Matthew Poole and continuators on 1 Kings 9

2 That the LORD appeared to Solomon the second time , as he had appeared unto him at Gibeon.

To wit, in a Dream or Vision: for that which is mentioned, Chap. 6. 11. seems to have been imparted unto him by some Prophet or Messenger sent from God, with that Errand. The time of this Revelation was, either 1. after all Solomon's Buildings, as the words, thus rendred plainly imply. And if it seem strange, that God should not Reveal this purpose and sentence of his concerning the Temple, till so many years after the finishing of it; it must be considered, 1. That as it is an act of God's singular Grace, when he doth thus Reveal himself to any person, so it is but meet he should chuse his own time for it. 2. That God had presently after the finishing of the Temple, at the Feast of the Dedication of it, sufficiently shewed his acceptance and approbation of it, by that Glorious Cloud, Chap. 8. 10, 11. and therefore this Revelation was not then necessary. 3. That God might chuse this as the fittest time for giving Solomon the following Admonition, when he perceived that his heart began to be lifted up in Pride, for his sumptuous and magnificent Buildings, &c. and that he was grown vain, and careless, and secure; and therefore most needed such an awakening Oracle. Or, 2. Presently after the Building of the Temple, as may be thought from the Matter of this Revelation, which seems best to suit with that time when it was newly Built, and when Solomon's Prayer here mentioned was newly made: for seeing the following words contain God's Answer to that Prayer, it seems improbable, that the Answer should come so many years after it. But then this second Verse, and the rest even to ver. 11. are to he inclosed with a Parenthesis; and the place must be thus rendred, ver. 2. For (so the Hebrew vau is oft rendred) the Lord appeared, or, had appeared to Solomon, &c. ver. 3. And the Lord had said unto him, &c. And this Parenthesis may seem to have a foundation in ver. 10. where the first Verse (in substance, though not in the very same words) is repeated, as is usual after long digressions; and then he compleats the Sentence ver. 11, &c. which till then had been suspended. Nor are such long Parenthesis without Example in Scripture; See my Latin Synopsis, on Rom. 5. 12, &c. Eph. 3. 1, &c. Revel. 22. 7.

Marginal references: Chap. 3. 5.

3 And the LORD said unto him, I have heard thy prayer, and thy supplication that thou hast made before me: I have hallowed this house which thou hast built, to put my name there for ever , and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually .

I have my Glorious Presence in the Cloud, and by my Acceptation of thy Sacrifices Sanctified it to my proper use and Service.

As long as the Mosaical Dispensation lasts; whereas hitherto my Name and Worship hath been successively in several places.

i. e. My watchful and gracious Providence.

My true and tender Affection.

Shall be towards this Place and People.

Upon condition of your Obedience; as it here follows.

Marginal references: Chap. 8. 29.

4 And if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked , in integrity of heart, and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded thee, and wilt keep my statutes and my judgments:

Who, though he miscarried in some things, yet in the general course of his Life was Upright and Faithful towards me.

5 Then I will establish the Throne of thy kingdom upon Israel for ever, as I promised to David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man upon the throne of Israel.

Upon that condition; for my Promise to David was Conditional.

Marginal references: [illegible: 1+ letters] Sam. 7. 12. Chap. 2. 4. 1 Chro. 22. 10.

6 But if ye shall at all turn from following me , ye or your children, and will not keep my commandments and my statutes, which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods, and worship them:

Or rather, if ye shall wholly turn, &c. If you shall wilfully and obstinately depart from God, and violate his Laws, as the doubling of the Word implies. Whereby he also intimates, That he would not be so rigid and severe towards them, as to mark every thing that was amiss; but would bear with much, as he did in David, &c. onely that [illegible: 1+ letters]e would not endure a total defection from him.

Marginal references: 2 Sam. 7. 14.

7 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 people:

I will not regard it, I will take away my Protection and gracious Presence from it.

Their Miseries shall be named Proverbially, to express extreme Calamities. See Deut. 28. 37.

Marginal references: [illegible: 1+ letters]er. 7. 15.

8 And at this house which is high , every one that passeth by it shall be astonished , and shall hiss ; and they shall say, Why hath the LORD done thus unto this land, and to this house?

i. e. Exalted in its Priviledges, Glorious, and Renowned. The Particle which is oft understood, and is here fitly supplied out of 2 Chron. 7. 21. where it is expressed.

At its unexpected and wonderful Ruine.

By way of Contempt, and Derision. See Ier. 19. 8. and 49. 17. and 50. 13.

Marginal references: Deut. 29. 24. [illegible: 1+ letters]er: 22. 8.

11 (Now Hiram the king of Tyre had furnished Solomon with cedar-trees, and fir-trees, and with gold, according to all his desire) that then king Solomon gave Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee .

Or, near (as Beth oft signifies, as hath been proved before) the Land of Galilee bordering upon it; in those parts which were near, and adjoyning to Hiram's Dominions: with the Cities, understand the Lands and Territories belonging to them. Quest. How could Solomon give away any part of that Land wherein the People had a Right by a Divine Lot, and God had a Right, as being the onely Proprietary of it; upon which ground the total Alienation of it, or any part of it, was forbidden. Levit. 25. 23? Answ. 1. It is not said, that he gave them away wholly, and for ever; but he might Assign them to him onely for a time, until he was fully satisfied for his Debt. 2. If these Cities were possessed by Israelites, Solomon did not give him their particular Possessions, but onely his own Royalties over them, and all the Profits he received from them, which were very considerable, as may be gathered from that passage, Chap. 12. 4. 3. These Cities, though they were within those large bounds which God fixed to the Land of Promise, Gen. 15. 18. Ios. 1. 4. yet were not within those parts which were distributed by Lot in Ioshua's time; nor belonging to the Tribe of Asher, (as some suppose) as may be gathered both from Iosh. 19. ver. 27. where their border is said to go out onely to the Land of Cabul; to wit, exclusively: and ver. 30. where all their Cities are said to be but twenty and two; and from 2 Chron. 8. 2. where it is said of those Cities, when Hiram restored them, That Solomon built them, and caused the children of Israel to dwell there. Which makes it more than probable, that these Cities were not Inhabited by Israelites, but by Canaanites, or other Heathens; who being Subdued, and Extirpated by David, or Solomon, those Cities became a part of their Dominion, and at their Disposal; and afterwards were reckon'd a part of Galilee, as Iosephus notes. And may be one reason, why he gave these, rather than other Cities, because they were in his power to give, when others were not.

12 And Hiram came out from Tyre to see the cities which Solomon had given him, and they pleased him not .

He did not accept them for satisfaction, because the Cities were out of repair, as appears from ver. 13. and the Soyl not good in his Eyes, and therefore he refused them, 2 Chron. 8. 2. and expected, and doubtless had satisfaction some other way; as may be gathered from the following Story.

Marginal references: Heb. were not right in his eyes.

13 And he said, What cities are these which thou hast given me, my brother? And he called them the land of Cabul unto this day.

i. e. Of dirt, as most interpret it. Not that it was a barren Soyl, as some imagine; for they who describe those parts, commend them as Fruitful: nor would Solomon have made him so unworthy a return: but because it was not pleasant, nor agreeable to his, nor to his Peoples humour; because, though the Land was very good, yet being a thick and stiff Clay, and therefore requiring great pains to Manure and Improve it, it was very unsuitable to the disposition of the Tyrians, who were Delicate, and Lazy, and Luxurious, and wholly given to Merchandise.

Marginal references: That is, displeasing, or dirty.

14 And Hiram sent to the king sixscore talents of gold.

Or rather, for Hiram had sent. And this seems to be here added, both to declare the quantity of the Gold sent, which had been onely named before, ver. 11. and as the reason why he resented Solomon's Action so ill, because so great a Sum required a better Recompence.

15 ¶ And this is the reason of the levy which king Solomon raised , for to build the house of the LORD, and his own house, and Millo , and the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor , and Megiddo , and Gezer .

Both the Levy of Men; of which, Chap. 5. 13. and the Levy of Money upon his People and Subjects, which is sufficiently evident from many Scriptures. And this Sentence may look both backward, and forward. He raised this Levy, both to pay what he owed to Hiram, which is mentioned before; and to Build the Works here following.

It seems to have been an eminent, and large, and strong Fort or Castle in Ierusalem; as may be gathered from 1 King. 11. 27. 2 Chron. 32. 5.

In Napthali, See Iosh. 11. 10. and 19. 36.

In that part of the Tribe of Manasseh within Iordan: of which see Iosh. 17. 15.

In Ephraim, Iosh. 21. 21. It now was, and long had been in the possession of the Canaanites, Iosh. 16. 10. Iudg. 1. 29. and permitted so to be by David, and Solomon; either by neglect, or because they were busied in greater and more necessary Employments.

16 For Pharaoh king of Eggpt 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 present unto his daughter, Solomons wife.

Not now, but long before this time, and presently after the Marriage of his Daughter, as is most probable; and it is here mentioned onely as the occasion of Solomon's Building it. Possibly the Canaanites of this place had been guilty of some Hainous Crime; and because Solomon thought not fit to destroy them himself, he desired Pharaoh to do it for him, or Pharaoh might offer his Service therein for his Daughters advantage.

17 And Solomon built Gezer, and Beth-horon the nether ,

In Benjamin, Ios. 18. 13, 14. and Bethoron the upper, which is added 2 Chron. 8. 5. a City in the Tribe of Ephraim, Ios. 16. 5. possibly bordering upon Benjamin, and [illegible: 1+ letters]igh unto the lower Bethoron: which alone may be here mentioned, either, because it was the more famous place: or, be cause it needed more reparations.

18 And Baalath , and Tadmor , in the wilderness, in the land ,

In the Tribe of Dan, Ios▪ 19. 40, 44.

Supposed to be called Tamar, Ezek. 47. 19.

This Clause may belong either first, to all the places above-mentioned, which are here declared to be in the Land of Canaan. But so that Clause may seem superfluous; for none would easily think that he would Build much out of his own Land. Or rather, Secondly, To Tadmor, which otherwise, being in that Wilderness which was the border of the Land, might have been presumed to have been out of the Land.

19 And all the cities of store that Solomon had, and cities for his charets, and cities for his horsemen, and that which Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem, and in Lebanon , and in all the land of his dominion.

To lay up Arms and Ammunition for War, and Corn, or other Provisions, against a time of scarcity. See Exod. 1. 11.

Either in the Mountain of Lebanon, which being the Border of his Land, he might Build some Forts, or a Frontier City in it. Or, in the House of the Forest of Lebanon: of which see chap. 7. 2.

Marginal references: Heb. the desire of Solomon which he desired▪

21 Their children that were left after them in the land, whom the children of Israel also were not able utterly to destroy, upon those did Solomon levy a tribute of bond-service unto this day.

He used them as Bond-men, and imposed Burdens and Bodily Labours upon them. See 2 Chron. 2. 18. Hence some think they are called Solomon's servants, Ezra 2. 55, 58. Quest. Why did not Solomon destroy them, as God had commanded, when now it was fully in his power to do so? Ans. First, The command of destroying them, Deut. 7. 2. did chiefly, if not onely, concern that Generation of Canaanites who lived in or near the time of the Israelites entring into Canaan. Secondly, That Command seems not to be Absolute and Universal, but conditional, and with some exception for those who should submit to them, and embrace the True Religion, as may be gathered both from Ios. 11. 19. and from the History of the Gibeonites, Ios. 9. whom Ioshua did not sin in sparing, when he had Sworn to do so; and Saul did sin in indeavouring to destroy them. But if Gods Command had been Absolute, the Oaths of Ioshua, and of the Princes, could not have obliged them, nor dispensed with such a Command.

Marginal references: Judg. 1. 21, 27, 29.

23 These were the chief of the officers that were over Solomons work, five hundred and fifty , which bare rule over the people that wrought in the work.

Obj. They were onely 250 in 2 Chron. 8. 10. Ans. First, Those might be Officers of another sort; for they are not said to be over the work, as these are, but onely over the people. Secondly, The 250 were Israelites, who are therefore distinctly mentioned in that Book, where many things are more exactly noted than in the former; and the other 300 were strangers, who therefore are neglected in that more accurate account. Or, Thirdly, There was but 250 at one time, which is noted there, and 250 at another time, (for it is apparent they did their work by turns) and the other 50 either were Superior to all the rest; or rather, were a reserve to supply the place of any of the 500 when there was occasion, which might frequently happen. And so this was an act not unbecoming Solomon's Wisdom, to make provision for Emergencies.

25 ¶ And three times in a year did Solomon offer burnt-offerings, and peace-offerings upon the altar which he built unto the LORD, and he burnt incense upon the altar that was before the LORD: so he finished the house .

i. e. At the three Solemn Feasts. Which is not said exclusively, as is evident both from 2 Chron. 8. 13. and from the express and oft-repeated Commands of God to offer at other times, which it is absurd to think that Solomon, not yet fallen into sin, should so wickedly and scandalously neglect; but because then he did it more Solemnly, and more costlily, and more publickly: whereby it might be presumed, that he did so at all other appointed times.

Or, so he perfected the house, to wit, by applying it to the use for which it was made, in which the perfection of such things consists. Or, the house may be put Metonymically for the Work or Service of the House, as it is elsewhere commonly used for the things or persons in the House. Or, the words may be, and are rendred thus, After that (for so the Hebrew Vau oft signifies, as Isa. 37. 9, 36. Hos. 1. 11. Zech. 12. 2.) he finished the house; i. e. From the time of the finishing of the House, until this time, he continued to do so.

Marginal references: Heb. upon it.

26 ¶ And king Solomon made a navy of ships , in Ezion-Geber, which is beside Eloth n, on the shore of the red sea, in the land of Edom .

Not now in the order in which it is placed in the History, but in the beginning of his Reign; as appears, because the Almug-trees which he used in this Work, were brought in this Navy from Ophir, chap. 10, 11, 12. 2 Chron. 9. 10, 11. which was a three Years Voyage there, ver. 22. For Ophir and Tharsis were either the same place, or one near to another.

Which David brought under his Dominion, and Solomon kept it.

r Or, Elath, as it is called 2 King. 14. 22. See Deut. 2. 8. It is thought to be that famous Port on the Red Sea, which Ptolemy and Strabo call Elana.

Marginal references: 2 Chr. 8. 17.; Heb. lip.

27 And Hiram sent in the navy his servants, ship-men that had knowledge of the sea , with the servants of Solomon.

For which the Tyrians were famous. He sent also Ships to joyn with Solomon's, 2 Chron. 8. 18. not from Tyre, the famous City of Phoenicia, which was in the Midland Sea, from whence he could not Sail to the Red Sea, without fetching a vast compass; but from an Island in the Red-Sea, called Tyre, because it was a Colony of the Tyrians, as Strabo notes.

28 And they came to Ophir , and fet from thence gold, four hundred and twenty talents , and brought it to king Solomon.

A place famous for the plenty and fineness of the Gold there; Of which see Gen. 2. 11, 12. Iob 22. 24. and 28. 16. Psal. 45. 9. Isa. 13. 12. It is manifest and agreed, that it was a part of the East-Indies, which though very remote from us, yet was far nearer to the Red-Sea, from whence they might easily Sail to it in these Ancient times, because they needed not to go far from the Coast to come to it, because they might (according to the manner of these first Ages) Sail all along near the Coast, though the Voyage was thereby more tedious, which was the reason why three Years were spent in it. And here, and here onely were to be had all the Commodities which Solomon fetched from Ophir, 1 King. 10. 22.

In all there came to the King 450 Talents, whereof it seems 30 Talents were allowed by Solomon to Hiram and his Men for the Voyage, and so there were onely 420 that came clearly into the King's Treasury.