Solomon Plans to Build the Father's House
Solomon organises a vast workforce and asks Huram of Tyre for cedar and a skilled craftsman. He states plainly what he is building: a house for the name of his Father — who cannot be contained by heaven, and can only be honoured there, never housed.
2 1Solomon resolved to build a house for our Father's name, and a royal palace for himself. 2Solomon assigned 70,000 carriers, 80,000 stonecutters in the mountains, and 3,600 overseers over them.
3Solomon sent to Huram king of Tyre: "Deal with me as you did with my father David, sending him cedar to build his house to live in. 4I am building a house for the name of my Father, to dedicate it to him—to burn fragrant incense before him, set out the bread of the Presence continually, offer burnt offerings morning and evening, on sabbaths, new moons, and appointed feasts of our Father. Israel must do this forever. a a v4 Bread of the Presence: ceremonial loaves kept on permanent display before God in the inner sanctuary.
5The house I am building will be great, for our Father is greater than all gods. 6But who can build him a house, when heaven and the highest heavens cannot contain him? And who am I to build him one, except to burn sacrifices before him?
7Now send me a craftsman skilled in gold, silver, bronze, iron, purple, crimson, and blue yarn, and in engraving, to work with my skilled workers in Judah and Jerusalem, whom my father David provided.
8Send me also cedar, cypress, and red sandalwood from Lebanon, for I know your servants skillfully cut Lebanon's timber; my servants will join yours. 9Prepare plenty of timber for me, for the house I am building will be great and wonderful. 10For your servants who cut the timber I will give about 125,000 bushels of crushed wheat, 125,000 of barley, 115,000 gallons of wine, and 115,000 of oil."
11Huram king of Tyre wrote Solomon: "Because the LORD loves his people, he made you their king." 12Huram said: "Blessed be the LORD, God of Israel, maker of heaven and earth! He gave King David a wise son with insight and understanding, to build a house for the LORD and a royal palace for himself.
13Now I am sending you a skilled craftsman, gifted with understanding, Huram-abi, 14son of a woman of Dan's daughters, his father a man of Tyre—skilled in gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, wood, purple, blue, and crimson yarn, and fine linen. He can do any engraving and carry out any design assigned to him, working with your craftsmen and those of my lord David, your father.
15So let my lord send his servants the wheat, barley, oil, and wine he promised, 16and we'll cut all the timber you need from Lebanon, float it to you as rafts by sea to Joppa, and you can haul it up to Jerusalem."
17Solomon counted all the foreigners residing in the land of Israel, as his father David had; they numbered 153,600. 18He assigned 70,000 as carriers, 80,000 as stonecutters in the mountains, and 3,600 as overseers to keep the people working.
