As king of Tyre in Lebanon, Hiram (or Huram) had always enjoyed good relations with the Israelite kings to the south. He helped David to build a palace (2 Samuel 5:11) and later helped Solomon in his extensive building projects. He provided Solomon with huge amounts of materials and many skilled workmen in return for great quantities of farm produce (1 Kings 5). He lent Solomon money, in payment of which Solomon offered to give him a large section of Israel’s northern territory (which bordered Lebanon) (1 Kings 9:10-14). The two kings also formed a trade alliance and became partners in a profitable shipping operation (1 Kings 9:26-28; 1 Kings 10:22). (For further details of Hiram’s relations with Israel see SOLOMON.)
Another man named Hiram (or Huram) also features in the biblical record of this period. He was a highly skilled craftsman, also from Lebanon, whom Hiram the king sent to Jerusalem to do the bronze work and other decorations for Solomon’s temple (1 Kings 7:13-14; 1 Kings 7:40-46; 2 Chronicles 2:7; 2 Chronicles 2:13-14).
The "bridge" element in the title reflects the aim of all Bridgeway books, which is to bridge two gaps at once - the gap between the word of the Bible and the world of today, and the gap between the technical reference works and the ordinary reader.Wikipedia
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