Hiram of Tyre: This character had proved to be a devoted friend of King David during his lifetime and this devotion was transferred to the son, Solomon, following the death of King David. Trade treaties were entered into, Tyre, being a city on the coast of the Mediterranean, bearing the Hebrew name Tzor; the treaty enabled Israel to have access to the sea. Solomon furnished the boats which were manned by the Phoenicians and commerce was carried on with the known world. In the Masonic tradition, the name of Hiram of Tyre is that of an equal of King Solomon, who, with another distinguished character, completes the Masonic triumvirate. [Edited by Richard Eades, from Ray V. Denslow’s A Royal Arch Encyclopedia]