Hiram I

Hiram I (Hebrew: חִירָם, "high-born"; Standard Hebrew Ḥiram, Tiberian vocalization Ḥîrām, Modern Arabic: حيرام), according to the Hebrew Bible, was the Phoenician king of Tyre. He reigned from 980 to 947 BC, succeeding his father, Abibaal. Hiram was succeeded as king of Tyre by his son Baal-Eser I. Hiram is also mentioned in the writings of Menander of Ephesus, as preserved in Josephus’s Against Apion, which adds to the Biblical account. According to Josephus, Hiram lived 53 years and reigned 34.

Reign

During Hiram's reign, Tyre grew from a satellite of Sidon into the most important of Phoenician cities, and the holder of a large trading empire. He suppressed the rebellion of the first Tyrean colony at Utica, near the later site of Carthage (Against Apion i:18).

The Hebrew Bible says that he allied himself with King David of the United Kingdom of Israel (2 Samuel 5:11, 1 Kings 5:1, 1 Chronicles 14:1). After the death of King David, Hiram continued the alliance with David's son and successor Solomon, again as an equal ("אחי", meaning "brothers" 1 Kings 9:13, Amos 1:9) Through the alliance with Solomon, Hiram ensured himself access to the major trade routes to Egypt, Arabia and Mesopotamia. The two kings also jointly opened a trade route over the Red Sea, connecting the Israelite harbour of Ezion-Geber with a land called Ophir (2 Chronicles 8:16,17). Some schools of thought suggest that this land of Ophir was the port city of Sopara near modern Mumbai.