In 1 Ki 6, why would Solomon get wood from the Phoenicians?
While there were forests in Israel, the best wood came from the cedars of Lebanon. Solomon was not the first to ask the Phoenicians for wood. Around 1100 B.C. the Egyptian envy Wen-Amon when to Phoenicia to get cedar wood, according to the Wycliffe Bible Dictionary p.505. Q: In 1 Ki 6:1, what does this say about the date of the Exodus? A: We know that Solomon began to reign in 971/970 A.D., and the fourth year would be 967/966 B.C. 480 years earlier would be about 1447/1446 B.C. See When Critics Ask p.181-182 and the Believer’s Bible Commentary p.361 for more info. Q: In 1 Ki 6:1, since there four 40 years in a generation, and 480 = 12 * 40, is this simply saying the temple was built 12 generations after the Exodus? A; No. The skeptical Asimovs Guide to the Bible p.327 suggests this, along with counting the consecutive years of the rule of the judges. They could simply have said 12 generations if they wished. The way Asimov “uses” language here, it would be impossible for them to say t
