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1 Kings 5:1-18 | Bible Study

Solomon's Forced Labor

Is Solomon Great?

1 Kings 1-11 tells the story of King Solomon.

On the surface, everything seems great! He is the wisest and richest king who ever lived.

As we've seen in other passages, though, the story beneath the surface is shockingly different (see other guided studies).

In 1 Kings 5:1-18, we read about Solomon's impressive wealth. Once again, however, we see cracks in the foundation of his kingdom.

Let's study it together to see how this works.

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1 Kings 5:1-18 (my translation)

1 Now King Hiram of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon because he heard that they anointed him to be king in the place of his father because he (Hiram) had loved David all his life.

2 Solomon sent to Hiram saying: 3 “You yourself knew my father David that he was not able to build a house for the name of the LORD his God because of war which surrounded him until the Lord set them under the soles of his feet. 4 But now the LORD my God has given rest to me from every side. There is no accuser and there is no evil circumstance. 5 And I plan to build a house for the name of the LORD my God just as the LORD spoke to my father David saying, ‘Your son, who you will set on your throne in your place—he will build the house for my name.’ 6 And now I command that they cut cedars for me from Lebanon and my servants will be with your servants and the payment of your servants I will give to you according to anything you say because you know that there is no one among us who knows how to cut wood like Sidonians.

7 So when Hiram heard the words of Solomon he was overjoyed. He said, “Blessed be the LORD today who gave David a wise son over this numerous people.”

8 Hiram sent to Solomon saying, “I have heard what you sent to me. I will do everything you desire in regard to cedar trees and juniper trees. 9 My servants will bring them down from Lebanon to the sea and I will place them as rafts in the sea to the place which you send to me and break them so you may carry them. And you yourself will do what I desire: to give my house food.

10 So Hiram would give Solomon all the cedar trees and juniper trees he desired 11 and Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand cors of wheat as food for his house and twenty thousand cors of pressed oil. Thus Solomon gave to Hiram year after year.

12 So the Lord gave wisdom to Solomon just as he spoke to him and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon and the two of them cut a covenant.

13 Then King Solomon raised up forced laborers from all of Israel and the forced laborers were 30,000 men. 14 He sent them to Lebanon–10,000 in month-long shifts. One month they would be in Lebanon. Two months they would be at home. Adoniram was over the forced laborers. 15 And Solomon had seventy thousand load carriers and eighty thousand stone-masons in the hill. 16 Beside the governors of Solomon who were over the work: 3,300 supervisors among the people—the ones doing the work. 17 The king commanded that they quarry large stones (valuable stones) to establish the foundation of the house with dressed stones. 18 So Solomon’s builders, Hiram’s builders, and the Gebalites cut the stones and they established the wood and the stones to build the house.

Solomon and Hiram: Best Friends

Hiram and Solomon establish a covenant relationship between their two kingdoms. This international relationship continued the one Hiram established with King David (2 Samuel 5:11). The economic benefit was clear for Hiram and Solomon understood that Hiram could acquire the necessary materials for the temple.

The Problem with Cedar Trees

Notice how Hiram provides cedar trees and juniper trees. Solomon never mentions the juniper trees though (v. 6). I’m sure he was happy to have them, but his instructions to Hiram only mention cedar trees. This small detail might suggest that the narrator wants us to think about the cedar trees.

Consider how these passages refer to cedar trees:

Isaiah 2:12-13 (NRSV)

¹²For the Lord of hosts has a day against all that is proud and lofty, against all that is lifted up and high; ¹³against all the cedars of Lebanon, lofty and lifted up; and against all the oaks of Bashan;

Jeremiah 22:13-15

¹³Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness, and his upper rooms by injustice; who makes his neighbors work for nothing, and does not give them their wages; ¹⁴who says, “I will build myself a spacious house with large upper rooms,” and who cuts out windows for it, paneling it with cedars, and painting it with vermilion. ¹⁵Are you a king because you compete in cedar? Did not your father eat and drink and do justice and righteousness? Then it was well with him.

Zephaniah 2:13-14 (NRSV)

And he will stretch out his hand against the north, and destroy Assyria; and he will make Nineveh a desolation, a dry waste like the desert. ¹⁴Herds shall lie down in it, every wild animal; the desert owl and the screech owl shall lodge on its capitals; the owl shall hoot at the window, the raven croak on the threshold; for its cedar work will be laid bare.

Then remember what God said about the temple:

2 Samuel 7:4-7 (NRSV)

⁴But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan: ⁵Go and tell my servant David: Thus says the Lord: Are you the one to build me a house to live in? ⁶I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent and a tabernacle. ⁷Wherever I have moved about among all the people of Israel, did I ever speak a word with any of the tribal leaders of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”

The prophetic passages listed in this question all describe cedar trees as negative symbols of wealth and opulence. 2 Samuel 7:4-7 specifically says that God does not want David to build him a house of cedar. He prefers the tabernacle.

Combined, the prophetic passages and 2 Samuel 7:4-7 raise red flags when we see Solomon’s insistence on acquiring cedar trees for the temple.

Solomon's Forced Laborers

Hiram’s declaration that wise Solomon is a blessing to David (v. 7) and the narrator’s statement in v. 12 emphasizes the positive aspects of this chapter. Solomon’s kingdom is magnificent. His international relationships are solid. If we stop there, the story seems positive.

Unfortunately, the chapter does not stop with v. 12. It continues to tell the reader about Solomon’s forced labor. The issue seems practical enough on the surface. Building the temple is an expensive national project of deep significance. It requires workers. In the context of 1-2 Kings, however, Solomon’s decision here is critical. It will eventually lead to the division of the kingdom (1 Kings 12).

Summary of 1 Kings 5:1-18

Once again, the narrator is able to report some positive aspects of Solomon’s reign while subtly pointing at cracks in the foundation of his kingdom. Even as Solomon establishes a positive international relationship, he undermines his authority at home. All the good-will from Hiram will not overcome Solomon’s enslavement of his own people.

Devotional Thought

What seems good can be bad. Solomon receives high praise in this chapter, but in reality, he is setting himself up for a fall. We should not assume that other people’s positive assessment of us is true. If our house is not in order, it does not matter what outsiders think.

Recommended Resources for 1 Kings 5:1-18

This blog post is a part of the Passage of the Week. Join the email list to get guided study notes sent to your inbox every Monday and Friday.

Check out the notes for this passage here and here.

Here are a couple of commentaries you might find helpful on the book of Kings.

Wray Beal, Lissa M. 1 & 2 Kings. Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 2014.

Leithart, Peter J. 1 & 2 Kings. Grand Rapids, Mich: Brazos Press, 2006.

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