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1 Kings Chapter
Four
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO 1 KINGS 4
As
in the preceding chapter we have a proof of the wisdom and understanding which
the Lord gave to Solomon, as promised, so in this an account is given of the
riches and honour he was possessed of; of him, as king over all Israel, and of
his princes, 1 Kings 4:1; of the
providers of food for his household in the several parts of the land, 1 Kings 4:7; of the
largeness and extent of his dominions, and of the peace and prosperity thereof,
1 Kings 4:20; of
his daily provisions for his household and for his cattle, 1 Kings 4:22; and
of his superior wisdom and knowledge to all others in all nations, which
brought some out of all to hear it, 1 Kings 4:29.
1 Kings 4:1 So
King Solomon was king over all Israel.
YLT
1And king Solomon is king
over all Israel,
So King Solomon was king over all Israel. As David his
father was not at first, only over Judah, and as Solomon's successors were not,
after the division of the kingdom under his son Rehoboam; though this seems to
have a particular respect to what is related in the preceding chapter
concerning the wisdom of Solomon, for which he was so famous, that he reigned
by the consent of all, and in the hearts of all the people of Israel.
1 Kings 4:2 2 And these were his
officials: Azariah the son of Zadok, the priest;
YLT
2and these [are] the heads
whom he hath: Azariah son of Zadok [is] the priest;
And these were the princes which he had,.... That were
in office about him, in the highest posts of honour and trust:
Azariah the son of Zadok the priest: or rather his grandson,
since Ahimaaz was the son of Zadok, and Azariah the son of Ahimaaz, 1 Chronicles 6:8;
though another Zadok may be meant, and his son not a priest but a prince, as
the word may be rendered, and was Solomon's prime minister of state, and the
rather, since he is mentioned first.
1 Kings 4:3 3 Elihoreph and Ahijah, the
sons of Shisha, scribes; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud, the recorder;
YLT
3Elihoreph and Ahiah sons of
Shisha [are] scribes; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud [is] remembrancer;
Elihoreph and Ahiah, the sons of Shisha, scribes,.... Their
father Shisha, the same with Sheva, was scribe only in David's time; and he
being dead very probably, both his sons were continued in the office as
secretaries of state, Solomon having more business for such an office, see 2 Samuel 20:25;
Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud, the recorder; who was in
the same office in the times of David, and now held it under Solomon, 2 Samuel 8:16.
1 Kings 4:4 4 Benaiah the son of
Jehoiada, over the army; Zadok and Abiathar, the priests;
YLT
4and Benaiah son of Jehoiada
[is] over the host; and Zadok and Abiathar [are] priests;
And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the host,.... General
of the army in the room of Joab, 1 Kings 2:35;
and Zadok and Abiathar were the priests; so they were
when Solomon came to the throne; but Abiathar was deposed by him after some
time, though he might retain the name afterwards, and be employed, as Ben
Gersom thinks, in case of necessity, in the room of Zadok, or, however, be
employed as a common priest at Jerusalem, upon a reconciliation with Solomon;
though Kimchi thinks another Abiathar is meant, which is not so likely.
1 Kings 4:5 5 Azariah the son of Nathan,
over the officers; Zabud the son of Nathan, a priest and the king’s
friend;
YLT
5and Azariah son of Nathan
[is] over the officers; and Zabud son of Nathan [is] minister, friend of the
king;
And Azariah the son of Nathan was over the officers,.... The
twelve officers who provided food for Solomon's household after mentioned:
and Zabud the son of Nathan; another of the sons of
Nathan the prophet: for he being a principal instrument of settling Solomon on
the throne, had interest enough to promote his sons to the chief places of
honour and trust: and this here
was principal officer, and
the king's friend; a chief minister about him, very intimate with him, that kept
him company, privately conversed with him, was in his secrets, and admitted to
great privacy and nearness to him.
1 Kings 4:6 6 Ahishar, over the
household; and Adoniram the son of Abda, over the labor force.
YLT
6And Ahishar [is] over the
household, and Adoniram son of Abda [is] over the tribute.
And Abiathar was over the household,.... Steward
of the household:
and Adoniram the son of Abda was over the tribute, over those
that collected the tribute, as the Targum, whether from the people of Israel or
other nations, or both; this man was in the same post in David's time, 2 Samuel 20:24.
1 Kings 4:7 7 And Solomon had twelve
governors over all Israel, who provided food for the king and his household;
each one made provision for one month of the year.
YLT
7And Solomon hath twelve
officers over all Israel, and they have sustained the king and his household --
a month in the year is on each one for sustenance;
And Solomon had twelve officers over all Israel,.... Not with
respect to the twelve tribes of Israel, for it does not appear that they had
each of them a tribe under them, but some particular places in a tribe; but
with respect to the twelve months of the year, in which each took his turn:
which provided victuals for the king and his household: each man
his month in a year made provision; furnished food of all
sorts out of the country in which they presided for the space of one month in a
year; by which means there was always a plenty of provisions at court for the
king's family, and for all strangers that came and went, and no one part of the
land was burdened or drained, nor the price of provisions raised; these seem to
be the twelve "phylarchi", or governors of tribes, EupolemusF18Apud
Euseb. Praepar. Evangel. l. 9. c. 30. , an Heathen writer, speaks of, before
whom, and the high priest, David delivered the kingdom to Solomon; though in
that he was mistaken, that they were in being then, since these were officers
of Solomon's creating.
1 Kings 4:8 8 These are their
names: Ben-Hur,[a] in the
mountains of Ephraim;
YLT
8and these [are] their
names: Ben-Hur in the hill-country of Ephraim;
And these are their names,.... Or rather the names
of their fathers; for of many of them not their own names but their fathers'
names are given, as being well known:
the son of Hur, in Mount Ephraim; a fruitful country in
the tribe of Ephraim, from whence this officer was to furnish the king with
provisions for one month in the year.
1 Kings 4:9 9 Ben-Deker,[b] in Makaz,
Shaalbim, Beth Shemesh, and Elon Beth Hanan;
YLT
9Ben-Dekar in Makaz, and
Shaalbim, and Beth-Shemesh, and Elon-Beth-Hanan.
The son of Dekar in Makaz,.... A place in the tribe
of Dan, on the borders of it:
and in Shaalbim, and Bethshemesh, and Elonbethhanan; all in the
same tribe, see Joshua 19:41.
1 Kings 4:10 10 Ben-Hesed,[c] in
Arubboth; to him belonged Sochoh and all the land of Hepher;
YLT
10Ben-Hesed [is] in Aruboth,
hath Sochoh and all the land of Hepher;
The son of Hesed in Aruboth,.... Which seems to have
been in the tribe of Judah by the places that follow:
to him pertained Sochoh; there were two places of
this name in that tribe, Joshua 15:35;
and all the land of Hepher: there was an Hepher in
the land of Canaan, which was a royal city in the times of the Canaanites, Joshua 12:17; and
there was an Hepher, the name of a man, a descendant of Judah, to whom, very
probably, this land belonged, 1 Chronicles 4:6;
unless it can be thought to be the portion of land given to the daughters of
Hepher, Joshua 17:3.
1 Kings 4:11 11 Ben-Abinadab,[d] in
all the regions of Dor; he had Taphath the daughter of Solomon as wife;
YLT
11Ben-Abinadab [hath] all the
elevation of Dor, Taphath daughter of Solomon became his wife.
The son of Abinadab in all the region of Dor,.... The same
with Dor and her towns, belonged to the half tribe of Manasseh, on this side
Jordan, Joshua 17:11;
which had Taphath the daughter of Solomon to wife; not when he
was first put into this office, when, in all probability, Solomon had not a
daughter marriageable; but behaving well in it, in process of time he bestowed
a daughter of his on him.
1 Kings 4:12 12 Baana the son of Ahilud, in
Taanach, Megiddo, and all Beth Shean, which is beside Zaretan below
Jezreel, from Beth Shean to Abel Meholah, as far as the other side of Jokneam;
YLT
12Baana Ben-Ahilud [hath]
Taanach and Megiddo, and all Beth-Shean, which [is] by Zartanah beneath
Jezreel, from Beth-Shean unto Abel-Meholah, unto beyond Jokneam.
Baana the son of Ahilud, to him pertained Taanach and
Megiddo, and all Bethshean,.... All which were places in the tribe of
Manasseh, Joshua 17:11;
which is by Zartanah beneath Jezreel; so described,
to distinguish it, as is thought, from Zaretan in Joshua 3:16; and
the country this officer presided over reached also
from Bethshean to Abelmeholah, even unto the place that
is beyond Jokneam; the two first of these were in the tribe of Manasseh, and the
last in the tribe of Zebulun, Joshua 19:11.
1 Kings 4:13 13 Ben-Geber,[e] in Ramoth
Gilead; to him belonged the towns of Jair the son of Manasseh, in
Gilead; to him also belonged the region of Argob in Bashan—sixty large
cities with walls and bronze gate-bars;
YLT
13Ben-Geber, in
Ramoth-Gilead, hath the small towns of Jair son of Manasseh, which [are] in
Gilead; he hath a portion of Argob that [is] in Bashan, sixty great cities
[with] wall and brazen bar.
The son of Geber in Ramothgilead,.... A city in the tribe
of Gad, and was a city of refuge, Joshua 20:8;
to him pertained the towns of Jair the son of Manasseh,
which are in Gilead; of which see Numbers 32:41;
to him also pertained the region of Argob, which is
in Bashan,
threescore great cities with walls, and brasen bars; called by
JosephusF19Antiqu. l. 13. c. 15. sect. 5. Ragaba, beyond Jordan; See
Gill on Deuteronomy 3:4.
1 Kings 4:14 14 Ahinadab the son of Iddo, in
Mahanaim;
YLT
14Ahinadab son of Iddo [hath]
Mahanaim.
Ahinadab the son of Iddo had Mahanaim. Another city
on the other side Jordan, where both Ishbosheth and David sometimes dwelt, 2 Samuel 2:8; this
and the places adjacent must be very fruitful, since this officer was to furnish
the king with provisions for a month once a year from hence,
1 Kings 4:15 15 Ahimaaz, in Naphtali; he
also took Basemath the daughter of Solomon as wife;
YLT
15Ahimaaz [is] in Naphtali;
he also hath taken Basemath daughter of Solomon for a wife.
Ahimaaz was in Naphtali,.... Out of that tribe he
made a monthly provision annually:
he also took Basmath the daughter of Solomon to wife; another
daughter of Solomon's, in course of time; See Gill on 1 Kings 4:11.
1 Kings 4:16 16 Baanah the son of Hushai,
in Asher and Aloth;
YLT
16Baanah Ben-Hushai [is] in
Asher, and in Aloth.
Baanah the son of Hushai was in Asher,.... In the
tribe of Asher; a very plentiful tribe, particularly for oil; this officer was
perhaps the son of Hushai, the Archite, David's friend, and, it may be,
promoted for his sake:
and in Aloth; which signifies ascensions, mountains went
upon by steps; near to this place was an high mountain, called the ladder of
TyreF20Vid. Joseph. de Bello Jud. l. 2. c. 10. sect. 2. ; perhaps
that and the parts adjacent may be meant here.
1 Kings 4:17 17 Jehoshaphat the son of
Paruah, in Issachar;
YLT
17Jehoshaphat Ben-Paruah [is]
in Issachar.
Jehoshaphat the son of Paruah in Issachar. In the tribe
of Issachar; he had the whole tribe at his command to make a monthly provision
out of for the king once a year, as had the preceding officer and the following
one.
1 Kings 4:18 18 Shimei the son of Elah, in
Benjamin;
YLT
18Shimei Ben-Elah [is] in
Benjamin.
Shimei the son of Elah in Benjamin. So described, to
distinguish him from that Shimei that cursed David, who was of the same tribe;
See Gill on 2 Samuel 16:5.
1 Kings 4:19 19 Geber the son of Uri, in
the land of Gilead, in the country of Sihon king of the Amorites, and of
Og king of Bashan. He was the only governor who was in the land.
YLT
19Geber Ben-Uri [is] in the
land of Gilead, the land of Sihon king of the Amorite, and of Og king of
Bashan: and one officer who [is] in the land.
Geber the son of Uri was in the country of Gilead,.... Which was
beyond Jordan, and inhabited by the tribes of Reuben and Gad and the half tribe
of Manasseh; this must be understood of all the country, excepting what was
under the jurisdiction of the son of Geber, 1 Kings 4:13; and
which had been
the country of Sihon king of the Amorites, and of Og king of
Bashan; until it was taken from them by Moses, Numbers 21:25;
and he was the only officer which was in the land; which is not
true of Geber; for there was another officer in the land of Gilead besides him,
the son of Geber before observed, unless it should be rendered "in that
land", in that part of the land he had; but then the same might have been
observed of all the rest of the officers: the words may be rendered best,
"and there was one officer in the land"; which some understand of one
officer over all the rest, Azariah the son of Nathan, 1 Kings 4:5; but it
seems best what other Jewish writers sayF21T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol.
12. 1. , that this was another officer appointed for the intercalated month;
when there were thirteen months in the year, there was an officer in the land
fixed for that month to make provision out of the land; perhaps any where,
where he pleased, being not limited to any certain place. These twelve
providers for Solomon's family were emblems of the twelve apostles of Christ,
appointed to provide food for his family, the church; and if you add to them
the Apostle Paul, it will make thirteen, as this officer did.
1 Kings 4:20 20 Judah and Israel were
as numerous as the sand by the sea in multitude, eating and drinking and
rejoicing.
YLT
20Judah and Israel [are]
many, as the sand that [is] by the sea for multitude, eating and drinking and
rejoicing.
Judah and Israel were many, as the sand which is by
the sea in multitude,.... Being blessed with great fruitfulness in their families, and
having no pestilential disease among them, nor wars to lessen their number, and
so the promise to Abraham was fulfilled, Genesis 22:17; and
which was an emblem of Christ's spiritual subjects, especially in the latter
day, whom Solomon was a type of, see Hosea 1:10;
eating, and drinking, and making merry; having a
large increase of the fruits of the earth, and in no fear of any enemies;
expressive of the spiritual joy of believers in the kingdom of Christ, and
under the word and ordinances, Song of Solomon 2:3.
1 Kings 4:21 21 So Solomon reigned over
all kingdoms from the River[f] to
the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. They brought
tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.
YLT
21And Solomon hath been
ruling over all the kingdoms, from the River [to] the land of the Philistines
and unto the border of Egypt: they are bringing nigh a present, and serving
Solomon, all days of his life.
And Solomon reigned over all kingdoms,.... Not only
over Judah and Israel, but all people round about him, they standing in fear of
him; or who brought him presents, or paid tribute to him, which was an
acknowledgment of superiority over them, and doing homage to him:
from the river unto the land of the Philistines, and unto the
border of Egypt; that is, from the river Euphrates, as the Targum, which was the
border of his proper domains to the east, to Palestine, inhabited by the
Philistines, which lay to the west, and as far as the border of Egypt, which
was the southern boundary; a like and larger extent of Christ's kingdom is
given, Psalm 72:8;
and they brought presents, and served Solomon all the days of his
life; this explains in what sense other kingdoms besides were ruled by
Solomon, and subject to him; of Christ his antitype, see Psalm 72:10.
1 Kings 4:22 22 Now Solomon’s provision
for one day was thirty kors of fine flour, sixty kors of meal,
YLT
22And the provision of
Solomon for one day is thirty cors of flour, and sixty cors of meal;
And Solomon's provision for one day was thirty measures of fine
flour,.... The measure here used was the "corus", or
"cor", the same with the homer, which was equal to ten ephahs, and,
according to Bishop CumberlandF23Scripture Weights and Measures, ch.
3. p. 86. , held seventy five wine gallons and five pints, and somewhat more;
by which may be known how many gallons of fine flour these thirty measures
held, which were all consumed in one day:
and threescore measures of meal: sixty measures of a
coarser sort, for the servants, not so finely dressed; the same measure is here
used as before; and it is observed by some, that one cor is equivalent to six
hundred forty eight Roman pounds, and allowing to one man two pounds a day for
his food, there would be food enough for 29,160 men out of 90 times 648, or
58,320 poundsF24Vid. Scheuchzer. Physic. Sacr. p. 516. . Others
exaggerate the account; Vilalpandus says it would have sufficed 48,600 persons;
Seth Calvisius 54,000, and Salianus 70,000F25Vid. Witsii Miscellan.
tom. 2. exercit. 10. sect. 26. ; the Jews sayF26Shalshalet Hakabala,
fol. 8. 2. that he had 60,000 that ate at his table; that is, who were
maintained at his court.
1 Kings 4:23 23 ten fatted oxen, twenty
oxen from the pastures, and one hundred sheep, besides deer, gazelles,
roebucks, and fatted fowl.
YLT
23ten fat oxen, and twenty
feeding oxen, and a hundred sheep, apart from hart, and roe, and fallow-deer,
and fatted beasts of the stalls,
Ten fat oxen,.... Such as were kept up in the stall and
fatted:
and twenty oxen out of the pastures; which were killed as
they were taken from thence, and not put up to be fed:
and an hundred sheep; out of the folds:
beside harts, and roebucks, and fallow deer; which were
clean creatures, according to the Levitical law, Deuteronomy 14:5;
these were hunted in fields, or taken out of the park, or were presents from
other countries; so that here was plenty of beef, mutton, and venison: for the
spiritual application of this to the antitypical Solomon, and his provisions,
see Matthew 22:4;
and fatted fowl; such as we call caponsF1So David
de Pomis, Tzemach David, fol. 12. 3. and some in Kimchi in loc. ; some Jewish
writersF2Baal Aruch & R. Elias Levit. Tishbi, in voce ברבר. , because of the likeness of sound in the word here
used, take them to be Barbary fowls, or such as were brought from that country:
there is a sort of birds called βαρβαροι,
which were without a voice, that neither heard men, nor knew their voiceF3Scholia
in Aristoph. Aves, p. 550. .
1 Kings 4:24 24 For he had dominion over
all the region on this side of the River[g] from
Tiphsah even to Gaza, namely over all the kings on this side of the River; and
he had peace on every side all around him.
YLT
24for he is ruling over all
beyond the river, from Tiphsah and unto Gaza, over all the kings beyond the
river, and he hath peace from all his servants round about.
For he had dominion over all the region on this side the
river,.... Or beyond the river Euphrates, in the sense before given, 1 Kings 4:21; which
accounts for the plenty of provisions he had, and the revenue with which he
supported such a table he kept:
from Tiphsah even to Azzah; or Gaza, one of the five
principalities of the Philistines. Tiphsah is thought to be the Thapsacus of
PlinyF4Nat. Hist. l. 5. c. 24. which both he and PtolemyF5Geograph.
l. 5. c. 19. place near the river Euphrates, since called Amphipolis; the
former places it in Syria, the latter in Arabia Deserta; and which StraboF6Geograph.
l. 16. p. 514. , from Eratosthenes, describes as 4800 furlongs or six hundred
miles from Babylon, and from the place where Mesopotamia begins not less than
two thousand furlongs or two hundred and fifty miles:
over all the kings on this side the river; the river
Euphrates, or beyond it, in the sense before explained, as the kings of Syria,
Arabia, &c.
and he had peace on all sides round about him; in which he
was a type of Christ, the Prince of peace.
1 Kings 4:25 25 And Judah and Israel dwelt
safely, each man under his vine and his fig tree, from Dan as far as Beersheba,
all the days of Solomon.
YLT
25And Judah dwelleth -- and
Israel -- in confidence, each under his vine, and under his fig-tree, from Dan
even unto Beer-Sheba, all the days of Solomon.
And Judah and Israel dwelt safely,.... Without fear of any
injury done to their persons or properties by any enemy; which is, and will be,
more abundantly fulfilled in Christ, the antitype of Solomon, Jeremiah 23:5;
every man under his vine, and under his fig tree; which were
principal trees in the land of Judea, put for all the rest; and the phrase
denotes the happy, safe, quiet, full, and peaceable enjoyment of all outward
blessings, and is used of the times of the Messiah, Micah 4:4;
from Dan even to Beersheba; which were the two
extremities of the land of Israel, north and south:
all the days of Solomon; so long this peace and
safety continued, there being no wars in his time.
1 Kings 4:26 26 Solomon had forty[h] thousand
stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen.
YLT
26And Solomon hath forty
thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen.
And Solomon had forty thousand stalls for horses,.... In 2 Chronicles 9:25;
it is only four thousand; and therefore some think that here is a mistake of
the copier, of "arbaim", forty, for "arbah", four; which it
is thought might be through divine permission, in such lesser matters, without
any prejudice to the authority of the Scriptures in matters of faith and
practice; but without supposing this, a reconciliation may be made, by
observing, that here the writer, as Ben Gersom notes, gives the number of the
horses that were in the stables, which were forty thousand, there the stables
themselves, which were four thousand, ten horses in a stable; or here he
numbers the stalls, which were forty thousand, and there the stables, which
were four thousand, there being ten stalls in each; and the word there has the
letter "yod" in it more than here, which is the numerical letter for
"ten", and may point thereunto; or here the writer speaks of all the
stalls for horses Solomon had throughout the kingdom, there of those only he
had in Jerusalem. Benjamin of TudelaF7Itinerar. p. 43. affirms, that
these stalls, or stables, which Solomon built very strong of large stones, are
still in being in Jerusalem, and that there is no building to be seen like it
any where; but no other writer speaks of them; nor is it at all probable that
they should remain:
for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen; some of the
said stalls of horses were for his chariots, to draw in them for various uses,
of which had 1400, 1 Kings 10:26; and
others to mount twelve thousand horsemen, who were placed in various parts, to
defend kingdom.
1 Kings 4:27 27 And these governors, each
man in his month, provided food for King Solomon and for all who came to King
Solomon’s table. There was no lack in their supply.
YLT
27And these officers have
sustained king Solomon and every one drawing near unto the table of king
Solomon, each [in] his month; they let nothing be lacking.
And these officers provided victuals for King Solomon,.... The
twelve before mentioned; and this is repeated here, after the account of his
horses, to observe, that they provided for them also, as well as for the sake
of what follows; that the large provision made by them was not only for
Solomon's family and domestic servants, but for strangers from different arts,
who came upon messages to him, or to visit him, and to behold the splendour of
his court:
and for all that came to Solomon's table; which was an
open table for all comers, as there were some from all parts of the earth, 1 Kings 4:34;
every man in his month; each of the twelve officers
provided food in the month assigned to him:
they lacked nothing; they always had enough
to supply the king with, and they failed not in the performance of their duty,
nor came short of their salaries, being fully and punctually paid them.
1 Kings 4:28 28 They also brought barley
and straw to the proper place, for the horses and steeds, each man according to
his charge.
YLT
28And the barley and the
straw, for horses and for dromedaries, they bring in unto the place where they
are, each according to his ordinance.
Barley also, and straw for the horses and dromedaries,.... Or rather
mules, by comparing the passage with 2 Chronicles 9:24;
the particular kind of creatures meant is not agreed on; though all take them
to be a swifter sort of creatures than horses; or the swifter of horses, as
race horses or posts horses: barley was for their provender, that being the
common food of horses in those times and countries, and in others, as BochartF8Hierozoic.
par. 1. l. 2. c. 9. col. 158, 159. Vid. Homer. Iliad. 4. ver. 196. and Iliad.
8. ver. 560. has shown from various writers; and in the MisnahF9Sotah,
c. 2. sect. 1. it is called the food of beasts; and Solomon is said to have
every day his own horses two hundred thousand Neapolitan measures of called
"tomboli"F11Shalshalet Hakabala, fol. 10. 2. ; so the
Roman soldiers, the horse were allowed a certain quantity of barley for their
horses every morning, and sometimes they had money instead of it, which they
therefore called "hordiarium"F12Vid. Valtrinum de re
Militar. Roman. l. 3. c. 15. p. 236. and the "straw" was for the
litter of them: these
brought they unto the place; where the officers were;
not where the king was, as the Vulgate Latin version; where Solomon was, as the
Arabic version, that is, in Jerusalem; nor
where the officers were; in their respective
jurisdictions, as our version supplies it, which would be bringing them to
themselves; but to the place where the beasts were, whether in Jerusalem, or in
any, other parts of the kingdom:
every man according to his charge: which he was monthly to
perform.
1 Kings 4:29 29 And God gave Solomon
wisdom and exceedingly great understanding, and largeness of heart like the
sand on the seashore.
YLT
29And God giveth wisdom to
Solomon, and understanding, very much, and breadth of heart, as the sand that
[is] on the edge of the sea;
And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much,.... In things
natural, moral, divine, and spiritual, and that not slight and superficial, but
exceeding deep, and large beyond expression; and this he had not from the
acuteness of his genius merely, nor from his industry and diligence; but by the
gift of God, as whatsoever solid wisdom and understanding is in any man, it is
from the liberal hand of God, the fountain of wisdom, James 1:5;
and largeness of heart, even as sand that is on the
seashore; he had a genius and capacity to receive anything; his knowledge
was vast and comprehensive; it reached to and included things innumerable, as
the sand of the sea; there was scarce anything under the heavens, or on the
earth, and in the sea, but came within the compass of it, as what are later
mentioned show.
1 Kings 4:30 30 Thus Solomon’s wisdom
excelled the wisdom of all the men of the East and all the wisdom of Egypt.
YLT
30and the wisdom of Solomon
is greater than the wisdom of any of the sons of the east, and than all the
wisdom of Egypt;
And Solomon's wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of
the east,.... The Arabians, and Persians, famous for wisdom, and who lay
to the east of the land of Judea; whose wisdom lay in the knowledge of the
stars, in divination by birds, and soothsayingF13Midrash Kohelet.
fol. 76. 3. :
and all the wisdom of Egypt; which it was eminent for
in the times of Moses, and in which he was learned and well-skilled, Acts 7:22; and
hence in later times the philosophers of the Gentiles travelled to get
knowledge, as Pherecydes, Pythagoras, Anaxagoras, Plato, and others to Egypt,
said to be the mother of arts and sciencesF14Macrob. in Som. Scip.
c. 19. 21. & Saturnal l. 1. c. 15. .
1 Kings 4:31 31 For he was wiser than all
men—than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol;
and his fame was in all the surrounding nations.
YLT
31and he is wiser than all
men, than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Chalcol, and Darda, sons of Mahol,
and his name is in all the nations round about.
For he was wiser than all men,.... Not only that lived
in his time, but in ages past since the fall of Adam, and in times to come,
especially in natural wisdom and knowledge, in all the branches of it; for
though some men excel in some part of knowledge, yet not in all, as Solomon
did:
than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Chalcol, and Darda, the
sons of Mahol; men of the same names are said to be sons of Zerah, grandson of
Judah, 1 Chronicles 2:6;
wherefore these are either other men, or their father had two names; or Mahol
here may be an appellative, and describe the character of these then, and point
at what they were famous for, as that they were sons of music, piping, and
dancing, as Mahol may signify; the Jews have a traditionF15Hieron.
Trad. Heb. in 2 Reg. fol. 80. 1. , that Ethan is Abraham, and Heman Moses, and
Chalcol Joseph:
and his fame was in all nations round about; not for his
riches and grandeur only, but chiefly for his wisdom.
1 Kings 4:32 32 He spoke three thousand
proverbs, and his songs were one thousand and five.
YLT
32And he speaketh three
thousand similes, and his songs [are] five, and the chief one;
And he spake three thousand proverbs,.... Wise
sayings, short and pithy sentences, instructive in morality and civil life;
these were not written as the book of Proverbs, but spoken only, and were taken
from his lips, and spread by those that heard them for the use of others, but
in process of time were lost; whereas the above book, being written under
divine inspiration, is preserved: and
his songs were a thousand and five; some things that were
useful to improve the minds and morals of men he delivered in verse, to make
them more pleasant and agreeable, that they might be the more easily received
and retained in memory; but of all his songs, the most: excellent is the book
of Canticles, called "the Song of Songs", being divine and spiritual,
and dictated by the inspiration of the Spirit of God: he was both a moral
philosopher and poet, as well as a botanist and naturalist, and well-skilled in
medicine, as the following words suggest, 1 Kings 4:33.
1 Kings 4:33 33 Also he spoke of trees,
from the cedar tree of Lebanon even to the hyssop that springs out of the wall;
he spoke also of animals, of birds, of creeping things, and of fish.
YLT
33and he speaketh concerning
the trees, from the cedar that [is] in Lebanon, even unto the hyssop that is
coming out in the wall, and he speaketh concerning the cattle, and concerning
the fowl, and concerning the creeping things, and concerning the fishes,
And he spake of trees,.... Of all trees, herbs,
and plants, of the nature, virtues, and use them:
from the cedar tree that is in Lebanon: a mountain on
the northern border of Judea, famous for cedars, the tallest and largest of
trees:
even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall; which grew
about Jerusalem, and in the mountains of it, as an Arabic writes testifiesF16Isaac
Ben Omram apud Bochart. Hierozoic. par. 1. l. 2. c. 50. Colossians
590. , the lowest and least herb; so that what is between the cedar and
hyssop include trees and plants of every kind and sort: whether the same herb
we call hyssop is meant, is not certain; some take it to be mint; others
marjoram; some houseleek; others the wallflower; Levinus LemniusF17Herb.
Bibl. Explicat. c. 26. supposes it to be Adiantum, or maiden hair: the Targum
interprets it allegorically, that he prophesied of the kings of the house of
David in this world, and in the world to come of the Messiah:
he spake also of beasts, and of fowls, and of creeping things, and
of fishes; he understood the nature of all sorts of animals in the earth,
air, and sea, and discoursed of their names, kinds, qualities, and use, with
the greatest ease and perspicuity; the Jews fancy that Aristotle's History of
Animals is his, which that philosopher came upon, and published it in his own
name. SuidasF18In voce εζεκιας.
says it was reported that Solomon wrote a book of medicines for all diseases,
which was fixed to the entrance of the temple, which Hezekiah took away, because
sick people applied to that for cure of their disorders, and neglected to pray
to God.
1 Kings 4:34 34 And men of all nations,
from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom, came to hear the
wisdom of Solomon.
YLT
34and there come out of all
the peoples to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all kings of the earth who have
heard of his wisdom.
And there came of all people to hear the wisdom of Solomon,
from all kings of the earth,.... Who sent their
ambassadors to his court to know the truth of what was reported, and bring them
some proofs and specimens, by which they might judge of the truth of the
relations that had been told them; which perhaps might seem to them to be
beyond all belief:
which had heard of his wisdom; for the fame of it was
spread everywhere by merchants and travellers, and such sort of persons, who
had been at Jerusalem, and were masters of various anecdotes relating to
Solomon; which they industriously spread in the several parts of the world they
had dealings in.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)