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Selected Verse: 1 Kings 10:23 - Strong Concordance

Verse	Translation	Text
1Ki 10:23	Strong Concordance	So king [04428] Solomon [08010] exceeded [01431] all the kings [04428] of the earth [0776] for riches [06239] and for wisdom [02451].
	King James	So king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth for riches and for wisdom.

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Notes on the Bible, by Albert Barnes, [1834]
See the marginal references. By "all the earth" we are, of course, only to understand the kings or people of neighboring nations.

Notes on the Bible, by Albert Barnes, [1834]

See the marginal references. By "all the earth" we are, of course, only to understand the kings or people of neighboring nations.

Commentary on the Old Testament, by Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch [1857-78]
In Kg1 10:23-29 everything that had to be stated concerning the wealth, wisdom, and revenue of Solomon is summed up as conclusion (cf. Ch2 9:22-28 and Ch2 1:14-17). Kg1 10:23-25 Kg1 10:23, Kg1 10:24 point back to Kg1 5:9-14. ויּגדּל: Solomon became greater, not was greater, on account of the Vv consec. כּל־הארץ, all the world, corresponds to כּל־העמּים in Kg1 5:14. The foreigners out of all lands, who came on account of his wisdom, brought Solomon presents: gold and silver vessels, clothes (שׂלמות, court dresses, which are still customary presents in the East), נשׁק, armour, spices, horses and mules. Kg1 10:26-27 Kg1 10:26 is simply a repetition of Kg1 5:6 (compare also Kg1 9:19); and Kg1 10:27 is merely a further extension of Kg1 10:21. The words of Kg1 10:27, "Solomon made silver like stones in Jerusalem, and cedars like the sycamores in the lowland for abundance," are a hyperbolical description of his collection of enormous quantities of precious metals and costly wood. שׁקמים, sycomori, mulberry fig-trees, are very rare in Palestine in its present desolate state (see Rob. Pal. iii. 27), and are only met in any abundance in Egypt; but in ancient times they abounded in the lowlands of Palestine to such an extent, that they were used as common building wood (vid., Isa 9:9, on which Theodoret observes, τούτων (συκαμίνων) ἡ Παλαιστίνη πεπλήρωται). According to Ch1 27:28, the sycamore forests in the lowland of Judah were royal domains. Kg1 10:28-29 (cf. Ch2 1:16-17). "And (as for) the going out of horses from Egypt for Solomon, a company of king's merchants fetched (horses) for a definite price." This is the only possible explanation of the verse according to the Masoretic punctuation; but to obtain it, the first מקוה must be connected with סחרי in opposition to the accents, and the second must be pointed מקוה. This is the rendering adopted by Gesenius in his Thesaurus and Lexicon (ed. Dietr. s. v. מקוה). The meaning company or troop may certainly be justified from Gen 1:10; Exo 7:19, and Lev 11:36, where the word signifies an accumulation of water. Still there is something very strange not only in the application of the word both to a company of traders and also to a troop of horses, but also in the omission of סוּסים (horses) after the second מקוה. Hence the rendering of the lxx and Vulgate deserves attention, and may possibly be the one to be preferred (as Michaelis, Bertheau on Chron., and Movers assume). The translators of these versions have taken מקוה as the name of a place, ἐξ Ἐκουέ, or rather ἐκ Κουέ, de Coa. (Note: That Κουέ or Κωέ is the earliest reading of the lxx, and not the ἐκ Θεκουέ of the Cod. Vat. and Alex., is very evident from the statement which we find in the Onomast. of Eusebius (ed. Larsow et Parth. p. 260), Κώδ, πλησίον Αἰγύπτου; for which Jerome has Coa, quae est juxta Aegyptum, after the Vulgate.) According to this, the rendering would be: "And as for the going out of horses from Egypt and Koa (or Kawe) for Solomon, the king's traders fetched them from Joa (Kawe) for a fixed price." It is true that the situation of Koa cannot be more precisely defined; but there seems to be very little doubt that it was a place for the collection of customs upon the frontier of Egypt. Kg1 10:29 "And there came up and went out a chariot from Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for a hundred and fifty shekels; and so (in the same manner as for Solomon) they led them out for all the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Aram through their hand." מרכּבה, like רכב in Sa2 8:4; Sa2 10:18, and Eze 39:20, denotes a chariot with the team of horses belonging to it, possibly three horses (see at Kg1 5:6), not quadriga (Clericus and others), or two draught horses and two as a reserve (Thenius). For the inference, that if a horse cost 150 shekels, a team of four would be obtained for 600, is not quite a certain one, since the chariot itself would certainly not be given in. A hundred and fifty shekels are a little more than 130 thalers (19, 10s. - Tr.), and 600 would be 525 thalers (78, 15s.). These amounts are sufficient to show how untenable the opinion of Movers is, that the sums mentioned are not the prices paid for horses and chariots, but the payment made for their exit, or the customs duty. And his other opinion is quite equally erroneous, namely that the chariots and horses were state carriages and horses of luxury intended for the king. - The merchants are called the king's traders, not because a portion of their profits went into the royal treasury as the tax upon trade (Bertheau), nor as the brokers who bought for the king (Thenius), but because they carried on their trade for the king's account. בּידם cannot be adduced as evidence to the contrary; for linguists require no proof that this cannot mean "auf ihre Hand," as Thenius assumes. Bttcher's explanation is the right one, namely, "through their hand," inasmuch as they brought the horses and chariots themselves even to those kings who lived at a greater distance, without employing intermediate agents. The kings of the חתּים, the Hittites in the wider sense (= Canaanites, as in Jos 1:4; Kg2 7:6; Eze 16:3), and of Aram, were in part Solomon's vassals, since his rule extended over all the Canaanites with the exception of the Phoenicians, and over several kingdoms of Aram.

Commentary on the Old Testament, by Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch [1857-78]

In Kg1 10:23-29 everything that had to be stated concerning the wealth, wisdom, and revenue of Solomon is summed up as conclusion (cf. Ch2 9:22-28 and Ch2 1:14-17).

Kg1 10:23-25

Kg1 10:23, Kg1 10:24 point back to Kg1 5:9-14. ויּגדּל: Solomon became greater, not was greater, on account of the Vv consec. כּל־הארץ, all the world, corresponds to כּל־העמּים in Kg1 5:14. The foreigners out of all lands, who came on account of his wisdom, brought Solomon presents: gold and silver vessels, clothes (שׂלמות, court dresses, which are still customary presents in the East), נשׁק, armour, spices, horses and mules.

Kg1 10:26-27

Kg1 10:26 is simply a repetition of Kg1 5:6 (compare also Kg1 9:19); and Kg1 10:27 is merely a further extension of Kg1 10:21. The words of Kg1 10:27, "Solomon made silver like stones in Jerusalem, and cedars like the sycamores in the lowland for abundance," are a hyperbolical description of his collection of enormous quantities of precious metals and costly wood. שׁקמים, sycomori, mulberry fig-trees, are very rare in Palestine in its present desolate state (see Rob. Pal. iii. 27), and are only met in any abundance in Egypt; but in ancient times they abounded in the lowlands of Palestine to such an extent, that they were used as common building wood (vid., Isa 9:9, on which Theodoret observes, τούτων (συκαμίνων) ἡ Παλαιστίνη πεπλήρωται). According to Ch1 27:28, the sycamore forests in the lowland of Judah were royal domains.

Kg1 10:28-29

(cf. Ch2 1:16-17). "And (as for) the going out of horses from Egypt for Solomon, a company of king's merchants fetched (horses) for a definite price." This is the only possible explanation of the verse according to the Masoretic punctuation; but to obtain it, the first מקוה must be connected with סחרי in opposition to the accents, and the second must be pointed מקוה. This is the rendering adopted by Gesenius in his Thesaurus and Lexicon (ed. Dietr. s. v. מקוה). The meaning company or troop may certainly be justified from Gen 1:10; Exo 7:19, and Lev 11:36, where the word signifies an accumulation of water. Still there is something very strange not only in the application of the word both to a company of traders and also to a troop of horses, but also in the omission of סוּסים (horses) after the second מקוה. Hence the rendering of the lxx and Vulgate deserves attention, and may possibly be the one to be preferred (as Michaelis, Bertheau on Chron., and Movers assume). The translators of these versions have taken מקוה as the name of a place, ἐξ Ἐκουέ, or rather ἐκ Κουέ, de Coa.

(Note: That Κουέ or Κωέ is the earliest reading of the lxx, and not the ἐκ Θεκουέ of the Cod. Vat. and Alex., is very evident from the statement which we find in the Onomast. of Eusebius (ed. Larsow et Parth. p. 260), Κώδ, πλησίον Αἰγύπτου; for which Jerome has Coa, quae est juxta Aegyptum, after the Vulgate.)

According to this, the rendering would be: "And as for the going out of horses from Egypt and Koa (or Kawe) for Solomon, the king's traders fetched them from Joa (Kawe) for a fixed price." It is true that the situation of Koa cannot be more precisely defined; but there seems to be very little doubt that it was a place for the collection of customs upon the frontier of Egypt.

Kg1 10:29

"And there came up and went out a chariot from Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for a hundred and fifty shekels; and so (in the same manner as for Solomon) they led them out for all the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Aram through their hand." מרכּבה, like רכב in Sa2 8:4; Sa2 10:18, and Eze 39:20, denotes a chariot with the team of horses belonging to it, possibly three horses (see at Kg1 5:6), not quadriga (Clericus and others), or two draught horses and two as a reserve (Thenius). For the inference, that if a horse cost 150 shekels, a team of four would be obtained for 600, is not quite a certain one, since the chariot itself would certainly not be given in. A hundred and fifty shekels are a little more than 130 thalers (19, 10s. - Tr.), and 600 would be 525 thalers (78, 15s.). These amounts are sufficient to show how untenable the opinion of Movers is, that the sums mentioned are not the prices paid for horses and chariots, but the payment made for their exit, or the customs duty. And his other opinion is quite equally erroneous, namely that the chariots and horses were state carriages and horses of luxury intended for the king. - The merchants are called the king's traders, not because a portion of their profits went into the royal treasury as the tax upon trade (Bertheau), nor as the brokers who bought for the king (Thenius), but because they carried on their trade for the king's account. בּידם cannot be adduced as evidence to the contrary; for linguists require no proof that this cannot mean "auf ihre Hand," as Thenius assumes. Bttcher's explanation is the right one, namely, "through their hand," inasmuch as they brought the horses and chariots themselves even to those kings who lived at a greater distance, without employing intermediate agents. The kings of the חתּים, the Hittites in the wider sense (= Canaanites, as in Jos 1:4; Kg2 7:6; Eze 16:3), and of Aram, were in part Solomon's vassals, since his rule extended over all the Canaanites with the exception of the Phoenicians, and over several kingdoms of Aram.

Adam Clarke Commentary on the Whole Bible - Published 1810-1826
Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth for riches - Mr. Reynolds, stating the yearly tribute of Solomon, 666 talents of gold, at about four times as much as his father left him, hence reckons that he had 4,909, 371 8s. 8d. each year, 94,410 19s. 9 1/4d. per week, 13,487 5s. 8d. per day, taking each day, week, and year, one with another.

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³ And say [0559], Thus saith [0559] the Lord [0136] GOD [03069] unto Jerusalem [03389]; Thy birth [04351] and thy nativity [04138] is of the land [0776] of Canaan [03669]; thy father [01] was an Amorite [0567], and thy mother [0517] an Hittite [02850].

⁶ For the Lord [0136] had made the host [04264] of the Syrians [0758] to hear [08085] a noise [06963] of chariots [07393], and a noise [06963] of horses [05483], even the noise [06963] of a great [01419] host [02428]: and they said [0559] one [0376] to another [0251], Lo, the king [04428] of Israel [03478] hath hired [07936] against us the kings [04428] of the Hittites [02850], and the kings [04428] of the Egyptians [04714], to come [0935] upon us.

⁴ From the wilderness [04057] and this Lebanon [03844] even unto the great [01419] river [05104], the river [05104] Euphrates [06578], all the land [0776] of the Hittites [02850], and unto the great [01419] sea [03220] toward the going down [03996] of the sun [08121], shall be your coast [01366].

⁶ Now therefore command [06680] thou that they hew [03772] me cedar trees [0730] out of Lebanon [03844]; and my servants [05650] shall be with thy servants [05650]: and unto thee will I give [05414] hire [07939] for thy servants [05650] according to all that thou shalt appoint [0559]: for thou knowest [03045] that there is not among us any [0376] that can skill [03045] to hew [03772] timber [06086] like unto the Sidonians [06722].

²⁰ Thus ye shall be filled [07646] at my table [07979] with horses [05483] and chariots [07393], with mighty men [01368], and with all men [0376] of war [04421], saith [05002] the Lord [0136] GOD [03069].

¹⁸ And the Syrians [0758] fled [05127] before [06440] Israel [03478]; and David [01732] slew [02026] the men of seven [07651] hundred [03967] chariots [07393] of the Syrians [0758], and forty [0705] thousand [0505] horsemen [06571], and smote [05221] Shobach [07731] the captain [08269] of their host [06635], who died [04191] there.

⁴ And David [01732] took [03920] from him a thousand [0505] chariots, and seven [07651] hundred [03967] horsemen [06571], and twenty [06242] thousand [0505] footmen [0376] [07273]: and David [01732] houghed [06131] all the chariot [07393] horses, but reserved [03498] of them for an hundred [03967] chariots [07393].

²⁹ And a chariot [04818] came up [05927] and went out [03318] of Egypt [04714] for six [08337] hundred [03967] shekels of silver [03701], and an horse [05483] for an hundred [03967] and fifty [02572]: and so for all the kings [04428] of the Hittites [02850], and for the kings [04428] of Syria [0758], did they bring them out [03318] by their means [03027].

³⁶ Nevertheless a fountain [04599] or pit [0953], wherein there is plenty [04723] of water [04325], shall be clean [02889]: but that which toucheth [05060] their carcase [05038] shall be unclean [02930].

¹⁹ And the LORD [03068] spake [0559] unto Moses [04872], Say [0559] unto Aaron [0175], Take [03947] thy rod [04294], and stretch out [05186] thine hand [03027] upon the waters [04325] of Egypt [04714], upon their streams [05104], upon their rivers [02975], and upon their ponds [098], and upon all their pools [04723] of water [04325], that they may become blood [01818]; and that there may be blood [01818] throughout all the land [0776] of Egypt [04714], both in vessels of wood [06086], and in vessels of stone [068].

¹⁰ And God [0430] called [07121] the dry [03004] land Earth [0776]; and the gathering together [04723] of the waters [04325] called [07121] he Seas [03220]: and God [0430] saw [07200] that it was good [02896].

¹⁶ And Solomon [08010] had horses [05483] brought [04161] out of Egypt [04714], and linen yarn [04723]: the king's [04428] merchants [05503] received [03947] the linen yarn [04723] at a price [04242].
¹⁷ And they fetched up [05927], and brought forth [03318] out of Egypt [04714] a chariot [04818] for six [08337] hundred [03967] shekels of silver [03701], and an horse [05483] for an hundred [03967] and fifty [02572]: and so brought they out [03318] horses for all the kings [04428] of the Hittites [02850], and for the kings [04428] of Syria [0758], by their means [03027].

²⁸ And Solomon [08010] had horses [05483] brought [04161] out of Egypt [04714], and linen yarn [04723]: the king's [04428] merchants [05503] received [03947] the linen yarn [04723] at a price [04242].
²⁹ And a chariot [04818] came up [05927] and went out [03318] of Egypt [04714] for six [08337] hundred [03967] shekels of silver [03701], and an horse [05483] for an hundred [03967] and fifty [02572]: and so for all the kings [04428] of the Hittites [02850], and for the kings [04428] of Syria [0758], did they bring them out [03318] by their means [03027].

²⁸ And over the olive trees [02132] and the sycomore trees [08256] that were in the low plains [08219] was Baalhanan [01177] the Gederite [01451]: and over the cellars [0214] of oil [08081] was Joash [03135]:

⁹ And all the people [05971] shall know [03045], even Ephraim [0669] and the inhabitant [03427] of Samaria [08111], that say [0559] in the pride [01346] and stoutness [01433] of heart [03824],

²⁷ And the king [04428] made [05414] silver [03701] to be in Jerusalem [03389] as stones [068], and cedars [0730] made [05414] he to be as the sycomore trees [08256] that are in the vale [08219], for abundance [07230].

²¹ And all king [04428] Solomon's [08010] drinking [04945] vessels [03627] were of gold [02091], and all the vessels [03627] of the house [01004] of the forest [03293] of Lebanon [03844] were of pure [05462] gold [02091]; none were of silver [03701]: it was nothing [03972] accounted [02803] of in the days [03117] of Solomon [08010].

¹⁹ And all the cities [05892] of store [04543] that Solomon [08010] had, and cities [05892] for his chariots [07393], and cities [05892] for his horsemen [06571], and that [02837] which Solomon [08010] desired [02836] to build [01129] in Jerusalem [03389], and in Lebanon [03844], and in all the land [0776] of his dominion [04475].

²⁶ And Solomon [08010] gathered together [0622] chariots [07393] and horsemen [06571]: and he had a thousand [0505] and four [0702] hundred [03967] chariots [07393], and twelve [08147] [06240] thousand [0505] horsemen [06571], whom he bestowed [05148] in the cities [05892] for chariots [07393], and with the king [04428] at Jerusalem [03389].
²⁷ And the king [04428] made [05414] silver [03701] to be in Jerusalem [03389] as stones [068], and cedars [0730] made [05414] he to be as the sycomore trees [08256] that are in the vale [08219], for abundance [07230].

¹⁴ And he sent [07971] them to Lebanon [03844], ten [06235] thousand [0505] a month [02320] by courses [02487]: a month [02320] they were in Lebanon [03844], and two [08147] months [02320] at home [01004]: and Adoniram [0141] was over the levy [04522].

⁹ My servants [05650] shall bring them down [03381] from Lebanon [03844] unto the sea [03220]: and I will convey [07760] them by sea [03220] in floats [01702] unto the place [04725] that thou shalt appoint [07971] me, and will cause them to be discharged [05310] there, and thou shalt receive [05375] them: and thou shalt accomplish [06213] my desire [02656], in giving [05414] food [03899] for my household [01004].
¹⁰ So Hiram [02438] gave [05414] Solomon [08010] cedar [0730] trees [06086] and fir [01265] trees [06086] according to all his desire [02656].
¹¹ And Solomon [08010] gave [05414] Hiram [02438] twenty [06242] thousand [0505] measures [03734] of wheat [02406] for food [04361] to his household [01004], and twenty [06242] measures [03734] of pure [03795] oil [08081]: thus gave [05414] Solomon [08010] to Hiram [02438] year [08141] by year [08141].
¹² And the LORD [03068] gave [05414] Solomon [08010] wisdom [02451], as he promised [01696] him: and there was peace [07965] between Hiram [02438] and Solomon [08010]; and they two [08147] made [03772] a league [01285] together [08147].
¹³ And king [04428] Solomon [08010] raised [05927] a levy [04522] out of all Israel [03478]; and the levy [04522] was thirty [07970] thousand [0505] men [0376].
¹⁴ And he sent [07971] them to Lebanon [03844], ten [06235] thousand [0505] a month [02320] by courses [02487]: a month [02320] they were in Lebanon [03844], and two [08147] months [02320] at home [01004]: and Adoniram [0141] was over the levy [04522].

²⁴ And all the earth [0776] sought [01245] to [06440] Solomon [08010], to hear [08085] his wisdom [02451], which God [0430] had put [05414] in his heart [03820].

²³ So king [04428] Solomon [08010] exceeded [01431] all the kings [04428] of the earth [0776] for riches [06239] and for wisdom [02451].

¹⁴ And Solomon [08010] gathered [0622] chariots [07393] and horsemen [06571]: and he had a thousand [0505] and four [0702] hundred [03967] chariots [07393], and twelve [08147] [06240] thousand [0505] horsemen [06571], which he placed [03240] in the chariot [07393] cities [05892], and with the king [04428] at Jerusalem [03389].
¹⁵ And the king [04428] made [05414] silver [03701] and gold [02091] at Jerusalem [03389] as plenteous as stones [068], and cedar trees [0730] made [05414] he as the sycomore trees [08256] that are in the vale [08219] for abundance [07230].
¹⁶ And Solomon [08010] had horses [05483] brought [04161] out of Egypt [04714], and linen yarn [04723]: the king's [04428] merchants [05503] received [03947] the linen yarn [04723] at a price [04242].
¹⁷ And they fetched up [05927], and brought forth [03318] out of Egypt [04714] a chariot [04818] for six [08337] hundred [03967] shekels of silver [03701], and an horse [05483] for an hundred [03967] and fifty [02572]: and so brought they out [03318] horses for all the kings [04428] of the Hittites [02850], and for the kings [04428] of Syria [0758], by their means [03027].

²² And king [04428] Solomon [08010] passed [01431] all the kings [04428] of the earth [0776] in riches [06239] and wisdom [02451].
²³ And all the kings [04428] of the earth [0776] sought [01245] the presence [06440] of Solomon [08010], to hear [08085] his wisdom [02451], that God [0430] had put [05414] in his heart [03820].
²⁴ And they brought [0935] every man [0376] his present [04503], vessels [03627] of silver [03701], and vessels [03627] of gold [02091], and raiment [08008], harness [05402], and spices [01314], horses [05483], and mules [06505], a rate [01697] year [08141] by year [08141].
²⁵ And Solomon [08010] had four [0702] thousand [0505] stalls [0723] for horses [05483] and chariots [04818], and twelve [08147] [06240] thousand [0505] horsemen [06571]; whom he bestowed [03240] in the chariot [07393] cities [05892], and with the king [04428] at Jerusalem [03389].
²⁶ And he reigned [04910] over all the kings [04428] from the river [05104] even unto the land [0776] of the Philistines [06430], and to the border [01366] of Egypt [04714].
²⁷ And the king [04428] made [05414] silver [03701] in Jerusalem [03389] as stones [068], and cedar trees [0730] made [05414] he as the sycomore trees [08256] that are in the low plains [08219] in abundance [07230].
²⁸ And they brought [03318] unto Solomon [08010] horses [05483] out of Egypt [04714], and out of all lands [0776].

²³ So king [04428] Solomon [08010] exceeded [01431] all the kings [04428] of the earth [0776] for riches [06239] and for wisdom [02451].
²⁴ And all the earth [0776] sought [01245] to [06440] Solomon [08010], to hear [08085] his wisdom [02451], which God [0430] had put [05414] in his heart [03820].
²⁵ And they brought [0935] every man [0376] his present [04503], vessels [03627] of silver [03701], and vessels [03627] of gold [02091], and garments [08008], and armour [05402], and spices [01314], horses [05483], and mules [06505], a rate [01697] year [08141] by year [08141].
²⁶ And Solomon [08010] gathered together [0622] chariots [07393] and horsemen [06571]: and he had a thousand [0505] and four [0702] hundred [03967] chariots [07393], and twelve [08147] [06240] thousand [0505] horsemen [06571], whom he bestowed [05148] in the cities [05892] for chariots [07393], and with the king [04428] at Jerusalem [03389].
²⁷ And the king [04428] made [05414] silver [03701] to be in Jerusalem [03389] as stones [068], and cedars [0730] made [05414] he to be as the sycomore trees [08256] that are in the vale [08219], for abundance [07230].
²⁸ And Solomon [08010] had horses [05483] brought [04161] out of Egypt [04714], and linen yarn [04723]: the king's [04428] merchants [05503] received [03947] the linen yarn [04723] at a price [04242].
²⁹ And a chariot [04818] came up [05927] and went out [03318] of Egypt [04714] for six [08337] hundred [03967] shekels of silver [03701], and an horse [05483] for an hundred [03967] and fifty [02572]: and so for all the kings [04428] of the Hittites [02850], and for the kings [04428] of Syria [0758], did they bring them out [03318] by their means [03027].