2 Chronicles 9
9
Solomon Entertains a Queen
1 When the queen of Sheba heard about Solomon,#tn Heb “the report about Solomon.” she came to challenge#tn Or “test.” him#tn Heb “Solomon.” The recurrence of the proper name here is redundant in terms of contemporary English style, so the pronoun has been used in the translation instead. with difficult questions.#tn Or “riddles.” She arrived in Jerusalem#map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4. with a great display of pomp,#tn Heb “with very great strength.” The Hebrew word חַיִל (khayil, “strength”) may refer here to the size of her retinue or to the great wealth she brought with her. bringing with her camels carrying spices,#tn Or “balsam oil.” a very large quantity of gold, and precious gems. She visited Solomon and discussed with him everything that was on her mind. 2 Solomon answered all her questions; there was no question too complex for the king.#tn Heb “Solomon declared to her all her words; there was not a word hidden from the king which he did not declare to her.” If riddles are specifically in view (see v. 1), then one might translate, “Solomon explained to her all her riddles; there was no riddle too complex for the king.” 3 When the queen of Sheba saw for herself Solomon’s extensive wisdom,#tn Heb “all the wisdom of Solomon.” the palace#tn Heb “house.” he had built, 4 the food in his banquet hall,#tn Heb “the food on his table.” his servants and attendants#tn Heb “the seating of his servants and the standing of his attendants.” in their robes, his cupbearers in their robes, and his burnt sacrifices which he presented in the Lord’s temple,#tc The Hebrew text has here, “and his upper room [by] which he was going up to the house of the Lord.” But עֲלִיָּתוֹ (’aliyyato, “his upper room”) should be emended to עֹלָתוֹ, (’olato, “his burnt sacrifice[s]”). See the parallel account in 1 Kgs 10:5. she was amazed.#tn Or “it took her breath away”; Heb “there was no breath still in her.” 5 She said to the king, “The report I heard in my own country about your wise sayings and insight#tn Heb “about your words [or perhaps, “deeds”] and your wisdom.” was true! 6 I did not believe these things until I came and saw them with my own eyes. Indeed, I didn’t hear even half the story!#tn Heb “the half was not told to me.” Your wisdom surpasses what was reported to me. 7 Your attendants, who stand before you at all times and hear your wise sayings, are truly happy!#tn Heb “How happy are your men! How happy are these servants of yours, who stand before you continually, who hear your wisdom!” 8 May the Lord your God be praised because he favored#tn Or “delighted in.” you by placing you on his throne as the one ruling on his behalf!#tn Heb “as king for the Lord your God.” Because of your God’s love for Israel and his lasting commitment to them,#tn Heb “to make him stand permanently.” he made you king over them so you could make just and right decisions.”#tn Heb “to do justice and righteousness.” 9 She gave the king 120 talents#tn The Hebrew word כִּכַּר (kikar, “circle”) refers generally to something that is round. When used of metals it can refer to a disk-shaped weight made of the metal or, by extension, to a standard unit of weight. According to the older (Babylonian) standard the “talent” weighed 130 lbs. (58.9 kg), but later this was lowered to 108.3 lbs. (49.1 kg). More recent research suggests the “light” standard talent was 67.3 lbs. (30.6 kg). Using this as the standard for calculation, the weight of the gold was 8,076 lbs. (3,672 kg). of gold and a very large quantity of spices and precious gems. The quantity of spices the queen of Sheba gave King Solomon has never been matched.#tn Heb “there has not been like those spices which the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.” 10 (Huram’s#tn Heb “Huram’s” (also in v. 21). Some medieval Hebrew mss, along with the LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate spell the name “Hiram,” agreeing with 1 Chr 14:1. “Huram” is a variant spelling referring to the same individual. servants, aided by Solomon’s servants, brought gold from Ophir, as well as#tn Heb “who brought gold from Ophir, brought.” fine#tn Heb “algum.” timber and precious gems. 11 With the timber the king made steps#tn Heb “tracks.” The parallel text in 1 Kgs 10:12 has a different term whose meaning is uncertain: “supports,” perhaps “banisters” or “parapets.” for the Lord’s temple and royal palace as well as stringed instruments#tn Two types of stringed instruments are specifically mentioned in the Hebrew text, the כִּנּוֹר (kinnor, “zither”) and נֶבֶל (nevel, “harp”). for the musicians. No one had seen anything like them in the land of Judah prior to that.#tn Heb “there was not seen like these formerly in the land of Judah.”) 12 King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba everything she requested, more than what she had brought him.#tn Heb “besides what she brought to the king.” Then she left and returned#tn Heb “turned and went.” to her homeland with her attendants.
Solomon’s Wealth
13 Solomon received 666 talents#tn The Hebrew word כִּכַּר (kikar, “circle”) refers generally to something that is round. When used of metals it can refer to a disk-shaped weight made of the metal or, by extension, to a standard unit of weight. According to the older (Babylonian) standard the “talent” weighed 130 lbs. (58.9 kg), but later this was lowered to 108.3 lbs. (49.1 kg). More recent research suggests the “light” standard talent was 67.3 lbs. (30.6 kg). Using this as the standard for calculation, the weight of the gold Solomon received annually was 44,822 lbs. (20,380 kg). of gold per year,#tn Heb “the weight of the gold which came to Solomon in one year was 666 units of gold.” 14 besides what he collected from the merchants#tn Heb “traveling men.” and traders. All the Arabian kings and the governors of the land also brought gold and silver to Solomon. 15 King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; 600 measures#tn The Hebrew text has simply “600,” with no unit of measure given. of hammered gold were used for each shield. 16 He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold; 300 measures#tn The Hebrew text has simply “300,” with no unit of measure given. of gold were used for each of those shields. The king placed them in the Palace of the Lebanon Forest.#sn This name was appropriate because of the large amount of cedar, undoubtedly brought from Lebanon, used in its construction. The cedar pillars in the palace must have given it the appearance of a forest. See 1 Kgs 7:2.
17 The king made a large throne decorated with ivory and overlaid it with pure gold. 18 There were six steps leading up to the throne, and a gold footstool was attached to the throne.#tc The parallel text of 1 Kgs 10:19 has instead “and the back of it was rounded on top.” The throne had two armrests with a statue of a lion standing on each side.#tn Heb “[There were] armrests on each side of the place of the seat, and two lions standing beside the armrests.” 19 There were twelve statues of lions on the six steps, one lion at each end of each step. There was nothing like it in any other kingdom.#tn Heb “nothing like it had been made for any kingdom.”
20 All of King Solomon’s cups were made of gold, and all the household items in the Palace of the Lebanon Forest were made of pure gold. There were no silver items, for silver was not considered very valuable in Solomon’s time.#tn Heb “there was no silver, it was not regarded as anything in the days of Solomon.” 21 The king had a fleet of large merchant ships#tn Heb “for ships belonging to the king were going [to] Tarshish with the servants of Huram.” This probably refers to large ships either made in or capable of traveling to the distant western port of Tarshish. manned by Huram’s men#tn Heb “servants.” that sailed the sea. Once every three years the fleet#tn Heb “the fleet of Tarshish [ships].” came into port with cargoes of#tn Heb “the ships of Tarshish came carrying.” gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.#tn The meaning of this word is unclear; some suggest it refers to “baboons.” NEB has “monkeys,” NASB, NRSV “peacocks,” and NIV “baboons.”
22 King Solomon was wealthier and wiser than any of the kings of the earth.#tn Heb “King Solomon was greater than all the kings of the earth with respect to wealth and wisdom.” 23 All the kings of the earth wanted to visit Solomon to see him display his God-given wisdom.#tn Heb “and all the kings of the earth were seeking the face of Solomon to hear his wisdom which God had placed in his heart.” 24 Year after year visitors brought their gifts, which included items of silver, items of gold, clothes, perfume, spices, horses, and mules.#tn Heb “and they were bringing each one his gift, items of silver…and mules, the matter of a year in a year.”
25 Solomon had 4,000 stalls for his chariot horses#tc The parallel text of 1 Kgs 10:26 reads “fourteen hundred chariots.” and 12,000 horses. He kept them in assigned cities and in Jerusalem.#tn Heb “he placed them in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.”map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4. 26 He ruled all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River#tn Heb “the River.” In biblical Hebrew the Euphrates River was typically referred to simply as “the River.” to the land of the Philistines as far as the border of Egypt. 27 The king made silver as plentiful#tn The words “as plentiful” are supplied for clarification. in Jerusalem as stones; cedar was#tn Heb “he made cedar.” as plentiful as sycamore fig trees are in the lowlands#tn Heb “as the sycamore fig trees which are in the Shephelah.”. 28 Solomon acquired horses from Egypt and from all the lands.
Solomon’s Reign Ends
29 The rest of the events of Solomon’s reign, from start to finish, are recorded#tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Solomon, the former and the latter, are they not written?” in the Annals of Nathan the Prophet, the Prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and the Vision of Iddo the Seer pertaining to Jeroboam son of Nebat. 30 Solomon ruled over all Israel from Jerusalem#map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4. for forty years. 31 Then Solomon passed away#tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.” and was buried in the city of his father David. His son Rehoboam replaced him as king.
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2 Chronicles 9
9
1And when the Queene of Sheba heard of the fame of Salomon, she came to proue Salomon with hard questions at Ierusalem, with a very great traine, and camels that bare sweete odours and much golde, and precious stones: and when she came to Salomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart. 2And Salomon declared her all her questions, and there was nothing hid from Salomon, which he declared not vnto her. 3Then the Queene of Sheba sawe the wisedome of Salomon, and the house that he had buylt, 4And the meate of his table, and the sitting of his seruants, and the order of his wayters, and their apparel, and his butlers, and their apparel, and his burnt offrings which he offred in the house of the Lord, and she was greatly astonied. 5And she saide to the King, It was a true worde which I heard in mine owne lande of thy sayings, and of thy wisedome: 6Howbeit I beleeued not their report, vntil I came, and mine eyes had seene it: and beholde, the one halfe of thy great wisedom was not told me: for thou exceedest the fame that I heard. 7Happie are thy men, and happie are these thy seruants, which stande before thee alway, and heare thy wisedome. 8Blessed be the Lord thy God, which loued thee, to set thee on his throne as King, in the steade of the Lord thy God: because thy God loueth Israel, to establish it for euer, therefore hath he made thee King ouer them, to execute iudgement and iustice. 9Then she gaue the King sixe score talents of golde, and of sweete odours exceeding much and precious stones: neither was there such sweete odours since, as the Queene of Sheba gaue vnto King Salomon. 10And the seruants also of Huram, and the seruants of Salomon which brought golde from Ophir, brought Algummim wood and precious stones. 11And the King made of the Algummim wood staires in the house of the Lord, and in the Kings house, and harpes and violes for singers: and there was no such seene before in the lande of Iudah. 12And King Salomon gaue to the Queene of Sheba euery pleasant thing that she asked, besides for that which she had brought vnto the King: so she returned and went to her owne countrey, both she, and her seruants. 13Also the weight of golde that came to Salomon in one yeere, was sixe hundreth three score and sixe talents of golde, 14Besides that which chapmen and marchants brought: and all the Kings of Arabia, and the princes of the countrey brought golde and siluer to Salomon. 15And King Salomon made two hundreth targets of beaten golde, and sixe hundreth shekels of beaten golde went to one target, 16And three hundreth shieldes of beaten golde: three hundreth shekels of golde went to one shielde, and the King put them in the house of the wood of Lebanon. 17And the King made a great throne of yuorie and ouerlaid it with pure golde. 18And the throne had sixe steppes, with a footestoole of gold fastened to the throne, and stayes on either side on the place of the seate, and two lyons standing by the stayes. 19And twelue lyons stoode there on the sixe steps on either side: there was not the like made in any kingdome. 20And all King Salomons drinking vessels were of golde, and all the vessels of the house of the wood of Lebanon were of pure gold: for siluer was nothing esteemed in ye dayes of Salomon. 21For the Kings ships went to Tarshish with the seruants of Huram, euery three yeere once came the ships of Tarshish, and brought golde, and siluer, yuorie, and apes, and peacockes. 22So King Salomon excelled all the Kings of the earth in riches and wisedome. 23And all the Kings of the earth sought the presence of Salomon, to heare his wisedome that God had put in his heart. 24And they brought euery man his present, vessels of siluer, and vessels of golde, and raiment, armour, and sweet odours, horses, and mules, from yeere to yeere. 25And Salomon had foure thousand stalles of horses, and charets, and twelue thousand horsmen, whom he bestowed in the charet cities, and with the King at Ierusalem. 26And he reigned ouer all the Kings from the Riuer euen vnto the land of the Philistims, and to the border of Egypt. 27And the King gaue siluer in Ierusalem, as stones, and gaue cedar trees as the wilde fig trees, that are aboundant in the plaine. 28And they brought vnto Salomon horses out of Egypt, and out of all landes. 29Concerning the rest of the actes of Salomon first and last, are they not written in the booke of Nathan the Prophet, and in the prophecie of Ahiiah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Ieedo the Seer against Ieroboam the sonne of Nebat? 30And Salomon reigned in Ierusalem ouer all Israel fourtie yeeres. 31And Salomon slept with his fathers, and they buryed him in the citie of Dauid his father: and Rehoboam his sonne reigned in his steade.
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