seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
2 Chronicles 1:13 Then Solomon went to Jerusalem from the high place at Gibeon, from before the tent of meeting. And he reigned over Israel.
14 Solomon accumulated chariots and horses; he had fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand horses,[a] which he kept in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem. 15 The king made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as plentiful as sycamore-fig trees in the foothills. 16 Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and from Kue(b)—the royal merchants purchased them from Kue at the current price. 17 They imported a chariot from Egypt for six hundred shekels[c] of silver, and a horse for a hundred and fifty.[d] They also exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and of the Arameans.
a. 2 Chronicles 1:14 Or charioteers
b. 2 Chronicles 1:16 Probably Cilicia
c. 2 Chronicles 1:17 That is, about 15 pounds or about 6.9 kilograms
d. 2 Chronicles 1:17 That is, about 3 3/4 pounds or about 1.7 kilograms
This is from the easy English site.Hiram sent Huram-Abi who was a skilled workman. His mother was an Israelite but his father came from Tyre. His mother came from the tribe of Dan. But she was the widow of a man from the tribe of Naphtali (1 Kings 7:14).
Huram-Abi’s skills included work with precious metals, wood, stone and cloth.
People made purple cloth from a deep red colour. This colour came from a kind of shellfish (a fish with a shell). That fish lives near the coast of Tyre. They called this material ‘royal purple’ because of its quality and its cost.
Then Hiram asked Solomon to send what he had promised to send. Hiram’s men would cut the wood. They would then float it on the sea. And they would bring it to the port called Joppa. Joppa was the nearest port to Jerusalem. The distance between Joppa and Jerusalem was about 40 miles (64 kilometres).
David had counted the foreigners in Israel. He appointed some foreigners to cut stones ready for the temple (1 Chronicles 22:2). Now Solomon counted the foreigners and he organised their work. He gave responsibility to 3600 foreigners. Those 3600 leaders had authority over the other foreigners.
This is from the blueletterbible.org site.
Then Hiram king of Tyre answered in writing: "We find … that kings could write and read in what were called the by the proud and insolent Greeks and Romans barbarous nations. Nearly two thousand years after this we find a king on the British throne who could not sign his own name." (Clarke)
All the aliens who were in the land of Israel: This specifically tells us where the seventy thousand man labor force described here and in 1 Chronicles 2:2 came from.
"The temple, then, did not become a house of prayer for all nations by accident. The nations even played a part in its construction!" (Selman)
I use to work for a well drilling company in Southern Maryland. Well digging is hard, muddy, dangerous work. The aquifer in Southern Maryland can be 400' below ground. It takes special skills. On top of that... this company also did geothermal work.... and that required a skill for drilling sideways.... horizontal rather than vertical drilling.
So the company found a guy.... I think he was from Canada.... but I had to file paperwork to get his green card straightened out. It was quite a long and complicated process. By the time the paperwork was completed [legally] this highly experienced worker was gone.... hired in Canada.... bummer. The point is... when there's a job to be done.... it's important to get the best man for the job. Not all the people that worked on the Temple in Jerusalem were Israeli. They were from other nations and other religions.... still they worked with pride... and whenever they thought of that gleaming building.... they had a tender spot in their heart for it. The splendor of their craftsmanship becomes part of the Temple... just like a smile becomes part of a child's charm.
There were thousands of workers at the Temple in Jerusalem, who were not Israeli citizens. Each one of those thousands became part of the Temple.... every time someone mentioned the Temple, every time the Temple came into view..... those Immigrant Craftsmen got a shot of that "I worked there" bug.
