HIRAM
Hi'-ram (chiram; Septuagint Chiram, but Cheiram, in 2 Sam 5:11; 1 Ch 14:1): There is some confusion regarding the form of this name. In the books of Samuel and Kings the prevailing form is "Hiram" (chiram); but in 1 Ki 5:10,18 margin (Hebrew 24,32); 7:40 margin "Hirom" (chirom) is found. In Chronicles the form of the word is uniformly "Huram" (churam). The myth, the legend, the real, the fake, the symbolic and the metaphysical Hiram is one of the greatest story/mysteries of ancient times. To understand truly this story and its significance is to understand and know what being or becoming a Mason is all about. Why he was so significant and what roll does he play in my life or your life along this journey to the East is the BiG question? One must ask these questions of himself as we face our own immortality. I have listed below several places in the Bible were one can find information about Huram King of Tyre or Hiram "my father" from Tyre, a Widow's son sentenced to King Solomon.
(1) A king of Tyre who lived on most friendly terms with both David and Solomon. After David had taken the stronghold of Zion, Hiram sent messengers and workmen and materials to build a palace for him at Jerusalem (2 Sam 5:11; 1 Ch 14:1). Solomon, on his accession to the throne, made a league with Hiram, in consequence of which Hiram furnished the new king of Israel with skilled workmen and with cedar trees and fir trees and algum trees from Lebanon for the building of the Temple. In return Solomon gave annually to Hiram large quantities of wheat and oil (1 Ki 5:1 (Hebrew 15) ff; 2 Ch 2:3 (Hebrew 2) ff). "At the end of twenty years, wherein Solomon had built the two houses, the house of Yahweh and the king's house," Solomon made a present to Hiram of twenty cities in the land of Galilee. Hiram was not at all pleased with these cities and contemptuously called them "Cabul." His displeasure, however, with this gift does not seem to have disturbed the amicable relations that had hitherto existed between the two kings, for subsequently Hiram sent to the king of Israel 120 talents of gold (1 Ki 9:10-14). Hiram and Solomon maintained merchant vessels on the Mediterranean and shared mutually in a profitable trade with foreign ports (1 Ki 10:22). Hiram's servants, "shipmen that had knowledge of the sea," taught the sailors of Solomon the route from Ezion-geber and Eloth to Ophir, whence large stores of gold were brought to King Solomon (1 Ki 9:26; 2 Ch 8:17 f).
Josephus (Apion, I, 17, 18) informs us, on the authority of the historians Dius and Menander, that Hiram was the son of Abibal, that he had a prosperous reign of 34 years, and died at the age of 53. He tells us on the same authority that Hiram and Solomon sent problems to each other to solve; that Hiram could not solve those sent him by Solomon, whereupon he paid to Solomon a large sum of money, as had at first been agreed upon. Finally, Abdemon, a man of Tyre, did solve the problems, and proposed others which Solomon was unable to explain; consequently Solomon was obliged to pay back to Hiram a vast sum of money. Josephus further states (Ant., VIII, ii, 8) that the correspondence carried on between Solomon and Hiram in regard to the building of the Temple was preserved, not only in the records of the Jews, but also in the public records of Tyre. It is also related by Phoenician historians that Hiram gave his daughter to Solomon in marriage.
(2) The name of a skillful worker in brass and other substances, whom Solomon secured from Hiram king of Tyre to do work on the Temple. His father was a brass-worker of Tyre, and his mother was a woman of the tribe of Naphtali (1 Ki 7:14), "a woman of the daughters of Dan" (2 Ch 2:14 (Hebrew 13); 1 Ki 7:13 ff; 2 Ch 2:13 f (Hebrew 12,13)).GRINCH
BiBle Verses:
1 Kings 5:1 - Now Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon, when he heard that they had anointed him king in place of his father; for Hiram always loved David.
1 Kings 5:2 - And Solomon sent word to Hiram,
1 Kings 5:7 - When Hiram heard the words of Solomon, he rejoiced greatly, and said, "Blessed be the LORD this day, who has given to David a wise son to be over this great people."
1 Kings 5:8 - And Hiram sent to Solomon, saying, "I have heard the message which you have sent to me; I am ready to do all you desire in the matter of cedar and cypress timber.
1 Kings 5:10 - So Hiram supplied Solomon with all the timber of cedar and cypress that he desired,
1 Kings 5:11 - while Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand cors of wheat as food for his household, and twenty thousand cors of beaten oil. Solomon gave this to Hiram year by year.
1 Kings 5:12 - And the LORD gave Solomon wisdom, as he promised him; and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon; and the two of them made a treaty.
1 Kings 5:18 - So Solomon's builders and Hiram's builders and the men of Gebal did the hewing and prepared the timber and the stone to build the house.
1 Kings 7:13 - And King Solomon sent and brought Hiram from Tyre.
1 Kings 7:40 - Hiram also made the pots, the shovels, and the basins from metals. So Hiram finished all the work that he did for King Solomon on the house of the LORD:
1 Kings 7:45 - Now the pots, the shovels, and the basins, all these vessels in the house of the LORD, which Hiram made for King Solomon, were of burnished bronze.
1 Kings 9:11 - and Hiram king of Tyre had supplied Solomon with cedar and cypress timber and gold, as much as he desired, King Solomon gave to Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee.
1 Kings 9:12 - But when Hiram came from Tyre to see the cities which Solomon had given him, they did not please him.
1 Kings 9:14 - Hiram had sent to the king one hundred and twenty talents of gold.
1 Kings 9:27 - And Hiram sent with the fleet his servants, seamen who were familiar with the sea, together with the servants of Solomon;
1 Kings 10:11 - Moreover the fleet of Hiram, which brought gold from Ophir, brought from Ophir a very great amount of almug wood and precious stones.
1 Kings 10:22 - For the king had a fleet of ships of Tarshish at sea with the fleet of Hiram. Once every three years the fleet of ships of Tarshish used to come bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.
1 Kings 5:2 - And Solomon sent word to Hiram,
1 Kings 5:7 - When Hiram heard the words of Solomon, he rejoiced greatly, and said, "Blessed be the LORD this day, who has given to David a wise son to be over this great people."
1 Kings 5:8 - And Hiram sent to Solomon, saying, "I have heard the message which you have sent to me; I am ready to do all you desire in the matter of cedar and cypress timber.
1 Kings 5:10 - So Hiram supplied Solomon with all the timber of cedar and cypress that he desired,
1 Kings 5:11 - while Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand cors of wheat as food for his household, and twenty thousand cors of beaten oil. Solomon gave this to Hiram year by year.
1 Kings 5:12 - And the LORD gave Solomon wisdom, as he promised him; and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon; and the two of them made a treaty.
1 Kings 5:18 - So Solomon's builders and Hiram's builders and the men of Gebal did the hewing and prepared the timber and the stone to build the house.
1 Kings 7:13 - And King Solomon sent and brought Hiram from Tyre.
1 Kings 7:40 - Hiram also made the pots, the shovels, and the basins from metals. So Hiram finished all the work that he did for King Solomon on the house of the LORD:
1 Kings 7:45 - Now the pots, the shovels, and the basins, all these vessels in the house of the LORD, which Hiram made for King Solomon, were of burnished bronze.
1 Kings 9:11 - and Hiram king of Tyre had supplied Solomon with cedar and cypress timber and gold, as much as he desired, King Solomon gave to Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee.
1 Kings 9:12 - But when Hiram came from Tyre to see the cities which Solomon had given him, they did not please him.
1 Kings 9:14 - Hiram had sent to the king one hundred and twenty talents of gold.
1 Kings 9:27 - And Hiram sent with the fleet his servants, seamen who were familiar with the sea, together with the servants of Solomon;
1 Kings 10:11 - Moreover the fleet of Hiram, which brought gold from Ophir, brought from Ophir a very great amount of almug wood and precious stones.
1 Kings 10:22 - For the king had a fleet of ships of Tarshish at sea with the fleet of Hiram. Once every three years the fleet of ships of Tarshish used to come bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.
1 Chronicles 14:1 - And Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, also masons and carpenters to build a house for him
2 Samuel 5:11 - And Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar
trees, also carpenters and masons who built David a house.
trees, also carpenters and masons who built David a house.
It appears that there were 3 types of Masons listed in these stories and they all worked with different materials to build King Solomon’s Temple dedicated to God and erected to …..
What was used for wages I believe they made reference to corn and oil.
Who were the Gebalmites? In Joshua, Gebal is described as one of the regions given to the Children of Israel through Joshua 13:5. In I Kings 5:18, the men of Gebal are numbered separately… eastern range in Gen 36:8; Dt 2:1,5; 2 Ch
