Timber rafting on cedar logs for Jerusalem Temple

Timber rafting on cedar logs for Jerusalem Temple

Solomon plans to build Israel’s Temple

Timber rafting for Jerusalem Temple: Solomon decided it was time to start building the Jerusalem Temple for the LORD and a palace for himself....

Solomon requests cedar from Lebanon

Solomon wrote to King Hiram of Tyre in Lebanon...I’m about to build a house for God, a temple in Jerusalem devoted to him. This is where my people will come to worship. Please send me an artisan who has mastered working with metal and fabric. I need someone who knows how to engrave and how to work in gold, silver, and bronze. I need timber, too. Send me cedars from Lebanon, with cypress and juniper. I know your lumberjacks know what they’re doing. I’ll send workers to help them. I’ll need a lot of timber. This is going to be a huge, wonderful Temple.

Solomon offers to pay in food

I’ll pay your lumberjacks and other workers in food. I’ll send: 120,000 bushels of wheat and 120,000 bushels of barley along with 110,000 gallons of wine and 110,000 gallons of olive oil.”

Lebanon’s king agrees to the deal

Timber rafting for Jerusalem Temple

King Hiram wrote Solomon... “Go ahead and send up the wheat, barley, oil and wine, as you said. We’ll cut all the timber you need. We’ll tie the logs into rafts. Then we’ll float them down the seacoast to Joppa. From there, you can transport them to Jerusalem.” (2 Chronicles 2:1-17)

Where to find more Bible maps

The Casual English Bible® has more than 900 Bible maps, many in 3D style. You can search for maps by place name, such as "Sea of Galilee."

Dedicated Bible map search engine

But you can also search for maps by Bible book, such as searching for all the maps in the book of Joshua. In addition, you can search by country, region, or era on a timeline, such as when Israel had kings or when Jesus was on earth. Here's a link to the dedicated Map Search Engine.