דברי הימים ב, פרק ב׳, פסוק ט״ו

The logistical undertaking of transporting timber from Lebanon to Jerusalem required a highly coordinated effort. The operation relied on a clear division of labor between two distinct groups. One team of workers was tasked with cutting down the trees and setting them afloat, while the king's servants were responsible for receiving the shipment at its destination [מצודת דוד].

Moving heavy timber over land would have been a clumsy and complicated process [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. To avoid this, the planners took advantage of the sea, which was conveniently close to the forests of Lebanon [מצודת דוד]. Instead of hauling individual logs, the timber was tied together at the ends to form large rafts, allowing the heavy loads to be easily guided and floated down the coast [רד״ק, מלבי״ם, רש״י].

The rafts were navigated through the water until they reached the shores of Jaffa [רש״י]. This location was specifically chosen because it served as the closest port city to Jerusalem [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Once the shipments arrived at the coast, the workers pulled the timber from the water and hauled it inland, completing the final upward journey to Jerusalem [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ].