1 Raja-raja 5:1

Solomon Gathers Building Materials for the Temple

5:1 (5:15) ¹  King Hiram of Tyre ²  sent messengers ³  to Solomon when he heard that he had been anointed king in his father’s place. (Hiram had always been an ally of David.)

1 Raja-raja 5:6

5:6 So now order some cedars of Lebanon to be cut for me. My servants will work with your servants. I will pay your servants whatever you say is appropriate, for you know that we have no one among us who knows how to cut down trees like the Sidonians.”

Mazmur 29:5

29:5 The Lord’s shout breaks ⁴  the cedars,

the Lord shatters ⁵  the cedars of Lebanon. ⁶ 

Mazmur 92:12

92:12 The godly ⁷  grow like a palm tree;

they grow high like a cedar in Lebanon. ⁸ 

Mazmur 104:16

104:16 The trees of the Lord ⁹  receive all the rain they need, ¹⁰ 

the cedars of Lebanon which he planted,

Yesaya 14:8

14:8 The evergreens also rejoice over your demise, ¹¹ 

as do the cedars of Lebanon, singing, ¹² 

‘Since you fell asleep, ¹³ 

no woodsman comes up to chop us down!’ ¹⁴ 

[5:1]  ¹ sn The verse numbers in the English Bible differ from those in the Hebrew text (BHS) here; 5:1-18 in the English Bible corresponds to 5:15-32 in the Hebrew text. See the note at 4:21.

[5:1]  ² map For location see Map1 A2; Map2 G2; Map4 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.

[5:1]  ³ tn Heb “his servants.”

[29:5]  ⁴ tn The Hebrew participial form draws attention to the durative nature of the action being described.

[29:5]  ⁵ tn The prefixed verbal forms with vav (ו) consecutive here and in v. 6a carry on the descriptive function of the preceding participle (see GKC 329 §111.u). The verb שָׁבַר (shavar) appears in the Qal in the first line of the verse, and in the Piel in the second line. The verb, which means “break” in the Qal, appears thirty-six times in the Piel, always with multiple objects (the object is either a collective singular or grammatically plural or dual form). The Piel may highlight the repetition of the pluralative action, or it may suggest an intensification of action, indicating repeated action comprising a whole, perhaps with the nuance “break again and again, break in pieces.” Another option is to understand the form as resultative: “make broken” (see IBHS 404-7 §24.3).

[29:5]  ⁶ sn The cedars of the Lebanon forest were well-known in ancient Israel for their immense size. Here they may symbolize the arrogant enemies of God (see Isa 2:12-13).

[92:12]  ⁷ tn The singular is used in a representative sense, with the typical godly person being in view.

[92:12]  ⁸ sn The cedars of the Lebanon forest were well-known in ancient Israel for their immense size.

[104:16]  ⁹ sn The trees of the Lord are the cedars of Lebanon (see the next line), which are viewed as special because of their great size and grandeur. The Lebanon forest was viewed elsewhere in the OT as the “garden of God” (see Ezek 31:8).

[104:16]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “are satisfied,” which means here that they receive abundant rain (see v. 13).

[14:8]  ¹¹ tn Heb “concerning you.”

[14:8]  ¹² tn The word “singing” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. Note that the personified trees speak in the second half of the verse.

[14:8]  ¹³ tn Heb “lay down” (in death); cf. NAB “laid to rest.”

[14:8]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “the [wood]cutter does not come up against us.”