Bible Commentaries

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

1 Kings 10

Clinging to a Counterfeit Cross
Introduction

1  The queen of Sheba admires the wisdom of Solomon.
14  Solomon's gold.
16  His targets.
18  The throne of ivory.
21  His vessels.
24  His presents.
26  His chariots and horse.
28  His tribute.
Verse 1

And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to prove him with hard questions.
A. M. 3014. B.C. 990. And when
2 Chronicles 9:1-12, Matthew 12:42, Luke 11:31
Sheba
Genesis 10:7,28, 25:3, Job 6:19, Psalms 72:10,15, Isaiah 60:6, Jeremiah 6:20, Ezekiel 27:22,23, 38:13
heard
4:31,34
concerning
Job 28:28, Proverbs 2:3-6, John 17:3, 1 Corinthians 1:20,21
prove him
Judges 14:12-14, Psalms 49:4, Proverbs 1:5,6, Matthew 13:11,35, Mark 4:34
Verse 2

And she came to Jerusalem with a very great train, with camels that bare spices, and very much gold, and precious stones: and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart.
a very great train
2 Kings 5:5,9, Isaiah 60:6-9, Acts 25:23
spices
Exodus 25:6, 2 Kings 20:13
communed
Genesis 18:33, Job 4:2, Psalms 4:4, Luke 24:15
Verse 3

And Solomon told her all her questions: there was not any thing hid from the king, which he told her not.
told her
2 Chronicles 9:2, Proverbs 1:5,6, 13:20, Isaiah 42:16, Matthew 13:11, John 7:17, 1 Corinthians 1:30, Colossians 2:3
questions
Heb. words. hid from the king.
1, 3:12, 2 Samuel 14:17,20, Daniel 2:20-23, Hebrews 4:12,13
Verse 4

And when the queen of Sheba had seen all Solomon's wisdom, and the house that he had built,
Solomon's
3:28, 4:29-31, 2 Chronicles 9:3,4, Ecclesiastes 12:9, Matthew 12:42
the house
6:1-7
Verse 5

And the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel, and his cupbearers, and his ascent by which he went up unto the house of the LORD; there was no more spirit in her.
the meat
4:22,23
attendance
Heb. standing. cup-bearers. or, butlers. ascent. The original weölatho asher yaäleh baith yehowah, is rendered by the LXX. and Vulgate, [kai ten olokowtosin autou en anepheren en oiko Kuriou;] et holocausta, quæ offerebat in domo Domini, "And the burnt offerings (or holocausts) which he offered in the house of the Lord;" with which the Chaldee, Syriac, and Arabic agree; and so also Luther, llnd feine Brandopfer, bie er in bem Daufe bes Derrn opferte; and this seems to be the true sense of the passage.
2 Kings 16:18, 1 Chronicles 9:18, 26:16, 2 Chronicles 23:13, Ezekiel 44:3, 46:2
there was no
Joshua 5:1, 2 Chronicles 9:4
Verse 6

And she said to the king, It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom.
report
Heb. word.
2 Chronicles 9:5,6; *marg,
acts
or, sayings.
Verse 7

Howbeit I believed not the words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the half was not told me: thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the fame which I heard.
I believed
Isaiah 64:4, Zechariah 9:17, Mark 16:11, John 20:25-29, 1 Corinthians 2:9, 1 John 3:2
thy wisdom and prosperity exceeded the fame
Heb. thou hast added wisdom and goodness to the fame.
Verse 8

Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and that hear thy wisdom.
happy are these
2 Chronicles 9:7,8, Proverbs 3:13,14, 8:34, 10:21, 13:20, Luke 10:39-42, 11:28,31
Verse 9

Blessed be the LORD thy God, which delighted in thee, to set thee on the throne of Israel: because the LORD loved Israel for ever, therefore made he thee king, to do judgment and justice.
Blessed
5:7, Psalms 72:17-19
delighteth
Psalms 18:19, 22:8, Isaiah 42:1, 62:4
because the
Deuteronomy 7:8, 1 Chronicles 17:22, 2 Chronicles 2:11
to do
2 Samuel 8:15, 23:3, Psalms 72:2, Proverbs 8:15,16, Isaiah 9:7, 11:4,5, 32:1,2, Jeremiah 23:5,6, Romans 13:3,4
Verse 10

And she gave the king an hundred and twenty talents of gold, and of spices very great store, and precious stones: there came no more such abundance of spices as these which the queen of Sheba gave to king Solomon.
she gave
2, 9:14, Psalms 72:10,15, Matthew 2:11
an hundred
According to Mr. Reynolds, equal to 843,905£ 10s. 4d. sterling.
spices
Genesis 43:11, Exodus 30:34
and precious
Proverbs 3:13-15, 20:15, Revelation 21:11
Verse 11

And the navy also of Hiram, that brought gold from Ophir, brought in from Ophir great plenty of almug trees, and precious stones.
from Ophir
9:27,28, 2 Chronicles 8:18, Psalms 45:9
almug
2 Chronicles 2:8, 9:10,11
algum trees
Verse 12

And the king made of the almug trees pillars for the house of the LORD, and for the king's house, harps also and psalteries for singers: there came no such almug trees, nor were seen unto this day.
pillars
or, rails. Heb. a prop. harps.
1 Chronicles 23:5, 25:1-31, Psalms 92:1-3, 150:3-5, Revelation 14:2,3
Verse 13

And king Solomon gave unto the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatsoever she asked, beside that which Solomon gave her of his royal bounty. So she turned and went to her own country, she and her servants.
all her desire
2, 9:1, Psalms 20:4, 37:4, Matthew 15:28, John 14:13,14, Ephesians 3:20
which Solomon gave her of his royal bounty
Heb. which he gave her, according to the hand of king Solomon.
Verse 14

Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred threescore and six talents of gold,
A. M. 2989-3029. B.C. 1015-975. was six hundred. Equal to 4,683,675£ 12s. 8d. sterling; which was what he got annually in bullion
See on ch
9:28
Verse 15

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.
all the kings
1 Chronicles 9:24, 2 Chronicles 9:13,14, Psalms 72:10, Isaiah 21:13, Galatians 4:25
governors
or, captains.
Verse 16

And king Solomon made two hundred targets of beaten gold: six hundred shekels of gold went to one target.
two hundred
Mr. Reynolds computes that these 200 targets were worth 28,131£ 16s. 9d.; and that the 300 shields were worth 210,976£ 7s. 7d.
14:26-28, 2 Chronicles 9:15,16, 12:9,10
Verse 17

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.
in the house
7:2
Verse 18

Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with the best gold.
a great throne
2 Chronicles 9:17-19, Psalms 45:6, 110:1, 122:5, Hebrews 1:3,8, Revelation 20:11
ivory
22, 22:39, Psalms 45:8, Ezekiel 27:6, Amos 6:4, Revelation 18:12
Verse 19

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.
behind
Heb. on the hinder part thereof. stays. Heb. hands.
Verse 20

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.
lions
Genesis 49:9, Numbers 23:24, 24:9, Revelation 5:5
the like made
Heb. so made.
Verse 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.
drinking
2 Chronicles 9:20-22
the house
17, 7:2
none were of silver
or, there was no silver in them.
Verse 22

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.
Tharshish
22:48, Genesis 10:4, 2 Chronicles 9:21, 20:36,37, Psalms 48:7, 72:10, Isaiah 2:16, Isaiah 23:1,6,10, 60:9, 66:19, Ezekiel 27:12, Jonah 1:3
Tarshish
ivory. or, elephant's teeth.
18, Amos 3:15
apes
Kophim, rather monkeys, the same as the Syriac [qwp'] Greek [kephos] [kepos] or [kebos] and Roman Cephus, which animal both Pliny and Solinus inform us was brought from Ethiopia. The same name appears in the monkeys, called KEIIIEN in the Prænestine Pavement, and in the French cep or ceb.
peacocks
Job 39:13
Verse 23

So king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth for riches and for wisdom.
exceeded
Mr. Reynolds, stating Solomon's income at about four times as much as his father left him, reckons that he had each year 142,242,034£. 9s. 7d., each week 2,735,423£ 14s. 9d., and each day, 390,770£ 16s. 4d.
3:12,13, 4:29-34, 2 Chronicles 9:22,23, Psalms 89:27, Ephesians 3:8, Colossians 1:18,19, Colossians 2:2,3
Verse 24

And all the earth sought to Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart.
to
Heb. the face of. which God.
3:9,12,28, Proverbs 2:6, Daniel 1:17, 2:21,23, 5:11, James 1:5
Verse 25

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.
every man
10, Judges 3:15, 1 Samuel 10:27, 2 Samuel 8:2,10, 2 Chronicles 26:8, Job 42:11, Psalms 72:10,15, Isaiah 36:16, Matthew 2:11
and mules
1:33, 18:5, Genesis 36:24, Ezra 2:66, Esther 8:10,14, Isaiah 66:20, Ezekiel 27:14
a rate
2 Kings 17:4, 2 Chronicles 9:24
Verse 26

And Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen: 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.
Solomon
4:26, Deuteronomy 17:16, 2 Chronicles 1:14, 9:25, Isaiah 2:7
in the cities
2 Chronicles 9:25
Verse 27

And the king made silver to be in Jerusalem as stones, and cedars made he to be as the sycomore trees that are in the vale, for abundance.
the king
2 Chronicles 1:15-17, 9:27, Job 22:24,25
made
Heb. gave.
Verse 28

And Solomon had horses brought out of Egypt, and linen yarn: the king's merchants received the linen yarn at a price.
Solomon, etc
Heb. the going forth of the horses which was Solomon's. horse brought.
Deuteronomy 17:16, 2 Chronicles 1:16,17, 9:28, Isaiah 31:1-3, 36:9
and linen yarn
Genesis 41:42, Proverbs 7:16, Isaiah 19:9, Ezekiel 27:7
Verse 29

And 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.
for six hundred
This was the ordinary price of a chariot, as 150 shekels was that of a horse. It seems that neither horses nor chariots came out of Egypt but by means of Solomon's servants.
the kings
Joshua 1:4, 2 Kings 7:6
their means
Heb. their hand.
Hosea 12:10, Malachi 1:1

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