1 Kings — Chapter 9

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1And it came to pass, when Solomon had finished the building of the house of the LORD, and the king’s house, and all Solomon’s desire which he was pleased to do,

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

3And 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.

4And 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:

5Then 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.

6But 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:

7Then 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 byword among all people:

8And 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?

9And they shall answer, Because they forsook the LORD their God, who brought forth their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and have taken hold upon other gods, and have worshipped them, and served them: therefore hath the LORD brought upon them all this evil.

10And it came to pass at the end of twenty years, when Solomon had built the two houses, the house of the LORD, and the king’s house,

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.

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

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

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

15And 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.

16For 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 present unto his daughter, Solomon’s wife.

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

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

19And all the cities of store that Solomon had, and cities for his chariots, 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.

20And all the people that were left of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, which were not of the children of Israel,

21Their 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 bondservice unto this day.

22But of the children of Israel did Solomon make no bondmen: but they were men of war, and his servants, and his princes, and his captains, and rulers of his chariots, and his horsemen.

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

24But Pharaoh’s daughter came up out of the city of David unto her house which Solomon had built for her: then did he build Millo.

25And 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.

26And 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.

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

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

1And it came to pass, when Solomon had finished the building of the house of Jehovah, and the king`s house, and all Solomon`s desire which he was pleased to do,

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

3And Jehovah 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 my heart shall be there perpetually.

4And as for thee, 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 mine ordinances;

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

6But if ye shall turn away from following me, ye 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;

7then 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 byword among all peoples.

8And though this house is so high, yet shall every one that passeth by it be astonished, and shall hiss; and they shall say, Why hath Jehovah done thus unto this land, and to this house?

9and they shall answer, Because they forsook Jehovah 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 hath Jehovah brought all this evil upon them.

10And it came to pass at the end of twenty years, wherein Solomon had built the two houses, the house of Jehovah and the king`s house

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.

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

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

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

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

16Pharaoh 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 unto his daughter, Solomon`s wife.

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

18and Baalath, and Tamar in the wilderness, in the land,

19and 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.

20As for 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;

21their 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 unto this day.

22But 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.

23These were the chief officers that were over Solomon`s work, five hundred and fifty, who bare rule over the people that wrought in the work.

24But Pharaoh`s daughter came up out of the city of David unto her house which [Solomon] had built for her: then did he build Millo.

25And three times a year did Solomon offer burnt-offerings and peace-offerings upon the altar which he built unto Jehovah, burning incense therewith, [upon the altar] that was before Jehovah. So he finished the house.

26And 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.

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

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

1After Solomon finished building the Lord’s temple, the royal palace, and all the other construction projects he had planned,

2the Lord appeared to Solomon a second time, in the same way he had appeared to him at Gibeon.

3The Lord said to him, “I have answered your prayer and your request for help that you made to me. I have consecrated this temple you built by making it my permanent home; I will be constantly present there.

4You must serve me with integrity and sincerity, just as your father David did. Do everything I commanded and obey my rules and regulations.

5Then I will allow your dynasty to rule over Israel permanently, just as I promised your father David, ‘You will not fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.’

6“But if you or your sons ever turn away from me, fail to obey the regulations and rules I instructed you to keep, and decide to serve and worship other gods,

7then I will remove Israel from the land I have given them, I will abandon this temple I have consecrated with my presence, and Israel will be mocked and ridiculed among all the nations.

8This temple will become a heap of ruins; everyone who passes by it will be shocked and will hiss out their scorn, saying, ‘Why did the Lord do this to this land and this temple?’

9Others will then answer, ‘Because they abandoned the Lord their God, who led their ancestors out of Egypt. They embraced other gods whom they worshiped and served. That is why the Lord has brought all this disaster down on them.’”

10After 20 years, during which Solomon built the Lord’s temple and the royal palace,

11King Solomon gave King Hiram of Tyre 20 towns in the region of Galilee, because Hiram had supplied Solomon with cedars, evergreens, and all the gold he wanted.

12When Hiram went out from Tyre to inspect the towns Solomon had given him, he was not pleased with them.

13Hiram asked, “Why did you give me these towns, my friend?” He called that area the region of Cabul, a name which it has retained to this day.

14Hiram had sent to the king 120 talents of gold.

15Here are the details concerning the work crews King Solomon conscripted to build the Lord’s temple, his palace, the terrace, the wall of Jerusalem, and the cities of Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer.

16(Pharaoh, king of Egypt, had attacked and captured Gezer. He burned it and killed the Canaanites who lived in the city. He gave it as a wedding present to his daughter, who had married Solomon.)

17Solomon built up Gezer, lower Beth Horon,

18Baalath, Tadmor in the wilderness,

19all the storage cities that belonged to him, and the cities where chariots and horses were kept. He built whatever he wanted in Jerusalem, Lebanon, and throughout his entire kingdom.

20Now several non-Israelite peoples were left in the land after the conquest of Joshua, including the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.

21Their descendants remained in the land (the Israelites were unable to wipe them out completely). Solomon conscripted them for his work crews, and they continue in that role to this very day.

22Solomon did not assign Israelites to these work crews; the Israelites served as his soldiers, attendants, officers, charioteers, and commanders of his chariot forces.

23These men were also in charge of Solomon’s work projects; there were a total of 550 men who supervised the workers.

24Solomon built the terrace as soon as Pharaoh’s daughter moved up from the City of David to the palace Solomon built for her.

25Three times a year Solomon offered burnt offerings and peace offerings on the altar he had built for the Lord, burning incense along with them before the Lord. He made the temple his official worship place.

26King Solomon also built ships in Ezion Geber, which is located near Elat in the land of Edom, on the shore of the Red Sea.

27Hiram sent his fleet and some of his sailors, who were well acquainted with the sea, to serve with Solomon’s men.

28They sailed to Ophir, took from there 420 talents of gold, and then brought them to King Solomon.

1When Solomon had finished the building of Yahweh’s house, the king’s house, and all Solomon’s desire which he was pleased to do,

2Yahweh appeared to Solomon the second time, as he had appeared to him at Gibeon.

3Yahweh said to him, “I have heard your prayer and your supplication, that you have made before me. I have made this house holy, which you have built, to put my name there forever; and my eyes and my heart shall be there perpetually.

4As 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 my ordinances;

5then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, as I promised to David your father, saying, ‘There shall not fail from you a man on the throne of Israel.’

6But if you turn away from following me, you or your children, and not keep my commandments and my statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods, and worship them;

7then I will cut off Israel out of the land which I have given them; and I will cast this house, which I have made holy for my name, out of my sight; and Israel will be a proverb and a byword among all peoples.

8Though this house is so high, yet everyone who passes by it will be astonished and hiss; and they will say, ‘Why has Yahweh done this to this land, and to this house?’

9and they will answer, ‘Because they abandoned Yahweh their God, who brought their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and laid hold of other gods, and worshiped them, and served them. Therefore Yahweh has brought all this evil on them.’”

10At the end of twenty years, in which Solomon had built the two houses, Yahweh’s house and the king’s house

11(now Hiram the king of Tyre had furnished Solomon with cedar trees and cypress trees, and with gold, according to all his desire), King Solomon gave Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee.

12Hiram came out of Tyre to see the cities which Solomon had given him; and they didn’t please him.

13He said, “What cities are these which you have given me, my brother?” He called them the land of Cabul to this day.

14Hiram sent to the king one hundred twenty talents of gold.

15This is the reason of the levy which king Solomon raised, to build Yahweh’s house, his own house, Millo, Jerusalem’s wall, Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer.

16Pharaoh king of Egypt had gone up, taken Gezer, burned it with fire, killed the Canaanites who lived in the city, and given it for a wedding gift to his daughter, Solomon’s wife.

17Solomon built in the land Gezer, Beth Horon the lower,

18Baalath, Tamar in the wilderness,

19all the storage cities that Solomon had, the cities for his chariots, 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.

20As for all the people who were left of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, who were not of the children of Israel;

21their children who were left after them in the land, whom the children of Israel were not able utterly to destroy, of them Solomon raised a levy of bondservants to this day.

22But of the children of Israel Solomon made no bondservants; but they were the men of war, his servants, his princes, his captains, and rulers of his chariots and of his horsemen.

23These were the five hundred fifty chief officers who were over Solomon’s work, who ruled over the people who labored in the work.

24But Pharaoh’s daughter came up out of David’s city to her house which Solomon had built for her. Then he built Millo.

25Solomon offered burnt offerings and peace offerings on the altar which he built to Yahweh three times per year, burning incense with them, on the altar that was before Yahweh. So he finished the house.

26King Solomon made a fleet of ships in Ezion Geber, which is beside Eloth, on the shore of the Red Sea, in the land of Edom.

27Hiram sent in the fleet his servants, sailors who had knowledge of the sea, with the servants of Solomon.

28They came to Ophir, and fetched from there gold, four hundred and twenty talents, and brought it to king Solomon.

Summary
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
Commentary
Videos
Reflection

Summary

God appears to Solomon a second time, accepting the temple and warning that disobedience will bring ruin. Solomon's building projects, dealings with Hiram, and use of forced labor are summarized.

Authorship & Background

Author: Unknown, traditionally attributed to Jeremiah or a prophetic school. Originally one book with 2 Kings in the Hebrew Bible. Covers approximately 120 years (970-850 BC) — from David's death through Ahaziah's reign. Key themes: the glory and failure of Solomon, the division of the kingdom as judgment for idolatry, the faithfulness of God's prophets (especially Elijah), and the principle that a nation's spiritual health depends on its leaders' faithfulness to God's covenant.
Historical Context: Chapter 9 records God's second appearance to Solomon — the first was at Gibeon (chapter 3) where God offered wisdom. Now, after 20 years of building (7 for the Temple, 13 for the palace), God appears again with both promise and warning. This is the hinge chapter of Solomon's narrative: everything before this is ascent; everything after will contain the seeds of decline. God's message is starkly conditional: IF you walk faithfully, the throne is established forever; BUT IF you turn away, Israel will be cut off and the Temple destroyed. The warning is prophetic — it describes exactly what will happen in 586 BC when Babylon destroys the Temple. The chapter then transitions to administrative matters: Solomon's dealings with Hiram (the disappointing cities of Cabul), his building projects, his use of forced labor (non-Israelite populations), and his maritime ventures to Ophir. These details show Solomon at the height of his power but also reveal cracks: the Cabul incident suggests strained relations with Tyre, and the extensive building program hints at overreach.
God's Second Appearance (vv.1-9): God appears "the second time" — bookending Solomon's building period. The message has two parts. First, the promise (vv.3-5): God has consecrated the Temple ("mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually"), and IF Solomon walks in integrity as David did, the throne will be established forever. Second, the warning (vv.6-9): IF Solomon or his children turn to other gods, Israel will be cut off from the land, and the Temple will be cast out of God's sight — becoming "a proverb and a byword among all people." The warning is devastatingly specific: passersby will ask "Why?" and the answer will be: "Because they forsook the LORD their God." This prophecy was fulfilled exactly when Babylon destroyed the Temple in 586 BC. God gives the warning at the moment of greatest glory — when the danger of complacency is highest.
Solomon's Dealings with Hiram (vv.10-14): After 20 years of partnership, Solomon gives Hiram 20 cities in Galilee — apparently as payment for gold and materials. Hiram inspects them and is displeased: "What cities are these which thou hast given me, my brother?" He names them "Cabul" — possibly meaning "worthless" or "displeasing." This is an awkward diplomatic moment. Solomon may have been overextended financially, paying with land rather than goods. The 120 talents of gold Hiram had provided (approximately 4.5 tons) was an enormous sum.
Building Projects and Administration (vv.15-25): Solomon's building program extends far beyond Jerusalem: Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer (major fortress cities controlling trade routes), plus store cities, chariot cities, and horsemen cities. The forced labor comes from remaining Canaanite populations — not Israelites, who serve as soldiers and officials. Pharaoh's daughter receives her own house. Solomon maintains regular worship: three times yearly he offers sacrifices on the Temple altar.
The Fleet to Ophir (vv.26-28): Solomon builds a navy at Ezion-geber on the Red Sea (Gulf of Aqaba). Hiram provides experienced sailors. The fleet reaches Ophir — a location debated (possibly East Africa, India, or Arabia) — and returns with 420 talents of gold (approximately 16 tons). This maritime venture demonstrates Solomon's commercial reach extending far beyond Israel's borders.

Map & Geography

  • Jerusalem is central — site of Solomon's Temple and royal palace; capital of the united kingdom, then of Judah (southern kingdom) after the division.
  • The kingdom divides after Solomon: Israel (north, capital eventually at Samaria) and Judah (south, capital Jerusalem).
  • Key locations: Gibeon (Solomon's dream, ch.3), Tyre (Hiram's city in Phoenicia, chs.5-7), Mount Carmel (Elijah vs. Baal prophets, ch.18), Zarephath (Sidonian widow, ch.17), Mount Horeb/Sinai (Elijah flees, ch.19), Ramoth-gilead (Ahab's death, ch.22).

Commentary

  • Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik emphasizes that God's warning comes at the moment of greatest success — when Solomon has finished everything he desired to build. This is when the danger is highest. Success breeds complacency, and complacency breeds unfaithfulness. God's warning is an act of grace — He tells Solomon the consequences before the sin, giving him every opportunity to avoid it.
  • Charles Spurgeon: "God said, 'If you will walk before me, as David your father walked.' Note: God does not say 'as David your father never sinned.' David sinned grievously. But David walked — he kept moving toward God even after failure. His heart was always returning. This is the standard: not sinlessness but direction. Not perfection but integrity of heart. Are you walking toward God or away from Him? That is the question — not whether you have stumbled."

Reflection

  • 1. God's greatest warnings come at moments of greatest success (vv.1-2). Solomon has finished everything — Temple, palace, all he desired. And precisely then God appears with a warning. Success is the most dangerous season spiritually. When everything is going well, we are most vulnerable to complacency, pride, and wandering. Listen most carefully to God's warnings when life is at its best.
  • 2. God's blessings are conditional in experience (vv.4-7). The Temple is consecrated, God's name is there — but continued blessing requires continued faithfulness. We cannot coast on past obedience. Yesterday's faithfulness does not guarantee tomorrow's blessing. The Christian life is a daily walk, not a one-time decision.
  • 3. No institution is too sacred to be judged (v.7). God will "cast out of my sight" His own Temple if His people abandon Him. No church, no denomination, no ministry is immune to God's judgment. The building is not the point — the relationship is. When the relationship dies, the building becomes a monument to what was lost.
  • 4. The standard is integrity, not perfection (v.4). God says "walk as David walked" — and David was an adulterer and murderer. But David's heart always returned to God. The standard is not sinlessness but direction: are you walking toward God or away from Him? Integrity of heart means your fundamental orientation is toward God, even when you stumble.
  • 5. Financial overextension reveals misplaced priorities (vv.11-13). Solomon gave away 20 cities to pay debts — and they were substandard cities at that. His building program may have outpaced his resources. When we build beyond our means — even for good purposes — we create obligations that compromise our integrity. Build within what God provides.