[This is another segment in the Music in the Bible series which begins in Genesis and finishes in Revelation.]
And the king made steps of the almug wood for the house of the Lord and for the king’s house, also harps and stringed instruments for singers. There never again came such almug wood, nor has the like been seen to this day. (1 Kings 10:12)
Solomon enriched every aspect of the earthly kingdom of Israel ordained and blessed by God including lavishly supporting the temple musicians and funding and creating for them the best musical instruments that money could buy from the best materials that could be found.
Every serious musician knows that a good quality instrument motivates practice and playing and lends an edge to a performance that the audience will appreciate. After all (as the saying goes) you can't make silk out of a sow's ear.
In today's highly interconnected world, it's easy to find the best guitar, harp or whatever by doing a Google search and ordering delivery to your doorstep. Not in Solomon's day. Merchants often risked their lives in caravans that troubled through rugged lands and climates to find priceless woods and other materials that the precise requirements for temple related construction and adornment demanded. Solomon's find and use of almug wood must have cost a pretty penny in blood and treasure but the wise king spared no expense or life in his plans and efforts to glorify Israel before the nations of the world.
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