1 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.

Now the relation of things in the days of Solomon was this—a Son of David, the wisest, richest, most powerful and glorious king the world has ever known, reigning on Mount Zion, over the twelve tribes of Israel then in united occupation of the land. A Gentile power of commercial and maritime pre-eminence in alliance with him, and co-operating in naval affairs, and the building of a magnificent temple.

These powers, Israelitish and Gentile, headed by Solomon and Hiram, in possession of the commerce of India and the west, and in consequent amity with Tarshish, and the Queen of Sheba, their contemporary. Jerusalem peaceful, prosperous, rich, and happy in the favour of God; and her king the admiration of all the earth. Such was the state of things in the reign of "the great king"—a state resulting from the successful wars of David, and consequent spoliation of all the enemies of Israel and their God.

This was an exhibition in miniature of what shall hereafter obtain on a grand scale when the "greater than Solomon" is there. Moses, Joshua, David, and Solomon, Cyrus, Zerubabel and Joshua son of Josedeck, are representatives of Christ in his several official relations to Israel and the nations.

He is like to Moses as their deliverer from the bondage of modern Egypt, and their lawgiver, &c., and the destroyer of him that will not give them up. He is like to Joshua in giving them rest in the glorious land. He is like to David in being a man after God's own heart, who will do all his will upon Israel's foes, and the blasphemers of his name; and in establishing the kingdom of Israel under the sceptre of David's son.

He is like Solomon in being the wisest, richest, most powerful and glorious of all kings; in inheriting the throne of David; and in reigning thereon in peace without end. He is like Cyrus in being the conqueror of Babylon, the restorer of Israel, and the builder of the future temple. He is like Zerubabel in being the governor, and like Joshua the son of Jozedeck in being the High Priest, of the restoration from the captivity of the Roman Babylon. These are not accidental resemblances, but admirably displayed illustrations of the substance which is of Christ.

In contemplating Solomon, and the things related to him, as representative of the substance at the epoch of Christs' manifestation, we are naturally led to inquire, where are Sheba and Tarshish, and the Gentile power in friendly connection with Israel?

We must wait till the actual appearance of the greater than Solomon to see things in contemporary manifestation; but as Sheba, Tarshish, and Tyre existed before Solomon's reign, we may even now cast about, and see if any thing obtains in relation to them at all likely to correspond with their representative relations of the olden time.

Herald of the Kingdom and Age to Come, March 1858

12 And the Yahweh gave Solomon wisdom, as he promised him: and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon; and they two made a league together.

The allocation of Tarshish with Sheba and Dedan by the prophet Ezekiel, indicates their geographical relationship. Sheba was south east of Jerusalem, and a spice and camel producing country. Its queen, who visited Solomon with camels bearing spices, is styled Queen of the South; that is, of Arabia the camel-country, as that of Tarshish was the elephant, or ivory region.

Sheba joins Dedan, and lies between it, the Red Sea, and the Indian Ocean. Sheba Dedan, and Tarshish occupy the coasts of the Erythræan Sea, from the Straits of Babelmandeb to Cape Comorin. How far Tarshish extends beyond is not important to the subject in hand. Dedan and Tarshish stand face to face on either side the Mocander, which is a broad water exterior to the Persian Gulf.

Now the relation of things in the days of Solomon was this—a Son of David, the wisest, richest, most powerful and glorious king the world has ever known, reigning on Mount Zion, over the twelve tribes of Israel then in united occupation of the land. A Gentile power of commercial and maritime pre-eminence in alliance with him, and co-operating in naval affairs, and the building of a magnificent temple.

These powers, Israelitish and Gentile, headed by Solomon and Hiram, in possession of the commerce of India and the west, and in consequent amity with Tarshish, and the Queen of Sheba, their contemporary. Jerusalem peaceful, prosperous, rich, and happy in the favour of God; and her king the admiration of all the earth. Such was the state of things in the reign of "the great king"—a state resulting from the successful wars of David, and consequent spoliation of all the enemies of Israel and their God.

This was an exhibition in miniature of what shall hereafter obtain on a grand scale when the "greater than Solomon" is there. Moses, Joshua, David, and Solomon, Cyrus, Zerubabel and Joshua son of Josedeck, are representatives of Christ in his several official relations to Israel and the nations. He is like to Moses as their deliverer from the bondage of modern Egypt, and their lawgiver, &c., and the destroyer of him that will not give them up.

He is like to Joshua in giving them rest in the glorious land. He is like to David in being a man after God's own heart, who will do all his will upon Israel's foes, and the blasphemers of his name; and in establishing the kingdom of Israel under the sceptre of David's son. He is like Solomon in being the wisest, richest, most powerful and glorious of all kings; in inheriting the throne of David; and in reigning thereon in peace without end.

He is like Cyrus in being the conqueror of Babylon, the restorer of Israel, and the builder of the future temple. He is like Zerubabel in being the governor, and like Joshua the son of Jozedeck in being the High Priest, of the restoration from the captivity of the Roman Babylon. These are not accidental resemblances, but admirably displayed illustrations of the substance which is of Christ.

Herald of the Kingdom and Age to Come, Mar 1858

18 And Solomon's builders and Hiram's builders did hew them, and the stonesquarers: so they prepared timber and stones to build the house.

The Bible Accuracy concerning the Building of Solomon's Temple

Had it not been for the excavations made by the Palestine Exploration Fund upon and around the noble sanctuary, it would have been difficult to realise the descriptions contained in the Bible, and in Josephus' history of the grandeur and magnificence of the Temple.

But the shafts sunk by Captain Warren, and the researches of Captain Wilson, have vindicated the accuracy of those ancient records.

For instance, the Bible tells us that the materials for the building of Solomon's Temple were prepared by Syrian workmen at a distance from Jerusalem, and that the massive stones of which the walls were composed were so carefully hewn and chiselled, that in putting them together, no mortar was required to make them hold, and neither the sound of axe nor hammer was heard to disturb the sacred repose of the Holy Mount.

Above ground, there are few, if any, stones which still occupy their original position in the Temple wall, so often have they been thrown down and rebuilt; but below the surface, Captain Warren's shafts and galleries reveal massive stones of immense proportions, fitted together without mortar, and with such extraordinary skill and accuracy that it is impossible to insert a penknife into the interstices; while upon the faces of many of these huge blocks of masonry, the marks of Tyrian or Phœnician characters are still as plainly visible as when they were made by the workmen of Hiram, King of Tyre.

The Christadelphian, June 1874