1 And it came to pass, when Solomon had finished the building of the house of the LORD, and the king's house, and all Solomon's desire which he was pleased to do,
2 That the LORD appeared to Solomon the second time, as he had appeared unto him at Gibeon.
3 And the LORD said unto him, I have heard thy prayer and thy supplication, that thou hast made before me: I have hallowed this house, which thou hast built, to put my name there for ever; and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually.
4 And if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, in integrity of heart, and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded thee, and wilt keep my statutes and my judgments:
5 Then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom upon Israel for ever, as I promised to David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man upon the throne of Israel.
6 But if ye shall at all turn from following me, ye or your children, and will not keep my commandments and my statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods, and worship them:
7 Then will I cut off Israel out of the land which I have given them; and this house, which I have hallowed for my name, will I cast out of my sight; and Israel shall be a proverb and a byword among all people:
8 And at this house, which is high, every one that passeth by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss; and they shall say, Why hath the LORD done thus unto this land, and to this house?
9 And they shall answer, Because they forsook the LORD their God, who brought forth their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and have taken hold upon other gods, and have worshipped them, and served them: therefore hath the LORD brought upon them all this evil.
10 And it came to pass at the end of twenty years, when Solomon had built the two houses, the house of the LORD, and the king's house,
11 (Now Hiram the king of Tyre had furnished Solomon with cedar trees and fir trees, and with gold, according to all his desire,) that then king Solomon gave Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee.
12 And Hiram came out from Tyre to see the cities which Solomon had given him; and they pleased him not.
13 And he said, What cities are these which thou hast given me, my brother? And he called them the land of Cabul unto this day.
14 And Hiram sent to the king sixscore talents of gold.
15 And this is the reason of the levy which king Solomon raised; for to build the house of the LORD, and his own house, and Millo, and the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, and Megiddo, and Gezer.
16 For Pharaoh king of Egypt had gone up, and taken Gezer, and burnt it with fire, and slain the Canaanites that dwelt in the city, and given it for a present unto his daughter, Solomon's wife.
17 And Solomon built Gezer, and Bethhoron the nether,
18 And Baalath, and Tadmor in the wilderness, in the land,
19 And all the cities of store that Solomon had, and cities for his chariots, and cities for his horsemen, and that which Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem, and in Lebanon, and in all the land of his dominion.
20 And all the people that were left of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, which were not of the children of Israel,
21 Their children that were left after them in the land, whom the children of Israel also were not able utterly to destroy, upon those did Solomon levy a tribute of bondservice unto this day.
22 But of the children of Israel did Solomon make no bondmen: but they were men of war, and his servants, and his princes, and his captains, and rulers of his chariots, and his horsemen.
23 These were the chief of the officers that were over Solomon's work, five hundred and fifty, which bare rule over the people that wrought in the work.
24 But Pharaoh's daughter came up out of the city of David unto her house which Solomon had built for her: then did he build Millo.
25 And three times in a year did Solomon offer burnt offerings and peace offerings upon the altar which he built unto the LORD, and he burnt incense upon the altar that was before the LORD. So he finished the house.
26 And king Solomon made a navy of ships in Eziongeber, which is beside Eloth, on the shore of the Red sea, in the land of Edom.
27 And Hiram sent in the navy his servants, shipmen that had knowledge of the sea, with the servants of Solomon.
28 And they came to Ophir, and fetched from thence gold, four hundred and twenty talents, and brought it to king Solomon.
1 And it came to pass, when Solomon H8010 had finished H3615 the building H1129 of the house H1004 of the LORD, H3068 and the king's H4428 house, H1004 and all Solomon's H8010 desire H2837 which he was pleased H2654 to do, H6213
2 That the LORD H3068 appeared H7200 to Solomon H8010 the second time, H8145 as he had appeared H7200 unto him at Gibeon. H1391
3 And the LORD H3068 said H559 unto him, I have heard H8085 thy prayer H8605 and thy supplication, H8467 that thou hast made H2603 before H6440 me: I have hallowed H6942 this house, H1004 which thou hast built, H1129 to put H7760 my name H8034 there for H5704 ever; H5769 and mine eyes H5869 and mine heart H3820 shall be there perpetually. H3117
4 And if thou wilt walk H3212 before H6440 me, as David H1732 thy father H1 walked, H1980 in integrity H8537 of heart, H3824 and in uprightness, H3476 to do H6213 according to all that I have commanded H6680 thee, and wilt keep H8104 my statutes H2706 and my judgments: H4941
5 Then I will establish H6965 the throne H3678 of thy kingdom H4467 upon Israel H3478 for ever, H5769 as I promised H1696 to David H1732 thy father, H1 saying, H559 There shall not fail H3772 thee a man H376 upon the throne H3678 of Israel. H3478
6 But if ye shall at all H7725 turn H7725 from following H310 me, ye or your children, H1121 and will not keep H8104 my commandments H4687 and my statutes H2708 which I have set H5414 before H6440 you, but go H1980 and serve H5647 other H312 gods, H430 and worship H7812 them:
7 Then will I cut off H3772 Israel H3478 out H6440 of the land H127 which I have given H5414 them; and this house, H1004 which I have hallowed H6942 for my name, H8034 will I cast out H7971 of my sight; H6440 and Israel H3478 shall be a proverb H4912 and a byword H8148 among all people: H5971
8 And at this house, H1004 which is high, H5945 every one that passeth H5674 by it shall be astonished, H8074 and shall hiss; H8319 and they shall say, H559 Why hath the LORD H3068 done H6213 thus unto this land, H776 and to this house? H1004
9 And they shall answer, H559 Because they forsook H5800 the LORD H3068 their God, H430 who brought forth H3318 their fathers H1 out of the land H776 of Egypt, H4714 and have taken hold H2388 upon other H312 gods, H430 and have worshipped H7812 them, and served H5647 them: therefore hath the LORD H3068 brought H935 upon them all this evil. H7451
10 And it came to pass at the end H7097 of twenty H6242 years, H8141 when Solomon H8010 had built H1129 the two H8147 houses, H1004 the house H1004 of the LORD, H3068 and the king's H4428 house, H1004
11 (Now Hiram H2438 the king H4428 of Tyre H6865 had furnished H5375 Solomon H8010 with cedar H730 trees H6086 and fir H1265 trees, H6086 and with gold, H2091 according to all his desire,) H2656 that then H227 king H4428 Solomon H8010 gave H5414 Hiram H2438 twenty H6242 cities H5892 in the land H776 of Galilee. H1551
12 And Hiram H2438 came out H3318 from Tyre H6865 to see H7200 the cities H5892 which Solomon H8010 had given H5414 him; and they pleased H3474 H5869 him not.
13 And he said, H559 What cities H5892 are these which thou hast given H5414 me, my brother? H251 And he called H7121 them the land H776 of Cabul H3521 unto this day. H3117
14 And Hiram H2438 sent H7971 to the king H4428 sixscore H3967 H6242 talents H3603 of gold. H2091
15 And this is the reason H1697 of the levy H4522 which king H4428 Solomon H8010 raised; H5927 for to build H1129 the house H1004 of the LORD, H3068 and his own house, H1004 and Millo, H4407 and the wall H2346 of Jerusalem, H3389 and Hazor, H2674 and Megiddo, H4023 and Gezer. H1507
16 For Pharaoh H6547 king H4428 of Egypt H4714 had gone up, H5927 and taken H3920 Gezer, H1507 and burnt H8313 it with fire, H784 and slain H2026 the Canaanites H3669 that dwelt H3427 in the city, H5892 and given H5414 it for a present H7964 unto his daughter, H1323 Solomon's H8010 wife. H802
17 And Solomon H8010 built H1129 Gezer, H1507 and Bethhoron H1032 the nether, H8481
18 And Baalath, H1191 and Tadmor H8412 in the wilderness, H4057 in the land, H776
19 And all the cities H5892 of store H4543 that Solomon H8010 had, and cities H5892 for his chariots, H7393 and cities H5892 for his horsemen, H6571 and that H2837 which Solomon H8010 desired H2836 to build H1129 in Jerusalem, H3389 and in Lebanon, H3844 and in all the land H776 of his dominion. H4475
20 And all the people H5971 that were left H3498 of the Amorites, H567 Hittites, H2850 Perizzites, H6522 Hivites, H2340 and Jebusites, H2983 which were not of the children H1121 of Israel, H3478
21 Their children H1121 that were left H3498 after H310 them in the land, H776 whom the children H1121 of Israel H3478 also were not able H3201 utterly to destroy, H2763 upon those did Solomon H8010 levy H5927 a tribute H4522 of bondservice H5647 unto this day. H3117
22 But of the children H1121 of Israel H3478 did Solomon H8010 make H5414 no bondmen: H5650 but they were men H582 of war, H4421 and his servants, H5650 and his princes, H8269 and his captains, H7991 and rulers H8269 of his chariots, H7393 and his horsemen. H6571
23 These were the chief H8269 of the officers H5324 that were over Solomon's H8010 work, H4399 five H2568 hundred H3967 and fifty, H2572 which bare rule H7287 over the people H5971 that wrought H6213 in the work. H4399
24 But Pharaoh's H6547 daughter H1323 came up H5927 out of the city H5892 of David H1732 unto her house H1004 which Solomon had built H1129 for her: then did he build H1129 Millo. H4407
25 And three H7969 times H6471 in a year H8141 did Solomon H8010 offer H5927 burnt offerings H5930 and peace offerings H8002 upon the altar H4196 which he built H1129 unto the LORD, H3068 and he burnt incense H6999 upon the altar H4196 that was before H6440 the LORD. H3068 So he finished H7999 the house. H1004
26 And king H4428 Solomon H8010 made H6213 a navy of ships H590 in Eziongeber, H6100 which is beside Eloth, H359 on the shore H8193 of the Red H5488 sea, H3220 in the land H776 of Edom. H123
27 And Hiram H2438 sent H7971 in the navy H590 his servants, H5650 shipmen H582 H591 that had knowledge H3045 of the sea, H3220 with the servants H5650 of Solomon. H8010
28 And they came H935 to Ophir, H211 and fetched H3947 from thence gold, H2091 four H702 hundred H3967 and twenty H6242 talents, H3603 and brought H935 it to king H4428 Solomon. H8010
1 And it came to pass, when Solomon had finished the building of the house of Jehovah, and the king's house, and all Solomon's desire which he was pleased to do,
2 that Jehovah appeared to Solomon the second time, as he had appeared unto him at Gibeon.
3 And Jehovah said unto him, I have heard thy prayer and thy supplication, that thou hast made before me: I have hallowed this house, which thou hast built, to put my name there for ever; and mine eyes and my heart shall be there perpetually.
4 And as for thee, if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, in integrity of heart, and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded thee, and wilt keep my statutes and mine ordinances;
5 then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom over Israel for ever, according as I promised to David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man upon the throne of Israel.
6 But if ye shall turn away from following me, ye or your children, and not keep my commandments and my statutes which I have set before you, but shall go and serve other gods, and worship them;
7 then will I cut off Israel out of the land which I have given them; and this house, which I have hallowed for my name, will I cast out of my sight; and Israel shall be a proverb and a byword among all peoples.
8 And though this house is so high, yet shall every one that passeth by it be astonished, and shall hiss; and they shall say, Why hath Jehovah done thus unto this land, and to this house?
9 and they shall answer, Because they forsook Jehovah their God, who brought forth their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and laid hold on other gods, and worshipped them, and served them: therefore hath Jehovah brought all this evil upon them.
10 And it came to pass at the end of twenty years, wherein Solomon had built the two houses, the house of Jehovah and the king's house,
11 (now Hiram the king of Tyre had furnished Solomon with cedar-trees and fir-trees, and with gold, according to all his desire), that then king Solomon gave Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee.
12 And Hiram came out from Tyre to see the cities which Solomon had given him; and they pleased him not.
13 And he said, What cities are these which thou hast given me, my brother? And he called them the land of Cabul unto this day.
14 And Hiram sent to the king sixscore talents of gold.
15 And this is the reason of the levy which king Solomon raised, to build the house of Jehovah, and his own house, and Millo, and the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, and Megiddo, and Gezer.
16 Pharaoh king of Egypt had gone up, and taken Gezer, and burnt it with fire, and slain the Canaanites that dwelt in the city, and given it for a portion unto his daughter, Solomon's wife.
17 And Solomon built Gezer, and Beth-horon the nether,
18 and Baalath, and Tamar in the wilderness, in the land,
19 and all the store-cities that Solomon had, and the cities for his chariots, and the cities for his horsemen, and that which Solomon desired to build for his pleasure in Jerusalem, and in Lebanon, and in all the land of his dominion.
20 As for all the people that were left of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, who were not of the children of Israel;
21 their children that were left after them in the land, whom the children of Israel were not able utterly to destroy, of them did Solomon raise a levy of bondservants unto this day.
22 But of the children of Israel did Solomon make no bondservants; but they were the men of war, and his servants, and his princes, and his captains, and rulers of his chariots and of his horsemen.
23 These were the chief officers that were over Solomon's work, five hundred and fifty, who bare rule over the people that wrought in the work.
24 But Pharaoh's daughter came up out of the city of David unto her house which `Solomon' had built for her: then did he build Millo.
25 And three times a year did Solomon offer burnt-offerings and peace-offerings upon the altar which he built unto Jehovah, burning incense therewith, `upon the altar' that was before Jehovah. So he finished the house.
26 And king Solomon made a navy of ships in Ezion-geber, which is beside Eloth, on the shore of the Red Sea, in the land of Edom.
27 And Hiram sent in the navy his servants, shipmen that had knowledge of the sea, with the servants of Solomon.
28 And they came to Ophir, and fetched from thence gold, four hundred and twenty talents, and brought it to king Solomon.
1 And it cometh to pass, at Solomon's finishing to build the house of Jehovah, and the house of the king, and all the desire of Solomon that he delighted to do,
2 that Jehovah appeareth unto Solomon a second time, as He appeared unto him in Gibeon,
3 and Jehovah saith unto him, `I have heard thy prayer and thy supplication with which thou hast made supplication before Me; I have hallowed this house that thou hast built to put My name there -- unto the age, and Mine eyes and My heart have been there all the days.
4 `And thou -- if thou dost walk before Me as David thy father walked, in simplicity of heart, and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded thee -- My statutes and My judgments thou dost keep --
5 then I have established the throne of thy kingdom over Israel -- to the age, as I spake unto David thy father, saying, There is not cut off to thee a man from `being' on the throne of Israel.
6 `If ye at all turn back -- you and your sons -- from after Me, and keep not My commands -- My statutes, that I have set before you, and ye have gone and served other gods, and bowed yourselves to them,
7 then I have cut off Israel from the face of the ground that I have given to them, and the house that I have hallowed for My name I send away from My presence, and Israel hath been for a simile and for a byword among all the peoples;
8 as to this house, `that' is high, every one passing by it is astonished, and hath hissed, and they have said, Wherefore hath Jehovah done thus to this land and to this house?
9 and they have said, Because that they have forsaken Jehovah their God, who brought out their fathers from the land of Egypt, and they lay hold on other gods, and bow themselves to them, and serve them; therefore hath Jehovah brought in upon them all this evil.'
10 And it cometh to pass, at the end of twenty years, that Solomon hath built the two houses, the house of Jehovah, and the house of the king.
11 Hiram king of Tyre hath assisted Solomon with cedar-trees, and with fir-trees, and with gold, according to all his desire; then doth king Solomon give to Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee.
12 And Hiram cometh out from Tyre to see the cities that Solomon hath given to him, and they have not been right in his eyes,
13 and he saith, `What `are' these cities that thou hast given to me, my brother?' and one calleth them the land of Cabul unto this day.
14 And Hiram sendeth to the king a hundred and twenty talents of gold.
15 And this `is' the matter of the tribute that king Solomon hath lifted up, to build the house of Jehovah, and his own house, and Millo, and the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, and Megiddo, and Gezer,
16 (Pharaoh king of Egypt hath gone up and doth capture Gezer, and doth burn it with fire, and the Canaanite who is dwelling in the city he hath slain, and giveth it `with' presents to his daughter, wife of Solomon.)
17 And Solomon buildeth Gezer, and Beth-Horon the lower,
18 and Baalath, and Tadmor in the wilderness, in the land;
19 and all the cities of stores that king Solomon hath, and the cities of the chariots, and the cities of the horsemen, and the desire of Solomon that he desired to build in Jerusalem, and in Lebanon, and in all the land of his dominion.
20 The whole of the people that is left of the Amorite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, who `are' not of the sons of Israel --
21 their sons who are left behind them in the land, whom the sons of Israel have not been able to devote -- he hath even lifted up `on' them a tribute of service unto this day.
22 And out of the sons of Israel Solomon hath not appointed a servant, for they `are' the men of war, and his servants, and his heads, and his captains, and the heads of his chariots, and his horsemen.
23 These `are' the heads of the officers who `are' over the work of Solomon, fifty and five hundred, those ruling among the people who are labouring in the work.
24 Only, the daughter of Pharaoh went up out of the city of David unto her house that `Solomon' built for her; then he built Millo.
25 And Solomon caused to ascend, three times in a year, burnt-offerings and peace-offerings on the altar that he built to Jehovah, and he perfumed it with that which `is' before Jehovah, and finished the house.
26 And a navy hath king Solomon made in Ezion-Geber, that is beside Eloth, on the edge of the Sea of Suph, in the land of Edom.
27 And Hiram sendeth in the navy his servants, shipmen knowing the sea, with servants of Solomon,
28 and they come in to Ophir and take thence gold, four hundred and twenty talents, and bring `it' in unto king Solomon.
1 And it came to pass when Solomon had completed the building of the house of Jehovah, and the king's house, and all Solomon's desire which he was pleased to do,
2 that Jehovah appeared to Solomon the second time, as he had appeared to him at Gibeon.
3 And Jehovah said to him, I have heard thy prayer and thy supplication which thou hast made before me: I have hallowed this house, which thou hast built, to put my name there for ever; and mine eyes and my heart shall be there perpetually.
4 And [as for] thee, if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, in integrity of heart, and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded thee, [and] wilt keep my statutes and mine ordinances;
5 then will I establish the throne of thy kingdom over Israel for ever, as I promised to David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man upon the throne of Israel.
6 [But] if ye shall at all turn from following me, ye or your children, and will not keep my commandments, my statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods, and worship them;
7 then will I cut off Israel out of the land which I have given them; and the house, which I have hallowed to my name, will I cast out of my sight; and Israel shall be a proverb and a by word among all peoples;
8 and this house, [which] is high, every one that passes by it shall be astonished at, and shall hiss, and they shall say, Why has Jehovah done thus to this land and to this house?
9 And they shall say, Because they forsook Jehovah their God, who brought forth their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and have attached themselves to other gods, and have worshipped them and served them; therefore has Jehovah brought upon them all this evil.
10 And it came to pass at the end of twenty years, when Solomon had built the two houses, the house of Jehovah and the king's house,
11 Hiram the king of Tyre having furnished Solomon with cedar-trees and cypress-trees, and with gold, according to all his desire, -- that then king Solomon gave Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee.
12 And Hiram came out from Tyre to see the cities that Solomon had given him; and they did not please him.
13 And he said, What cities are these which thou hast given me, my brother? And he called them the land of Cabul to this day.
14 And Hiram had sent to the king one hundred and twenty talents of gold.
15 And this is the account of the levy which king Solomon raised, to build the house of Jehovah, and his own house, and Millo, and the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, and Megiddo, and Gezer.
16 -- Pharaoh king of Egypt had gone up and taken Gezer, and burned it with fire, and slain the Canaanites that dwelt in the city, and given it as a dowry to his daughter, Solomon's wife.
17 -- And Solomon built Gezer, and lower Beth-horon,
18 and Baalath, and Tadmor in the wilderness, in the land,
19 and all the store-cities that Solomon had, and cities for chariots, and cities for the horsemen, and that which Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem, and on Lebanon, and in all the land of his dominion.
20 All the people that were left of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, who were not of the children of Israel,
21 their children that were left after them in the land, whom the children of Israel were not able utterly to destroy, upon them did Solomon impose a tribute of bondservice until this day.
22 But of the children of Israel did Solomon make no bondmen; but they were men of war, and his servants, and his chiefs, and his captains, and captains of his chariots, and his horsemen.
23 These were the chief superintendents that were over Solomon's work, five hundred and fifty, that ruled over the people that wrought in the work.
24 But Pharaoh's daughter came up out of the city of David to her house which he had built for her: then he built Millo.
25 And three times in the year did Solomon offer up burnt-offerings and peace-offerings upon the altar that he had built to Jehovah, and he burned incense upon that which was before Jehovah. So he finished the house.
26 And king Solomon made a fleet of ships in Ezion-Geber, which is beside Eloth, on the shore of the Red Sea, in the land of Edom.
27 And Hiram sent in the fleet his servants, shipmen that had knowledge of the sea, with the servants of Solomon;
28 and they went to Ophir, and fetched thence gold, four hundred and twenty talents, and brought it to king Solomon.
1 It happened, when Solomon had finished the building of the house of Yahweh, and the king's house, and all Solomon's desire which he was pleased to do,
2 that Yahweh appeared to Solomon the second time, as he had appeared to him at Gibeon.
3 Yahweh said to him, I have heard your prayer and your supplication, that you have made before me: I have made this house holy, which you have built, to put my name there forever; and my eyes and my heart shall be there perpetually.
4 As for you, if you will walk before me, as David your father walked, in integrity of heart, and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded you, and will keep my statutes and my ordinances;
5 then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, according as I promised to David your father, saying, There shall not fail you a man on the throne of Israel.
6 But if you shall turn away from following me, you or your children, and not keep my commandments and my statutes which I have set before you, but shall go and serve other gods, and worship them;
7 then will I cut off Israel out of the land which I have given them; and this house, which I have made holy for my name, will I cast out of my sight; and Israel shall be a proverb and a byword among all peoples.
8 Though this house is so high, yet shall everyone who passes by it be astonished, and shall hiss; and they shall say, Why has Yahweh done thus to this land, and to this house?
9 and they shall answer, Because they forsook Yahweh their God, who brought forth their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and laid hold on other gods, and worshiped them, and served them: therefore has Yahweh brought all this evil on them.
10 It happened at the end of twenty years, in which Solomon had built the two houses, the house of Yahweh and the king's house
11 (now Hiram the king of Tyre had furnished Solomon with cedar trees and fir trees, and with gold, according to all his desire), that then king Solomon gave Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee.
12 Hiram came out from Tyre to see the cities which Solomon had given him; and they didn't please him.
13 He said, What cities are these which you have given me, my brother? He called them the land of Cabul to this day.
14 Hiram sent to the king one hundred twenty talents of gold.
15 This is the reason of the levy which king Solomon raised, to build the house of Yahweh, and his own house, and Millo, and the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, and Megiddo, and Gezer.
16 Pharaoh king of Egypt had gone up, and taken Gezer, and burnt it with fire, and slain the Canaanites who lived in the city, and given it for a portion to his daughter, Solomon's wife.
17 Solomon built Gezer, and Beth Horon the lower,
18 and Baalath, and Tamar in the wilderness, in the land,
19 and all the store-cities that Solomon had, and the cities for his chariots, and the cities for his horsemen, and that which Solomon desired to build for his pleasure in Jerusalem, and in Lebanon, and in all the land of his dominion.
20 As for all the people who were left of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, who were not of the children of Israel;
21 their children who were left after them in the land, whom the children of Israel were not able utterly to destroy, of them did Solomon raise a levy of bondservants to this day.
22 But of the children of Israel did Solomon make no bondservants; but they were the men of war, and his servants, and his princes, and his captains, and rulers of his chariots and of his horsemen.
23 These were the chief officers who were over Solomon's work, five hundred fifty, who bore rule over the people who labored in the work.
24 But Pharaoh's daughter came up out of the city of David to her house which [Solomon] had built for her: then did he build Millo.
25 Three times a year did Solomon offer burnt offerings and peace-offerings on the altar which he built to Yahweh, burning incense therewith, [on the altar] that was before Yahweh. So he finished the house.
26 King Solomon made a navy of ships in Ezion Geber, which is beside Eloth, on the shore of the Red Sea, in the land of Edom.
27 Hiram sent in the navy his servants, sailors who had knowledge of the sea, with the servants of Solomon.
28 They came to Ophir, and fetched from there gold, four hundred and twenty talents, and brought it to king Solomon.
1 Now when Solomon came to the end of building the house of the Lord and the king's house, and all Solomon's desires, which he had in mind were effected;
2 The Lord came to him again in a vision, as he had done at Gibeon;
3 And the Lord said to him, Your prayers and your requests for grace have come to my ears: I have made holy this house which you have made, and I have put my name there for ever; my eyes and my heart will be there at all times.
4 As for you, if you will go on your way before me, as David your father did, uprightly and with a true heart, doing what I have given you orders to do, keeping my laws and my decisions;
5 Then I will make the seat of your rule over Israel certain for ever, as I gave my word to David your father, saying, You will never be without a man to be king in Israel.
6 But if you are turned from my ways, you or your children, and do not keep my orders and my laws which I have put before you, but go and make yourselves servants to other gods and give them worship:
7 Then I will have Israel cut off from the land which I have given them; and this house, which I have made holy for myself, I will put away from before my eyes; and Israel will be a public example, and a word of shame among all peoples.
8 And this house will become a mass of broken walls, and everyone who goes by will be overcome with wonder at it and make whistling sounds; and they will say, Why has the Lord done so to this land and to this house?
9 And their answer will be, Because they were turned away from the Lord their God, who took their fathers out of the land of Egypt; they took for themselves other gods and gave them worship and became their servants: that is why the Lord has sent all this evil on them.
10 Now at the end of twenty years, in which time Solomon had put up the two houses, the house of the Lord and the king's house,
11 (Hiram, king of Tyre, had given Solomon cedar-trees and cypress-trees and gold, as much as he had need of,) King Solomon gave Hiram twenty towns in the land of Galilee.
12 But when Hiram came from Tyre to see the towns which Solomon had given him, he was not pleased with them.
13 And he said, What sort of towns are these which you have given me, my brother? So they were named the land of Cabul, to this day.
14 And Hiram sent the king a hundred and twenty talents of gold.
15 Now, this was the way of Solomon's system of forced work for the building of the Lord's house and of the king's house, and the Millo and the wall of Jerusalem and Megiddo and Gezer. ...
16 Pharaoh, king of Egypt, came and took Gezer, burning it down and putting to death the Canaanites living in the town, and he gave it for a bride-offering to his daughter, Solomon's wife. ...
17 ... and Solomon was the builder of Gezer and Beth-horon the lower,
18 And Baalath and Tamar in the waste land, in that land;
19 And all the store-towns and the towns which Solomon had for his war-carriages and for his horsemen, and everything which it was his pleasure to put up in Jerusalem and in Lebanon and in all the land under his rule.
20 As for the rest of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, who were not children of Israel;
21 Their children who were still in the land, and whom the children of Israel had not been able to put to complete destruction, them did Solomon put to forced work, to this day.
22 But Solomon did not put the children of Israel to forced work; they were the men of war, his servants, his captains, and his chiefs, captains of his war-carriages and of his horsemen.
23 These were the chiefs of the overseers of Solomon's work, five hundred and fifty, in authority over the people who did the work.
24 At that time Solomon made Pharaoh's daughter come up from the town of David to the house which he had made for her: then he made the Millo.
25 Three times in the year it was Solomon's way to give burned offerings and peace-offerings on the altar he had made to the Lord, causing his fire-offering to go up on the altar before the Lord.
26 And King Solomon made a sea-force of ships in Ezion-geber, by Eloth, on the Red Sea, in the land of Edom.
27 Hiram sent his servants, who were experienced seamen, in the sea-force with Solomon's men.
28 And they came to Ophir, where they got four hundred and twenty talents of gold, and took it back to King Solomon.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » John Gill's Exposition of the Bible » Commentary on 1 Kings 9
Commentary on 1 Kings 9 John Gill's Exposition of the Bible
INTRODUCTION TO 1 KINGS 9
This chapter relates a second vision Solomon had at Gibeon, in which he received an answer to his prayer in the preceding chapter, 1 Kings 9:1 that passed between him and Hiram king of Tyre, 1 Kings 9:10, the places that Solomon built or repaired, 1 Kings 9:15, the Canaanitish people that became bondmen to him, and the officers he had among the children of Israel, 1 Kings 9:20 the removal of Pharaoh's daughter to the house built for her, 1 Kings 9:24. Solomon's attention to religious services, 1 Kings 9:25 and the navy of ships he employed, which brought him in great riches, 1 Kings 9:26.
And it came to pass, when Solomon had finished the building of the house of the Lord,.... Which was done in seven years, 1 Kings 6:38.
and the king's house; his own palace, which was finished in thirteen years, 1 Kings 7:1,
and all Solomon's desire which he was pleased to do; all his other buildings, the house for Pharaoh's daughter, the house of the forest of Lebanon, and may include his vineyards, gardens, orchards, and pools of water, made for his pleasure, Ecclesiastes 2:4 in which he succeeded and prospered, 2 Chronicles 7:11.
That the Lord appeared to Solomon the second time,.... Junius and Tremellius read this verse with the following, to the end of the ninth, in a parenthesis, and render this clause, "for the Lord had appeared", &c. and Piscator translates it, "moreover the Lord appeared", &c. as beginning a distinct narrative from the former; and indeed if the words are to be connected with the preceding, as in our version, this appearance must be thirteen years after the building of the temple, which is not probable; but rather it was the night after the dedication of it, when an answer was returned to Solomon's prayer in the preceding chapter; for that it should be deferred twelve or thirteen years is not reasonable to suppose; and this appearance was the second of the kind and manner:
as he had appeared unto him at Gibeon; in a dream and a vision, and by night, 1 Kings 3:5, see 2 Chronicles 7:12.
And the Lord said unto him, I have heard thy prayer and thy supplication that thou hast made before me,.... With delight and pleasure, and had accepted it; meaning the prayer recorded in the preceding chapter:
I have hallowed this house which thou hast built; by the cloud of glory filling it, and by fire descending from heaven, and consuming the sacrifices offered in it, 2 Chronicles 7:1.
to put my name there for ever; there to grant his presence, so long as his pure worship should be continued in it; so the Targum adds,
"and my Shechinah or divine Majesty shall abide in it, if my will is done there continually:'
and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually; his eyes of Providence should be upon it, to watch over it, and protect it, and his worshippers in it; and he should have a cordial regard to the sacrifices there offered, and to the persons of the offerers, so long as they offered them in a right way, and to right ends and purposes.
And if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, in integrity of heart, and in uprightness..... Who, though guilty of many sins and failings in life, yet was sincere and upright in the worship of God, never apostatized from it, or fell into idolatry, which is what is chiefly respected:
to do according to all that I have commanded thee, and wilt keep my statutes and my judgments; observe all the laws of God, moral, ceremonial, and judicial.
Then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom upon Israel for ever,.... In a succession in his posterity, until the coming of the Messiah:
as I promised unto David thy father, saying, there shall not fail thee a man upon the throne of Israel; not fail one of his posterity to sit upon it; see 2 Samuel 7:12.
But if you shall at all turn from following me, you or your children,.... From my worship, as the Targum; either Solomon or his successors, or the people of Israel and their posterity; should they turn their backs on God and his worship, meaning not in a single instance, or in some small degree; but as in the original, "if in turning ye turn"F5אם שוב תשבון "si avertendo aversi fueritis", Pagninus, Montanus, &c. , that is, utterly, and entirely, or wholly turn from him and his worship to other gods, as follows:
and will not keep my commandments and my statutes, which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods, and worship them: neglecting the will and worship of God, go into idolatrous practices, as Solomon himself did.
Then will I cut off Israel out of the land I have given them,.... Suffer them to be carried captive into other lands, as the ten tribes were into Assyria, and the two tribes to Babylon; which is called a plucking them up by the roots in 2 Chronicles 7:20.
and this house, which I have hallowed for my name, will I cast out of my sight: as it was when burnt by Nebuchadnezzar:
and Israel shall be a proverb and a byword among all people; both for their sins and for their miseries; see Deuteronomy 28:37, in 2 Chronicles 7:20 the house or temple is said to be made a proverb of.
And at this house which is high,.... The house of the most High, as some render it, and in high esteem, fame, and glory, as well as it was built on an high hill, and was itself one hundred and twenty cubits high, 2 Chronicles 3:4, the Targum is,
"and this house which was high shall be destroyed:'
everyone that passeth by it shall be astonished; at the ruins of the temple, and of the city of Jerusalem, which had been so magnificent:
and shall hiss; in scorn and derision of the people of Israel, rejoicing in their ruin:
and they shall say, why hath the Lord done thus unto this land, and to this house? or suffered it to be done, to lie thus in waste and ruins; a land in which it had been said he delighted, and looked unto from one end of the year to the other, and a house he had taken up his dwelling in; surely something more than ordinary, they suggest, must be the cause of all this.
And they shall answer,.... Who were left in the land when others were carried captive, as were some by Nebuchadnezzar, and who were capable of making the following answer:
because they forsook the Lord; the worship of the Lord their God, as the Targum:
who brought forth their fathers out of the land Egypt; which is observed as an aggravation of their sin:
and have taken hold upon other gods: the gods of the people, as the Targum; of the Gentiles, who knew not the true God:
and have worshipped them, and served them: even idols of gold and silver, wood and stone; an instance of judicial blindness they were left unto, who had been favoured with a revelation from God:
therefore hath the Lord brought upon them all this evil; their idolatry was the cause of it, than which nothing is more provoking to God.
And it came to pass at the end of twenty years,.... From the time Solomon first began to build: when Solomon had built the two houses, the house of the Lord, and the king's house; the first was seven years in building, and the other thirteen; in all twenty.
(Now Hiram the king of Tyre had furnished Solomon with cedar trees and fir trees,.... For the building of both his houses; see 1 Kings 5:8,
and with gold, according to all his desire): which is not before mentioned, and accounts for it from whence Solomon had his gold; if he made no use, as some think he did not, of what his father left him; see 1 Kings 7:51 with which he covered several parts of the temple, and made several vessels in it. Hiram traded to Ophir, and had it from thence; and he could supply Solomon with it, and did, before he sent a navy thither:
that then Solomon gave Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee; that is, by or near it, for they were not in the land of Canaan; for then Solomon could not have disposed of them, being allotted and belonging to one of the tribes of Israel, and part of the Lord's inheritance; but they were upon the borders, particularly on the borders of Asher, if Cabul in Joshua 19:27, can be thought to be the same with these; though some think that Solomon did not give Hiram the possession of these cities, but the royalties and revenues of them, their produce until the debt was paid: but they rather seem to be a gratuity, and a full grant of them, and might be cities which David had conquered, and taken out of the hands of the ancient inhabitants of them; and so Solomon had a right to dispose of them, being left him by his father; for it is plain as yet they were not inhabited by Israelites; see 2 Chronicles 8:2. They are by a Jewish writerF6Gloss. in T. Bab. Sabbat, fol. 54. 1. said to be twenty two, very wrongly.
And Hiram came out from Tyre to see the cities which Solomon had given him,.... For these cities, being in or near Galilee, were not far from Tyre:
and they pleased him not; being either out of repair, as some think; see 2 Chronicles 8:2 or the ground barren, and unfruitful; which is not likely, being in a very fruitful country, as the tribes on which they bordered were: but they were not agreeable to him, they did not suit with the disposition of him and his people, who were given not to husbandry, but to merchandise; and the land about these would require a good deal of pains and labour to till, which they were not used to.
And he said,.... By letter to him:
what cities are these which thou hast given me, my brother? so he called him, being not only his neighbour, but his ally, in friendship and covenant with him; and this he said of them not by way of complaint, or contempt, as unworthy of his acceptance; for so munificent a prince as Solomon would never offer to a king to whom he was so much obliged anything mean and contemptible; but as being unsuitable to him, however valuable they might be in themselves, or of advantage to others:
and he called them the land of Cabul unto this day; or rather the words should be rendered impersonally, "they were called so"; for Hiram could not call them by this name to the times of the writer of this book; nor is there any reason to think he would give them any name at all, and much less a contemptible one, as this is thought to be, when he did not choose to accept of them. Some interpretF7David de Pomis, Lexic fol. 58. 2. the word shut up, or unfruitful, sandy, dirty, clayey; so in the TalmudF8T. Bab. Sabbat, fol. 54. 1. it is said to be a sandy land, and called Cabul, because a man's foot was plunged in it up to his ankles, and is represented as unfruitful. JosephusF9Antiqu. l. 8. c. 5. sect. 3. says, in the Phoenician tongue it signifies "not pleasing", which agrees with what Hiram says, 1 Kings 9:12. HillerusF11Onomastic. Sacr. p. 435. interprets it "as nothing", they being as nothing to Hiram, of no use to him, whatever they might be to others; and therefore he restored them to Solomon, 2 Chronicles 8:2, which seems to be the best sense of the word. They are the same with Decapolis, Matthew 4:25 so called from ten cities thereinF12Vid. Castel Lex Heptaglot. col. 1669. & Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 5. c. 18. .
And Hiram sent to the king one hundred and twenty talents of gold. Not after the cities had been given him, but before; and it may be rendered "had sent"F13ישלח "miserat", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator. , and is the sum of the gold he furnished him with for the temple, 1 Kings 9:11 which, according to BrerewoodF14De Ponderibus & Pretiis, Vet. Num. c. 5. , was 540,000 pounds of our money; and, according to anotherF15Scheuchzer. Physic. Sacr. vol. 3. p. 571. writer, it amounted to 1,466,400 ducats of gold, taking a talent at 12,220 ducats.
And this is the reason of the levy which King Solomon raised,.... Both of men to work, 1 Kings 5:13, and of money to defray the expense:
it was for to build the house of the Lord; the temple:
and his own house; or palace:
and Millo; which he repaired: See Gill on 1 Samuel 5:9.
and the wall of Jerusalem; which, as Abarbinel says, was a large building, there being three walls one within another:
and Hazor; a city in the tribe of Naphtali, and which had been a royal city with the Canaanites; see Joshua 11:1.
and Megiddo; which was in the tribe of Manasseh, Joshua 17:11.
and Gezer; which was in the tribe of Ephraim, and formerly a royal city of the Canaanites, Joshua 10:33.
For Pharaoh king of Egypt had gone up, and taken Gezer, and burnt it with fire,.... Egypt lay lower than Canaan, and therefore Pharaoh is said to go up to it; what moved him to it is not certain; whether he went of himself provoked, or was moved to it by Solomon, who had married his daughter; however, so he did, and took the place, and burnt it:
and slain the Canaanites that dwelt in the city: for though it was given to the tribe of Ephraim, yet they could not drive the Canaanites out of it, who seem to have remained in it to this time; see Joshua 16:10.
and given it for a present unto his daughter, Solomon's wife; not as a dowry with her, but as a present to her; perhaps some time after marriage.
And Solomon built Gezer,.... Rebuilt it, it having been burnt, at least great part of it, by Pharaoh when he took it:
and Bethhoron the nether; and the upper also, 2 Chronicles 8:5, which belonged to the tribe of Ephraim, and were on the borders of it, between that and Benjamin, Joshua 16:3.
And Baalath,.... A city in the tribe of Dan, Joshua 19:44.
and Tadmor in the wilderness, in the land; or "Tamar", as in the Cetib, or Scriptural reading; for we go according to the marginal reading, and so Thamato in PtolemyF16Geograph. l. 5. c. 16. ; and is thought by some to be the same with Tamar in Ezekiel 47:19, which Jerom there says is Palmyra. Tamar signifies a palm tree, from whence this city had its name Palmyra, the situation of which place agrees with this; hence we read both in PtolemyF17Ib. c. 15. and PlinyF18Nat. Hist. l. 5. c. 26. & 6. 28. of the Palmyrene deserts: the ruins of it are to be seen to this day, and of it this account is given; that it is enclosed on three sides with long ridges of mountains, which open towards the east gradually, to the distance of about an hour's riding; but to the south stretches a vast plain, beyond the reach of the eye; the air is good, but the soil exceeding barren; nothing green to be seen therein, save some few palm trees in the gardens, and here and there about the town; and from these trees, I conceive, says my author, it obtained its name both in Hebrew and in Latin: it appears to have been of a large extent, by the space now taken up by the ruins; but there are no footsteps of any wall remaining, nor is it possible to judge of the ancient figure of the place. The present inhabitants, as they are poor, miserable, dirty people, so they have shut themselves up, to the number of about thirty or forty families, in little huts made of dirt, within the walls of a spacious court, which enclosed a most magnificent Heathen templeF19Halifax apud Philosphic. Transact. vol. 3. p. 504. . Benjamin of Tudela saysF20Itinerar. p. 57, 58. , it is situated in a wilderness, far from any habitable place, and is four days' journey from Baalath before mentioned; which place he takes to be the same with Baalbek, in the valley of Lebanon, built by Solomon for Pharaoh's daughter; which, according to the Arabic geographerF21Geograph. Nub. par. 5. clim. 3. p. 117. , was situated at the foot of Mount Lebanon; and Tadmor seems to be in the land of Hamathzobah, 2 Chronicles 8:3.
And all the cities of store that Solomon had,.... In which were his magazines of corn, arms, and ammunition; and these were built in Hamath, 2 Chronicles 8:4.
and cities for his chariots; chariots of war, iron chariots, which were kept in times of peace, in case of necessity, of which Solomon had 1400, 1 Kings 10:26,
and cities for his horsemen; of which he had 12,000, a standing cavalry:
and that which Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem; besides the temple and his own palace before mentioned; see Ecclesiastes 2:4,
and in Lebanon; the house of the forest of Lebanon, which Junius on 1 Kings 7:2 thinks he built after he had taken Hamathzobah, a royal city of Lebanon; see 2 Chronicles 8:3 or fortresses on Mount Lebanon, which was the northern border of his kingdom:
and in all the land of his dominions; where he might repair or fortify cities, or erect new forts for the safety of his kingdom; now for the doing of all this was the levy both of men and money raised, and of whom next follows.
And all the people that were left of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites,.... Who were not destroyed in the times of Joshua, or since, but dwelt in several cities of the land of Israel from those times; see Judges 1:1, which were not of the children of Israel; not natives of the land of Israel, though they might be proselytes, at least some of them.
Their children that were left after them in the land,.... The posterity of those left unsubdued in the times of Joshua:
whom the children of Israel also were not able utterly to destroy; in later times, though now it is thought by some it was not for want of power, but because they had made a covenant with them, as the Gibeonites did, and therefore they could not, because it would have been a breach of covenant to have destroyed them; see 2 Chronicles 8:8,
upon these did Solomon levy a tribute of bond service unto this day; not a tribute of money, which being poor they were not able to pay, but of service, and which being once laid on was continued, and even to the time of the writing of this book.
But of the children of Israel did Solomon make no bondmen,.... For that was contrary to the law; they might be hired servants, but not bond servants, Leviticus 25:39.
but they were men of war; which he kept in pay, a standing army, maintained even in time of peace, in case of necessity, should an enemy attempt to invade or surprise them:
and his servants; in his family and court, who had offices and employments there:
and his princes; ministers of state, counsellors, governors of cities, &c.
and his captains; officers in his army:
and rulers of his chariots and his horsemen; war chariots and troopers; see 1 Kings 9:19.
These were the chief of the officers over Solomon's work,.... In building the above houses and cities:
five hundred and fifty which bore rule over the people that wrought in the work; in 2 Chronicles 8:10 they are said to be but two hundred and fifty; now it may be observed, as is by the Jewish writers, that there were three sorts of those rulers; the lowest rank and order of them consisted of 3300, the next of three hundred which were over the 3300, and being numbered with them made 3600, 2 Chronicles 2:18 and the highest rank of them were two hundred and fifty, and the middlemost and highest being joined together, as they are here, made five hundred and fifty. Abarbinel reconciles the places thus, the two hundred and fifty were only over those that wrought in the temple; and the five hundred and fifty here were those that were over such that were employed in the various parts of the kingdom.
But Pharaoh's daughter came up out of the city of David,.... Where he placed her when he first married her, until he had finished his buildings, 1 Kings 3:1, which being done he brought her from thence unto her house, which Solomon had built for her; the reason of which is given, not only because it was the house of David, but because it was holy by the ark being there for some time; and therefore he did not judge it proper that his wife, an Egyptian woman, and sometimes in her impurity, should dwell there; see 2 Chronicles 8:11,
then did he build Millo: this being particularly repeated from 1 Kings 9:15, and following upon what is said of Pharaoh's daughter, has led many Jewish writers to conclude her house was built at Millo; and indeed, without supposing this, it is hard to conceive why it should be observed here; the Targum on 2 Chronicles 8:11 calls her name Bithiah.
And three times in a year did Solomon offer burnt offerings and peace offerings upon the altar which he built unto the Lord,.... The brasen altar, the altar of burnt offering, which stood in the court of the priests, and by whom he offered. The three times were the feasts of passover, pentecost, and tabernacles, as explained in 2 Chronicles 8:13, not that these were the only offerings, or these the only times he offered; for he offered all other sacrifices, and at all other times commanded in the law of Moses, as on sabbaths and new moons, as expressed in the above place:
and he burnt incense upon the altar that was before the Lord; the altar of incense, which stood in the holy place, right beside the most holy, in which was the ark, the symbol of the divine Presence; not that Solomon burnt incense in person, but by the priests, whom he furnished with incense; for no king might offer incense, as the case of Uzziah shows:
so he finished the house; which respects not the building of it, that had been observed before, but the service of it; as he had provided all vessels and utensils for the furniture of it, and all things to be used in them; as sacrifices for the altar of burnt offering, incense for the altar of incense, bread for the shewbread table, and oil for the lamps; so he appointed the courses of the priests, Levites, and porters, to do their duty, who went through every part of service assigned them, and completed the whole; see 2 Chronicles 8:14.
And King Solomon made a navy of ships in Eziongeber,.... Which was one of the stations of the Israelites, near the wilderness of Sin, or Paran, Numbers 33:35, it signifies the backbone of a man; and it is saidF23Harris's Voyages, vol. 1. B. 1. ch. 2. sect. 3. p. 377. the ridge of rocks before this port were in that form, covered by the sea at high water, and sticking up with various points in a line when it was low. Josephus saysF24Antiqu. l. 8. c. 6. sect. 4. in his time it was called Berenice, which is placed by MelaF25De Situ Orbis, l. 3. c. 8. between the Heroopolitic bay, and the promontory Strobilus, or Pharan. It is thought probableF26Clayton's Chronology, &c. p. 407. to be the same with that which is called by the Arabs Meenah-el-Dsahab, the port of gold, called Dizahab, Deuteronomy 1:1, which stands upon the shore of the Arabic gulf, about two or three days' distance from Mount Sinai; though by othersF1Vossius in Melam ut supra, (Harris's Voyages, vol. 1. B. 1. ch. 2. sect. 3.) p. 386. thought to be the same the Arabs call Calzem, where was a great quantity of wood fit for building ships. It is further described,
which is beside Elath, on the shore of the Red sea, in the land of Edom; and when Edom was subdued by David, this port fell into his hands, and so was in the possession of Solomon; and there being plenty of timber in the parts adjacent, and this being a port in the Red sea, Solomon chose it as proper place to build ships in. Elath, near to which was, is the same the Elanitic bay had its name from; or which See Gill on Deuteronomy 2:8. Trajan, the Roman emperor, formed a navy in the Red seaF2Eutrop. Rom. Hist. l. 8. Ruti Fest. Breviar. , that by it he might ravage and waste the borders of India; and here it seems Solomon's navy went; see 1 Kings 9:28.
And Hiram sent in his navy his servants,.... And, according to 2 Chronicles 8:18, ships also but how he could send them from Tyre, which lay in the Mediterranean sea, to the above ports in the Red sea, without going a great way round, is not easy to conceive. Perhaps, as Gussetins conjecturesF3Ebr. Comment p. 628. , Hiram had a port in the Red sea for building and sending out ships, for the sake of his eastern navigation, and from thence he sent them to Solomon's ports in the same sea; but if what R. JaphetF4In Aben Ezra in Jon. ii. 5. observes is true, that the Red sea is mixed with the sea of Joppa by means of the river Rhinocurura, as is remarked by a learned manF5Texelii Phoenix, l. 3. c. 6. p. 243, 244. and who approves of the observation, and thinks it does not deserve the censure Dr. LightfootF6Miscellanies, c. 18. vol. 1. p. 1002, 1003. passes on it. If this, I say, can be supported, the difficulty is removed: so Abarbinel assertsF7Apud Manasseh, Spes Israelis, sect. 2. p. 20. , that a branch of the Nile flows into the Red sea: and another, passing through Alexandria, runs into the Mediterranean sea. This is the first navy of ships we read of; in the construction of which, as well as in the art of navigation, the Tyrians no doubt were greatly assisting to Solomon's servants, and which appears by what follows; and they are saidF8"Prima ratem ventis credere docta Tyros", Catullus. to be the first that made use of ships; and the invention of ships of burden, or merchant ships, such as these were, is by PlinyF9Nat. Hist. l. 7. c. 56. ascribed to Hippus the Tyrian: and the Tyrians were famous for merchandise, which they could not carry on with foreign nations without shipping; see Isaiah 23:8, the servants Hiram sent in Solomon's navy were
shipmen that had knowledge of the sea; of sea coasts and ports, of the manner of guiding and managing ships at sea, and of the whole art of navigation, so far as then known, for which the Tyrians were famous; see Ezekiel 27:3,
with the servants of Solomon; to instruct and assist them in naval affairs, they not having been used thereunto.
And they came to Ophir,.... About which place there are various opinions; some take it to be the little island of Zocatora, on the eastern coast of Africa, at a small distance from the straits of Babelmandel; others the island of Ceylon; others Sofala in Africa; someF11Erasm. Schmid. de America, orat. ad Cale. Pindar. p. 261. So some Jewish writers say it is the new world, Ganz. Tzemach David, par. 1. fol. 10. 1. Peru in America; Vatablus the island of Hispaniola in the West Indies, discovered by Columbus, and who thoughtF12P. Martyr Decad. 1. l. 1. himself that he had found the land of Ophir, because of the quantity of gold in it; others the southern part of Arabia; but the most reasonable opinion is, says my authorF13Harris's Voyages, ut supra. (vol. 1. B. 1. ch. 2. sect. 3. p. 377.) , that it is a rich country in Malacca, which is a peninsula in the true Red sea (that part of the ocean which divides Asia from Africa), known by the name of the "golden Chersonese", and which agrees with JosephusF14Ut supra. (Antiqu. l. 8. c. 6. sect. 4.) ; and at twelve leagues from Malacca there is a very high mountain, which by the natives is called Ophir, and is reported to be, or to have been, very rich in gold, though at present only some tin mines are worked there; and KircherF15China Illustrat. cum Monument. p. 58. & Prodrom. Copt. c. 4. p. 119. says the word Ophir is a Coptic or Egyptian word, by which the ancient Egyptians used to call that India which contains the kingdoms of Malabar, Zeilan, the golden Chersonese, and, the islands belonging to it, Sumatra, Molucca, Java, and other neighbouring golden islands. So VarreriusF16Comment. de Ophyra. thinks that all that coast in which are contained Pegu, Malaca, and Somatra, is Ophir; which places, besides gold, abound with elephants, apes, and parrots. In the island of Sumatra gold is now found, especially in Achin, in great plenty; in which is a mountain, called the "golden mountain", near the minesF17Dampier's Voyages, vol. 2. ch. 7. RelandF18Dissert. de Ophir, sect. 6, 7. takes Ophir to be the country round about a city called Oupara or Suphara, in the East Indies, where now stands Goa, the most famous mart in all India at this day for many of those things Solomon traded thither for. Though after all perhaps there was no such place originally as Ophir in India; only the gold brought from thence was like that of Ophir in Arabia, and therefore they called the place so from whence it was had; see Job 22:24.
and fetched from thence gold four hundred and twenty talents, and brought it to King Solomon; which according to BrerewoodF19De Ponder. & Pret. c. 5. amounted to 1,890,000 pounds of our money; and according to another writerF20Scheuchzer. Physic. Sacr. vol. 3. p. 572. 5,132,400 ducats of gold. Abarbinel says a talent of gold was equal to 12,300 Venetian ducats; in 2 Chronicles 8:18 it is said, that four hundred and fifty talents of gold were brought to Solomon; perhaps thirty might be expended in the voyage, or paid to Hiram's servants for their wages, as some Jewish writers observe; or in the bulk or ore it might be four hundred and fifty talents, but when purified only four hundred and twenty, as Grotius remarks; either way removes the difficulty; though some think different voyages are respected here and there; of the gold of Ophir frequent mention is made in Scripture.