1 Kings 5:9-12

1 KINGS—NOTE ON 1 Kings 5:9 My servants shall bring it down. Hiram responds with proposals of his own—that his own men should cut the wood and transport it down the coast to Israel, and that Solomon’s men should be involved only after this has been done. Instead of wages for Hiram’s laborers, payment should be in the form of supplies of food for his royal household. Solomon agrees to supply food, but he sends workers to Lebanon “in shifts” to help with the timber (v. 1 Kings 5:14). Although he is happy to negotiate with Hiram to a certain extent, Solomon is also prepared to ignore terms that do not suit him. This clearly implies that Solomon has the upper hand in the relationship.