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1 Kings Chapter
Nine
New King James Version (NKJV)
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.
1 Kings 9:1 And
it came to pass
when Solomon had finished building the house of the Lord and the king’s
house
and all Solomon’s desire which he wanted to do
YLT
1And 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
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.
1 Kings 9:2 2 that the Lord appeared to
Solomon the second time
as He had appeared to him at Gibeon.
YLT
2that Jehovah appeareth unto
Solomon a second time
as He appeared unto him in Gibeon
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.
1 Kings 9:3 3 And the Lord said to him:
“I have heard your prayer and your supplication that you have made before Me; I
have consecrated this house which you have built to put My name there forever
and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually.
YLT
3and 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.
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.
1 Kings 9:4 4 Now if you walk before Me
as your father David walked
in integrity of heart and in uprightness
to do according
to all that I have commanded you
and if you keep My statutes and My
judgments
YLT
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 –
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.
1 Kings 9:5 5 then I will establish the
throne of your kingdom over Israel forever
as I promised David your father
saying
‘You shall not fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.’
YLT
5then 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.
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.
1 Kings 9:6 6 But
if you or your sons at all turn from following Me
and do not keep My
commandments and My statutes which I have set before you
but go and
serve other gods and worship them
YLT
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
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.
1 Kings 9:7 7 then I will cut off Israel
from the land which I have given them; and this house which I have consecrated
for My name I will cast out of My sight. Israel will be a proverb and a byword
among all peoples.
YLT
7then 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;
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.
1 Kings 9:8 8 And as for this
house
which is exalted
everyone who passes by it will be astonished
and will hiss
and say
‘Why has the Lord done thus to this land
and to this house?’
YLT
8as 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?
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.
1 Kings 9:9 9 Then they will answer
‘Because they forsook the Lord their God
who brought
their fathers out of the land of Egypt
and have embraced other gods
and
worshiped them and served them; therefore the Lord has brought
all this calamity on them.’”
YLT
9and 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.'
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.
1 Kings 9:10 10 Now it happened at the end
of twenty years
when Solomon had built the two houses
the house of the Lord and the king’s
house
YLT
10And 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.
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.
1 Kings 9:11 11 (Hiram the king of Tyre
had supplied Solomon with cedar and cypress and gold
as much as he desired)
that
King Solomon then gave Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee.
YLT
11Hiram 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.
(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.
1 Kings 9:12 12 Then Hiram went from Tyre
to see the cities which Solomon had given him
but they did not please him.
YLT
12And Hiram cometh out from
Tyre to see the cities that Solomon hath given to him
and they have not been
right in his eyes
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.
1 Kings 9:13 13 So he said
“What kind
of cities are these which you have given me
my brother?” And he
called them the land of Cabul
[a] as they
are to this day.
YLT
13and 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.
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. .
1 Kings 9:14 14 Then Hiram sent the king
one hundred and twenty talents of gold.
YLT
14And Hiram sendeth to the
king a hundred and twenty talents of gold.
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.
1 Kings 9:15 15 And this is the
reason for the labor force which King Solomon raised: to build the house of the
Lord
his own
house
the Millo
[b] the wall
of Jerusalem
Hazor
Megiddo
and Gezer.
YLT
15And 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
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.
1 Kings 9:16 16 (Pharaoh king of Egypt had
gone up and taken Gezer and burned it with fire
had killed the Canaanites who
dwelt in the city
and had given it as a dowry to his daughter
Solomon’s
wife.)
YLT
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.)
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.
1 Kings 9:17 17 And Solomon built Gezer
Lower Beth Horon
YLT
17And Solomon buildeth Gezer
and Beth-Horon the lower
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.
1 Kings 9:18 18 Baalath
and Tadmor in the
wilderness
in the land of Judah
YLT
18and Baalath
and Tadmor in
the wilderness
in the land;
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.
1 Kings 9:19 19 all the storage cities
that Solomon had
cities for his chariots and cities for his cavalry
and whatever
Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem
in Lebanon
and in all the land of his
dominion.
YLT
19and 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.
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.
1 Kings 9:20 20 All the people who were
left of the Amorites
Hittites
Perizzites
Hivites
and Jebusites
who were
not of the children of Israel—
YLT
20The 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 –
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.
1 Kings 9:21 21 that is
their descendants
who were left in the land after them
whom the children of Israel had not been
able to destroy completely—from these Solomon raised forced labor
as it is to
this day.
YLT
21their 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.
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.
1 Kings 9:22 22 But of the children of
Israel Solomon made no forced laborers
because they were men of war and
his servants: his officers
his captains
commanders of his chariots
and his
cavalry.
YLT
22And 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.
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.
1 Kings 9:23 23 Others were chiefs
of the officials who were over Solomon’s work: five hundred and fifty
who ruled over the people who did the work.
YLT
23These [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.
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.
1 Kings 9:24 24 But Pharaoh’s daughter
came up from the City of David to her house which Solomon[c] had built
for her. Then he built the Millo.
YLT
24Only
the daughter of
Pharaoh went up out of the city of David unto her house that [Solomon] built
for her; then he built Millo.
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.
1 Kings 9:25 25 Now three times a year
Solomon offered burnt offerings and peace offerings on the altar which he had
built for the Lord
and he burned incense with them on the altar that was before the Lord. So he
finished the temple.
YLT
25And 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.
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.
1 Kings 9:26 26 King Solomon also built a
fleet of ships at Ezion Geber
which is near Elath[d] on the
shore of the Red Sea
in the land of Edom.
YLT
26And 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.
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.
1 Kings 9:27 27 Then Hiram sent his
servants with the fleet
seamen who knew the sea
to work with the servants of
Solomon.
YLT
27And Hiram sendeth in the
navy his servants
shipmen knowing the sea
with servants of Solomon
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.
1 Kings 9:28 28 And they went to Ophir
and
acquired four hundred and twenty talents of gold from there
and brought it
to King Solomon.
YLT
28and they come in to Ophir
and take thence gold
four hundred and twenty talents
and bring [it] in unto
king Solomon.
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.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)