Synopsis of the Chapter
Solomon assigns 70,000 porters and 80,000 stonecutters for the construction of the temple; he makes an agreement with Hiram concerning a distinguished architect and timber to be sent.
Verse 2: He Numbered Seventy Thousand Men ¶
2. He numbered seventy thousand men. — These were not Israelites, but proselytes, as is clear from verse 17. OVERSEERS — who would direct, and at the same time urge the workers to hasten the building of the temple and to adorn it elegantly; for this is what the Hebrew word natsach signifies.
Verse 13: Hiram My Father ¶
13. HIRAM MY FATHER — whom, that is to say, I venerate as a father on account of his virtue, wisdom, and industry. See what was said in 3 Kings chapter VII, verse 13. — The Hebrew, Septuagint, and Chaldean have: Hiram of my father, that is to say, the architect and servant [of my father].