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2 Chronicles Chapter Nine

 

2 Chronicles 9 Outline of Contents

The Queen of Sheba’s Praise of Solomon (v.1~12)

Solomon’s Great Wealth (v.13~28)

Death of Solomon (v.29~31)

New King James Version (NKJV)

 

INTRODUCTION TO 2 CHRONICLES 9

The ninth chapter is the same with 1 Kings 10:1 excepting 2 Chronicles 9:26, which agrees with 1 Kings 4:21, the same with 1 Kings 11:41, only in 2 Chronicles 9:29 it is more largely expressed that the acts of Solomon's reign were written in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer, against Jeroboam the son of Nebat; or rather "concerning Jeroboam", as the Septuagint and some other versionsF2, in which Iddo is called Joel; and by Theodoret said to be the same that prophesied of Jeroboam and his altar, See Gill on 1 Kings 13:1; the books mentioned are since lost.F2 צל περι Sept. de, Junius & Tremellias, Piscator.

 

2 Chronicles 9:1  Now when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to Jerusalem to test Solomon with hard questions, having a very great retinue, camels that bore spices, gold in abundance, and precious stones; and when she came to Solomon, she spoke with him about all that was in her heart.

   YLT  1And the queen of Sheba hath heard of the fame of Solomon, and cometh in to try Solomon with acute sayings, to Jerusalem, with a very great company, and camels bearing spices and gold in abundance, and precious stone; and she cometh in unto Solomon, and speaketh with him all that hath been with her heart,

Verses 1-31

See Chapter Introduction

 

2 Chronicles 9:2  2 So Solomon answered all her questions; there was nothing so difficult for Solomon that he could not explain it to her.

   YLT  2and Solomon declareth to her all her matters, and there hath not been hid a thing from Solomon that he hath not declared to her.

 

2 Chronicles 9:3  3 And when the queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built,

   YLT  3And the queen of Sheba seeth the wisdom of Solomon, and the house that he hath built,

 

2 Chronicles 9:4  4 the food on his table, the seating of his servants, the service of his waiters and their apparel, his cupbearers and their apparel, and his entryway by which he went up to the house of the Lord, there was no more spirit in her.

   YLT  4and the food of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the standing of his ministers, and their clothing, and his stewards, and their clothing, an his burnt-offering that he offered up in the house of Jehovah, and there hath not been any more spirit in her.

 

2 Chronicles 9:5  5 Then she said to the king: “It was a true report which I heard in my own land about your words and your wisdom.

   YLT  5And she saith unto the king, `True [is] the word that I heard in my land concerning thy matters and concerning thy wisdom,

 

2 Chronicles 9:6  6 However I did not believe their words until I came and saw with my own eyes; and indeed the half of the greatness of your wisdom was not told me. You exceed the fame of which I heard.

   YLT  6and I have given no credence to their words, till that I have come, and mine eyes see, and lo, there hath not been declared to me the half of the abundance of thy wisdom -- thou hast added unto the report that I heard.

 

2 Chronicles 9:7  7 Happy are your men and happy are these your servants, who stand continually before you and hear your wisdom!

   YLT  7`O the happiness of thy men, and the happiness of thy servants -- these -- who are standing before thee continually, and hearing thy wisdom.

 

2 Chronicles 9:8  8 Blessed be the Lord your God, who delighted in you, setting you on His throne to be king for the Lord your God! Because your God has loved Israel, to establish them forever, therefore He made you king over them, to do justice and righteousness.”

   YLT  8Let Jehovah thy God be blessed who hath delighted in thee, to put thee on His throne for king for Jehovah thy God; in the love of thy God to Israel, to establish it to the age, He hath put thee over them for king, to do judgment and righteousness.'

 

2 Chronicles 9:9  9 And she gave the king one hundred and twenty talents of gold, spices in great abundance, and precious stones; there never were any spices such as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

   YLT  9And she giveth to the king a hundred and twenty talents of gold, and spices in great abundance, and precious stone; and there hath not been any such spice as the queen of Sheba hath given to king Solomon.

 

2 Chronicles 9:10  10 Also, the servants of Hiram and the servants of Solomon, who brought gold from Ophir, brought algum[a] wood and precious stones.

   YLT  10And also, servants of Huram, and servants of Solomon, who brought in gold from Ophir, have brought in algum-trees and precious stone.

 

2 Chronicles 9:11  11 And the king made walkways of the algum[b] wood for the house of the Lord and for the king’s house, also harps and stringed instruments for singers; and there were none such as these seen before in the land of Judah.

   YLT  11And the king maketh the algum-trees staircases for the house of Jehovah, and for the house of the king, and harps and psalteries for singers; and there have been none seen like these before in the land of Judah.

 

2 Chronicles 9:12  12 Now King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all she desired, whatever she asked, much more than she had brought to the king. So she turned and went to her own country, she and her servants.

   YLT  12And king Solomon hath given to the queen of Sheba all her desire that she asked, apart from that which she had brought unto the king, and she turneth and goeth to her land, she and her servants.

 

2 Chronicles 9:13  13 The weight of gold that came to Solomon yearly was six hundred and sixty-six talents of gold,

   YLT  13And the weight of the gold that is coming to Solomon in one year is six hundred and sixty and six talents of gold,

 

2 Chronicles 9:14  14 besides what the traveling merchants and traders brought. And all the kings of Arabia and governors of the country brought gold and silver to Solomon.

   YLT  14apart from [what] the tourists, and the merchants, are bringing in; and all the kings of Arabia, and the governors of the land, are bringing in gold and silver to Solomon.

 

2 Chronicles 9:15  15 And King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred shekels of hammered gold went into each shield.

   YLT  15And king Solomon maketh two hundred targets of alloyed gold, six hundred [shekels] of alloyed gold he causeth to go up on the one target;

 

2 Chronicles 9:16  16 He also made three hundred shields of hammered gold; three hundred shekels[c] of gold went into each shield. The king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon.

   YLT  16and three hundred shields of alloyed gold, three hundred [shekels] of gold he causeth to go up on the one shield, and the king putteth them in the house of the forest of Lebanon.

 

2 Chronicles 9:17  17 Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with pure gold.

   YLT  17And the king maketh a great throne of ivory, and overlayeth it with pure gold;

 

2 Chronicles 9:18  18 The throne had six steps, with a footstool of gold, which were fastened to the throne; there were armrests on either side of the place of the seat, and two lions stood beside the armrests.

   YLT  18and six steps [are] to the throne, and a footstool of gold, to the throne they are fastened, and hands [are] on this [side] and on that on the place of the sitting, and two lions are standing near the hands,

 

2 Chronicles 9:19  19 Twelve lions stood there, one on each side of the six steps; nothing like this had been made for any other kingdom.

   YLT  19and twelve lions are standing there on the six steps on this [side], and on that: it hath not been made so for any kingdom.

 

2 Chronicles 9:20  20 All King Solomon’s drinking vessels were gold, and all the vessels of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. Not one was silver, for this was accounted as nothing in the days of Solomon.

   YLT  20And all the drinking vessels of king Solomon [are] of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon [are] of refined gold -- silver is not reckoned in the days of Solomon for anything;

 

2 Chronicles 9:21  21 For the king’s ships went to Tarshish with the servants of Hiram.[d] Once every three years the merchant ships[e] came, bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and monkeys.[f]

   YLT  21for ships of the king are going to Tarshish, with servants of Huram: once in three years come do the ships of Tarshish bearing gold, and silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.

 

2 Chronicles 9:22  22 So King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.

   YLT  22And king Solomon becometh greater than any of the kings of the earth for riches and wisdom;

 

2 Chronicles 9:23  23 And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart.

   YLT  23and all the kings of the earth are seeking the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom that God hath put in his heart,

 

2 Chronicles 9:24  24 Each man brought his present: articles of silver and gold, garments, armor, spices, horses, and mules, at a set rate year by year.

   YLT  24and they are bringing in each his present, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and garments, harness, and spices, horses, and mules, a rate year by year.

 

2 Chronicles 9:25  25 Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen whom he stationed in the chariot cities and with the king at Jerusalem.

   YLT  25And there are to Solomon four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, and he placed them in cities of the chariot, and with the king in Jerusalem.

 

2 Chronicles 9:26  26 So he reigned over all the kings from the River[g] to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt.

   YLT  26And he is ruling over all the kings from the River even unto the land of the Philistines, and unto the border of Egypt.

 

2 Chronicles 9:27  27 The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedar trees as abundant as the sycamores which are in the lowland.

   YLT  27And the king maketh the silver in Jerusalem as stones, and the cedars he hath made as sycamores, that [are] in the low country, for abundance,

 

2 Chronicles 9:28  28 And they brought horses to Solomon from Egypt and from all lands.

   YLT  28and they are bringing out horses from Egypt to Solomon, and from all the lands.

 

2 Chronicles 9:29  29 Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, first and last, are they not written in the book of Nathan the prophet, in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer concerning Jeroboam the son of Nebat?

   YLT  29And the rest of the matters of Solomon, the first and the last, are they not written beside the matters of Nathan the prophet, and beside the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and with the visions of Iddo the seer concerning Jeroboam son of Nebat?

 

2 Chronicles 9:30  30 Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years.

   YLT  30And Solomon reigneth in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years,

 

2 Chronicles 9:31  31 Then Solomon rested with his fathers, and was buried in the City of David his father. And Rehoboam his son reigned in his place.

   YLT  31and Solomon lieth with his fathers, and they bury him in the city of David his father, and reign doth Rehoboam his son in his stead.

 

──John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible

 

New King James Version (NKJV)

Footnotes:

  1. 2 Chronicles 9:10 Or almug (compare 1 Kings 10:11, 12)
  2. 2 Chronicles 9:11 Or almug (compare 1 Kings 10:11, 12)
  3. 2 Chronicles 9:16 Or three minas (compare 1 Kings 10:17)
  4. 2 Chronicles 9:21 Hebrew Huram (compare 1 Kings 10:22)
  5. 2 Chronicles 9:21 Literally ships of Tarshish (deep-sea vessels)
  6. 2 Chronicles 9:21 Or peacocks
  7. 2 Chronicles 9:26 That is, the Euphrates