And it was at that time, that Yehudah descended from his brothers. He turned away [from them], until [he came to] a man, an Adullamite, whose name was Chirah.

Many days passed, and Shu’a’s daughter, the wife of Yehudah died. Yehudah sought consolation, and went up to his sheep-shearers—he and his friend, Chirah the Adullamite—to Timnah.

עד איש עדלמי UNTO A CERTAIN ADULLAMITE — he formed a [business] partnership with him.

"Partnered with him." He partnered with him in goods or livestock. Because otherwise, why would he have turned away from his brothers and gone to him.

ויט עד איש עדולמי, he pitched his tent and let his flock graze until he landed up in Adulam, where he became close with this man.

"And it was at that time, that Yehudah descended ... He turned away until [he came to] a man, an Adullamite..." (Bereishis 38:1) I don't know why it is necessary to tell us that he went to the Adullamite. And it seems to me that all their actions were directed by their ruach hakodesh, and when his brothers demoted him from his position of leadership, he turned to the Adullamite because he saw with ruach hakodesh that David, who would be descended from him, when he fled from Saul he escaped to the cave of Adalim (1 Samuel 22:1), and there his rulership began to sprout....

And Chirom, king of Tzor, sent his servants to Shlomo, for he heard that he was annointed as king in place of his father; for Chirom loved Dovid all the days.

“And turned to an Adulamite man, and his name was Ḥira” – the Rabbis say: Ḥira is Ḥiram who was in the days of David, as it is stated: “For Ḥiram had been David’s friend all the days” (I Kings 5:15) – this man was accustomed to being a friend of this tribe. Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon said: Ḥiram was someone else. According to the opinion of the Rabbis, he lived close to one thousand two hundred years; according to the opinion of Rabbi Yehuda [ben Rabbi Simon], he lived close to five hundred years.

Chira is Chiram. He lived for many years because he loved the tribe of Yehuda and he helped Shlomo build [the Beis Hamikdash]. And Rabbi Yehuda bar Simon held that Chira and Chiram were not actually the same person, but rather Chiram the king of Tyre was descended from Chira. [Chira's] family were taught to love this tribe and because of this [Chiram] lived for many years and was a successful king. And from this we learn the greatness of the shvatim, that powerful kings wished to be close with them.

I granted greatness to Ḥiram, king of Tyre, yet he said: “I sit in the seat of God, in the heart of the seas” (Ezekiel 28:2).

Rabbi Ḥama bar Ḥanina and Rabbi Yonatan, Rabbi Ḥama bar Ḥanina said: Adam the first man was worthy not to have tasted the taste of death. Why, then, was he penalized with mortality? It is because the Holy One blessed be He foresaw that [his descendants] Nebuchadnezzar and Ḥiram king of Tyre were destined to render themselves deities. That is why he was penalized with mortality. That is what is written [concerning Ḥiram]: “You were in Eden, the Garden of God” (Ezekiel 28:13). Now, was Ḥiram actually in the Garden of Eden? This is a rhetorical question. Rather, He was saying to him: ‘It is you who caused the one in the Garden of Eden to die.’

Rabbi Yonatan said to him: If so, let Him decree death for the wicked and not decree death for the righteous. The reason [He didn’t do this] is that it was so that the wicked should not feign repentance, so that the wicked should not say: ‘Do the righteous not live because they accumulate mitzvot and good deeds? We, too, will accumulate mitzvot and good deeds.’ The result would be acting [virtuously] for insincere motives.

What was his end? The Holy One, Blessed is He, incited Nebuchadnezzar against him. [Neb-uchadnezzar] consorted with [Hiram's] mother before his very eyes and deposed him from his throne. Every day [Nebuchadnezzar] cut two pieces out of [Hiram's] flesh, dipped them in vinegar, and fed them to him, so that he died a horrible death....

There were nine who entered the Garden of Eden alive, viz.: Enoch the son of Yered, Elijah, Moshiach, Eliezer the servant of Abraham, Hiram, king of Tyre, Ebed-melech the Cushite, Jabeẓ the son of R. Judah the Prince, Bithiah the daughter of Pharaoh, and Seraḥ the daughter of Asher. Some say: Also R. Joshua b. Levi.

There were nine who entered the Garden of Eden alive, viz.: Enoch, Moshiach, Elijah, Eliezer, Ebed-melech the Cushite, Hiram the king of Tyre, Jabeẓ the son of R. Judah the Prince, Seraḥ the daughter of Asher, Bithiah the daughter of Pharaoh. Some say: Hiram was removed and R. Joshua b. Levi entered in place of him.

Yehudah sent the goat-kid with his friend the Adullamite, to retrieve the security from the woman, but he could not find her.