1 Kings 5:17

JPS Old Testament

'Thou knowest how that David my father could not build a house for the name of the LORD his God for the wars which were about him on every side, until the LORD put them under the soles of my feet.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
The king commanded them to quarry large, costly stones to lay the foundation of the temple with dressed stones.

Hebrew Names Version
The king commanded, and they hewed out great stones, costly stones, to lay the foundation of the house with worked stone.

King James Version
And the king commanded, and they brought great stones, costly stones, and hewed stones, to lay the foundation of the house.

English Standard Version
At the king's command they quarried out great, costly stones in order to lay the foundation of the house with dressed stones.

New Century Version
King Solomon commanded them to cut large blocks of fine stone to be used for the foundation of the Temple.

New English Translation
By royal order they supplied large valuable stones in order to build the temple's foundation with chiseled stone.

Amplified Bible
The king gave orders, and they quarried great stones, valuable stones, to lay the foundation of the house (temple) with cut stones.

New American Standard Bible
Then the king issued orders, and they quarried large stones, valuable stones, to lay the foundation of the house with cut stones.

Geneva Bible (1587)
And the King commanded them, and they brought great stones and costly stones to make the foundation of the house, euen hewed stones.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then the king commanded, and they quarried great stones, precious stones, to lay the foundation of the house with cut stones.

Contemporary English Version
He ordered the workers to cut and shape large blocks of good stone for the foundation of the temple.

Complete Jewish Bible
"You know that David my father wasn't able to build a house for the name of Adonai his God, because of the wars that beset him from every side, until Adonai put his enemies under the soles of my feet.

Darby Translation
And the king commanded, and they brought great stones, costly stones, hewn stones, to lay the foundation of the house.

Easy-to-Read Version
King Solomon commanded them to cut large, expensive stones for the foundation of the Temple.

George Lamsa Translation
And the king commanded and they brought great stones, costly stones, and hewed stones to complete the house.

Good News Translation
At King Solomon's command they cut fine large stones for the foundation of the Temple.

Lexham English Bible
When the king commanded, they quarried great stones and precious stones to lay the foundation of the house with hewn stones.

Literal Translation
And the king commanded, and they brought great stones, costly stones, quarried stones, to lay the foundation of the house.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And ye kynge commaunded, that they shulde breake out greate and costly stones, namely frestone, for the foundacion of the house.

American Standard Version
And the king commanded, and they hewed out great stones, costly stones, to lay the foundation of the house with wrought stone.

Bible in Basic English
By the king's orders great stones, stones of high price, were cut out, so that the base of the house might be made of squared stone.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And the king commaunded them to bring great stones, costly stones, & hewed stones, for the foundatio of the house.

King James Version (1611)
And the king commanded, and they brought great stones, costly stones, and hewed stones, to lay the foundation of the house.

English Revised Version
And the king commanded, and they hewed out great stones, costly stones, to lay the foundation of the house with wrought stone.

Berean Standard Bible
And the king commanded them to quarry large, costly stones to lay the foundation of the temple with dressed stones.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And the kyng comaundide, that thei schulden take greete stonys, `and preciouse stonys, in to the foundement of the temple, and that thei schulden make tho square;

Young's Literal Translation
And the king commandeth, and they bring great stones, precious stone, to lay the foundation of the house, hewn stones;

Update Bible Version
And the king commanded, and they hewed out great stones, costly stones, to lay the foundation of the house with wrought stone.

Webster's Bible Translation
And the king commanded, and they brought great stones, costly stones, [and] hewed stones, to lay the foundation of the house.

World English Bible
The king commanded, and they hewed out great stones, costly stones, to lay the foundation of the house with worked stone.

New King James Version
And the king commanded them to quarry large stones, costly stones, and hewn stones, to lay the foundation of the temple. [fn]

New Living Translation
At the king's command, they quarried large blocks of high-quality stone and shaped them to make the foundation of the Temple.

New Life Bible
Then as the king told them, they cut out large stones of much worth for the house of God to be built on.

New Revised Standard
At the king's command, they quarried out great, costly stones in order to lay the foundation of the house with dressed stones.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And the king commanded, and they quarried great stones, costly stones, to found the house with hewn stones.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And the king commanded that they should bring great stones, costly stones, for the foundation of the temple, and should square them:

Revised Standard Version
At the king's command, they quarried out great, costly stones in order to lay the foundation of the house with dressed stones.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then the king commanded, and they quarried great stones, costly stones, to lay the foundation of the house with cut stones.

Contextual Overview

¹⁰ And Solomon's wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east, and all the wisdom of Egypt. ¹¹ For he was wiser than all men: than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol; and his fame was in all the nations round about. ¹² And he spoke three thousand proverbs; and his songs were a thousand and five. ¹³ And he spoke of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall; he spoke also of beasts, and of fowl, and of creeping things, and of fishes. ¹⁴ And there came of all peoples to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all kings of the earth, who had heard of his wisdom. ¹⁵ And Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants unto Solomon; for he had heard that they had anointed him king in the room of his father; for Hiram was ever a lover of David. ¹⁶ And Solomon sent to Hiram, saying: ¹⁷ 'Thou knowest how that David my father could not build a house for the name of the LORD his God for the wars which were about him on every side, until the LORD put them under the soles of my feet. ¹⁸ But now the LORD my God hath given me rest on every side; there is neither adversary, nor evil occurrence. And, behold, I purpose to build a house for the name of the LORD my God, as the LORD spoke unto David my father, saying: Thy son, whom I will set upon thy throne in thy room, he shall build the house for My name. Now therefore command thou that they hew me cedar-trees out of Lebanon; and my servants shall be with thy servants; and I will give thee hire for thy servants according to all that thou shalt say; for thou knowest that there is not among us any that hath skill to hew timber like unto the Zidonians.' And it came to pass, when Hiram heard the words of Solomon, that he rejoiced greatly, and said: 'Blessed be the LORD this day, who hath given unto David a wise son over this great people.' And Hiram sent to Solomon, saying: 'I have heard that which thou hast sent unto me; I will do all thy desire concerning timber of cedar, and concerning timber of cypress. My servants shall bring them down from Lebanon unto the sea; and I will make them into rafts to go by sea unto the place that thou shalt appoint me, and will cause them to be broken up there, and thou shalt receive them; and thou shalt accomplish my desire, in giving food for my household.' So Hiram gave Solomon timber of cedar and timber of cypress according to all his desire. And Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand measures of wheat for food to his household, and twenty measures of beaten oil; thus gave Solomon to Hiram year by year. And the LORD gave Solomon wisdom, as He promised him; and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon; and they two made a league together. And king Solomon raised a levy out of all Israel; and the levy was thirty thousand men. And he sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month by courses: a month they were in Lebanon, and two months at home; and Adoniram was over the levy. And Solomon had threescore and ten thousand that bore burdens, and fourscore thousand that were hewers in the mountains; besides Solomon's chief officers that were over the work, three thousand and three hundred, who bore rule over the people that wrought in the work. And the king commanded, and they quarried great stones, costly stones, to lay the foundation of the house with hewn stone. And Solomon's builders and Hiram's builders and the Gebalites did fashion them, and prepared the timber and the stones to build the house.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

costly stones: 1 Kings 6:7, 1 Kings 7:9, 1 Chronicles 22:2, Isaiah 28:16, 1 Corinthians 3:11, 1 Corinthians 3:12, 1 Peter 2:6, 1 Peter 2:7, Revelation 21:14-21

Reciprocal: 2 Kings 12:12 - masons Proverbs 24:27 - General Isaiah 54:11 - I will lay

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the king commanded, and they brought great stones,.... Not in quality, but in quantity, large stones, fit to lay in the foundation; strong, and durable against all the injuries of time, as Josephus says i:

costly stones; not what are commonly called precious stones, as gems, pearls, c. but stones of value, as marble, porphyry, c.

[and] hewed stones not rough as they were taken out of the quarry, but hewed, and made smooth:

to lay the foundation of the house which, though out of sight, was to be laid with goodly stones for the magnificence of the building; so the church of Christ, its foundation is said to be laid even with sapphires and other precious stones, see Isaiah 54:11.

i Antiqu. l. 8. c. 3. sect. 2.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Some of these “great, hewed (no and) stones,” are probably still to be seen in the place where they were set by Solomon’s builders, at the southwestern angle of the wall of the Haram area in the modern Jerusalem. The largest found so far is 38 ft. 9 in. long, and weighs about 100 tons.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Kings 5:17. Great stones — Stones of very large dimensions.

Costly stones — Stones that cost much labour and time to cut them out of the rock.

Hewed stones — Everywhere squared and polished.