵה֙), "the·houses" (הַבָּתִּ֑ים). The root בית appears 3 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that·he·built" (root אשר, 375x in I Kings); "king" (root מלך, 341x in I Kings); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 254x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·houses', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיְהִ֗י [and·it·was] (31) + מִקְצֵה֙ [from·end·of] (235) + עֶשְׂרִ֣ים [twenty] (620) + שָׁנָ֔ה [year] (355) + אֲשֶׁר־בָּנָ֥ה [that·he·built] (558) + שְׁלֹמֹ֖ה [Solomon] (375) + אֶת־שְׁנֵ֣י [two·of] (761) + הַבָּתִּ֑ים [the·houses] (457) + אֶת־בֵּ֥ית [house·of] (813) + יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + וְאֶת־בֵּ֥ית [and·house·of] (819) + הַמֶּֽלֶךְ [king] (95) = 5145.
Rashi
Twenty years: seven years for the House of the Lord, and thirteen years for his own house, as stated above:
Radak
"From the end of twenty years." From the end of the twenty years during which he built the House of the Lord in seven years and his own house in thirteen years — this totals twenty. In these building projects, Hiram supported and assisted Solomon with cedar wood, cypress wood, and gold. In recompense for this, King Solomon rewarded him by giving him twenty cities in the land of Galilee. But they did not please him, and he called them "the land of Cabul," meaning "closed" or "shut off," because people did not travel through them due to the inferiority of the land. In the words of our Sages of blessed memory, "the land of Cabul" refers to a land that does not produce fruit. And Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak said: it was a land of "Chumaton," meaning a sandy land. And why did he call it "the land of Cabul"? Because [people's] feet sink into its rise as if fettered ("kevulah"); that is, a person's feet become stuck in it because of the sand, as if they were fettered. Therefore, it does not produce fruit. In Chronicles, it states that Hiram gave Solomon twenty cities in his land, and settled the Israelites there. And so it was: Hiram gave Solomon twenty cities in his land, and Solomon likewise gave Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee. They did this to strengthen the covenant between them. This book mentions what Solomon gave to Hiram, and Chronicles mentions what Hiram gave to Solomon.
Malbim
(10-15) The Questions: How is it possible that Solomon gave to Hiram cities from the Land of Israel, thereby removing them from the sanctity of the Land, which is contrary to the laws of the Torah? And why did he now arise to give him this gift? And how did he say to him, "What are the cities that you have given me?" as if belittling his gift? And in Chronicles it is stated that Hiram gave cities to Solomon, and Solomon built them, yet this is not mentioned here. And why did he now send to him one hundred and twenty talents of gold? What is the meaning of "and this is the matter of the tax," and he recounted the buildings that he built, which is not related to the matter of the tax, and he should have recounted the matter of the tax?
(10-11) "And it came to pass at the end of twenty years" – as Abarbanel wrote, that Solomon did not give to Hiram the cities absolutely, to remove them from the sanctity of the Land. Rather, since he had obligated himself to give to Hiram each year twenty thousand kors of wheat and twenty thousand kors of oil, and indeed he gave him this for all the twenty years, because Hiram had given him cedar wood according to all his desire, when the buildings were completed, Solomon desired that this arrangement remain between them forever: that he would give him his needs in gold and cedar wood, and in place of his obligation, he gave him twenty cities in the land of Galilee, where the land is blessed, so that the fields and olive groves would be subjugated to Hiram, to extract from each city one thousand kors of wheat and one thousand kors of oil. And this is what it says, "And it came to pass at the end of twenty years, which Solomon built the two houses, the House of the Lord and the King's House" – meaning all the buildings that he built for the needs of his house. Since Hiram had supported Solomon (meaning that he gave him gifts and tribute at all times) with cedar wood, etc., and with gold according to all his desire, therefore then he gave (meaning he finalized in his mind to give him) twenty cities, from which the wheat and oil would be extracted.
now Hiram the king of Tyre had furnished Solomon with cedar-trees and cypress-trees, and with gold, according to all his desire—that then king Solomon gave Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee.
verse value 5714
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 85 letters. The shortest word is "then" (אָ֡ז, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·all·desire·his" (לְכׇל־חֶפְצ֑וֹ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 258: Hiram, cedars. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "king·of·Tyre" (מֶֽלֶךְ־צֹ֠ר), "and·in·gold" (וּבַזָּהָ֖ב), "to·all·desire·his" (לְכׇל־חֶפְצ֑וֹ). The root חירם appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "king·of·Tyre" (root מלך, 341x in I Kings); "Solomon" (root שלמה, 162x in I Kings); "will·give" (root נתן, 113x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·all·desire·his', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 9 words.
Rashi
"He lifted up Solomon." The matter of "carrying" means: He supported his burden with this thing.
Ralbag
"He supplied Solomon." This refers to the sense of a food-portion and a gift, in the sense of [the verse] "or has he given us any gift" Or perhaps the intention here is that he exalted and elevated Solomon by making himself subservient to perform his work.
Then King Solomon gave Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee. It has already been mentioned in the Book of Chronicles that Hiram also gave cities to Solomon, and he settled the Israelites in them. And it was fitting for it to be so, for it is not proper for a king to diminish the land of Israel.
Metzudat David
Hiram. For these two houses Hiram was the supporter, by giving him sufficient supply of cedar trees, etc.
Then. After the completion of the houses, the king gave to Hiram in payment of reward; besides the wheat and oil mentioned above.
And Hiram came out from Tyre to see the cities which Solomon had given him: and they pleased him not.
verse value 4171
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 48 letters. The shortest word is "from·Tyre" (מִצֹּ֔ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·cities" (אֶת־הֶ֣עָרִ֔ים, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "the·cities" (אֶת־הֶ֣עָרִ֔ים), "he·gave·to·him" (נָתַן־ל֖וֹ), "they·was·right" (יָשְׁר֖וּ). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "which" (root אשר, 375x in I Kings); "Solomon" (root שלמה, 162x in I Kings); "he·gave·to·him" (root נתן, 113x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Solomon', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיֵּצֵ֤א [and·he·went·out] (107) + חִירָם֙ [Hiram] (258) + מִצֹּ֔ר [from·Tyre] (330) + לִרְאוֹת֙ [to·see] (637) + אֶת־הֶ֣עָרִ֔ים [the·cities] (726) + אֲשֶׁ֥ר [which] (501) + נָתַן־ל֖וֹ [he·gave·to·him] (536) + שְׁלֹמֹ֑ה [Solomon] (375) + וְלֹ֥א [and·not] (37) + יָשְׁר֖וּ [they·was·right] (516) + בְּעֵינָֽיו [in·his·eyes] (148) = 4171.
Malbim
And he went out to see the cities, whether he could bring forth from there wheat and oil, but they did not please his eyes.
And he said: ‘What cities are these which you have given me, my brother?’ And they were called the land of Cabul, to this day.
verse value 2976
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 52 letters. The shortest word is "what" (מָ֚ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "that·you·gave" (אֲשֶׁר־נָתַ֥תָּה, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "Cabul" (כָּב֔וּל). 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that·you·gave" (root אשר, 375x in I Kings); "and·said" (root אמר, 324x in I Kings); "day" (root יום, 100x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'my·brother', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 7 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֕אמֶר [and·said] (257) + מָ֚ה [what] (45) + הֶעָרִ֣ים [the·cities] (325) + הָאֵ֔לֶּה [these] (41) + אֲשֶׁר־נָתַ֥תָּה [that·you·gave] (1356) + לִּ֖י [to·me] (40) + אָחִ֑י [my·brother] (19) + וַיִּקְרָ֤א [and·called] (317) + לָהֶם֙ [to·them] (75) + אֶ֣רֶץ [land] (291) + כָּב֔וּל [Cabul] (58) + עַ֖ד [until] (74) + הַיּ֥וֹם [day] (61) + הַזֶּֽה [this] (17) = 2976.
Rashi
“The land of Cabul.” [I.e.,] a land of fetters, a land of mud, in which the foot sinks and is bound.
Ralbag
"Land of Cabul." This means a sandy land that does not produce fruit.
Metzudat David
A land of clay. Meaning: a land of mud, in which the feet sink, as though bound in iron fetters; and because of this its fruits were few.
Metzudat Zion
Achi. My friend and companion:
Kebul. From the language of (Psalms 149:8) 'in fetters of iron' (b'keveli barzel):
Malbim
And it says, "What are the cities?"—meaning, surely they will not yield fruit and grain according to need; therefore he called them "the land of Cabul," meaning a land of sand that does not produce fruit. And he returned the cities to him. And this is what is mentioned in Chronicles: "The cities which Hiram gave to Solomon" (meaning, which he returned to him)—Solomon built them and settled there the children of Israel, who would till its soil and give twenty thousand cors to Hiram. And thereby the bond between them remained for the future. And then:
And Hiram sent to the king sixscore talents of gold.
verse value 1658
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 28 letters. The shortest word is "hundred" (מֵאָ֥ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·twenty" (וְעֶשְׂרִ֖ים, 6 letters). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·the·king" (root מלך, 341x in I Kings); "and·he·sent" (root שלח, 46x in I Kings); "gold" (root זהב, 44x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·the·king', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיִּשְׁלַ֥ח [and·he·sent] (354) + חִירָ֖ם [Hiram] (258) + לַמֶּ֑לֶךְ [to·the·king] (120) + מֵאָ֥ה [hundred] (46) + וְעֶשְׂרִ֖ים [and·twenty] (626) + כִּכַּ֥ר [talent·of] (240) + זָהָֽב [gold] (14) = 1658.
Malbim
And Hiram sent to the king one hundred and twenty talents of gold, for even though Solomon no longer needed cedars [from Hiram], he added and gave him more gold than he had given him at first.
And this is the account of the levy which king Solomon raised; to build the house of Hashem, and his own house, and Millo, and the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, and Megiddo, and Gezer.
verse value 7280
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 85 letters. Notable word values: "and·this" (וְזֶ֨ה) = 18, chai, 'life'. Verse gematria: 7280 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "and·this" (וְזֶ֨ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·Millo" (וְאֶת־הַמִּלּ֔וֹא, 8 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "matter·of·the·levy" (דְבַר־הַמַּ֜ס), "which·he·raised" (אֲשֶֽׁר־הֶעֱלָ֣ה), "and·Millo" (וְאֶת־הַמִּלּ֔וֹא). The root בית appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "which·he·raised" (root אשר, 375x in I Kings); "king" (root מלך, 341x in I Kings); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 254x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Jerusalem', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 3 words.
Rashi
"And this is the matter of the forced labor." This is what is explained at the end of the matter (verse 20): "All the people who remained," etc., and Solomon made them forced laborers. That forced labor was for building all these things.
"And the Millo." There was a place in Jerusalem, in the City of David, called "Melo," because it was surrounded by a low wall, and they filled it with earth.
Radak
"And this is the matter of the levy." Its sense continues to "all the people who remained," because from them he took slaves for a known levy every year, to build these houses and cities. And this is what he stated above: "70,000 bearers of burdens and 80,000 hewers in the mountain." And one may interpret it like "this is the matter for which Joshua circumcised [the people]," which is explained as: "this is the matter on account of which Joshua circumcised [them]." So too, this is its meaning: "and this is the matter of the levy" for which Solomon imposed it. And what is the matter? To build the House of the Lord. And he did not [there] mention the levy, and below he mentions it, saying, "all the people who remained," etc.
Ralbag
"And this is the account of the forced labor which King Solomon raised." The intent here is that this is the account of the forced labor which King Solomon raised to build all these structures mentioned as having been built by Solomon. Now, this forced labor consisted of all the people remaining from the Amorite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, who were not of the children of Israel—that is to say, they had not converted. These were their descendants who remained after them in the land, whom the children of Israel had not been able to utterly destroy. Solomon conscripted them all for forced labor, and they served in these constructions. However, from among the children of Israel, Solomon did not appoint any as slaves, for they were men of war when needed, and they were Solomon's servants who attended before him. They were the officials appointed under the king's deputy, and they were the commanders of his chariots and his horsemen. Now, these constructions were the building of the House of the Lord, the building of the king's house, and the building of the Millo, which was around Zion, for David had built from the Millo and inward, as it is written in the Book of Samuel, and the Millo remained unbuilt. It was the place where Israel assembled, and therefore it was called Millo, in the sense of [the verse] "cry aloud, gather" [Jeremiah 4:5]. And the building of the wall of Jerusalem, for from that time it was sanctified for eating some of the sacred foods within the wall, as mentioned in the Torah. And the building of the city of Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer, for Pharaoh, king of Egypt, had burned it with fire, and therefore Solomon was required to rebuild it.
Metzudat David
And this was the forced labor. Meaning: the levy that Solomon brought from Israel -- on this was the matter of the levy, to build the house of the Lord, etc.
And the Millo. For David left near the wall a vacant place to gather in it people, as is said (II Samuel 5:9) 'and he built from the Millo and inward.' And Solomon came and built it.
Metzudat Zion
Davar hams. The necessity of the tax:
Malbim
"And this is the matter of the levy," meaning: This was the reason for which Solomon imposed a levy upon Israel (as in the phrase "And this is the thing that Joshua circumcised"), because he needed to build the House of the Lord, etc.
Pharaoh king of Egypt had gone up, and taken Gezer, and burnt it with fire, and slain the Canaanites that dwelt in the city, and given it for a portion to his daughter, Solomon’s wife.
verse value 6307
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 75 letters. The shortest word is "went·up" (עָלָ֗ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·the·Canaanite" (וְאֶת־הַֽכְּנַעֲנִ֛י, 9 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "and·he·captured" (וַיִּלְכֹּ֤ד), "and·burned·it" (וַיִּשְׂרְפָ֣הּ), "and·the·Canaanite" (וְאֶת־הַֽכְּנַעֲנִ֛י). 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Solomon" (root שלמה, 162x in I Kings); "and·he·gave·it" (root נתן, 113x in I Kings); "went·up" (root עלה, 60x in I Kings). First appearance of the root שרף ("and·burned·it") in I Kings. First appearance of the root אש ("in·the·fire") in I Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'killed', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 5 words.
Rashi
“Shiluchim.” A dowry (nedunya).
Radak
"Sheluchim." [Meaning] a tribute — that is to say, in place of the tribute and gift that people send to their daughters, he gave her this city. And so likewise, "Therefore you shall give a parting gift [shiluchim]" [Micah 1:14]; and Targum Yonatan [renders it]: "matanan" [gifts].
Ralbag
"Sheluchim." This means a gift. And [there was] the building of the lower and upper Beth Horon, as mentioned in the Book of Chronicles; and the building of the city of Baalath, and the building of the city of Tadmor, which was in the wilderness, in the land—meaning that one side of it faced the wilderness and the other side faced the cultivated land; and the building of all the cities of storage, which are the cities of the treasuries, in the sense of [the verse] "Go, get you to this steward" [Isaiah 22:15]; and so it is mentioned in the Book of Chronicles that Solomon built those cities in Hamath; and the building of all the cities in which Solomon placed his chariots; and the building of all the cities in which Solomon stationed his horsemen; and everything that it was Solomon's desire to build in Jerusalem, in the forest of Lebanon, and throughout all the land of his dominion.
Metzudat David
"Parting gifts." Meaning: in place of a tribute that people send for their daughters; and so (Micah 1:14): "therefore you shall give parting gifts."
Malbim
Pharaoh, king of Egypt, from here until "and Lower Beth-horon" is a parenthetical remark. The proper parsing of the verse is: "He built Megiddo, Gezer, and Lower Beth-horon." The text then recounts how he built Gezer, which had been inhabited by the Canaanites, as it is stated (Joshua 16:10; Judges 1:29), because Pharaoh had captured it, burned it with fire, and given it as a dowry to his daughter; therefore, Solomon built Gezer.
And Solomon built Gezer, and Beth-horon the nether,
verse value 2995
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 27 letters. The shortest word is "Horon" (חֹרֹ֖ן, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·Beth" (וְאֶת־בֵּ֥ית, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "Horon" (חֹרֹ֖ן), "lower" (תַּחְתּֽוֹן). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·Beth" (root בית, 191x in I Kings); "Solomon" (root שלמה, 162x in I Kings); "and·he·built" (root בנה, 66x in I Kings). Full calculation: וַיִּ֤בֶן [and·he·built] (68) + שְׁלֹמֹה֙ [Solomon] (375) + אֶת־גָּ֔זֶר [Gezer] (611) + וְאֶת־בֵּ֥ית [and·Beth] (819) + חֹרֹ֖ן [Horon] (258) + תַּחְתּֽוֹן [lower] (864) = 2995.
Metzudat David
And he built , etc. Meaning: and on account that Pharaoh burned it, for this reason Solomon built it.
Malbim
And Beth-horon the Lower; and in Chronicles it is mentioned that he built Beth-horon the Upper and Beth-horon the Lower as fortified cities with walls, gates, and bars. It appears that he built Beth-horon the Lower twice: it had been desolate, and he rebuilt it as a settled city, which is the one mentioned here; and afterwards he rebuilt it, together with Beth-horon the Upper, to serve as fortified cities, which is the one mentioned in Chronicles.
and Baalath, and Tadmor in the wilderness, in the land,
verse value 3141
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 26 letters. The shortest word is "Tamar" ((תמר), 3 letters) and the longest is "and·Baalath" (וְאֶֽת־בַּעֲלָ֛ת, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "and·Baalath" (וְאֶֽת־בַּעֲלָ֛ת), "and·Tadmor" (וְאֶת־תַּדְמֹ֥ר), "Tamar" ((תמר)). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·the·land" (root ארץ, 50x in I Kings). First appearance of the root בעל ("and·Baalath") in I Kings. Full calculation: וְאֶֽת־בַּעֲלָ֛ת [and·Baalath] (909) + וְאֶת־תַּדְמֹ֥ר [and·Tadmor] (1051) + (תמר) [Tamar] (640) + בַּמִּדְבָּ֖ר [in·the·wilderness] (248) + בָּאָֽרֶץ [in·the·land] (293) = 3141.
Rashi
"And Tadmor in the wilderness, in the land." – Near a settled area.
Metzudat David
In the wilderness, in the land. Meaning: near the settlement.
Malbim
"And Tadmor, in the wilderness" — because the place was a desert of sand (as stated in Shabbat 30a), for the Tarmodites [people of Tadmor] dwell among the sands; and "in the land" means in the Land of Israel.
Cross-references: Ezekiel 47:19; Ezekiel 48:28; II Chronicles 8:4
and all the store-cities that Solomon had, and the cities for his chariots, and the cities for his horsemen, and that which Solomon desired to build for his pleasure in Jerusalem, and in Lebanon, and in all the land of his dominion.
verse value 8967
Insights
Verse structure: 23 words, 96 letters. The shortest word is "and·(object marker)" (וְאֵ֨ת, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·storehouses" (הַֽמִּסְכְּנוֹת֙, 7 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): "all·cities·of" (כׇּל־עָרֵ֤י), "the·storehouses" (הַֽמִּסְכְּנוֹת֙), "the·horsemen" (הַפָּרָשִׁ֑ים). The root אשר appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 375x in I Kings); "were" (root היה, 196x in I Kings); "to·Solomon" (root שלמה, 162x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·horsemen', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 11 words.
Rashi
“The store-cities.” [In Aramaic] called beit otzarya [house of storehouses].
Metzudat Zion
Hamsakanot. The storehouses; like (Exodus 1:11) 'and they built store cities for Pharaoh' (u'vanu arei mitskanot):
Arei harakhef. To station chariots therein:
Malbim
"Which were for Solomon": For in Chronicles it is also mentioned that he built store-cities (that is, treasure-cities) in Hamath; only those in Hamath were designated for merchants to deposit their merchandise there, whereas here the text speaks of the store-cities that were designated for Solomon himself.
All the people that were left of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, who were not of the children of Israel;
verse value 3250
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 54 letters. Verse gematria: 3250 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "who" (אֲשֶׁ֛ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "from·the·Amorite" (מִן־הָאֱמֹרִ֜י, 7 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "the·remaining" (הַנּוֹתָ֨ר), "from·the·Amorite" (מִן־הָאֱמֹרִ֜י), "the·Perizzite" (הַפְּרִזִּי֙). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "who" (root אשר, 375x in I Kings); "Israel" (root ישראל, 120x in I Kings); "not·from·sons·of" (root לא, 90x in I Kings). First appearance of the root יתר ("the·remaining") in I Kings. First appearance of the root חתי ("the·Hittite") in I Kings. Full calculation: כׇּל־הָ֠עָ֠ם [all·the·people] (165) + הַנּוֹתָ֨ר [the·remaining] (661) + מִן־הָאֱמֹרִ֜י [from·the·Amorite] (346) + הַחִתִּ֤י [the·Hittite] (423) + הַפְּרִזִּי֙ [the·Perizzite] (302) + הַחִוִּ֣י [the·Hivite] (29) + וְהַיְבוּסִ֔י [and·the·Jebusite] (99) + אֲשֶׁ֛ר [who] (501) + לֹא־מִבְּנֵ֥י [not·from·sons·of] (133) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל [Israel] (541) + הֵֽמָּה [abundance] (50) = 3250.
even their children that were left after them in the land, whom the children of Israel were not able utterly to destroy, of them did Solomon raise a levy of bondservants, to this day.
verse value 4244
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 70 letters. The shortest word is "until" (עַ֖ד, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·destroy·them" (לְהַחֲרִימָ֑ם, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 501: that, whom. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "their·sons" (בְּנֵיהֶ֗ם), "were·left" (נֹתְר֤וּ), "not·they·were·able" (לֹא־יָכְל֛וּ). The root בן appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 375x in I Kings); "Solomon" (root שלמה, 162x in I Kings); "Israel" (root ישראל, 120x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·destroy·them', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 6 words.
Metzudat David
For a work levy. Not for a money levy, but for servitude in his own work.
But of the children of Israel did Solomon make no bondservants; but they were the men of war, and his servants, and his princes, and his captains, and rulers of his chariots and of his horsemen.
verse value 4823
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 68 letters. Verse gematria: 4823 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "servant" (עָ֑בֶד, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·his·captains" (וְשָׁלִישָׁ֔יו, 7 letters). 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "and·from·sons·of" (וּמִבְּנֵי֙), "not·gave" (לֹא־נָתַ֥ן), "but·they" (כִּי־הֵ֞ם). The root עבד appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Solomon" (root שלמה, 162x in I Kings); "Israel" (root ישראל, 120x in I Kings); "not·gave" (root נתן, 113x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'servant', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 9 words. Full calculation: וּמִבְּנֵי֙ [and·from·sons·of] (108) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל [Israel] (541) + לֹא־נָתַ֥ן [not·gave] (531) + שְׁלֹמֹ֖ה [Solomon] (375) + עָ֑בֶד [servant] (76) + כִּי־הֵ֞ם [but·they] (75) + אַנְשֵׁ֣י [man] (361) + הַמִּלְחָמָ֗ה [battle] (128) + וַֽעֲבָדָיו֙ [and·his·servants] (98) + וְשָׂרָ֣יו [and·his·princes] (522) + וְשָׁלִישָׁ֔יו [and·his·captains] (662) + וְשָׂרֵ֥י [and·princes·of] (516) + רִכְבּ֖וֹ [his·chariots] (228) + וּפָרָשָֽׁיו [and·his·riders] (602) = 4823.
Radak
"Men of war." Even though he had no wars, for he had peace on all his sides, he did have a small amount of warfare when he took Hamath-zobah, and Ezion-Geber, and Eilot.
Ralbag
"These are the chief officers." This means the officers who were appointed under the prefects, who themselves were appointed over all of them.
Five hundred and fifty overseers over the people, who were engaged in the work. We have already mentioned above that there were already three thousand three hundred overseers over the people who were engaged in the work, and three hundred of the converts remained from their number, as has been explained from what is mentioned regarding their number in the Book of Chronicles. And behold, there were still two hundred and fifty men appointed over them, as is mentioned in the Book of Chronicles in this place. And it is possible that these two hundred and fifty men were from Israel, and they were appointed over all of them; therefore, the Book of Chronicles counted them after it mentioned that rank which Solomon assigned to the people of Israel, namely its statement: "For they were men of war, and commanders of his officers, and commanders of his chariots and his horsemen; and these were the chief officers who were King Solomon's, two hundred and fifty, who ruled over the people." And it is possible that in the building of the Temple there were only three hundred [overseers], but in the other buildings, where the workers were scattered here and there, it was necessary to add to the overseers of the work, those appointed over the appointed ones, two hundred and fifty men, and he took them from the converts themselves, in such a way that the overseers who remained under them were only three thousand and fifty.
Metzudat David
A servant. To serve with his body the service of a servant.
Metzudat Zion
Ushlishav. His warriors and nobles; like (Exodus 15:4) 'and the choice of his warriors' (umavchar shlishav):
Malbim
Solomon did not make slaves of them, even though he levied forced labor from them, as it is stated, “And this is the forced labor which Solomon levied,” and it was already mentioned above (1 Kings 5:27) that the forced labor consisted of thirty thousand men. They were not slaves; rather, they performed labor to cut timber in Lebanon, spending one month in Lebanon and two months at home. This is not called slavery.
These were the chief officers that were over Solomon’s work, five hundred and fifty, who bore rule over the people that wrought in the work.
verse value 3943
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 60 letters. Notable word values: "these" (אֵ֣לֶּה) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "these" (אֵ֣לֶּה, 3 letters) and the longest is "over·the·work" (עַל־הַמְּלָאכָה֙, 8 letters). The root חמש appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 375x in I Kings); "of·Solomon" (root שלמה, 162x in I Kings); "who·were·engaged" (root עשה, 143x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'hundred', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 4 words. Full calculation: אֵ֣לֶּה [these] (36) + שָׂרֵ֣י [chiefs·of] (510) + הַנִּצָּבִ֗ים [who·were·standing] (197) + אֲשֶׁ֤ר [that] (501) + עַל־הַמְּלָאכָה֙ [over·the·work] (201) + לִשְׁלֹמֹ֔ה [of·Solomon] (405) + חֲמִשִּׁ֖ים [fifty] (398) + וַחֲמֵ֣שׁ [and·five] (354) + מֵא֑וֹת [hundred] (447) + הָרֹדִ֣ים [the·rulers] (259) + בָּעָ֔ם [over·the·people] (112) + הָעֹשִׂ֖ים [who·were·engaged] (425) + בַּמְּלָאכָֽה [in·the·work] (98) = 3943.
Rashi
The officers who stand. They are appointed over those who are appointed:
Five hundred and fifty. Three hundred of them were resident aliens appointed over seventy thousand porters and eighty thousand quarrymen in the mountain, and three thousand three hundred were the overseers of the people, as it is stated above (1 Kings 5:16): “Besides the chief officers who were over Solomon’s work, three thousand three hundred.” And in Chronicles (2 Chronicles 2:17) it says: “Six hundred,” these are the three hundred that were omitted there but are counted here, as they were appointed over all of them; and the remaining two hundred and fifty were Israelites, appointed over the rest of the workers. And in Chronicles (2 Chronicles 8:10) it lists them separately: “These were the chief officers who were over Solomon’s work, two hundred and fifty, who ruled over the people doing the work.”
Radak
"Five hundred and fifty." This is because the text mentioned the slaves as foreigners engaged in the work, and the officers of Israel as the officers who stood over the work, and stated that there were five hundred and fifty. In Chronicles, however, it says "two hundred and fifty." The three hundred were from among the foreigners who were appointed over the three thousand and three hundred; and the two hundred and fifty were from among the Israelites who were appointed over those three hundred foreigners. And in this book, the officers of the foreigners were counted together with the officers of Israel as one total. But in Chronicles, the officers of the foreigners were not counted separately, only the officers of Israel, for the officers of the foreigners were counted there together with the rest of the foreigners, where it says "three thousand and six hundred." And the workers of the work were only three thousand and three hundred, as it states in this book.
Metzudat David
Commanders of the officers. Meaning: in charge of those in charge.
Five hundred and fifty. Three hundred were from the Gibeonites, and two hundred and fifty were from the children of Israel [and they were in charge of the officers of the rest of the king's work, except for the officers of the bearers of burdens and hewers in the mountain mentioned above]. And in Chronicles he counted Israel alone.
Metzudat Zion
Harodim. The rulers and supervisors:
Malbim
The Questions: Why did he repeat this matter a second time, when he already stated it above (1 Kings 5:30)? And there he said that there were three thousand three hundred, which contradicts what is stated here; and in Chronicles it says that there were two hundred fifty.
"These are the officers who were over the work: five hundred and fifty." This contradicts what was stated above (1 Kings 5:30), that the officers who were over the work were three thousand and three hundred. This will be explained to you according to the explanation given there, that the three thousand were officers of fifty over one hundred and fifty thousand who carried burdens and hewed in the mountain, and the three hundred were officers of five hundred. (And in 2 Chronicles 2:17) it is written, "And Solomon took a census of all the strangers that were in the land of Israel, after the census that David his father had taken; and they were found to be one hundred and fifty thousand," etc. It is clear that this was a number in addition to the census that David had taken, as it is written (1 Chronicles 22:2), "And David said, 'Gather the strangers who are in the land of Israel, and let them be appointed to hew hewn stones.'" And Solomon counted the strangers who had been added after David's census, and they were one hundred and fifty thousand. Over them were appointed three thousand and three hundred officers. Apart from these were the strangers from the days of David, who had been there for a long time, and they were twenty-five thousand. Over them were five hundred officers of fifty and fifty officers of five hundred. And in Chronicles it is written, "And these are the officers of the prefects: two hundred and fifty, who ruled over the people." There it does not say "officers over the work," and they were not the officers over the strangers, but only the officers over the Israelites who were always ten thousand in Lebanon. Over them were two hundred officers of fifty and twenty officers of five hundred. And I have already mentioned above how to resolve the contradiction regarding what is written in Chronicles as three thousand and six hundred, because in Chronicles it counts the officers over the officers, where each officer was over ten, and similarly here it counts in the same manner, and there were twenty officers over the officers and ten officers of a thousand, making fifty.
But Pharaoh’s daughter came up out of the city of David to her house which [Solomon] had built for her; then did he build Millo.
verse value 3206
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 45 letters. The shortest word is "indeed" (אַ֣ךְ, 2 letters) and the longest is "Millo" (אֶת־הַמִּלּֽוֹא, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "daughter·of·Pharaoh" (בַּת־פַּרְעֹ֗ה), "came·up" (עָֽלְתָה֙), "to·her·house" (אֶל־בֵּיתָ֖הּ). The root בנה appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "which" (root אשר, 375x in I Kings); "to·her·house" (root איל, 125x in I Kings); "David" (root דוד, 69x in I Kings). First appearance of the root אך ("indeed") in I Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'he·built·for·her', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 3 words. Full calculation: אַ֣ךְ [indeed] (21) + בַּת־פַּרְעֹ֗ה [daughter·of·Pharaoh] (757) + עָֽלְתָה֙ [came·up] (505) + מֵעִ֣יר [from·city·of] (320) + דָּוִ֔ד [David] (14) + אֶל־בֵּיתָ֖הּ [to·her·house] (448) + אֲשֶׁ֣ר [which] (501) + בָּֽנָה־לָ֑הּ [he·built·for·her] (92) + אָ֖ז [then] (8) + בָּנָ֥ה [he·built] (57) + אֶת־הַמִּלּֽוֹא [Millo] (483) = 3206.
Rashi
"But Pharaoh's daughter": She was initially in the City of David, as it is stated at the beginning of the book (3:1): "And he brought her to the City of David."
"It ascended from the City of David, etc." And in Chronicles (II 8:11) it is explained: "For he said, 'A woman shall not dwell with me in the City of David, for they are holy, those to which the Ark of the Lord has come.'"
“Then Solomon built”:
"Et ha-milua" (the Millo): [He built it] to construct within it houses for her servants and her maidservants. This is what Jeroboam reproached him with (below 11:27): "Your father left it open for pilgrims, but you built it to make a forced-labor levy (angaria) for Pharaoh's daughter" (Sanhedrin 101b). And this is the meaning of the word "only" (akh) stated here: "Only in this matter did Solomon err, in that he built for her the Milua." So I have heard. But I say: "Only [for] Pharaoh's daughter, etc.," meaning that regarding the cities mentioned above, he was compelled to build them as store-cities, for the chariots, the horsemen, and for grandeur; but as for the Milua, he did not build it for any purpose of grandeur, since his father had left it open for pilgrims to pitch their tents there. Rather, it was only when Pharaoh's daughter ascended to her house, and the Milua was adjacent to that house, that he then built the Milua.
Radak
"But the daughter of Pharaoh." Since it was stated above, "to build the house of the Lord and his house and the Millo," he now asks: Why did he build the Millo? Because he built there a house for the daughter of Pharaoh, as it says, "Then he built the Millo." And in Chronicles it states the reason why he did not want her to be in his house, for he said, "My wife shall not dwell in the house of David, for they are holy, since the Ark of the Lord has come to them."
Ralbag
But Pharaoh's daughter ascended from the City of David to her house which he had built for her. It has already been explained in the Book of Chronicles that Solomon did not wish for a woman to dwell in the House of David, King of Israel, for they are holy, to which the Ark of the Lord had come.
“Then he built the Millo.” This implies that he built that place for the sake of Pharaoh’s daughter, to serve as a residence for Pharaoh’s daughter there.
Metzudat David
Only Pharaoh's daughter. Meaning: immediately when Pharaoh's daughter came up to her house, he built for her honor the Millo, which was near her house.
Malbim
But Pharaoh's daughter ascended. In Chronicles it is written, "And Solomon brought up Pharaoh's daughter from the City of David" (2 Chronicles 8:11), because he said, "A woman shall not dwell in the house of David." There, the reason is explained for why he built her a separate house, namely so that she would not dwell in the house of David. Here, however, it relates that after he had built her a house, she ascended of her own accord and by her own will to her home. (For he did not reveal to her that this was because he did not want her to dwell in the house of David; on the contrary, he told her that it was for her honor, so that she would have a house of her own.) And for the needs of her household, he built the Millo (which was a spacious, open area) to serve as an enclosure for her sake, for modesty's sake, and for the houses of her servants and maids. And there it says, "Then Solomon offered burnt offerings to the Lord" (2 Chronicles 8:12), implying that this occurred at the completion of the building of the House of the Lord, by which time the construction of Pharaoh's daughter's house had already been completed, and he had also built the Millo, and only afterward did he offer burnt offerings. And so it is implied from the order of the matters here: as long as Pharaoh's daughter dwelt there, the matter of the Temple was not considered complete, because a woman, the daughter of a foreigner, dwelt there.
And three times in a year did Solomon offer burnt-offerings and peace-offerings upon the altar which he built to Hashem, offering thereby, upon the altar that was before Hashem. So he finished the house.
verse value 6054
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 79 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "three" (שָׁלֹשׁ֩, 3 letters) and the longest is "upon·the·altar" (עַל־הַמִּזְבֵּ֙חַ֙, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 501: which, that. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "and·offered" (וְהֶעֱלָ֣ה), "and·peace-offerings" (וּשְׁלָמִ֗ים), "and·he·offered" (וְהַקְטֵ֣יר). The root עלה appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "which" (root אשר, 375x in I Kings); "to·Hashem" (root יהוה, 254x in I Kings); "the·house" (root בית, 191x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 16 and 2 words.
Rashi
“On the altar”: [This refers] to the altar of the Temple that will stand for all generations.
“And he shall burn it.” And that same altar—the altar of the incense, which is before the Lord—is the one upon which the incense of spices is burned.
Radak
"And Solomon offered up." This matter is stated briefly here, but in Chronicles it is more clearly explained: "Then Solomon offered up..." meaning, then, after the Temple had been built, he established it according to its proper order, to offer sacrifices on the bronze altar that was before the porch, and the daily offerings, each day according to its time, in accordance with the commandment of Moses, for the Sabbaths, for the new moons, and for the three appointed festivals of the year. And he established the divisions of the priests for their service, and the Levites for their watches, to praise and to serve, and the gatekeepers in their divisions, just as his father David had ordained in every matter concerning the Temple and in the matters of the treasuries.
“And he burned it.” Just as [the verse states] “upon it,” and as the Targum of Jonathan renders: “and he burned upon it the sweet incense,” and [the verse continues] “upon the altar that was before the Lord.” This refers to the golden altar that was in the Holy Place, which was before the Lord, and it was the altar of incense. Alternatively, one may explain “it” according to its plain meaning. Since [the text] had mentioned that he offered burnt offerings upon the other altar that he built, which is the bronze altar, it states that he also burned [incense] upon the other altar that was with it. Even though they were not together within the same building—for this one was in the Holy Place and that one was in the Court, before the entrance—nevertheless, since they were together within the House of the Lord, therefore it specifies “that was before the Lord.”
"And he finished the house." He completed the work of the House, as we have mentioned regarding the sacrifices; he appointed the priests and the Levites, and what was mentioned in detail in the Book of Chronicles, he here mentions in general terms, saying, "And he finished the house." And there, too, at the end of the matter, it says, "He finished the house of the Lord."
Ralbag
And Solomon offered up burnt offerings and peace offerings three times a year. He already explained in his book of Divrei HaYamim that this was at the Festival of Unleavened Bread, at the Festival of Weeks, and at the Festival of Booths, and there he mentioned only burnt offerings. And I assume that those were on behalf of the congregation. In this place, however, he mentioned the peace offerings together with them, for Solomon offered them there on these festivals on account of the festival sacrifice and the rejoicing, in which he was obligated. And they were brought on his own behalf, or perhaps he increased them so greatly that they sufficed for all Israel.
"And he shall burn it before the Lord." This means that he would bring from his own supply the incense of spices that are to be burned on the golden altar.
“And he finished the house.” This means that he completed from his own resources the matter of the daily offerings, as well as the additional offerings for the Sabbaths and the new moons, as is mentioned in the Book of Chronicles. And the implication is that just as Solomon built the House from his own means, so too he desired that its services be sustained throughout his days. He volunteered this on behalf of Israel, and this is the intent behind the statement “and he finished the house”: that everything required for this House, Solomon provided from his own resources, such as the oil for the light and the showbread that was on the golden table.
Metzudat David
And Solomon offered up. Meaning: from his own wealth he volunteered on behalf of all Israel.
And three times. The three pilgrim festivals.
And he burned it. Meaning: he burned upon it incense on the altar that was before the Lord; and this is the golden altar in the sanctuary. And it is an abbreviated Scripture in the self-understood matter.
And completed. He completed the service of the house according to all its ordinance.
Metzudat Zion
Etav. Together with the altar; I mean: upon it:
Malbim
"And Solomon offered up" three times: this means that the burnt offerings of the three pilgrimage festivals were offered from the king's treasury, at his expense. And likewise, "and he burned it": this means that together with the outer altar, they burned upon the inner altar, which is the altar before the Lord, the incense offering; this too was provided from the king's treasury. And in Chronicles it is explained that similarly, all other communal sacrifices were provided in this manner. And this is hinted at here in the phrase "and he finished the house," for just as he built the house, so too he completed it by providing all the needs of the house and the sacrifices, for in this the matter of the house and its service was completed.
And king Solomon made a navy of ships in Ezion-geber, which is beside Eloth, on the shore of the Red Sea, in the land of Edom.
verse value 4104
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 51 letters. Verse gematria: 4104 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "did" (עָשָׂה֩, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·Ezion-geber" (בְּעֶצְיֽוֹן־גֶּ֨בֶר, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 375: did, Solomon. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "in·Ezion-geber" (בְּעֶצְיֽוֹן־גֶּ֨בֶר), "beside·Eloth" (אֶת־אֵל֛וֹת), "Sea·of·Reeds" (יַם־ס֖וּף). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "which" (root אשר, 375x in I Kings); "king" (root מלך, 341x in I Kings); "Solomon" (root שלמה, 162x in I Kings). First appearance of the root אדום ("Edom") in I Kings. Full calculation: וׇאֳנִ֡י [and·a·navy] (67) + עָשָׂה֩ [did] (375) + הַמֶּ֨לֶךְ [king] (95) + שְׁלֹמֹ֜ה [Solomon] (375) + בְּעֶצְיֽוֹן־גֶּ֨בֶר [in·Ezion-geber] (433) + אֲשֶׁ֧ר [which] (501) + אֶת־אֵל֛וֹת [beside·Eloth] (838) + עַל־שְׂפַ֥ת [on·shore·of] (880) + יַם־ס֖וּף [Sea·of·Reeds] (196) + בְּאֶ֥רֶץ [in·land·of] (293) + אֱדֽוֹם [Edom] (51) = 4104.
Rashi
“Va-oni.” A ship:
Radak
"And a fleet Solomon made." In Chronicles it states, "Then Solomon went to Ezion-Geber and to Eloth," meaning that he went and captured them, and behold, it is stated here that he made a fleet there.
“Which are at Eilat.” Ezion-Geber, which is near Eilat. It appears that there was another Ezion-Geber, and Hiram sent ships there as well. This is what is stated: “Behold, Hiram sent ships,” meaning ships (plural). And so it says in Chronicles: “ships.”
Ralbag
“And I, King Solomon, made...” – This means: a ship.
Metzudat David
Elath. With Elath; meaning: near it.
Metzudat Zion
U'ani. Ship:
Malbim
And "I" is the general term for ships, as in "And I had an ox and a donkey." "At Ezion-geber" — it is explained in Chronicles that he then conquered Ezion-Geber and Elath.
And Hiram sent in the navy his servants, shipmen that had knowledge of the sea, with the servants of Solomon.
verse value 2716
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 46 letters. Notable word values: "slave" (עַבְדֵ֥י) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "with" (עִ֖ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "his·servants" (אֶת־עֲבָדָ֔יו, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "in·a·fleet" (בׇּֽאֳנִי֙), "knowing" (יֹדְעֵ֖י). The root עבד appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Solomon" (root שלמה, 162x in I Kings); "with" (root עם, 95x in I Kings); "man" (root איש, 79x in I Kings). First appearance of the root אניה ("ships") in I Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'sea', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיִּשְׁלַ֨ח [and·he·sent] (354) + חִירָ֤ם [Hiram] (258) + בׇּֽאֳנִי֙ [in·a·fleet] (63) + אֶת־עֲבָדָ֔יו [his·servants] (493) + אַנְשֵׁ֣י [man] (361) + אֳנִיּ֔וֹת [ships] (467) + יֹדְעֵ֖י [knowing] (94) + הַיָּ֑ם [sea] (55) + עִ֖ם [with] (110) + עַבְדֵ֥י [slave] (86) + שְׁלֹמֹֽה [Solomon] (375) = 2716.
Radak
“Men of ships, who know the sea.” As its Targum renders it: “Seafaring men who are skilled in matters of the sea.”
Ralbag
“Men of ships, who know the sea.” This means: men who are expert in the navigation of ships and who are familiar with the regions of the sea, so as to steer straight toward the place to which they wish to go.
Metzudat David
Men of ships. Trained to go on ships; knowing the way of the sea.
Malbim
The men of ships, who know the craft of ships and how to steer them, and who are knowledgeable about the sea—meaning those who know the ways of the sea, the winds, and the like—they are the sailors and the helmsmen.
And they came to Ophir, and fetched from thence gold, four hundred and twenty talents, and brought it to king Solomon.
verse value 2963
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 54 letters. The shortest word is "from·there" (מִשָּׁם֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "four·hundred" (אַרְבַּע־מֵא֥וֹת, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 25: and·they·came, and·they·brought. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "to·Ophir" (אוֹפִ֔ירָה). The root בוא appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Solomon" (root שלמה, 162x in I Kings); "to·the·king" (root איל, 125x in I Kings); "and·they·came" (root בוא, 109x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'talent', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיָּבֹ֣אוּ [and·they·came] (25) + אוֹפִ֔ירָה [to·Ophir] (302) + וַיִּקְח֤וּ [and·took] (130) + מִשָּׁם֙ [from·there] (380) + זָהָ֔ב [gold] (14) + אַרְבַּע־מֵא֥וֹת [four·hundred] (720) + וְעֶשְׂרִ֖ים [and·twenty] (626) + כִּכָּ֑ר [talent] (240) + וַיָּבִ֖אוּ [and·they·brought] (25) + אֶל־הַמֶּ֥לֶךְ [to·the·king] (126) + שְׁלֹמֹֽה [Solomon] (375) = 2963.
Radak
Four hundred and twenty talents. And in Chronicles it says: four hundred and fifty talents of gold, for the thirty were expended on the expenses of the journey.
Ralbag
"And they came to Ophir." This was a place of gold which they would refine [extract] from there — that is to say, there was a mine (quarry) for gold there.
Metzudat David
Ophir. There was the place of the gold quarry.
And twenty. And in Chronicles (II 8:18) it is said 'and fifty.' And perhaps thirty of them were expended on the way.
Malbim
Four hundred and twenty, and in Chronicles it is written "and fifty"; the extra thirty were given there to the servants of Hiram as their wages.
Radak
Metzudat Zion
Malbim