1 Kings 5:4

5:1-9 Here is Solomon's design to build a temple. There is no adversary, no Satan, so the word is; no instrument of Satan to oppose it, or to divert from it. Satan does all he can, to hinder temple work. When there is no evil abroad, then let us be ready and active in that which is good, and get forward. Let God's promises quicken our endeavours. And all outward skill and advantages should be made serviceable to the interests of Christ's kingdom. It Tyre supplies Israel with craftsmen, Israel will supply Tyre with corn, Eze 27:17. Thus, by the wise disposal of Providence, one country has need of another, and is benefitted by another, that there may be dependence on one another, to the glory of God.

But now the Lord my God hath given me rest on every side,.... From foreign enemies; for Solomon had no wars with any: so that there is neither adversary; or Satan, no internal enemy in his kingdom, as well as no external ones, Adonijah, Joab, and other ill-designing persons, being cut off: nor evil occurrent; nothing that rose up, and met him, to discourage or hinder the prosecution of the good work he had in view.

4 . rest on every side ] Cf. above 1 Kings 4:24 . evil occurrent ] ‘Occurrent’ is the old English form of the noun for which we now use ‘occurrence.’ Cf. Bacon Henry 7. (Pitt Press Series) p. 68. ‘He paid the king large tribute of his gratitude in diligent advertisement of the occurrents of Italy.’ Probably the A.V. rendering is due to the Vulgate, which has occursus malus .

CHAPTER 5 1Ki 5:1-6. Hiram Sends to Congratulate Solomon. 1. Hiram … sent his servants unto Solomon—the grandson of David's contemporary [Kitto]; or the same Hiram [Winer and others]. The friendly relations which the king of Tyre had cultivated with David are here seen renewed with his son and successor, by a message of condolence as well as of congratulation on his accession to the throne of Israel. The alliance between the two nations had been mutually beneficial by the encouragement of useful traffic. Israel, being agricultural, furnished corn and oil, while the Tyrians, who were a commercial people, gave in exchange their Phœnician manufactures, as well as the produce of foreign lands. A special treaty was now entered into in furtherance of that undertaking which was the great work of Solomon's splendid and peaceful reign.

Verse 4. - But now the Lord my God hath given me rest [In fulfilment of the promise of 1 Chronicles 22:9 . David had had a brief rest ( 2 Samuel 7:1 ), Solomon's was permanent. He was "a man of rest"] on every side [Heb. round about , same word as in ver. 3, and in 1 Chronicles 22:9 ], so that there is neither adversary [Hadad and Rezon, of whom this word is used ( 1 Kings 11:14, 23 ), apparently belonged to a somewhat later period of his reign] nor evil occurrent [Rather, "occurrence," or "plague" ( פֶגֵע ), i.e. , "rebellion, famine, pestilence, or other suffering" (Bahr). David had had many such "occurrences" ( 2 Samuel 15:14 ; 2 Samuel 20:1 ; 2 Samuel 21:1 ; 2 Samuel 24:15 ).] 1 Kings 5:4

There is no suspicion of untruth: it is the genius of the people to "disdain the lore,Of nicely calculated less and more." It may be added here that Edom remained under the sway of Judah until the reign of Jehoram ( 2 Kings 8:20 ), just as Moab and other portions of Solomon's empire for a considerable period formed part of the new kingdom of Israel ( 2 Kings 1:1 ; 2 Kings 3:4, 5 ).] 1 Kings 12:20

"And now Jehovah my God has given me rest roundabout," such as David never enjoyed for a permanency (cf. 2 Samuel 7:1 ). "No adversary is there." This is not at variance with 1 Kings 11:14 , for Hadad's enterprise belonged to a later period (see the comm. on that passage). "And no evil occurrence:" such as the rebellions of Absalom and Sheba, the pestilence at the numbering of the people, and other events which took place in David's reign.