Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred sixty-six talents of gold, in addition to that which the traders brought, and the traffic of the merchants, and of all the kings of the mixed people, and of the governors of the country. King Solomon made two hundred bucklers of beaten gold; six hundred shekels of gold went to one buckler. he made three hundred shields of beaten gold; three minas of gold went to one shield; and the king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon. Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with the finest gold. There were six steps to the throne, and the top of the throne was round behind; and there were armrests on either side by the place of the seat, and two lions standing beside the armrests. Twelve lions stood there on the one side and on the other on the six steps. Nothing like it was made in any kingdom. All king Solomon’s drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were of pure gold. None were of silver, because it was considered of little value in the days of Solomon. For the king had a fleet of Tarshish at sea with Hiram’s fleet. Once every three years the fleet of Tarshish came, bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks. So king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom. All the earth sought the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart. Year after year, every man brought his tribute, vessels of silver, vessels of gold, clothing, armor, spices, horses, and mules.
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1 Kings 10:14-25 sits inside this longer paragraph.
The fleet of Hiram that brought gold from Ophir, also brought in from Ophir great quantities of almug trees and precious stones. The king made of the almug trees pillars for Yahweh’s house, and for the king’s house, harps also and stringed instruments for the singers; no such almug trees came or were seen, to this day. King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatever she asked, in addition to that which Solomon gave her of his royal bounty. So she turned and went to her own land, she and her servants. Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred sixty-six talents of gold, in addition to that which the traders brought, and the traffic of the merchants, and of all the kings of the mixed people, and of the governors of the country. King Solomon made two hundred bucklers of beaten gold; six hundred shekels of gold went to one buckler. he made three hundred shields of beaten gold; three minas of gold went to one shield; and the king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon. Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with the finest gold. There were six steps to the throne, and the top of the throne was round behind; and there were armrests on either side by the place of the seat, and two lions standing beside the armrests. Twelve lions stood there on the one side and on the other on the six steps. Nothing like it was made in any kingdom. All king Solomon’s drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were of pure gold. None were of silver, because it was considered of little value in the days of Solomon. For the king had a fleet of Tarshish at sea with Hiram’s fleet. Once every three years the fleet of Tarshish came, bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks. So king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom. All the earth sought the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart. Year after year, every man brought his tribute, vessels of silver, vessels of gold, clothing, armor, spices, horses, and mules. Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen. He had one thousand four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, that he kept in the chariot cities and with the king at Jerusalem. The king made silver as common as stones in Jerusalem, and cedars as common as the sycamore trees that are in the lowland. The horses which Solomon had were brought out of Egypt. The king’s merchants received them in droves, each drove at a price. A chariot came up and went out of Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for one hundred fifty shekels; and so they exported them to all the kings of the Hittites, and to the kings of Syria.
Parallel Translations
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Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred sixty-six talents of gold,
in addition to that which the traders brought, and the traffic of the merchants, and of all the kings of the mixed people, and of the governors of the country.
King Solomon made two hundred bucklers of beaten gold; six hundred shekels of gold went to one buckler.
he made three hundred shields of beaten gold; three minas of gold went to one shield; and the king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon.
Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with the finest gold.
There were six steps to the throne, and the top of the throne was round behind; and there were armrests on either side by the place of the seat, and two lions standing beside the armrests.
Twelve lions stood there on the one side and on the other on the six steps. Nothing like it was made in any kingdom.
All king Solomon’s drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were of pure gold. None were of silver, because it was considered of little value in the days of Solomon.
For the king had a fleet of Tarshish at sea with Hiram’s fleet. Once every three years the fleet of Tarshish came, bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.
So king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom.
All the earth sought the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart.
Year after year, every man brought his tribute, vessels of silver, vessels of gold, clothing, armor, spices, horses, and mules.
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Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred threescore and six talents of gold,
Beside that he had of the merchantmen, and of the traffick of the spice merchants, and of all the kings of Arabia, and of the governors of the country.
And king Solomon made two hundred targets of beaten gold: six hundred shekels of gold went to one target.
And he made three hundred shields of beaten gold; three pound of gold went to one shield: and the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon.
Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with the best gold.
The throne had six steps, and the top of the throne was round behind: and there were stays on either side on the place of the seat, and two lions stood beside the stays.
And twelve lions stood there on the one side and on the other upon the six steps: there was not the like made in any kingdom.
And all king Solomon’s drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold; none were of silver: it was nothing accounted of in the days of Solomon.
For the king had at sea a navy of Tharshish with the navy of Hiram: once in three years came the navy of Tharshish, bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks.
So king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth for riches and for wisdom.
And all the earth sought to Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart.
And they brought every man his present, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and garments, and armour, and spices, horses, and mules, a rate year by year.
Show all 3 translations
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Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred threescore and six talents of gold,
beside that which came of the merchants, and of the traffic of the traders, and of all the kings of the mingled people and of the governors of the country.
And king Solomon made two hundred targets of beaten gold: six hundred shekels of gold went to one target.
And he made three hundred shields of beaten gold: three pounds of gold went to one shield; and the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon.
Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with the finest gold.
There were six steps to the throne, and the top of the throne was round behind; and there were arms on either side by the place of the seat, and two lions standing beside the arms.
And twelve lions stood there on the one side and on the other upon the six steps; there was not the like made in any kingdom.
And all king Solomon's drinking-vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold; none were of silver; it was nothing accounted of in the days of Solomon.
For the king had at sea a navy of Tarshish with the navy of Hiram; once every three years came the navy of Tarshish, bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks.
So king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom.
And all the earth sought the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart.
And they brought every man his present, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and raiment, and armour, and spices, horses, and mules, a rate year by year.
Cross-references (87)
- 1 Kings 22:48 (v22) Jehoshaphat made ships of Tarshish to go to Ophir for gold, but they didn’t go; for the ships wrecked at Ezion Geber.
- 1 Kings 7:2 (vv17, 21) For he built the House of the Forest of Lebanon. Its length was one hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits,…
- 1 Kings 3:12 (v24) behold, I have done according to your word. Behold, I have given you a wise and understanding heart; so that there has been no one like you…
- 1 Kings 3:12-13 (v23) behold, I have done according to your word. Behold, I have given you a wise and understanding heart; so that there has been no one like you…
- 1 Kings 3:28 (v24) All Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged; and they feared the king; for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him, to do…
Show all 84 cross-references
- 1 Kings 10:22 (v18) For the king had a fleet of Tarshish at sea with Hiram’s fleet. Once every three years the fleet of Tarshish came, bringing gold, silver,…
- Psalms 45:8 (v18) All your garments smell like myrrh, aloes, and cassia. Out of ivory palaces stringed instruments have made you glad.
- James 1:5 (v24) But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
- Psalms 72:10 (vv15, 22, 25) The kings of Tarshish and of the islands will bring tribute. The kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.
- Genesis 10:4 (v22) The sons of Javan were: Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim.
- 1 Kings 3:9 (v24) Give your servant therefore an understanding heart to judge your people, that I may discern between good and evil; for who is able to judge…
- 1 Kings 10:17 (v21) he made three hundred shields of beaten gold; three minas of gold went to one shield; and the king put them in the House of the Forest of…
- 1 Kings 14:26-28 (v16) and he took away the treasures of Yahweh’s house, and the treasures of the king’s house. He even took away all of it, including all the…
- 2 Chronicles 20:36-37 (v22) He joined himself with him to make ships to go to Tarshish. They made the ships in Ezion Geber. Then Eliezer the son of Dodavahu of…
- Psalms 48:7 (v22) With the east wind, you break the ships of Tarshish.
- Proverbs 2:6 (v24) For Yahweh gives wisdom. Out of his mouth comes knowledge and understanding.
- Daniel 1:17 (v24) Now as for these four youths, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom; and Daniel had understanding in all visions and…
- Daniel 2:21 (v24) He changes the times and the seasons. He removes kings, and sets up kings. He gives wisdom to the wise, and knowledge to those who have…
- Daniel 2:23 (v24) I thank you, and praise you, you God of my fathers, who have given me wisdom and might, and have now made known to me what we desired of…
- Revelation 20:11 (v18) I saw a great white throne, and him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. There was found no place for them.
- Genesis 49:9 (v20) Judah is a lion’s cub. From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down, he crouched as a lion, as a lioness. Who will rouse him up?
- Numbers 24:9 (v20) He couched, he lay down as a lion, as a lioness; who shall rouse him up? Everyone who blesses you is blessed. Everyone who curses you is…
- 1 Kings 4:29-34 (v23) God gave Solomon abundant wisdom and understanding, and very great understanding, even as the sand that is on the seashore. Solomon’s…
- 1 Kings 9:28 (v14) They came to Ophir, and fetched from there gold, four hundred and twenty talents, and brought it to king Solomon.
- 1 Kings 22:39 (v18) Now the rest of the acts of Ahab, and all that he did, and the ivory house which he built, and all the cities that he built, aren’t they…
- 2 Chronicles 9:13-28 (v14) Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred sixty-six talents of gold, in addition to that which the traders…
- 2 Chronicles 9:21 (v22) For the king had ships that went to Tarshish with Huram’s servants. Once every three years, the ships of Tarshish came bringing gold,…
- 2 Chronicles 9:22-23 (v23) So king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom. All the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon, to…
- 2 Chronicles 12:9-10 (v16) So Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem and took away the treasures of Yahweh’s house and the treasures of the king’s house. He…
- Esther 8:14 (v25) So the couriers who rode on royal horses went out, hastened and pressed on by the king’s commandment. The decree was given out in the…
- Job 42:11 (v25) Then came there to him all his brothers, and all his sisters, and all those who had been of his acquaintance before, and ate bread with him…
- Psalms 72:15 (v25) They shall live, and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba. Men shall pray for him continually. They shall bless him all day long.
- Isaiah 2:16 (v22) for all the ships of Tarshish, and for all pleasant imagery.
- Isaiah 23:1 (v22) The burden of Tyre. Howl, you ships of Tarshish! For it is laid waste, so that there is no house, no entering in. From the land of Kittim…
- Isaiah 23:6 (v22) Pass over to Tarshish! Wail, you inhabitants of the coast!
- Isaiah 23:10 (v22) Pass through your land like the Nile, daughter of Tarshish. There is no restraint any more.
- Isaiah 60:9 (v22) Surely the islands will wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring your sons from far, their silver and their gold with them,…
- Isaiah 66:19 (v22) “I will set a sign among them, and I will send those who escape of them to the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, who draw the bow, to…
- Isaiah 66:20 (v25) They shall bring all your brothers out of all the nations for an offering to Yahweh, on horses, in chariots, in litters, on mules, and on…
- Daniel 5:11 (v24) There is a man in your kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of your father light and understanding and wisdom,…
- Amos 6:4 (v18) Who lie on beds of ivory, and stretch themselves on their couches, and eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the middle of…
- Matthew 2:11 (v25) They came into the house and saw the young child with Mary, his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Opening their treasures, they…
- Ephesians 3:8 (v23) To me, the very least of all saints, was this grace given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,
- Colossians 1:18-19 (v23) He is the head of the body, the assembly, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he might have the…
- Colossians 2:2-3 (v23) that their hearts may be comforted, they being knit together in love, and gaining all riches of the full assurance of understanding, that…
- Hebrews 1:8 (v18) But of the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. The scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your Kingdom.
- Revelation 18:12 (v18) merchandise of gold, silver, precious stones, pearls, fine linen, purple, silk, scarlet, all expensive wood, every vessel of ivory, every…
- Genesis 36:24 (v25) These are the children of Zibeon: Aiah and Anah. This is Anah who found the hot springs in the wilderness, as he fed the donkeys of Zibeon…
- Numbers 23:24 (v20) Behold, a people rises up as a lioness. As a lion he lifts himself up. He shall not lie down until he eats of the prey, and drinks the…
- Judges 3:15 (v25) But when the children of Israel cried to Yahweh, Yahweh raised up a savior for them: Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjamite, a left-handed…
- 1 Samuel 10:27 (v25) But certain worthless fellows said, “How could this man save us?” They despised him, and brought him no present. But he held his peace.
- 2 Samuel 8:2 (v25) He struck Moab, and measured them with the line, making them to lie down on the ground; and he measured two lines to put to death, and one…
- 2 Samuel 8:10 (v25) then Toi sent Joram his son to king David, to greet him, and to bless him, because he had fought against Hadadezer and struck him; for…
- 1 Kings 1:33 (v25) The king said to them, “Take with you the servants of your lord, and cause Solomon my son to ride on my own mule, and bring him down to…
- 1 Kings 9:26 (v22) King Solomon made a fleet of ships in Ezion Geber, which is beside Eloth, on the shore of the Red Sea, in the land of Edom.
- 1 Kings 10:10 (v25) She gave the king one hundred twenty talents of gold, and a very great quantity of spices, and precious stones. Never again was there such…
- 1 Kings 10:18 (v22) Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with the finest gold.
- 1 Kings 14:26 (v17) and he took away the treasures of Yahweh’s house, and the treasures of the king’s house. He even took away all of it, including all the…
- 1 Kings 18:5 (v25) Ahab said to Obadiah, “Go through the land, to all the springs of water, and to all the brooks. Perhaps we may find grass and save the…
- 2 Kings 17:4 (v25) The king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea; for he had sent messengers to So king of Egypt, and offered no tribute to the king of…
- 1 Chronicles 9:24 (v15) On the four sides were the gatekeepers, toward the east, west, north, and south.
- 2 Chronicles 9:13-14 (v15) Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred sixty-six talents of gold, in addition to that which the traders…
- 2 Chronicles 9:15-16 (v16) King Solomon made two hundred bucklers of beaten gold. Six hundred shekels of beaten gold went to one buckler. He made three hundred…
- 2 Chronicles 9:17-19 (v18) Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with pure gold. There were six steps to the throne, with a footstool of…
- 2 Chronicles 9:20-22 (v21) All king Solomon’s drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were of pure gold. Silver was…
- 2 Chronicles 9:24 (v25) They each brought tribute, vessels of silver, vessels of gold, clothing, armor, spices, horses, and mules every year.
- 2 Chronicles 26:8 (v25) The Ammonites gave tribute to Uzziah. His name spread abroad even to the entrance of Egypt; for he grew exceedingly strong.
- Ezra 2:66 (v25) Their horses were seven hundred thirty-six; their mules, two hundred forty-five;
- Esther 8:10 (v25) He wrote in the name of King Ahasuerus, and sealed it with the king’s ring, and sent letters by courier on horseback, riding on royal…
- Job 39:13 (v22) “The wings of the ostrich wave proudly; but are they the feathers and plumage of love?
- Psalms 45:6 (v18) Your throne, God, is forever and ever. A scepter of equity is the scepter of your kingdom.
- Psalms 89:27 (v23) I will also appoint him my firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth.
- Psalms 110:1 (v18) Yahweh says to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool for your feet.”
- Psalms 122:5 (v18) For there are set thrones for judgment, the thrones of David’s house.
- Isaiah 21:13 (v15) The burden on Arabia. In the forest in Arabia you will lodge, you caravans of Dedanites.
- Isaiah 36:16 (v25) Don’t listen to Hezekiah, for the king of Assyria says, ‘Make your peace with me, and come out to me; and each of you eat from his vine,…
- Ezekiel 27:6 (v18) They have made your oars of the oaks of Bashan. They have made your benches of ivory inlaid in cypress wood from the islands of Kittim.
- Ezekiel 27:12 (v22) “ ‘ “Tarshish was your merchant by reason of the multitude of all kinds of riches. They traded for your wares with silver, iron, tin, and…
- Ezekiel 27:14 (v25) “ ‘ “They of the house of Togarmah traded for your wares with horses, war horses, and mules.
- Amos 3:15 (v22) I will strike the winter house with the summer house; and the houses of ivory will perish, and the great houses will have an end,” says…
- Jonah 1:3 (v22) But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of Yahweh. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid…
- Galatians 4:25 (v15) For this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and answers to the Jerusalem that exists now, for she is in bondage with her children.
- Revelation 5:5 (v20) One of the elders said to me, “Don’t weep. Behold, the Lion who is of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome: he who opens the…
- Hebrews 1:3 (v18) His Son is the radiance of his glory, the very image of his substance, and upholding all things by the word of his power, who, when he had…
84 distinct cross-references across this passage (87 total citations).
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (21 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv15, 19, 22 To wit, of Arabia, which for the great abundance…
To wit, of Arabia, which for the great abundance of all things was called Happy.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv14–25 1Ki 10:14 Now the weight of gold that came…
1Ki 10:14 Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred threescore and six talents of gold,
Ver. 14. Now the weight of gold that came. to Solomon.] From Ophir, Tarshish, and other places.
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Was six hundred threescore and six talents.] Two millions and a half plus or minus.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22, 24 Which amounts to about two millions of our money.…
Which amounts to about two millions of our money. And this gold did not come from Ophir in India, or Tarshish; but from Arabia and Ethiopia, and other parts, which then were well replenished with gold, though since exhausted by the insatiable avarice of succeeding ages.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Matthew Henry 1710 · Public Domain On v14 We have here a further account of Solomon's prosperity.
We have here a further account of Solomon's prosperity.
I. How he increased his wealth. Though he had much, he still coveted to have more, being willing to try the utmost the things of this world could do to make men happy. 1. Besides the gold that came from Ophir (Kg1 9:28), he brought so much into his country from other places that the whole amounted, every year, to 666 talents (Kg1 10:14), an ominous number, compare Rev 13:18, and Ezr 2:13. 2. He received a great deal in customs from the merchants, and in land-taxes from the countries his father had conquered and made tributaries to Israel, Kg1 10:15. 3. He was Hiram's partner in a Tharshish fleet, of and for Tyre, which imported once in three years, not only gold, and silver, and ivory, substantial goods and serviceable, but apes to play with and peacocks to please the eye with their feathers, Kg1 10:22. I wish this may not be an evidence that Solomon and his people, being overcharged with prosperity, by this time grew childish and wanton. 4. He had presents made him, every year, from the neighbouring princes and great men, to engage the continuance of his friendship, not so much because they feared him or were jealous of him as because they loved him and admired his wisdom, had often occasion to consult him as an oracle, and sent him these presents by way of recompence for his advice in politics, and (whether it became his grandeur and generosity or no we will not enquire) he took all that came, even garments and spices, horses and mules, Kg1 10:24, Kg1 10:25. 5. He traded to Egypt for horses and linen-yarn (or, as some read it, linen-cloth), the staple commodities of that country, and had his own merchants or factors whom he employed in this traffic and who were accountable to him, Kg1 10:28, Kg1 10:28. The custom to be paid to the king of Egypt for exported chariots and horses out of Egypt was very high, but (as bishop Patrick understands it) Solomon, having married his daughter, got him to compound for the customs, so that he could bring them up cheaper than his neighbours, which obliged them to buy them of him, which he was wise enough no doubt to make his advantage of. This puts an honour upon the trading part of a nation, and sets a tradesman not so much below a gentleman as some place him, that Solomon, one of the greatest men that ever was, thought it no disparagement to him to deal in trade. In all labour there is profit.
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II. What use he made of his wealth. He did not hoard it up in his coffers, that he might have it to look upon and leave behind him. He has, in his Ecclesiastes, so much exposed the folly of hoarding that we cannot suppose he would himself be guilty of it. No, God that had given him riches, and wealth, and honour, gave him also power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, Ecc 5:19.
1. He laid out his gold in fine things for himself, which he might the better be allowed to do when he had before laid out so much in fine things for the house of God. (1.) He made 200 targets, and 300 shields, of beaten gold (Kg1 10:16, Kg1 10:17), not for service, but for state, to be carried before him when he appeared in pomp. With us, magistrates have swords and maces carried before them, as the Romans had their rods and axes, in token of their power to correct and punish the bad, to whom they are to be a terror. But Solomon had shields and targets carried before him, to signify that he took more pleasure in using his power for the defence and protection of the good, to whom he would be a praise. Magistrates are shields of the earth. (2.) He made a stately throne, on which he sat, to give laws to his subjects, audience to ambassadors, and judgment upon appeals, Kg1 10:18-20. It was made of ivory, or elephants' teeth, which was very rich; and yet, as if he had so much gold that he knew not what to do with it, he overlaid that with gold, the best gold. Yet some think he did not cover the ivory all over, but here and there. He rolled it, flowered it, or inlaid it, with gold. The stays or arms of this stately chair were supported by the images of lions in gold; so were the steps and paces by which he went up to it, to be a memorandum to him of that courage and resolution wherewith he ought to execute judgment, not fearing the face of man. The righteous, in that post, is bold as a lion. (3.) He made all his drinking vessels, and all the furniture of his table, even at his country seat, of pure gold, Kg1 10:21. He did not grudge himself what he had, but took the credit and comfort of it, such as it was. That is good that does us good.
2. He made it circulate among his subjects, so that the kingdom was as rich as the king; for he had no separate interests of his own to consult, but sought the welfare of his people. Those princes are not governed by Solomon's maxims who think it policy to keep their subjects poor. Solomon was herein a type of Christ, who is not only rich himself, but enriches all that are his. Solomon was instrumental to bring so much gold into the country, and disperse it, that silver was nothing accounted of, Kg1 10:21. There was such plenty of it in Jerusalem that it was as the stones; and cedars, that used to be great rarities, were as common as sycamore trees, Kg1 10:27. Such is the nature of worldly wealth, plenty of it makes it the less valuable; much more should the enjoyment of spiritual riches lessen our esteem of all earthly possessions. If gold in abundance would make silver to seem so despicable, shall not wisdom, and grace, and the foretastes of heaven, which are far better than gold, make earthly wealth seem much more despicable?
Lastly, Well, thus rich, thus great, was Solomon, and thus did he exceed all the kings of the earth, Kg1 10:23. Now let us remember, 1. That this was he who, when he was setting out in the world, did not ask for the wealth and honour of it, but asked for a wise and understanding heart. The more moderate our desires are towards earthly things the better qualified we are for the enjoyment of them and the more likely to have them. See, in Solomon's greatness, the performance of God's promise (Kg1 3:13), and let it encourage us to seek first the righteousness of God's kingdom. 2. That this was he who, having tasted all these enjoyments, wrote a whole book to show the vanity of all worldly things and the vexation of spirit that attends them, their insufficiency to make us happy and the folly of setting our hearts upon them, and to recommend to us the practice of serious godliness, as that which is the whole of man, and will do infinitely more towards the making of us easy and happy than all the wealth and power that he was master of, and which, through the grace of God, is within our reach, when the thousandth part of Solomon's greatness is a thousand times more than we can ever be so vain as to promise ourselves in this world.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708–1710) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv14–25 Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon…
Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred and sixty and six talents of gold. From Ophir and Tarshish, and wherever he traded; which was of our money, according to Berewood (k), 2,997,000 pounds; or as another learned man (l), who makes it equal to 5,138,520 ducats of gold.
(k) De Ponder. & Pret. c. 5. (l) Scheuchzer. Physic. Sacr. vol. 3. p. 580.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 21, 22, 24 Six hundred, &c. - Which amounts to about three…
Six hundred, &c. - Which amounts to about three millions of our money. And this gold did not come from Ophir in India, or Tharshish; but from Arabia and Ethiopia, which then were replenished with gold, though exhausted by the insatiable avarice of succeeding Ages.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv14, 16, 17, 19, 22, 23, 25 Verse 14. The weight of gold - was six…
Verse 14. The weight of gold - was six hundred threescore and six talents] This would amount in our money to £4,683,675 12s. 8 1/2d. sterling. This seems to be what he got annually of bullion; but independently of this, he had tribute of all the kings of Arabia, duties from merchantmen, and the traffic of spice merchants; see 1Kg 10:25.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv14, 15, 16, 18, 21, 22, 23 1Ki 10:14. Now the weight of gold, &c. —…
1Ki 10:14. Now the weight of gold, &c. — The history of the queen of Sheba being ended, the writer returns to give an account of Solomon’s riches and magnificence, which he had begun to set forth before. And first he relates what a vast quantity of gold was brought into his kingdom every year, not only from Ophir, but from other countries, into which, perhaps, the queen of Sheba opened him a way, and particularly from Arabia and Ethiopia, which then were replenished with gold, though exhausted by the insatiable avarice of succeeding ages. Six hundred threescore and six talents — Which amount to about three millions of our money.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 22, 23, 25 Six hundred threescore and six talents of gold -…
Six hundred threescore and six talents of gold - About 3,646, 350 of our money. Solomon’s annual revenue exceeded that of Oriental empires very much greater in extent than his, and must have made him one of the richest, if not the very richest, of the monarchs of his time.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22, 24 Gold. His stated revenue was, 4,646,350l. sterling. (Haydock)
Gold. His stated revenue was, 4,646,350l. sterling. (Haydock)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Lange's Commentary on the Holy Scriptures 1864 · Public Domain On v14 B.—The Wealth, Splendor, and Power of Solomon’s Kingdom
B.—The Wealth, Splendor, and Power of Solomon’s Kingdom
1Ki_10:14-29 (2Ch_9:13-28)
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14Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred 15threescore and six talents of gold, Besides that he had of the merchantmen,12 and of the traffick of the spice [omit spice] merchants, and of all the kings of Arabia,13 and of the governors of the country.
16And king Solomon made two hundred targets [i.e. large shields] of beaten 17gold; six hundred shekels of gold went to one target. And he made three hundred shields of beaten gold; three pounds [manehs14] of gold went to one shield: and the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon.
18Moreover, the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with the best gold. 19The throne had six steps, and the top of the throne was round behind: and there were stays [arms15] on either side on the place of the seat, and two lions stood beside the stays [arms]. 20And twelve lions stood there on the one side and on the other upon the six steps: there was not the like made in any kingdom.
21And all king Solomon’s drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure16 gold; none were of silver: it was nothing accounted of in the days of Solomon. 22For the king had at sea a navy17 of Tharshish with the navy of Hiram: once in three years came the navy of Tharshish, bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks.18 23So king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth for riches and for wisdom.
24And all the earth sought to Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart. 25And they brought every man his present, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and garments, and armor,19 and spices, horses, and mules, a rate year by year.
26And Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen20: and he had a thousand and four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, whom he bestowed in the cities for chariots, and with the king at Jerusalem. 27And the king made silver to be in Jerusalem as stones, and cedars made he to be as the sycamore [mulberry21] trees that are in the vale, for abundance.
28And Solomon had horses brought out of Egypt, and linen yarn [a troop22]: the king’s merchants received the linen yarn [troop] at a price. 29And a chariot came up and went out of Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and an horse for an hundred and fifty: and so for all the kings of the Hittites, and for the kings of Syria, did they bring them out by their means.
Exegetical and Critical
1Ki_10:14-15. Now the weight of gold, &c. The 666 talents have been very differently computed. According to Exo_38:25 there are 3,000 shekels in one talent, but Thenius reckons the shekel at 10 Thalers, so that the whole sum would amount to “nearly 20 millions of Thalers in gold.” Keil, who had formerly reckoned it at 1,900,875 Marks, calculates it now at “over 17 millions of Thalers,” which plainly is too high. According to this, the golden crown which David took from the head of the Ammonite king, and which weighed a talent, not reckoning the precious stones in it (2Sa_12:30), must have weighed 83½ Dresden pounds, and a talent was about 30,000 Thalers, which is simply impossible. We prefer to reckon the talent at 2,618 Thalers23 at present, as Winer (R.-W.-B. II. s. 562) and Bunsen (Bibelwerk I. Einl. s. 377) think; this makes 666 talents equal to 1,743,588 Thalers, a still considerable sum. We cannot see why the number 666 should be an “invented” one, in which tradition betrays itself (Thenius). There is, in any event, no allusion in Rev_13:18 to this passage, and this number has no particular signification anywhere else. It only expresses the simple sum of the various receipts. In one year, i.e., per annos singulos (Vulgate); this suits our calculation very well, but not the 20,000,000 Thalers [or $15,000,000]. Keil, without any reason, doubts the correctness of this translation, in which all old translators have agreed; for if, as he supposes, the freight of the Ophir fleet, which returned only once in three years, brought the 666 talents, it must mean in every third year. The 666 talents were the regular yearly income; but we must not necessarily suppose, with Thenius, that they were “the income of taxes laid on the Israelites themselves;” for there is no mention anywhere made of a yearly income tax. 1Ki_10:15 tells of other less defined additions to the regular revenue. The Sept. renders the difficult expression אַנְשֵׁי הַתָּרִים by (χωρὶς) τῶν φόρων τῶν ὑποτεταγμένων; it appears also to have read differently. Thenius therefore conjectures it to be מֵעָנְשֵי הָרְדוּיִם, and translates: “from the contributions of the subjugated;” but in opposition to this, Bertheau remarks rightly, “הרדוים occurs nowhere else, and ענש (ζημία) can scarcely mean a tribute laid on the conquered lands in David’s time, and as such raised by Solomon.” The expression is generally understood to mean travelling tradespeople, and as רֹכְלִים, i.e., merchants, follows, the latter “merchants” must mean “the pedlers or inferior shop-keepers” (Keil). But this distinction is destitute of proof. The word תוּר is never used for trading; הַתָּרִים in Num_14:6 (13:16, 17) means the men that Moses sent out to view and report upon the land. The Vulgate translates the parallel passage in 2Ch_9:14; legati diversarum gentium. So also Bertheau, “the ambassadors” by whom the presents of other kings were brought. It is impossible to ascertain the exact income Solomon received from the traffic of the merchants; but there could scarcely have been a regular commercial tax (Thenius), and custom duties are still less to be supposed. The kingsהָעֶרֶב are not “kings of the mixed tribes” (Keil), but could only have been Arabian tributary kings, who were subject to Solomon; probably they belonged to the desert Arabia, or at least to a part of it, which joined the Israelitish territory (Thenius). Cf. Jer_25:20; Eze_30:5. The governors are no doubt the same as those mentioned in 1Ki_4:7-19. The revenue-sources named in 1Ki_10:15 were plainly not gold, but in various kinds of produce.
1Ki_10:16-17. And king Solomon made two hundred targets, &c. צִנָּה is the large square shield, rounded down upon its length, covering the whole body. It was usually made of wood covered with leather, but these were overlaid with gold. מָגֵן is a smaller shield, either quite round or oval, also of wood or leather covered with gold. The latter was שָׁחוּט, i.e., not: mixed with another metal, nor pure; but: stretched, hammered broad. The word shekel is left out in giving the weight, as often happens (Gen_10:16; Gen_24:22; Gen_37:28). The 600 shekels for each large shield should come to 523 3/5 Thalers [$392–3]. If a talent is reckoned at 3,000 shekels, and the talent be equal to 2,618 Thalers [see note above], the 3 pounds for each smaller shield would be 261½ Thalers, as 3 pounds are=300 shekels, according to 2Ch_9:16. This calculation appears far more probable than that 17½ pounds of gold, worth 6,000 Thalers, were used for each shield (Thenius); or that the gold-plating of a large shield did not weigh quite 9 pounds, and that of a small one nearly 4½ pounds (Keil). These shields were borne, as 1Ki_14:27 tells us, by the body-guard; but were used probably only on special occasions, for they were more for show than for ordinary use, and served also to adorn the house of the forest of Lebanon (for which see above in 1Ki_7:2). Golden shields are also mentioned in 1Ma_6:39, and were used also by the Carthaginians (Plin. Hist. Nat., xxxv. 4).
1Ki_10:18-20. Moreover, the king made a great throne, &c. The throne was not entirely made of ivory, any more than the palaces mentioned in 1Ki_22:39; Psa_45:9; Amo_3:15, but was only inlaid with it, decorated. The wood of which it was made was overlaid with gold, and between, ivory was inserted. 2Ch_9:17 gives טָהוֹר, pure, for מוּפָן, i.e., purified. Round behind can scarcely be that “it had an arched or rounded back” (Keil); or, “it terminated in a round crown” (Ewald), but means rather that “it had a round covering attached to the back” (Thenius). Most probably the lions as well as the throne itself to which they belonged were made of wood overlaid with gold, as images of gods were made (Jer_10:3 sq.). There was not a “lion on each of the arms” of the throne (Ewald), but on each side of it (אֵצֶל); the twelve others stood on the six steps leading to the throne, each one facing another. The remark, there was not the like made, &c., has reference to the artistic merit of the work as well as its costliness; the statues were at least as large as life. “On the ancient Assyrian monuments there are representations of high chairs with arms and backs, also such, the backs of which were supported by figures of animals (cf. Layard, Nineveh, s. 344 sq.), but none of these chairs are like that of Solomon. Later ages only can produce more splendid thrones. Cf. Rosenmüller, Altes und Neues Morgenland, III. s. 176 sq.” (Keil).
1Ki_10:21. And all king Solomon’s drinking vessels, &c. The account of the great quantity of gold and silver in Solomon’s time does not appear in the least exaggerated when we compare those of other ancient writers about the amount of precious metal in the ancient East. Sardanapalus, for instance, had, when Nineveh was besieged, 150 golden bedsteads, 150 golden tables, a million talents of gold, ten times as much silver, and 3,000 talents had been previously divided by him among his sons (Ktesias by Athenæus, xii. p. 529). No less than 7,170 talents of gold were used for the statues and vessels of the Temple of Bel in Babylon (Münter, Rel. der Babyl., s. 51, where the passages of the ancients that refer to it are given). Alexander’s pillage of Ecbatana was valued at 120,000 talents of gold (Diodor. Sicul. Bibl. 17). Cyrus’ pillage was 34,000 pounds of gold and 500,000 pounds of silver, besides an immense number of golden vessels (Pliny, Hist. Nat. xxvii. 3; cf. Symbol. des Mos. Kult. I. s. 259 sq.).
1Ki_10:22. For the king had at sea a navy of Tharshish, &c. תַּרְשִׁישׁ, the ancient Phœnician emporium, Tartessus, on the far side of the pillars of Hercules in south-western Spain; it is described as lying in a district which was rich in silver. Its situation has been much disputed, but the above may be taken as the correct account (see the opinions in Winer, R.-W.-B. II. s. 603). (Cf. Eze_38:13; Jer_10:9; Isa_23:10.) That, however, אֳנִי תַּרְשִׁישׁ does not here denote ships going to Tharshish, is evident from the passage, 1Ki_22:48, “Jehoshaphat made ships of Tharshish to go to Ophir for gold (i.e., to fetch gold); but they went not, for the ships were broken at Ezion-geber (i.e., on the Arabian gulf).” Wheresoever we may look for Ophir, it was certainly not in Spain, as every one knows, but in the East, that is, in the opposite direction. The ships that Solomon and Hiram had built (1Ki_9:28) in Ezion-geber were also destined to go to Ophir, therefore could not possibly have been intended for a voyage to Spain (which was reached by the Mediterranean sea), because the way around South Africa was then unknown. The productions, too, which 1Ki_10:22 tells us the Tharshish ships brought, show beyond dispute that the voyage was not to Tharshish, for though there was plenty of silver in Tharshish, in Spain, there was no gold, and very few apes or peacocks, and but little ivory. Keil now admits this, though he once held the far-fetched idea that Jehoshaphat brought the ships built at Ezion-geber across the isthmus of Suez, transported also over land, to sail thence to Spain. The ships with which the Phœnicians used to go to the distant Tharshish were very large and strong, perhaps the largest trading vessels; and as large ships now that go far are named after the lands they sail to, for instance East-Indiamen, Greenlanders, so in Solomon’s time or that of our author, the Phœnicians called large trading vessels Tharshish ships; it had become a regular name, as the following passages show: Isa_2:16; Psa_48:8. Taking everything into the account then, we can regard the formula: ships went to Tarshish (2Ch_9:21) as only a mistaken interpretation of the expression: Tharshish fleet—a mistake that is easily accounted for, as at the time Chronicles was written the voyages of Tyrians as well as of Israelites to Ophir and Tharshish had long ceased, and the geographical position of both places was forgotten by the Jews (Keil). Though the passage under consideration does not say expressly whither the Tharshish fleet was going, 1Ki_9:28; 1Ki_22:49 show that Ophir must have been its destination. But much has been written about the situation of Ophir which has been greatly, and is still, disputed (cf. Winer, R.-W.-B. II. s. 183 sq.; Herzog, Real-Encykl. on the word). This much, however, has been settled by recent researches, that we are to look for it either in India or in South Arabia. In support of India the products named in 1Ki_10:22, and which are indigenous thereto, have been urged, and appeal has been made to the fact that the ships returned only every three years, which suggests a greater distance than Southern Arabia. But the chief import, gold, which must have been plentiful in Ophir, is not found on the Indian coast, but is met with, first, north of Cashmere. South Arabia, on the contrary, was famed for its abundance of gold, and Asia Minor imported its gold chiefly thence. The תֻכִּיִּים, rendered peacocks by all the old translations, seem even more than the קֹפִים, i.e., apes, to point to India, for they originally came from there (Oken, Naturgesch. der Vögel, s. 625); the ivory too, which is in other places simply expressed by שֵׁן reminds us of India. But as Ophir certainly cannot mean India, we decide, with Ewald and Keil, for South Arabia. The former supposes that Ophir, situated on the south-eastern coast of Arabia, since people made voyages thence to India, included, in common parlance, this latter land, just as the name Havilah, Gen_10:7; Gen_10:29, denoted lands that lay still farther east. Probably Solomon’s and Hiram’s ships first went to the original Ophir itself (1Ki_9:27), but later larger ships went farther, and besides the gold of Ophir brought apes, peacocks, and ivory, i.e., Indian products and articles of luxury. We may also suppose that there was even then some commerce between India and South Arabia, and that Indian products reached Ophir, whence the Ophir voyagers brought them to Palestine. This is much more probable than Keil’s supposition, which is that the products in question were African, being brought over to Ophir in the trading which took place between Arabia and the opposite coast of Ethiopia. Though there was a “species of tailed ape” in Ethiopia, there were no peacocks and no sandal-wood. Thenius very unnecessarily supposes that the same writer who wrote 1Ki_9:27 sq. could not have written this passage, because each passage speaks of the voyage to Ophir in a different manner; whence again the compilatory character of our books must follow. The first account is of the first voyage, and the second account of the later and more extended one.
1Ki_10:23-27. So king Solomon exceeded, &c. From 1Ki_10:23-29, by way of conclusion, everything that was to be said of the glory of Solomon is summed up, and at the same time some things not yet mentioned are added. For 1Ki_10:23-24 cf. 1Ki_4:29-34. According to the universal custom in the East all, who came to see and hear Solomon brought him presents, and this was repeated “year by year,” so highly had he risen everywhere in consideration. For 1Ki_10:26 cf. 1Ki_4:26, and 1Ki_9:19. In 1Ki_10:27 silver only is mentioned and not gold (which the Sept. unjustifiably adds here from 2Ch_1:15), because enough had been said already about gold. The great quantity of silver does not necessarily show that there was a silver trade with Tharshish which was rich in that metal, for there was a great deal of silver in Asia: Sardanapalus in Nineveh (see above on 1Ki_10:21), rich as he was in gold, had ten times as much silver, which he certainly did not get from Spain. The cedar-wood which came from Lebanon was as plentiful there in Jerusalem as common building timber, which was taken from sycamores (Isa_9:10), which did not grow on high mountains but very often in the lowlands of Palestine (Winer, R.-W.-B. II. s. 62 sq.), and were therefore cheap and easy to be had. The mode of expression is hyperbolical and Oriental, and cannot be taken literally any more than 1Ki_4:20.
1Ki_10:28-29. And Solomon had horses brought, &c. Verses 28 and 29 contain supplementary remarks to the account given in 1Ki_10:26 of Solomon’s war-forces, explaining how he acquired the latter, namely, by sending special merchants to trade with Egypt, which was famous for its breed of horses, and was the country of “horses and chariots” (Exo_14:6 sq.;15:1; 2Ki_18:24; Isa_31:1; Jer_46:2; Jer_46:4; Deu_17:16). מִקְוֶה, which occurs twice in 1Ki_10:28, is difficult; but it can only mean collection, collexio, multitude (Gen_1:9-10; Exo_7:19; Jer_3:17). If we adhere to the masoretic punctuation we must render it as Gesenius does: “And a number of royal merchants fetched a number of the same (horses) for money;” the passage would thus contain “a kind of play on the word,” which would be here without design or meaning. The Sept. and the Vulgate regard מקוה as denoting locality, and connect it with טמצרים; the departure of horses from Egypt and from Coa (ἐκ Θεκουὲde Coa); but neither the Bible nor any ancient translator mentions a country or town named Coa or Cawe, and yet as a place of trade it could not have been insignificant or unknown. Thenius arbitrarily and incorrectly changes the first מקוה into מִתְּקוֹעַ; Thekoa, some miles from Jerusalem, was not a trading town but a small place situated on a height and inhabited by shepherds (Winer, s. 606). The translation “remainder” (or surplusage) (Ewald) is no better than that given by some Rabbins, woven texture. The second מקוה can have no other meaning than that of the first; it means “collection” each time, i. e., collection of horses, and the passage becomes quite clear, if, leaving the masoretic punctuation, we join the first מקוה to the preceding words, making one sentence of them: “Concerning the bringing of horses out of Egypt, and their collection, the merchants of the king made a collection of them for a certain price.” This shows that the horses were not brought up one by one, but in droves each time. When 600 shekels were given for a chariot and 150 for a horse, the first price of course included that of the harness for two horses belonging to the chariot, and also that of a reserved horse (see above on 1Ki_4:26). The single horses at 150 shekels must have been riding-horses. We cannot tell the exact amount of this price in our money, as the value of the shekel is not fixed. If, like Winer and others, we compute it at 26 silver groschen, 150 shekels would be equal to 130 Thlr. [$97.50]; Keil agrees with this, but formerly thought, with others, that it only amounted to 65 or 66 Thlr.; Thenius gives it at 100 Thlr. The traders were called “king’s merchants,” not because they had to give an account of their dealings to the king (Bertheau) but “because they traded for the king” (Keil); as such they were respected, and distant kings employed them in procuring horses. The Hittites are not the same as those named in 1Ki_9:20, but were an independent tribe, probably in the neighborhood of Syria, as 2Ki_7:6 mentions them as in alliance with the Syrians.
Historical and Ethical
1. In the section before us the delineation of Solomon’s glory reaches its climax. No other king’s reign is treated at such length in our books as that of Solomon, which alone occupies 11 chapters. But this whole historical representation has the same end in view that this section, referring to the promise, 1Ki_3:13, expresses in the words: “King Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth for riches and for wisdom,” i.e., all conceivable greatness, might, riches, dignity, fame, and splendor were united to such a degree in Solomon (which never happened to any king before or after), that he was looked on as the very ideal of a king throughout the East; and his “glory” became proverbial (Mat_6:29; Luk_12:26). The reason that this glory, which here reaches its highest point, is depicted just before the account of his deep fall (chap. 11), is to be found in the theocratic view of the historian, and is, in an historicoredemptive relation, of high significance. In the divine economy the Old-Testament kingdom was destined to reach its culminating point in David’s son; but as the old covenant moved generally in the form and covering of bodiliness, visibility, and outwardness, described as σάρξ by the New Testament; so the glory of the Old-Testament kingdom was a visible and external one; its highest point was determined by riches, power, fame, dignity, and splendor. Corresponding with the kingdom of Israel κατὰ σάρκα, it can be but a glory κατὰ σάρκα, i.e., a visible, external, and therefore temporal and perishable, which, like the old covenant, pointed beyond itself, to an invisible, spiritual, and therefore imperishable, eternal glory. The same Old Testament king, under whom the kingdom reached its greatest degree of glory, prepared the way for its gradual decline, and no one preached more powerfully the vanity and nothingness of all temporal splendor than he when proclaiming, it is all vanity (Ecc_1:2)! In complete contrast with the Old-Testament glory of Solomon we see the New-Testament glory of the son of David, in the most eminent sense, the true Prince of peace, who had not where to lay his head, and was crowned with praise and honor, not through riches, power, dignity, or splendor, but by the suffering of death; who became perfect through self-abnegation and obedience unto the death on the cross, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of Majesty; Whose Kingdom is everlasting and his glory imperishable (Heb_2:9; Heb_5:9; Heb_8:1; Heb_12:2; Luk_1:33).
2. Among the things related to show the splendor of Solomon’s reign, special mention is made of the throne as the symbol of royal majesty, and at the same time the centre or seat of this glory; and it is expressly added that there was not the like in any kingdom, which no doubt refers principally to the lions. The number of these lions, twelve, has reference, indisputably, to the number of the tribes of Israel above which the king was elevated and over which he reigned, and for that reason the lions stood below him on the steps of the throne. Ewald gives the following as the reason for this symbol, “indisputably because the lion was the standard of Judah.” This, however, does not appear to be so from Gen_49:9, nor from Isa_29:1 and Eze_19:2; and besides, all the twelve tribes could not be ranged under the particular banner of the tribe of Judah. Thenius thinks that the two lions next the throne were “rather the guardians of it,” and the twelve others on the steps represented “the power of the twelve tribes united in one throne.” But the lion is never mentioned as “keeping watch,” and moreover, the signification of those beside the throne could not differ from that of those before and below it. All nations have, from time immemorial, regarded the lion as the king of beasts (cf. the numerous passages of the ancients on this subject, in Bochart, Hieroz. I. ii. 1), and is therefore a fitting symbol of monarchy, which consists in “reigning and ruling” (see above on 1Ki_3:9). The lion “is the strongest among beasts” (Pro_30:30-31), and his roaring announces the coming of judgment (Amo_3:8; Amo_1:2; Rev_10:3). The two lions at the right and left of the king as he sat on the throne, denote his twofold office of governing and judging. If, then, the entire people are symbolized by the twelve lions, the meaning must be that Israel was the royal people among nations; just as the twelve oxen that bare up the molten sea signified that Israel was the nation of priests (see above in 1Ki_7:25). The people chosen by God from among all people are a nation of kings and priests (Exo_19:6; Rev_1:6; Rev_5:10); just as it culminates, as a priestly nation, in the high-priest, so it does also, as a royal one, in its king. Here we think involuntarily of the throne of Him who is both lamb and lion (Rev_5:5-6), who is the Prince of earthly kings, and has made us kings and priests to His Father, God (Rev_1:6; Rev_5:6; Rev_7:10; Rev_7:17). His people number twelve times twelve thousand (= 144,000), and these are represented by the twice twelve of the elders who stand before his throne (Rev_4:4; Rev_4:10; Rev_7:4; Rev_14:1).
Homiletical and Practical
1Ki_10:14. (a) The glory of Solomon. Wherein it lay (Power, dominion, pomp, splendor, glory, and honor, everything that men wish or desire in this world—all these we see before us in the life of this one man. But the glory of man is as the grass of the field, which fades and withers; truly, the lilies of the field exceed it in glory, for even, &c.—and Solomon himself confessed: All is vanity; I have seen all the works, &c., Ecc_1:2; Ecc_2:11; Psa_49:17-18. The world passes away, &c.). (b) Its significance for us (that we should seek after that other and imperishable glory, prepared for us by him who is greater than Solomon, Joh_17:24. Scarcely one of many thousands can attain to the glory of Solomon, but to the glory of God we are all called, 1Th_2:12; if our life be hidden with Christ in God, then “shall we when Christ,” &c., Col_3:3-4. Therefore shall we rejoice in the hope of future glory, and not only so, but in tribulations also (Rom_5:2-3) for our “light affliction, which is but for a moment,” &c., 2Co_4:17-18).—Power and dominion. (a) The responsibility involved therein (“to whom much is given, of him shall much be required, and to whom men,” &c., Luk_12:48; singular endowments bring with them singular requirements—authority is power given for the use and benefit of inferiors—wealth is bestowed upon the rich that they may relieve necessity according to their means). (b) The perils connected with it (pride and haughtiness, forgetfulness of God, and unbelief), Psa_62:11; Psa_52:9; 1Ti_6:9; Mat_16:26. Therefore envy not the rich and powerful, for they are exposed to many temptations. But godliness with contentment, &c., 1Ti_6:6. Würt. Summ.: Devout Christians may have and hold gold and silver, lands and possessions, cattle, in short everything, and with a good conscience, if only they do not misuse them by idle pomp or for the oppression of their fellow-creatures; for they are gifts and favors of God, which he lends them. The silver and the gold is mine, saith the Lord of hosts (Hag_2:8; Psa_50:10). The throne of Solomon, stately and magnificent as it was, is long since crumbled to dust, but His Throne, before whose judgment-seat we must all appear, endures to all eternity.—The man to whom God has given great wealth and high position in the world may indeed dwell in splendor; but every man sins whose expenses exceed his income, or are greater than his position in the world requires. Golden vessels are not necessaries of life, nor do they conduce to greater happiness or content than do earthen and wooden ones. It is the duty and right of a prince to bring an armed force to the defence of the country against her enemies, but prince and people must ever remember what the mighty Solomon himself says: The horse is prepared against the day of battle, but safety is of the Lord (Pro_21:31; cf. Psa_33:16-19; Isa_31:1).
Footnotes:
[12]1Ki_10:15. [מֵאַנְשֵׁי הַתָּרִים, on the meaning of this difficult expression, see Exeg. Com. The versions render as follows: Vulg., the men who were over the tribute; Sept., the tribute of those subject; Chald., the wages of the artisans; Syr., simply from the artisans; and so the Arab.]
[13]1Ki_10:15. [The ancient versions generally sustain this rendering. The Chald. alone has מַלְכֵי סוּמְכְוָתָא “kings of auxiliary or allied nations,” which must be wrong. The Heb. word עֶרֶב is used Exo_12:38, Neh_13:3, generally of “a mixed multitude” of aliens attaching themselves to the Israelites; and Jer_25:24, specifically of the mixed races of Arabia Deserta. Hence in the parallel place 2Ch_9:14 we have עֲרָב.]
[14]1Ki_10:17. [The Maneh = 100 shekels.]
[15]1Ki_10:19. [The Heb. יָדוֹת undoubtedly means arms, and is so rendered by the Syr. The Chald. and Arab. give the sense of the A. V., while the Vulg. and Sept. render literally, hands.]
[16]1Ki_10:21. [The ancient version gives without doubt the true sense; so the Vulg., Chald., and Syr. The word סָגוּר is the part. pass. from סָגַר to shut, close, and hence the Sept. version χρυσίῳ συγκεκλεισμένα.]
[17]1Ki_10:22. [The Sept. and Chald. adopt the single instead of the collective meaning of אֳנִי and render “a ship.”]
[18]1Ki_10:22. [The other ancient versions (except that the Syr. and Arab. has elephants instead of ivory) concur in the sense of these words given in the ancient version; but the Vat. Sept. has instead λίθων τορευτῶν καὶ πελεκητῶν, stones cut and graved. The Vat. Sept. also here inserts the passage omitted in Chap. 9.]
[19]Ver, 25. [The Sept. render נֵשֶׁק (=armour) by στἀκτήν, oil of myrrh.]
[20]1Ki_10:26. [The Vat. Sept. omits the first clause of 1Ki_10:26, and both recensions add to the verse the first part of 4:21. Also instead of 1,400 chariots they read 4,000 (Alex. 40,000) mares.]
[21]1Ki_10:27. [שִׁקְמִים = συκόμορος, συκάμινος, the mulberry-tree, now rare, but anciently very common in the low-lands of Palestine.]
[22]1Ki_10:28. [On the meaning of מִקְוֶה, here translated “linen yarn,” see Exeg. Com. The Sept. and Vulg. have taken it as a proper name.—F. G.]
[23]If we reckon the Thaler at 75 cents, 10 Thalers, of course, are $7.50, and 20 millions of Thalers, are $15,000,000. And taking the author’s estimate of values, i.e., supposing the talent to be equal to 2,618 Thalers, the 666 talents in the text would be equal to $1,306,691.—E. H.
Lange's Commentary on the Holy Scriptures (Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical), ed. John Peter Lange, English translation edited by Philip Schaff (1864–1880) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv14, 16, 18, 22 HIS RICHES. (1Ki. 10:14-29)
HIS RICHES. (1Ki. 10:14-29)
Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year--666 talents, equal to £3,996,000. The sources whence this was derived are not mentioned; nor was it the full amount of his revenue; for this was "Beside that he had of the merchantmen, and of the traffic of the spice merchants, and of all the kings of Arabia, and of the governors of the country." The great encouragement he gave to commerce was the means of enriching his royal treasury. By the fortifications which he erected in various parts of his kingdom, (particularly at such places as Thapsacus, one of the passages of Euphrates, and at Tadmor, in the Syrian desert), he gave complete security to the caravan trade from the depredations of the Arab marauders; and it was reasonable that, in return for this protection, he should exact a certain toll or duty for the importation of foreign goods. A considerable revenue, too, would arise from the use of the store cities and khans he built; and it is not improbable that those cities were emporia, where the caravan merchants unloaded their bales of spices and other commodities and sold them to the king's factors, who, according to the modern practice in the East, retailed them in the Western markets at a profit. "The revenue derived from the tributary kings and from the governors of the country" must have consisted in the tribute which all inferior magistrates periodically bring to their sovereigns in the East, in the shape of presents of the produce of their respective provinces.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 22, 24 SOLOMON’S VAST REVENUES, 1Ki_10:14-29.
SOLOMON’S VAST REVENUES, 1Ki_10:14-29.
14. Six hundred threescore and six talents of gold — There is no settled agreement as to the value of the Hebrew talent, but at the least calculation this was not less than fifteen millions of dollars of our currency. In thus greatly multiplying gold and silver to himself, Solomon transgressed the law of God. Deu_17:17.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22, 24, 25 14–29. Solomon’s revenue, his magnificence and his traffic (2Ch_9:13-24)
14–29. Solomon’s revenue, his magnificence and his traffic (2Ch_9:13-24)
14. six hundred threescore and six talents of gold] Taking the gold shekel at the value of £2, and 3000 shekels in one talent, the sum here spoken of would amount to nearly four millions of our money, which for the time of Solomon appears a very enormous revenue, especially when there are additions to be made to it, such as those spoken of in 1Ki_10:15; 1Ki_10:22; 1Ki_10:25. There can be no doubt that Solomon was one of the wealthiest monarchs in the East at that date. But the taxation must have been crushing, and with all this Oriental splendour and luxury there was rottenness within. Solomon was the Jewish Louis 14.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 21, 22, 23 (14) Talents.—The word properly signifies a “circle,” or “globe,”…
(14) Talents.—The word properly signifies a “circle,” or “globe,” and the talent (among the Hebrews and other Orientals, as among the Greeks) denoted properly a certain weight. (a) The ordinary talent of gold contained 100 “manehs,” or “portions” (the Greek mna, or mina), and each maneh (as is seen by comparing 1Ki_10:17 with 2Ch_9:16) contained 100 shekels of gold. According to Josephus (Ant. xiv. 7, 1), each maneh contained 2½ Roman pounds, and the talent, therefore, 250 Roman pounds, or 1,262,500 grains; and this agrees fairly with his computation elsewhere (Ant. iii. 8, 10), that the gold shekel was equivalent to the daric, which is about 129 grains. (See Dictionary of the Bible: “WEIGHTS AND MEASURES.”) According to this calculation, 666 talents would give a weight of gold now worth £7,780,000. (b) On the other hand, the talent of silver is expressly given (by comparison of Exo_30:13-15; Exo_38:25-28) at 3,000 “shekels of the sanctuary,” and such a shekel appears, by the extant Maccabæan coins, to be about 220 grains. Of such talents, 666 would give a little more than half the former weight; hence, if the talent of gold here be supposed to be in weight the same as the talent of silver, the whole would give a weight of gold now worth about £4,000,000. Considering that this is expressly stated to be independent of certain customs and tributes, the smaller sum seems more probable; in any case, the amount is surprisingly large. But it should be remembered that at certain times and places accumulations of gold have taken place, so great as practically to reduce its value, and lead to its employment, not as a currency, but as a precious ornament. Making all allowance for exaggeration, this must have been the case among the Mexicans and Peruvians before the Spanish conquests. It is not improbable that the same may have occurred in the time of Solomon.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv14–25 SOLOMON"S WEALTH, POMP, AND POWER. The visit of the…
CHAPTER 10:14-29.
SOLOMON"S WEALTH, POMP, AND POWER. The visit of the Queen of Sheba, in itself a striking proof of the fame and greatness of Solomon, is followed by a description of his revenues, his throne, and various other particulars of his wealth and magnificence, some of which are related here because they were the products of the voyages of that same fleet which had been the means of acquainting the queen with Solomon and his glory.
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Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year probably one particular and exceptional year, probably also the year of the queen"s visit, not year by year (Wordsworth, al.), as the Vulgate (per singulos annos). One fleet only came home from its voyage after three years, and the gold would hardly weigh precisely 666 talents year by year was six hundred threescore and six talents of gold. The correspondence with the number of the Beast (Rev_13:18; cf. Ezr_2:13) is in all probability not altogether accidental. It is possible, i.e., that the number of the beast is a reminiscence of this number of talents. For we may surely see in this statement of Solomon"s prodigious wealth an indication of his worldliness, the turning point, perhaps, in his estrangement from God. "The love of money" may have been the root of all his evil. It is certainly remarkable that from this time forward his career is one of steady declension. It is also remarkable that while he is here represented to us as a "royal merchant," the mark of the beast is on the buyers and sellers. (Rev_13:17) But see "Expositor," May, 1881. It is, of course, possible that the number has been corrupted, but, on the other hand, it may have been recorded, partly because of the singularity of the sum total. The 666 talents include the receipts from all sources taxes, tribute, and voyages with the exception made presently (ver. 15). Rawlinson quotes Keil (in his earlier edition) as estimating this amount at But in his later work, Keil puts it in round numbers at two and a half millions (17, 000, 000 thalers), while Mr. Peele calculates it at about These widely varying figures are instructive, as showing that both estimates are little more than guesswork. We do not know the value of the Hebrew talent, nor, indeed, can it ever be rightly appraised until we know its purchasing power. The denarius, e.g., is generally valued at 8½ d. (or 712; d.) because it contained some 58 grains of pure silver but its real value was nearer three shillings, inasmuch as it was a fair wage for a day"s work on the land. (Mat_20:2) In any case, it is clear that this sum should hardly be compared with the annual revenue of other Oriental empires, as by Rawlinson (see above).
Vers. 14-29.
The Decline and Fall of Solomon.
The fall of Solomon, in itself one of the most portentous facts in Scripture history (see Homiletics, pp. 78-80), is rendered doubly suggestive and admonitory by a consideration of the way in which it was brought about. It was not that he succumbed to some fierce onslaught of temptation; it was no terrible rush of passion no sudden guilty love of "fair idolatresses," as some have held wrought his ruin; on the contrary, his decline in piety was so gradual and slow as to be almost imperceptible. It is almost impossible and this consideration alone is most instructive to trace with certainty the steps which led to his downfall. The Arab tradition teaches that a little worm no more was, silently and unseen, gnawing at the staff on which this Colossus leaned, and that it was only when it broke and he fell that men discovered he was dead an instructive parable of his moral and spiritual decay. We may well cry here
O fall"n at length that tower of strength Which stood foursquare to all the winds that blew.
But it is much more pertinent to ask what brought that proud fortress to the ground. It would have sustained unshaken the blows of engines of war; it would have defied the hurtling storm and tempest, but it could not resist the gradual subsidence of its foundations, and so, while preserving a fair appearance almost to the last, it settled and settled, and at the last became a heap of ruins.
Let us trace, then, as best we can, that downward course which ended in the builder of the temple building altars to Baal; let us lay bare, if we can, this worm that was noiselessly but ceaselessly eating out his inner life. Perhaps we cannot discover all its hidden workings, but we can surely see some.
Up to the date of the dedication of the temple all would seem to have gone well. Unless the dedication prayer is, as some have affirmed, the composition of a later age, the prince who poured out his soul before God in those earnest and gracious words cannot have erred very far from the right way. And the message he received during the building of the temple confirms this view. It is a message not of warning but of encouragement. It is at the completion of the palaces that we discover the first certain token of defection. For it was then that the Lord appeared unto him the second time, and the communication then made was undeniably minatory. Its tone of threatening is inexplicable, except on the supposition that Solomon"s "heart was not right with the Lord," etc. At this period, then, about the twenty-fourth year of his reign, the destroying worm was already at work.
Nor is it difficult to conjecture what was the first beginning of declension on Solomon"s part. We find it in the erection of the palaces, or rather in the carnal mind and the self love and the desire for ostentation which led to their erection. It is just possible that the building of these palaces was not, in itself, to be condemned. It is suspicious, no doubt, and argues selfishness and heartlessness, when, as in Russia, Turkey, etc., the huge and costly residences of the Crown contrast everywhere with the wretched hovels of the peasantry. And one would naturally expect the theocratic king to attain a higher level and to devote himself more to the advancement of his people"s good than ordinary rulers. But it must be remembered that under Solomon the Jewish people enjoyed an unprecedented prosperity. (1Ki_4:20, 1Ki_4:21) The entire nation shared in the wealth and abundance of the court. We cannot be certain, consequently, that the palaces, per se, involved a departure from the law, the more so as some of them were necessary, for purposes of state and justice. (see on 1Ki_7:7) But the matter appears in a very different light when we come to consider the way in which they were reared. Forced labour, on the part of the subject races at least, can no doubt be justified from Scripture, (Jos_9:21 sqq) at any rate, for the house of God (ver. 23), but not for the pleasure or aggrandisement of the monarch. (1Sa_8:11, 1Sa_8:16) "It is not of the Lord of Hosts that the people shall weary themselves for very vanity". (Hab_2:13) And when we remember that Jeroboam was probably encouraged to rebel by seeing and hearing the murmurings of the house of Joseph (1Ki_11:28) of whose labours he was the overseer, and that this and similar burdens laid upon the people (1Ki_12:4) resulted in the revolt of the ten tribes, we can hardly suppose that Solomon completed his great undertakings (1Ki_9:15-19) without inflicting positive hardship and grave injustice on large numbers of his subjects. It is probable, indeed, that the woe pronounced against a later monarch (Jer_22:13, Jer_22:14) had not been unmerited by him. He had "used his neighbour"s service without wages," etc. Possibly he had raised his forest of cedar pillars, etc., by the sweat and groans of his serfs. It was a common thing for Eastern autocrats to do, but when "Jedidiah" did it, the cries of the oppressed labourer went up "into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.
But whether the erection of the palaces was in itself wrong or not, and whether the raising of the "levy" (1Ki_9:15) was oppressive or not, there can be little doubt that the "proud look and high stomach" (Psa_101:5 Psa_131:1, Psa_131:2) the very spirit which David had disclaimed which prompted some of these understandings was altogether sinful. Solomon is now no longer the "little child" he once was. (1Ki_3:7) Now that he has "strengthened himself," like his son after him, he begins to forget his God and to forsake His law. (2Ch_12:1) It has been promised him that he shall exceed all other kings in wisdom and riches and honour; (1Ki_3:12, 1Ki_3:18) but this is not enough for him, he must surpass them also in the outward tokens of wealth and power. His palaces, to begin with, must be greater than theirs, he no longer covets the best gifts (see Homiletics, p. 55). The fine gold is become dim.
Still, so far, there has been no deliberate, or perhaps even conscious, infraction of the law only the worldly and selfish mind. He may well have argued that his state required this show of magnificence; that the Canaanites were ordained of God to hew wood and draw water at his pleasure. But this only shows how slight are the beginnings of evil; how fine sometimes is the line which divides right from wrong, and how easily our judgment is warped by our inclinations. It is the old story, Homo vult decipi et decipiatur.
It is impossible to say in what precise order the records of Solomon"s reign are to be arranged, but it is probable that the next downward step is to be traced in the alliance in which he engaged with the Tyrians. We cannot blame him, of course, for the "league" of 1Ki_5:12. But for that, he could hardly have built the temple, to say nothing of the palaces. Whether he was justified, however, in hang at sea "a navy of Tarshish with the navy of Hiram" (1Ki_10:22) may well be doubted. For it was part of God"s plan that the Jewish people should "dwell alone and not be reckoned among the nations". (Num_23:9) Their geographical position was one of almost complete isolation. They were not destined to be a great commercial country. Their land was to be the theatre of our redemption. Theirs were
those holy fields Over whose acres walked those blessed feet, Which eighteen hundred years ago were nailed For our salvation, to the bitter cross;
and it was no preparation for the Incarnation that it should become the home of "gripple merchants." Contact and copartnership with idolaters could hardly be for the advantage of the faith. Nor is it difficult to see that Solomon"s commerce grew at the expense of his religion. Riches, proverbially a dangerous possession, were with him wise though he was a step towards utter ruin. All the time that his fleets were ploughing the main, that caravans of merchants were filling his store cities, that he was driving bargains with the Syrians and Hittites (ver. 29), leanness was spreading in his soul he was becoming more and more a secular prince. It has been justly remarked that the mention of "apes and peacocks" (ver. 22), is a significant indication of the moral and mental deterioration which he was undergoing. To think that the wisest of men should find his pleasure in the antics of the one or the plumage of the other; or that he, the viceroy of Jehovah, should import jibbering baboons and strutting fowls, if not for himself, for the outlandish women of his court. No, these "wide views of commerce," this partnership with the Tyrians, this influx of prosperity, has not been for Solomon"s or Israel"s good. Indeed, if we study the character of the average nineteenth century Jew, we may form a fair idea of what commercial enterprise and lust of gold did for Solomon, the first of Hebrew chapmen.
And yet this commerce, it is easy to see, may have been in its commencement unexceptionable. Possibly it was in part undertaken to provide gold for the embellishment of the temple. But it soon engendered, if indeed it was not engendered by, that "love of money which is the root of all evil." As Solomon grew richer he loved riches more. Ver. 28 is full of significance. "So Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth for riches and wisdom." Time was when wisdom held the first place. (1Ki_3:11) And so it came to pass that he who at first was "rich toward God," and who, like David his father, had only accumulated gold for the glory of the sanctuary, proceeded to "multiply silver and gold to himself". (Deu_17:17) Even his drinking vessels were of pure gold. (1Ki_10:21) So that his commerce and its prodigious gains led at last to a distinct violation of the law. He has not ceased to serve God. He still sacrifices and burns incense three times a year. (1Ki_9:25) But he is trying to serve God and mammon, and mammon has gained the mastery. It is probably mentioned as a circumstance full of significance, that the weight of gold that came to him in one year was six hundred and sixty-six talents (ver. 14). For as seven is the number of the covenant, so six marks a falling short of that covenant, and the first distinct violation of the covenant consisted in the multiplication of silver and gold.
And when a breach in the law was once made we are not surprised to hear presently that it was widened. Facilis descensus Averni. From the multiplication of the precious metals it was an easy step to the multiplication of horses. And here we see at once how Solomon"s conscience has become seared, or he has learnt to disregard its warnings. He knew perfectly well that his "twelve thousand horsemen" were a violation of the law. And he could hardly excuse himself on the ground that they were required for purposes of defence. The hilly country of Palestine does not admit of their being deployed therein. It was partly because they could only be employed in aggressive warfare that they were forbidden. Whatever unction, therefore, he might lay to his soul as to his accumulation of gold, he could hardly think, if he thought at all, that his horses and chariots involved no sin. But they were necessary, he persuaded himself, to the state of so great and puissant a monarch, and he would have them. And so hardened was he, so careless of the commandment, that he actually established a market for horses on his southern frontier and supplied them to neighbouring kings, who presently employed them against the people of the Lord.
And yet, grave as was this disregard of law, it was but a worm that was at work in his soul only self love and self confidence (cf.; Isa_30:1) only the lust of the eye and the pride of life. He is still the Lord"s anointed: his tips distil knowledge; he still offers hecatombs, but his "heart is not right," etc.
And so the years passed by. To all outward appearance his glory and magnificence increased. It is very suggestive to consider how hollow was that prosperity which was the marvel of the world, and how that wisdom which was so renowned was foolishness with God. The court became more splendid, more voluptuous, more dazzling, but the man became year by year poorer and meaner and baser. It only needed one step more and apparently he was not long in taking that to complete his defection. The other monarchs of his time had their seraglios. It was necessary that he too should have an establishment of this kind, and he must have it even greater than theirs. He knew that the law forebade the multiplication of wives, but what of that? He had violated the law already: he might just as well do it again. An obsolete precept, he may have argued, suited to primitive times, must not stand in the way of his pomp or his pleasures. And so the Lord"s anointed gathered round him in the holy city a thousand strange, immodest women. His fleets and merchants brought him mistresses from every land. And they brought with them their foreign rites, and the effeminate king was taken captive by their charms, and they had their way, and nothing would suffice them but he must tolerate their religion, and what he did for one he must do for all, and and so the end of sin and shame is reached, and the decline becomes a fall, and "the darling of Jehovah," the wisest of men, the representative of Heaven, the builder of the temple, the type of our Lord, builds altars to the "abominations" of Moab and Ammon "in the hill that is before Jerusalem". (1Ki_11:7)
This mournful history is full of admonition and instruction. It must suffice to indicate the following lessons:
1. A man may preach to others and yet be a castaway. (1Co_9:27) Solomon"s Prayer (ch. 8.), Psalm, (Ps 127) and Proverbs should be studied in the light of his fall. "Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself?". (Rom_2:21) Compare vers. 22, 23 with Proverbs 5-7.; and remember the constant references to the "law" in the dedication prayer.
2. Nemo repente turpissimus fuit." "He that despiseth little things shall fall by little and little.
It is the little rift within the lute That by and by shall make its music mute.
3. Out of the heart of men proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications," etc.. (Mar_7:21) It was not to an assault from without, it was to treachery within that Solomon yielded Solomon who had said, "Keep thy bears with all diligence," etc.
4. The love of money is the root of all evil". (1Ti_6:10) May we not say," Behold two kings stood not before him: how then shall we stand?". (2Ki_10:4) "Children, how hard it is for them that trust in riches," etc.. (Mar_10:24) "Take heed, and beware of covetousness", (Luk_12:15) "which is idolatry". (Col_3:5)
1. The course of sin is downhill. Vires acquirit eundo. The sinner is on an inclined plane; and the gradient at first is almost imperceptible. Let us learn, too, "the deceitfulness of sin.
2. Woman, made to be man"s helpmeet, too often becomes his snare. It is seldom that a man is ruined but a woman has had a share in it.
3. Solomon was old at the time of his fall, etc.. (1Ki_11:4) Hot youth has its dangers and temptations; but mature age has them also. David was not less than fifty when he fell. See p. 225.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On v22 The king had at sea a navy of Tharshish.
1Ki_10:22
The king had at sea a navy of Tharshish.
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The lessons of prosperity
The period of Solomons reign was the period of the greatest commercial, political, and intellectual splendour that Israel knew.
I. The advantages of a state of prosperity. Christians are sometimes disposed to look with suspicion on wealth and greatness. Lord Bacon said that prosperity was the blessing of the Old Testament, and adversity the blessing of the New Testament. But this aphorism may very easily be misunderstood. Prosperity is the blessing of the New Testament as much as it is of the Old. In its proper nature, in its legitimate influence, in its Divine design, prosperity must be regarded as a blessing. One of Emersons ancestors was in the habit of praying that none of his posterity might be rich. It is easy to imagine a man offering a prayer like that for his posterity, although it would be rather a shabby thing to do, but you will hardly find a sane man offering such a prayer for himself. Terrestrial prosperity is still one of Gods benedictions.
1. Prosperity is a blessing, as it widens the range of our physical enjoyments.
2. Prosperity is a blessing, as it gives freer play to mans intellectual powers, and renders possible a fuller intellectual life. Elihu Burritt laments that the English peasant is a blind painter, creating on the hillside glorious pictures in green and gold, but strangely insensible to the splendour he creates. Ruskin complains that few people ever look at the sky. Emerson writes ruefully that whilst he was strolling on the beach in raptures with the azure and spiritual seat the tanned fishermen had nothing to say to one another except, Hows fish? And most of our intellectual masters lash us for our neglect of the sights and sounds of a glorious creation.
3. Prosperity is a blessing, as it gives opportunity for the expression of highest character. Prosperity properly used, truly sanctified, brings character to its very highest and brightest manifestations. Humility is never more lovely than when it is clothed in scarlet; moderation is never more impressive than when it sits at banquets; simplicity is never more delightful than when it dwells amid magnificence; purity is never more divine than when its white robes are seen in palaces; gentleness and kindness are never more touching than when displayed by the great and powerful.
4. Prosperity is a blessing, as it enables us to act out more frilly our noblest aspirations. It is quite true that many who promise large things when their ship of gold comes in, nevertheless on the arrival of that gallant bark forthwith put the whole cargo into bonded stores, but noble souls rejoice exceedingly to find their power increased to glorify God in the service of humanity.
II. The perils of a state of prosperity. It has its perils to a nation. The ships of Solomon brought ruin; so did the ships of Carthage, of Greece, of Rome; so did the rich argosies of Spain. The other day in Whitby they showed me the ruins of the grand old Abbey. On the south aspect the wall is much more dilapidated than on the north, showing, it would seem, that the light of the sun had been more destructive than all the wild storms of the North Sea. So the sun of prosperity has often proved more fatal to empire than the bitterest tempests of danger and want and conflict. There is plenty of morbid matter everywhere, and the sun of prosperity soon develops it disastrous|y enough. Prosperity has its perils to the individual. It is said that birds of paradise are often captured through their becoming intoxicated with the spice forests on which they alight, and we have all seen fine men and women, with the light of heaven in their eye and the beauty of holiness in their life, fall miserable victims to prosperity. Some rich men degenerate fearfully, so do some popular men. On the American prairies travellers are sometimes brought to a standstill through the wheels of their chariots becoming locked by the flowers which grow there so profusely; and many a noble pilgrim to heaven has been hindered, brought to a fatal halt, by the golden and purple flowers of fortune which Heaven, in its goodness, had made to spring in his path. The lower good may destroy the higher good; as a man becomes richer in gold he may become poorer in faith, in virtue, in charity, in hope. Christianity gives us a social ideal of prime interest and efficacy. The curse of the old civilisations was selfishness. I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards, etc. (Ecc_2:4-9). The Is stand up like a regiment of Grenadiers. Here was the curse of the old nations, in the flush of their power and prosperity. Here is the curse of much of the prosperity of to-day. Selfishness is the rock on which rich argosies suffer shipwreck, the rock on which the grandeur of nations and the happiness of men go to pieces. Christ changes the I into we, the my into our. Christianity brings us the larger measure of moral power. (W. L. Watkinson.)
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The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary 1892 · Public Domain On v14 1Ki_10:15. Beside … of the merchantmen, and … merchants—the…
CRITICAL AND EXPLANATORY NOTES.—
1Ki_10:15. Beside … of the merchantmen, and … merchants—the words rendered “merchantmen,” אַנְשֵׁי הַתָּרִים have been conjectured to mean “fines of the subject” (provinces); but, literally, they signify “men of the travellers” i.e., travelling traders dealing in the larger merchandise; then the word “merchants” רֹכְלִים—will mean “pedlers” dealing in inferior wares. Yet הַתָּרִים is used in Num_14:6 of the men Moses sent to view and report upon the land; hence some critics would here render the word by “ambassadors” instead of “merchantmen.” All the kings of Arabia—מַלְכֵי הָעֶרֶב, not “of Arabia,” the points will not allow of that rendering; צֶרֶב is a mixed multitude; and these “kings” were kings over mixed races—the bordering tribes, Bedouins. These “tributary kings and governors of the country” would bring from their respective provinces, periodically, presents of the produce of their territories (see note on chap. 1Ki_4:7-19).
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1Ki_10:16. Targets—“צִנָּה is a large square shield, rounded down upon its length, covering the whole body” (Lange).
1Ki_10:18. The best gold—Gold of Uphaz. The “throne of ivory” is not to be understood as of solid massive ivory, but inlaid.
1Ki_10:22. A navy of Tharshish—Tartessus in Spain, the ancient Phœnician emporium, where silver was so freely obtained; but the better interpretation of the word is Tharshish navy, a common phrase, equivalent to a strongly built fleet. “Silver” could have been gained from Spain, but not the gold, apes, peacocks, or ivory; these were obtainable in Africa.
1Ki_10:28. Horses brought out of Egypt, and linen yarn—A decided error here in the translation: מִקְוֶה cannot be “linen yarn,” it means a “troop;” hence the verse reads, “As for the export of the horses which Solomon got from Egypt, a troop of royal merchants used to fetch a troop (of horses) at a price.” The chapter thus indicates the vast wealth, splendour, and luxury of Solomon’s court.—W. H. J.
HOMILETICS OF 1Ki_10:14-29
THE FLOOD-TIDE OF NATIONAL PROSPERITY
I. Seen in the super-abundance of wealth (1Ki_10:14-17; 1Ki_10:21-23). Gold was so plentiful that silver was “nothing accounted of in the days of Solomon; he exceeded all the kings of the earth for riches.” He was the ideal of an Eastern monarch, all the attributes of greatness were united in him—riches, dignity, ability, fame, splendour. The Old Testament kingdom reached its culminating point in David’s Son; all the promises of temporal prosperity were fulfilled in it. Such is the nature of worldly wealth, the more abundant it is, the less valuable it is. Great fears are expressed that recent discoveries in the diamond fields of South Africa will depreciate the value of the precious stone. Oh! how ought the possession of mental and spiritual riches to lessen our love for the perishable things of earth! If we are citizens of the New Jerusalem, the very streets will be pure gold, and the walls the richest jewels; so much will our eternal blessedness exceed all earthly joy and felicity.
II. Seen in the external grandeur of the throne (1Ki_10:18-20). In the ruder stages of national life the king would dispense justice and promulgate law by the side of some favourite stream, under the shadow of a well-known tree, on an elevated mound of earth, at the entrance of the city, or by the side of a spear thrust into the ground; but as the monarch and people increased in wealth, these simple, primitive methods gave place to more ceremonious and ornate displays of regal greatness. Solomon’s throne was made of ivory inlaid with the best gold. It was erected in the Porch of Judgment, leading out of the Porch of Pillars (chap. 1Ki_7:7). Here Solomon sat to receive his officers of state, and foreign ambassadors and princes on important occasions, and especially to hear and decide the cases that were submitted to his judgment. The dazzling splendour of the throne was well calculated to inspire awe, and was a striking evidence of the wealth and luxury of the time.
III. Seen in the consummate wisdom of the ruler (1Ki_10:23-25). The wisdom of Solomon was eminently practical. It suppressed the malcontents, and ensured the peace of the kingdom. It organised a complicated and flourishing system of commerce. It raised the nation to affluence and fame, so that “king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth for riches and for wisdom.” This was in accordance with the Divine promise (1Ki_3:13). In the depressed condition at that time both of Egypt and Assyria, it would seem to have been literally true that Solomon’s kingdom was, for wealth and splendour, the first in all the world. Grandees from afar flocked to the court of the Israelitish king to listen to the profound wisdom that fell from his lips, and to learn the secret of his brilliant rule. In an age when so much depended on the character and policy of the sovereign, to be gifted with almost superhuman wisdom was a sure way of securing increased prosperity and power. Happy is the nation that, with an expanding and profitable commerce, possesses a wise and considerate king.
IV. Seen in the prevalence of expensive luxuries (1Ki_10:21-22; 1Ki_10:26-29). The drinking cups were of gold: there was no silver in them. And yet a draught of water is as sweet and refreshing from the moss-covered cistern among the hills as from the most richly-chased goblet of gold. The fleets of Solomon supplied Jerusalem with the rarities and dainties of foreign lands—gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks. Wordsworth sees a sort of irony and sarcasm in the mention of apes and peacocks as “the climax of the produce of the commerce of Solomon. Apes and peacocks to Solomon, the wise king at Jerusalem! To gratify curiosity, to amuse the people, and, perhaps, to while away the time of the strange women to whom Solomon clave in love, instead of cleaving to the Lord.” He indulged in the costly extravagance of chariots and horses, with which he established a new species of military force, strongly discouraged by the law of Moses, and from which all previous rulers of this people had abstained. The country was mountainous, and wholly unsuited for cavalry. It was also a time of peace; and all the great victories of his father and other conquerors had been won in reliance upon the strength of the Lord’s arm, without using any such force, and in opposition to the enemy who employed it (Psa_20:7). Besides, such a number of chariots and horses was out of all proportion to so small a country; and perhaps no act of royal indulgence was more unpopular among the people. This was doubtless a strong element in the spirit of discontent which afterwards shattered the empire. Prosperity has its accompanying perils, and not the least of these is the tendency to indulge in costly and emasculating luxuries.
V. Marks the beginning of national decline. As the flood-tide of the ocean begins to ebb soon after it has registered its highest water-mark, and as the earth sinks towards the darkness and cold of winter the moment after it has risen to its highest point in the summer solstice, so the period in which a nation bursts forth into its grandest display of material splendour presents indications of inevitable decay. Wealth, fame, and the most massive works of man are perishable, while wisdom, righteousness, and moral goodness bloom with immortal beauty.
LESSONS:—1 There is the wisdom of gold, and the gold of Wisdom
2. National prosperity is ever attended with serious perils.
3. The religious character of a nation survives the decay of its external glory.
THE IVORY THRONE A SYMBOL OF REGAL GOVERNMENT
One of the most attractive objects in the Palace of Solomon was the great ivory throne. It was a massive and imposing structure, and exceeded in splendour anything of the kind in any other kingdom. It was in the form of an ancient round-topped, two-armed chair, with the figure of a lion on either side, probably of cast metal gilt; and fixed on an elevated platform, the ascent to which consisted of six steps, each step being adorned with the life-sized figure of a lion, facing another at the opposite end of the step. The chair of state, and the steps up to it, were covered with ivory and gold. Representations of thrones are frequent in the Egyptian and Assyrian sculptures. They have no steps up to them, but frequently stand upon square bases. The back appears to be flat at the top, not rounded. Assyrian thrones have “stays” or arms on either side, and they stand generally on lions’ feet. Ivory was a material used in them; but they were chiefly of wood and metal. We read in after years of the Parthian kings, whose throne was of gold, encompassed with four golden pillars adorned with precious stones; and of the Persian kings who sat in judgment under a golden vine and other trees of gold, the bunches of grapes and other fruits being formed of different kinds of precious stones. We may regard the throne of Solomon as a symbol of regal government.
I. That regal government should be righteous in its principles.
1. In order to maintain the dignity of the throne. Ivory and gold were emblems of purity, and point out the incorruption that should belong to kings, whose duty it is to administer justice with the utmost strictness and purity. The dignity of the judge consists, not in the richness of his robe or in the splendour of his surroundings, but in the justness and integrity of his decisions. Where partiality and injustice predominate, the dignity is transferred to the innocent prisoner, who is unrighteously accused and condemned.
2. In order to enforce the authority of the law. A selfish, corrupt, time-serving government has endless difficulty, and has to resort to the most brutal methods in enforcing its authority. Its laws are an insult, and their maintainance an intolerable cruelty. The throne is secure in itself, and in the willing obedience of the people, only as it is based in righteousness. That king is truly glorious who makes his subjects affluent and happy under his wise and righteous administration. Solomon on his ivory throne is typical of Him who is greater than Solomon, seated on the great white throne of Judgment, pronouncing sentence on the eternal state of men and angels (Rev_20:2). Justice and judgment are the habitation of the Divine throne (Psa_89:14).
II. That regal government should be imposing in its administration.
1. In outward ceremony. The glittering throne, the stately figure of the king, the numerous attendants, and the solemnity of the order of proceeding could not fail to impress the spectators with the awful majesty and power of law. The magistrate is to be a terror to evil-doers (Rom_13:3). All legitimate external means should be adopted that will tend to beget a wholesome reverence of law, not simply to create a slavish dread. It is said that Attila, king of the Huns, had a custom of fiercely rolling his small, deep-set eyes, as if he wished to enjoy the terror he inspired. Law has nothing terrifying in it to the innocent.
2. In moral significance. The lions which supported and adorned the throne not only signified its stability, but also the vigilance with which the prince watched over the interests of the kingdom, and the courage and power with which he defended his people. The arms of Assyrian thrones are occasionally supported by figures of animals. The throne of Rameses II., at Medinet Abou, has a sphinx at the side, and a lion below the sphinx. As the lion is the natural king of beasts, so the figure of the lion is naturally adopted by any imaginative race as an emblem of sovereignty. The object of all true government should be, not simply to indulge in outward display, but to teach, in every possible way, the lessons of truth, righteousness, and virtue. The throne should be more conspicuous for moral excellencies than for ivory and gold.
III. That regal government should be beneficent in its aims. The twelve lions represented the twelve tribes of Israel united under one sovereign. The ruler should aim at uniting the people under his care into a law-abiding, industrious, and virtuous nation. Government is instituted, not to gratify the ambition and lust of the few, but to promote the best welfare of the many. No government can be permanent that does not aim at this. Thrones may fall, dynasties pass away, but righteousness abides for ever.
LESSONS:—
1. Justice is the weapon and defence of all true government.
2. Great is the responsibility and glorious the reward of the righteous ruler.
3. The throne of Jesus is impregnable, and will survive all the thrones of earth.
GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES
1Ki_10:14-29. The glory of Solomon. I. Wherein it lay. Power, dominion, pomp, splendour, glory, and honour, everything that men wish or desire in this world, all these we see before us in the life of this one man. But the glory of man is as the grass of the field, which fades and withers; truly, the lilies of the field exceed it in glory, and Solomon himself confessed, “All is vanity” (Ecc_1:2; Ecc_2:11; Psa_49:17-18).
II. Its significance for us. That we should seek after that other and imperishable glory, prepared for us by Him who is greater than Solomon (Joh_17:24). Scarcely one of many thousands can attain to the glory of Solomon, but to the glory of God we are all called (1Th_2:12). If our life be hidden with Christ in God, then, &c. (Col_3:3-4). Therefore shall we rejoice in the hope of future glory, and not only so, but in tribulations also (Rom_5:2-3; 2Co_4:17-18).
Power and dominion. I. The responsibility involved therein. To whom much is given, of him shall much be required (Luk_12:48). Singular endowments bring with them singular requirements. Authority is power given for the use and benefit of inferiors; wealth is bestowed upon the rich that they may relieve necessity according to their means.
II. The perils connected with it. Pride and haughtiness, forgetfulness of God, and unbelief (Psa_62:11; Psa_52:9; 1Ti_6:9; Mat_16:26). Therefore envy not the rich and powerful, for they are exposed to many temptations (1Ti_6:6). Devout Christians may have and hold gold and silver, lands and possessions, cattle, in short everything, and with a good conscience, it only they do not misuse them by idle pomp or for the oppression of their fellow-creatures, for they are gifts and favours of God, which He lends them (Hag_2:8; Psa_50:10). The throne of Solomon, stately and magnificent as it was, is long since crumbled to dust; but His throne before whose judgment seat we must all appear, endures to all eternity. The man to whom God has given great wealth and high position in the world may indeed dwell in splendour; but every man sins whose expenses exceed his income, or are greater than his position requires. Golden vessels are not necessaries of life, nor do they conduce to greater happiness or content than do earthen and wooden ones. It is the duty and right of a prince to bring an armed force to the defence of the country against her enemies; but prince and people must ever remember what the mighty Solomon himself says: “The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the Lord” (Pro_21:31; Psa_33:16-19; Isa_31:1).—Lange.
1Ki_10:20. One lion at each end of each of the six steps by which the king ascended the throne. They were symbolic figures, and in that position might teach that resolute and determined courage and firmness should characterize all the actions of the king.
1Ki_10:22. It is said by some authorities that these Hebrew words for ivory, apes, and peacocks, are identical with the Tamil names by which they are known in Ceylon at the present day. It has long since been decided, says Cuvier, that India was the cradle of the peacock. It is in the countries of Southern Asia, and the vast archipelago of the Eastern Ocean, that this bird appears to have fixed its dwelling, and to live in a state of freedom. All travellers who have visited these countries make mention of these birds.
—Like unto these ships thus laden are the books of some sectaries, wherein, as in the Jewish Talmud, sunt mala mista bonis, sunt bona mista malis. In some parts of their writings are wholesome and good passages; as in a wood or forest full of briers and brambles there may be some violets and primroses; and as here, with apes and peacocks, were gold, silver, and ivory.—Trapp.
1Ki_10:23. Wealth and wisdom compared and contrasted. I. Compared.
1. Both are the gifts of God.
2. Both involve much care and toil.
3. Both are scources of great power.
4. Both are liable to great abuse. II. Contrasted.
1. Wealth and wisdom not necessarily possessed by the same person.
2. Wealth may adorn the body; wisdom adorns the mind.
3. Wealth may buy influence, wisdom commands it.
4. Wealth is material and perishable, wisdom is immortal.
—When King Demetrius had sacked and razed the city of Megaera to the very foundation, he demanded of Stilpo, the philosopher, what losses he had sustained. “None at all,” said Stilpo, “for war can make no spoil of virtue.” And it is said of Bias, that his motto was, omnia mea mecum porto—I carry all my goods with me; viz, his goodness.
—Perfect freedom hath four parts: wisdom, the principle of doing things aright; justice, the principle of doing things equally in public and private; fortitude, the principle of not flying danger, but meeting it; and temperance, the principle of subduing desires and living moderately.—Plato.
1Ki_10:23-24. Every other quality besides is subordinate and inferior to wisdom, in the same sense as the mason who lays the bricks and stones in a building is inferior to the architect who drew the plan and superintends the work. The former executes only what the latter contrives and directs. Now, it is the prerogative of wisdom to preside over every inferior principle, to regulate the exercise of every power, and limit the indulgence of every appetite, as shall best conduce to one great end. It being the province of wisdom to preside, it sits as umpire on every difficulty, and so gives the final direction and control to all the powers of our nature. Hence it is entitled to be considered as the top and summit of perfection. It belongs to wisdom to determine when to act, and when to cease; when to reveal, and when to conceal a matter; when to speak, and when to keep silence; when to give, and when to receive; in short, to regulate the measure of all things, as well as to determine the end, and provide the means of obtaining the end pursued in every deliberate course of action. Every particular faculty, or skill, besides, needs to derive direction from this: they are all quite incapable of directing themselves.
The art of navigation, for instance, will teach us to steer a ship across the ocean, but it will never teach us on what occasions it is proper to take a voyage. The art of war will instruct us how to marshal an army, or to fight a battle to the greatest advantage, but you must learn from a higher school when it is fitting, just, and proper to wage war, or to make peace. The art of the husbandman is to sow and bring to maturity the precious fruits of the earth; it belongs to another skill to regulate their consumption by a regard to our health, fortune, and other circumstances. In short, there is no faculty we can exert, no species of skill we can apply, but requires a superintending hand, but looks up, as it were, to some higher principle, as a maid to her mistress for directions; and this universal superintendent is wisdom.—Robert Hall.
1Ki_10:24. A notable type of Christ, so generally frequented and yet still so cheerfully resorted to in His ordinances by His people, flying thereto as so many “clouds, and as doves to their windows” (Isa_60:8).—Trapp.
—There is no true wisdom that does not rest calmly on a basis of truthfulness of heart, and is not guarded and nurtured by righteousness and purity of life. Man is one—one and indissoluble. The intellect and the conscience are but two names for diverse parts of the one human being—or, rather, they are but two names for diverse workings of the one immortal soul. And though it be possible that a man may be enriched with all earthly knowledge, whilst his heart is the dwelling-place of all corruption, and that, on the other hand, a man may be pure and upright in heart, whilst his head is very poorly furnished, and his understanding very weak, yet these exceptional cases do not touch the great central truth: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy is understanding.” Here, then, is the outline of the fair form that rises before you—a wisdom satisfying and entire for all the understanding, and not a dry, hard, abstract wisdom either, but one which is all glowing with light and purity, and is guidance for the will, and cleansing for the conscience, and strength for the practical life: wisdom which is morality and righteousness; morality and righteousness which is the highest wisdom. Go out into the world, I pray you, and strip everything that appeals to you of its disguises, and you will find it true that, where Christ is not, there—let it woo ever so sweetly, and sing ever so melodiously—there is only a siren that tempts you down beneath the sunny surface of pleasure to the black depths below, where she lives on dead mens’ bones! There is your choice. On the one side there calls you the god-descended, beautiful, and serene Wisdom, with diadem on her brow, and blessing in her hands, and peace upon her lips—a Wisdom behind which Christ stands with face fairer, yet lips fuller still of grace, a heart gentler than the woman-wisdom that Solomon knew of, and hands full of better blessing than any that dawned upon him; and, on the other side, a loud-voiced, clamorous, painted, deceiving harlot, who calls you to herself to stifle you with her poisonous breath.—A. Maclaren.
1Ki_10:24-25. The charms of philosophy. I. Are found in the very nature of the science.
1. It promises so much. 2. It gratifies the pride of intellect.
3. It affords ample scope for speculation. II. Allure inquirers from the most distant places. “All the earth sought to Solomon to hear his wisdom.”
1. The love of knowledge braves all difficulties.
2. Influences all classes.
3. Is shown by disseminating knowledge, as by seeking it. III. Evoke the most costly offerings. “And they brought every man his present.”
1. Wisdom is better than gold.
2. Talent deserves suitable acknowledgment.
3. The learner should be grateful.
4. More money is wasted in useless luxuries than is spent in seeking knowledge. IV. Inspire unremitting devotion in its votaries. “Year by year.”
1. It demands constant attention.
2. Its unsolved problems sustain the interest of the student.
3. It has charms to many as a purely intellectual exercise.
—We are raised by science to an understanding of the infinite wisdom and goodness which the Creator has displayed in all His works. Not a step can we take in any direction without perceiving the most extraordinary traces of design; and the skill everywhere conspicuous is calculated in so vast a proportion of instances to promote the happiness of living creatures, and especially of ourselves, that we feel no hesitation in concluding that, if we knew the whole scheme of Providence, every part would appear in harmony with a plan of absolute benevolence. Independently, however, of this most consoling inference, the delight is inexpressible of being able to follow the works of the great Author of nature, and to trace the unbounded power and exquisite skill which are exhibited by the most minute as well as the mightiest parts of His system.—Brougham.
1Ki_10:25. We have here expressed in words what the Egyptian and Assyrian monarchs recorded by means of elaborate sculptures on slabs and obelisks—the frequent coming to the court of tribute-bearers from the subject kings, who brought not only the fixed rate of bullion whereto each of them was liable, but a tribute in kind besides, consisting of the most precious products of their respective countries. Among these vessels, probably of silver and gold, garments and horses are very conspicuous on the monuments.—Speaker’s Comm.
1Ki_10:26. The true defence of a nation.
1. Not in chariots and horses—weapons of war.
2. But in the devotion and valour of the people.
3. In the overshadowing presence of God.
4. In the prevalence of righteousness.
1Ki_10:26-29. Trading.
1. An honourable calling.
2. Is a source of wealth to individuals and nations.
3. Encourages industry and enterprize.
4. Expands the knowledge of human nature.
5. Offers many temptations to roguery,
6. Is legitimate only when it is honest.
—How to be a Christian in trade (compared with Mat_25:16) I. The fair possibility of being a Christian in trade.
1. There is the very certain fact that there have been good Christians in trade; and if that be so, then it follows, by a very short argument, that what has been can be—that is, can be again and often.
2. All apprehensions of a specially harmful exposure in trade are mistaken. What it calls profits are just as truly earnings as any of the fruits of hand-labour.
3. Little room is there, under anything properly called trade, for what many seem to regard as the necessary skill, in raising colour by glosses of false recommendation, or by small lies sprinkled in for the due stimulation of the customer. That is not an accomplishment belonging to the genuine operation of trade, but only to the lowlived, inbred habit of the man. II. How to be a Christian in trade.
1. No man of course expects to be a Christian in trade without being a religious man in it. And just here, alas! is the difficulty most commonly encountered—the difficulty of continuing to be a Christian without beginning to be one; the difficulty of being kept safe in religion, or religious character, by a business carried on without such character, and wholly outside of religion.
2. It. is another important consideration that you are permitted, if at all, to go into this occupation by a really Divine call. God has a place for every man, in what is to be his particular employment, as He has a place for every rock, and tree, and river, and star.
3. Being thus installed in trade, as by the call of God, how surely may you have God’s help in the prosecution of it. How surely, that is, if you ask it, and train your ways of practice so that you can fitly receive it. All right employments are callings in which God puts His servants for their good, and what will He more surely do than help them to find their good!
4. The merchant in his calling of trade is put in a relation to God so inherently religious, if he will undertake it in that manner, that he is justified in passing his vow not to be in trade, or even for a day to stay in it, if he cannot have the enjoyment of God in it.
5. There are even special advantages in trade as regards the development of a Christian life, which do not occur as largely in any other employment. The transactions are many, crowding thick upon the shelves and counters all the day. The temptations, of course, are just as much more numerous as the transactions; and it must not be forgotten that the more tempted a man is, the more opportunities are given him to grow. Scarcely could he grow at all if none at all were put in his way.
6. There is also a considerable Christian advantage in the relation that subsists between the merchant and his customer. To be a customer signifies more or less of favour and confidence. The customer, in being such, commits himself in a large degree to the honour of the merchant, and then the merchant in turn accepts him naturally as a man who comes in expression of trust, and is fairly entitled to generosity.
7. Trade also furnishes occasions of beneficence to the poor, which are all the better to both parties, that they make no parade of charity, but may pass for a buying and selling between them It is trade on the one side, and trade on the other; only that on one side it is so near to the confines of beneficence that it consciously passes over. A more gentle, genial, and genuine influence on the man could hardly be devised.
8. It is yet another and very great moral advantage of trade, that it is just the calling in which a Christian man will best learn the uses of money. Hence it is going to be discovered, that the great problem we have now on hand, viz., the Christianizing of the money power of the world, depends for its principal hope on the trading class in society. Talent has been Christianized already on a large scale. The political power of states and kingdoms has been long assumed to be, and now at last really is, as far as it becomes their accepted office to maintain personal security and liberty. Architecture, arts, constitutions, schools, and learning have been largely Christianized. But the money power, which is one of the most operative and grandest of all, is only beginning to be; though with promising tokens of a finally complete reduction to Christ and the uses of His kingdom. Trade expanding into commerce, and commerce rising into communion, are to be the outline of the story. When the merchant seeking goodly pearls—all the merchant race—find the precious one they seek, and sell their all to buy it, they will make it theirs.—Bushnell.
—Luxury and extravagance.
1. Always go together.
2. Depreciate the true value of things.
3. Flourish on the oppression and distress of others.
4. Excite popular discontent.
5. End in disgrace and ruin.
1Ki_10:27. This strong hyperbole marks in the most striking way the great wealth and prosperity of the capital during Solomon’s reign. The lavish expenditure which impoverished the provinces, and produced, or helped to produce, the general discontent that led to the outbreak under Jeroboam, enriched the metropolis, which must have profited greatly by the residence of the court, the constant influx of opulent strangers, and the periodical visits of all Israelites, not hindered by some urgent reason, at the great festivals.—Speaker’s Comm.
1Ki_10:28. It is thought that the first people who used horses in war were the Egyptians; and it is well known that the nations who knew the use of this creature in battle had greatly the advantage of those who did not. God had absolutely prohibited horses to be imported or used; but, in many things, Solomon paid little attention to the Divine command.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary (gen. ed. Joseph S. Exell; Funk & Wagnalls, c. 1892) — public domain (pre-1929). A full-Bible homiletical/sermon-outline anthology covering 65 of 66 books (2 John is absent from the source module). Text from a community e-Sword module.
Paul E. Kretzmann 1924 · Public Domain On v14 Solomon’s Riches and Luxury
Solomon’s Riches and Luxury
v. 14. Now, the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year, from all sources, was six hundred threescore and six talents of gold, far over eleven million dollars, at the lowest estimate,
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v. 15. beside that he had of the merchantmen, the smaller itinerant merchants and peddlers, and of the traffic of the spice-merchants, the wealthy wholesalers, and of all the kings of Arabia, tributary kings of the smaller countries, and of the governors of the country, 1Ki 4:7-19.
v. 16. And King Solomon made two hundred targets, large square shields, of beaten gold, six hundred shekels of gold went to one target, the framework of the shields being covered with heavy gold-plates.
v. 17. And he made three hundred shields, those of the smaller size, with round or oval bodies, of beaten gold, in the same heavy gold-plating; three pound of gold went to one shield. And the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon, which served as his arsenal.
v. 18. Moreover, the king made a great throne of ivory, inlaid or decorated with carved pieces of this costly material, and overlaid it with the best gold.
v. 19. The throne had six steps, and the top of the throne was round behind, its back was bent back and rounded at the top; and there were stays on either side on the place of the seat, that is, arm-rests, and two lions stood beside the stays, very likely carved of wood overlaid with gold.
v. 20. And twelve lions stood there on the one side and on the other upon the six steps, two to each step, facing each other; there was not the like made in any kingdom. It was only in later ages that more costly thrones were produced.
v. 21. And all King Solomon’s drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold; none were of silver; it was nothing accounted of in the days of Solomon, it was very low in value on account of its great abundance.
v. 22. For the king had at sea a navy of Tharshish with the navy of Hiram, a number of ships on the Mediterranean which made regular trips to Spain, with its rich silver mines. Once in three years came the navy of Tharshish, bringing gold and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks, all these being gotten in Spain and in the African countries along the Mediterranean.
v. 23. So King Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth for riches and for wisdom; none of his contemporaries equaled him in this respect.
v. 24. And all the earth sought to Solomon, embassies from every part of the known world came to visit him, to hear his wisdom which God had put in his heart.
v. 25. And they, according to custom, brought every man his present, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and garments, beautiful and costly clothes, and armor, and spices, horses, and mules, a rate year by year, their respect for Solomon being so great that they made the giving of presents an annual custom.
v. 26. And Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen; and he had a thousand and four hundred chariots and twelve thousand horsemen, 1Ki 4:26. whom he bestowed in the cities for chariots and with the king at Jerusalem.
v. 27. And the king made silver to be in Jerusalem as stones, as abundant and therefore as little valued, and cedars made he to be as the sycamore-trees, the sycamore-figs, that are in the vale, for abundance; the most precious wood was as plentiful in Jerusalem as common building-timber.
v. 28. And Solomon had horses brought out of Egypt, which was noted for its fine horses, and linen yarn, literally, "a troop, a multitude"; the king’s merchants received the linen yarn at a price, every troop, or shipment, was delivered at a certain contracted price.
v. 29. And a chariot came up and went out of Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, that was the price of each one, and an horse for an hundred and fifty, almost one hundred dollars; and so for all the kings of the Hittites and for the kings of Syria, most of them tributary to Solomon, to whom the Egyptians also sold horses and chariots, did they bring them out by their means, literally, "through their hands," without middlemen, by direct sale and delivery. It seems that the horses were brought to a town on the boundary of Egypt and Palestine, and distributed from there to the various purchasers, among whom Solomon was the most prominent. Note: All the almost unbelievable wealth of Solomon is as nothing beside the heavenly, eternal glory which Christ gives to those who are in truth His servants.
Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv14, 16, 18, 21, 23 in one year
in one year
"each year." This refers to every year of Solomon's reign, and not to just one time.
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666 talents of gold
"six hundred sixty-six." A talent is a unit of weight equal to about 33 kilograms. AT: "almost 22,000 kilograms of gold" (See: Numbers and Biblical Weight)
translationWords
gold
Solomon
king
Arabia
govern
silver
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv14, 16, 18, 22 10:14-29 To further describe Solomon’s splendor, the writer builds…
10:14-29 To further describe Solomon’s splendor, the writer builds upon the details of the queen’s visit (10:1-13), describing Solomon’s wise use of wealth in his palace complex (10:14-21) and concluding with the far-reaching effects of Solomon’s wisdom in commercial arrangements (10:22-29).
10:14-15 about 25 tons: The large amount of gold came from Solomon’s various enterprises and taxes; he also levied tolls upon merchants and traders who passed through his kingdom.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.