OCR Text |
Show C 40 ] callM alfo (Chap.ii. 13.) Hiram Abi, as here Birm Abif; for being fo amply defcrib'd (Chap. ii. 14.) Wc may eafily fuppofe his Sirname would not be conceal'd, A n d this Reading makes the fenfe plain and complcatj -w&. That Hiram, King of Tyre, fent to King Solomon his Namefake Hiram Abif, the Prince of Architects, de-fcnb'd, ( 1 Kings vii. 14.) to be a Widow's fon of the Tribe of Naphthali, and in (, 2 Chron. ii. 14. ) the faid King of Tyre calls him the fon of a W o m a n of the Daughters of Dan 5 and in both Places, that his Father was a M a n of Pyre, which Difficulty is remov'd by fuppofwg his Mother was either of the Tribe of Dan, or of the Daughters of the city calPd Dan in the Tribe of Naphthali, and his deceafed Father had been a Naphthalite, whence his Mother was call'd a W i d o w of Naphthali', for his Father is not call'd a Tyrian by Defcent, but a Man of Tyre by Habitation 5 as Obed-Edom the Levin is call'd a Gittite, by living among the Gittites, and the Apoftle Paul a M a n of Tarfus. But fuppofing a Mi-itake in Tranfcribers, and that his Father was really a Tyrian by Blood, and his Mother one of the Tribe either of Dan or of Naphthali, that can be no Bar a-gainft allowing of his vast capacity 5 for, as his Father was a Worker in Brafs, fo he himfclf was fill'd with. Wifdom and Understanding, and cunning, to work all Works in Brafs: And as King Solomon fent for him, fo King Hiram in his Letter to Solomon fays, " And now " I have fent a cunning Man, endowed with Underftand- M injr, skilful to work in Gold, Silver, Brafs, Iron, Stone, "Timber, Purple, Blue fine Linnen andCrimfon; al- " fo to grave any Manner of Graving, and to find out « every Device which fhall be put to him, with thy cun- ** ?Ang ,en' a n d Wlttl the cunning M e n of my Lord 41 David thy Father." ' Thisdivinely inipired W o r k m a n m a intain'd this Character, in erecting the Temple, and in working the Utenfsis thereof, tar beyond the Performances of Aholiab and Beza- |