Useful Bible Studies > 1 Kings Commentary > chapter 7
When Moses made the tent called the tabernacle, he needed a great artist to help him. In particular, that artist needed to be an expert in the production of metal objects. God provided a man called Bezalel to do this work; and God gave Bezalel the special skills that he needed for this task (Exodus 31:1-5).
In the same way, Solomon saw that he would need a man with similar skills to work on the temple (God’s house in Jerusalem). The king of Tyre sent him a man called Hiram (the same name as the king), who was also called Huram-Abi (2 Chronicles 2:13-14).
Hiram, the expert, actually came from a family from Israel. However, his father came from Tyre. His father had been a great expert in the use of the metal called bronze. So, Hiram learned his skills from his father. He had learned well and, later, had learned many more skills too. He could work with gold, silver, stone, wood and make beautiful cloth too (2 Chronicles 2:14). Probably he did not do all these things himself, but he led teams of skilled workmen in each of these tasks.
Hiram had the skills to assist Solomon with many parts of the work. However, Solomon recognised that Hiram’s greatest skill was in the use of bronze. So Solomon directed him to prepare a series of important and beautiful objects in bronze. These objects stood outside the temple building; they were in the inner court or yard, where the priests carried out much of their special work for God.
Next part: The two bronze columns (1 Kings 7:15-16)
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