HIRAM (hi'ram), (Heb. :771, khee-rawm', high born); generally in the Chronicles '7.7", khoo rawm' Huram." 1. King of Tyre, who sent an embassy to David after the latter had captured the strong hold of Zion and taken up his residence in Jeru salem. It seems that the sway of this ruler ex tended over the western slopes of Lebanon ; and, when David built himself a palace, Hiram mate rially assisted the work by sending cedar-wood from Lebanon and able workmen to Jerusalem (2 Sam. v :it; t Chron. xiv:i), B. C. about io55 io44.
2. King of Tyre, son of Abibaal, and grand son of the Hiram who was contemporary with David, in the last years of whose reign he ascended the throne of Tyre. Following his grandfather's example, Ile sent to Jerusalem an embassy of condolence and congratulation when David died and Solomon succeeded, and CCM tracted with the new king a more intimate alli ance than ever before or after existed between a Hebrew king and a foreign prince (1 Kings v:1).
The alliance seems to have been very substan tially beneficial to both parties, and without it Solomon would scarcely have been able to realize all the great designs he had in view. In consid eration of large quantities of corn, wine, and oil, furnished by Solomon, the king of Tyre agreed to supply from Lebanon the timber required for the temple, to float it along the coast, and deliver it at Joppa, which was the port of Jerusalem 0 Kings v :1, sq.; ix :io, sq.; Chron. ii :3, sq.). The vast commerce of Tyre made gold very plentiful there ; and Hiram supplied no less than soo tal ents to Solomon for the ornamental works of the temple, and received in return twenty towns in Galilee; which, when he came to inspect them, pleased him so little that he applied to them a name of contempt, and restored them to the Jew ish king (2 Chron. viii :2). (See CABUL.) It
does not, however, appear that the good under standing between the two kings was broken by this unpleasant circumstance; for it was after this that Hiram suggested, or at least took part in, Solomon's traffic to the Eastern seas—which cer tainly could not have been undertaken by the He brew king without his assistance in providing ships and experienced mariners (i Kings ix :27: x :11, etc.; 2 Chron. viii :18 ; ix :to, etc.). B. C. loo7. ( See OPH1R; SOLOMON; PliCENICIANS.) 3. Hiram, or Huram, son of a widow of the tribe of Dan, and of a Tyrian father. He was sent by the king of the same name to execute the principal works of the interior of the tem ple, and the various utensils required for the sacred services (1 Kings vii :13. 14, 4o). It is probable that he was selected for this puma., by the king from among others equally, gifted. in the notion that his half Hebrew blood would render him more acceptable at Jerusalem. He is called "Huram" in 2 Chron. :t3 : iv :IL 16; and "Hirom" in the margin of Kings vii :4o.
(B. C. tow.) HIRE (hir), (Heb. 1;7, saw-kar', wages; hire• reward).
Hire in A. V. is equivalent always to modern wages. Thus Gen. xxxi :8, 'The ring-straked shall be thy hire;' Is. xxiii :i8, 'And her merchandise and her hire shall be holiness to the Lord' (De litzsch, 'her gain and her wages become holy unto Jehovah') • Mie. :it, 'The heads thereof judge for reward'. and the priests thereof teach for hire ;' Luke, x :7, 'the laborer is worthy of his hire.' Tyn dale has the word very much as in the modern use in Mark ii:t. 'And let yt out to hyre unto husband men.' The plural 'hires,' now obsolete, occurs once in A. V. (Mic. i:7), 'All the hires thereof shall be burned with fire.'