Now when Hiram king of Tyre heard that Solomon had been anointed king in his father's place, he sent envoys to Solomon; for Hiram had always been a friend of David. And Solomon relayed this message to Hiram: "As you are well aware, due to the wars waged on all sides against my father David, he could not build a house for the Name of the LORD his God until the LORD had put his enemies under his feet. But now the LORD my God has given me rest on every side, and there is no adversary or crisis. So behold, I plan to build a house for the Name of the LORD my God, according to what the LORD said to my father David: 'I will put your son on your throne in your place, and he will build the house for My Name.'
After the king had settled into his palace and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies around him,
Significance
2 Samuel 7:1 records David's desire to build a temple after the LORD gave him rest (מְנוּחָה, menuchah) from his enemies. 1 Kings 5:1-5 shows Solomon fulfilling this desire, explicitly citing David: "You know that David my father could not build a house for the Name of the LORD his God because of the warfare surrounding him." Solomon then announces that God has now given him rest "on every side" with "no adversary (שָׂטָן, satan) or misfortune." The verbal echo of "rest" from David's era to Solomon's frames temple-building as requiring not just desire but divinely granted peace. Solomon's message to Hiram thus represents the fulfillment of the Davidic covenant promise: "He will build a house for My Name" (2 Sam 7:13).
