1 Kings 9-10
New English Translation
The Lord Gives Solomon a Promise and a Warning
9 After Solomon finished building the Lord’s temple, the royal palace, and all the other construction projects he had planned,[a] 2 the Lord appeared to Solomon a second time, in the same way he had appeared to him at Gibeon.[b] 3 The Lord said to him, “I have answered[c] your prayer and your request for help that you made to me. I have consecrated this temple you built by making it my permanent home;[d] I will be constantly present there.[e] 4 You must serve me with integrity and sincerity, just as your father David did. Do everything I commanded and obey my rules and regulations.[f] 5 Then I will allow your dynasty to rule over Israel permanently,[g] just as I promised your father David, ‘You will not fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.’[h]
6 “But if you or your sons ever turn away from me, fail to obey the regulations and rules I instructed you to keep,[i] and decide to serve and worship other gods,[j] 7 then I will remove Israel from the land[k] I have given them, I will abandon this temple I have consecrated with my presence,[l] and Israel will be mocked and ridiculed[m] among all the nations. 8 This temple will become a heap of ruins;[n] everyone who passes by it will be shocked and will hiss out their scorn,[o] saying, ‘Why did the Lord do this to this land and this temple?’ 9 Others will then answer,[p] ‘Because they abandoned the Lord their God, who led their ancestors[q] out of Egypt. They embraced other gods whom they worshiped and served.[r] That is why the Lord has brought all this disaster down on them.’”
Foreign Affairs and Building Projects
10 After twenty years, during which Solomon built the Lord’s temple and the royal palace,[s] 11 King Solomon gave King Hiram of Tyre twenty towns in the region of Galilee, because Hiram had supplied Solomon with cedars, evergreens, and all the gold he wanted. 12 When Hiram went out from Tyre to inspect the towns Solomon had given him, he was not pleased with them.[t] 13 Hiram asked,[u] “Why did you give me these towns, my friend?”[v] He called that area the region of Cabul, a name which it has retained to this day.[w] 14 Hiram had sent to the king 120 talents[x] of gold.
15 Here are the details concerning the work crews[y] King Solomon conscripted[z] to build the Lord’s temple, his palace, the terrace, the wall of Jerusalem, and the cities of[aa] Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer. 16 (Pharaoh, king of Egypt, had attacked and captured Gezer. He burned it and killed the Canaanites who lived in the city. He gave it as a wedding present to his daughter, who had married Solomon.) 17 Solomon built up Gezer, lower Beth Horon, 18 Baalath, Tadmor in the wilderness,[ab] 19 all the storage cities that belonged to him,[ac] and the cities where chariots and horses were kept.[ad] He built whatever he wanted in Jerusalem, Lebanon, and throughout his entire kingdom.[ae] 20 Now several non-Israelite peoples were left in the land after the conquest of Joshua, including the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.[af] 21 Their descendants remained in the land (the Israelites were unable to wipe them out completely). Solomon conscripted them for his work crews, and they continue in that role to this very day.[ag] 22 Solomon did not assign Israelites to these work crews;[ah] the Israelites served as his soldiers, attendants, officers, charioteers, and commanders of his chariot forces.[ai] 23 These men were also in charge of Solomon’s work projects; there were a total of 550 men who supervised the workers.[aj] 24 Solomon built the terrace as soon as Pharaoh’s daughter moved up from the City of David[ak] to the palace Solomon built for her.[al]
25 Three times a year Solomon offered burnt offerings and peace offerings[am] on the altar he had built for the Lord, burning incense along with them before the Lord. He made the temple his official worship place.[an]
26 King Solomon also built ships[ao] in Ezion Geber, which is located near Elat in the land of Edom, on the shore of the Red Sea. 27 Hiram sent his fleet and some of his sailors, who were well acquainted with the sea, to serve with Solomon’s men.[ap] 28 They sailed[aq] to Ophir, took from there 420 talents[ar] of gold, and then brought them to King Solomon.
Solomon Entertains a Queen
10 When the queen of Sheba heard about Solomon,[as] she came to challenge[at] him with difficult questions.[au] 2 She arrived in Jerusalem with a great display of pomp,[av] bringing with her camels carrying spices,[aw] a very large quantity of gold, and precious gems. She visited Solomon and discussed with him everything that was on her mind. 3 Solomon answered all her questions; there was no question too complex for the king.[ax] 4 When the queen of Sheba saw for herself Solomon’s extensive wisdom,[ay] the palace[az] he had built, 5 the food in his banquet hall,[ba] his servants and attendants,[bb] their robes, his cupbearers, and his burnt offerings which he presented in the Lord’s temple, she was amazed.[bc] 6 She said to the king, “The report I heard in my own country about your wise sayings and insight[bd] was true! 7 I did not believe these things until I came and saw them with my own eyes. Indeed, I didn’t hear even half the story![be] Your wisdom and wealth[bf] surpass what was reported to me. 8 Your attendants, who stand before you at all times and hear your wise sayings, are truly happy![bg] 9 May the Lord your God be praised because he favored[bh] you by placing you on the throne of Israel! Because of the Lord’s eternal love for Israel, he made you king so you could make just and right decisions.”[bi] 10 She gave the king 120 talents[bj] of gold, a very large quantity of spices, and precious gems. The quantity of spices the queen of Sheba gave King Solomon has never been matched.[bk] 11 (Hiram’s fleet, which carried gold from Ophir, also brought from Ophir a very large quantity of fine timber and precious gems. 12 With the timber the king made supports[bl] for the Lord’s temple and for the royal palace and stringed instruments[bm] for the musicians. No one has seen so much of this fine timber to this very day.[bn]) 13 King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba everything she requested, besides what he had freely offered her.[bo] Then she left and returned[bp] to her homeland with her attendants.
Solomon’s Wealth
14 Solomon received 666 talents[bq] of gold per year,[br] 15 besides what he collected from the merchants,[bs] traders, Arabian kings, and governors of the land. 16 King Solomon made 200 large shields of hammered gold; 600 measures[bt] of gold were used for each shield. 17 He also made 300 small shields of hammered gold; three minas[bu] of gold were used for each of these shields. The king placed them in the Palace of the Lebanon Forest.[bv]
18 The king made a large throne decorated with ivory and overlaid it with pure gold. 19 There were six steps leading up to the throne, and the back of it was rounded on top. The throne had two armrests with a statue of a lion standing on each side.[bw] 20 There were twelve statues of lions on the six steps, one lion at each end of each step. There was nothing like it in any other kingdom.[bx]
21 All of King Solomon’s cups were made of gold, and all the household items in the Palace of the Lebanon Forest were made of pure gold. There were no silver items, for silver was not considered very valuable in Solomon’s time.[by] 22 Along with Hiram’s fleet, the king had a fleet of large merchant ships[bz] that sailed the sea. Once every three years the fleet[ca] came into port with cargoes of[cb] gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.[cc]
23 King Solomon was wealthier and wiser than any of the kings of the earth.[cd] 24 Everyone[ce] in the world wanted to visit Solomon to see him display his God-given wisdom.[cf] 25 Year after year visitors brought their gifts, which included items of silver, items of gold, clothes, perfume, spices, horses, and mules.[cg]
26 Solomon accumulated[ch] chariots and horses. He had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horses. He kept them in assigned cities and in Jerusalem.[ci] 27 The king made silver as plentiful[cj] in Jerusalem as stones; cedar was[ck] as plentiful as sycamore fig trees are in the foothills.[cl] 28 Solomon acquired his horses from Egypt[cm] and from Que; the king’s traders purchased them from Que. 29 They paid 600 silver pieces for each chariot from Egypt and 150 silver pieces for each horse. They also sold chariots and horses to all the kings of the Hittites and to the kings of Syria.[cn]
Footnotes
- 1 Kings 9:1 tn Heb “and all the desire of Solomon which he wanted to do.”
- 1 Kings 9:2 sn In the same way he had appeared to him at Gibeon. See 1 Kgs 3:5.
- 1 Kings 9:3 tn Heb “I have heard.”
- 1 Kings 9:3 tn Heb “by placing my name there perpetually” (or perhaps, “forever”).
- 1 Kings 9:3 tn Heb “and my eyes and my heart will be there all the days.”
- 1 Kings 9:4 tn Heb “As for you, if you walk before me, as David your father walked, in integrity of heart and in uprightness, by doing all which I commanded you, [and] you keep my rules and my regulations.” Verse 4 is actually a lengthy protasis (“if” section) of a conditional sentence, the apodosis (“then” section) of which appears in v. 5.
- 1 Kings 9:5 tn Heb “I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever.”
- 1 Kings 9:5 tn Heb “there will not be cut off from you a man from upon the throne of Israel.”
- 1 Kings 9:6 tn Heb “which I placed before you.”
- 1 Kings 9:6 tn Heb “and walk and serve other gods and bow down to them.”
- 1 Kings 9:7 tn Heb “I will cut off Israel from upon the surface of the land.”
- 1 Kings 9:7 tn Heb “and the temple which I consecrated for my name I will send away from before my face.”sn Instead of “I will send away,” the parallel text in 2 Chr 7:20 has “I will throw away.” The two verbs sound very similar in Hebrew, so the discrepancy is likely due to an oral transmissional error.
- 1 Kings 9:7 tn Heb “will become a proverb and a taunt,” that is, a proverbial example of destruction and an object of reproach.
- 1 Kings 9:8 tn Heb “and this house will be high [or elevated].” The statement makes little sense in this context, which predicts the desolation that judgment will bring. Some treat the clause as concessive, “Even though this temple is lofty [now].” Others, following the lead of several ancient versions, emend the text to, “this temple will become a heap of ruins.”
- 1 Kings 9:8 tn Heb “hiss,” or perhaps “whistle.” This refers to a derisive sound one would make when taunting an object of ridicule.
- 1 Kings 9:9 tn Heb “and they will say.”
- 1 Kings 9:9 tn Heb “fathers.”
- 1 Kings 9:9 tn Heb “and they took hold of other gods and bowed down to them and served them.”
- 1 Kings 9:10 tn Heb “the two houses, the house of the Lord and the house of the king.”
- 1 Kings 9:12 tn Heb “they were not agreeable in his eyes.”
- 1 Kings 9:13 tn Heb “and he said.”
- 1 Kings 9:13 tn Heb “my brother.” Kings allied through a parity treaty would sometimes address each other as “my brother.” See 1 Kgs 20:32-33.
- 1 Kings 9:13 tn Heb “he called them the land of Cabul to this day.” The significance of the name is unclear, though it appears to be disparaging. The name may be derived from a root, attested in Akkadian and Arabic, meaning “bound” or “restricted.” Some propose a wordplay, pointing out that the name “Cabul” sounds like a Hebrew phrase meaning, “like not,” or “as good as nothing.”
- 1 Kings 9:14 tn The Hebrew term כִּכָּר (kikkar, “circle”) refers generally to something that is round. When used of metals it can refer to a disk-shaped weight made of the metal or to a standard unit of weight, generally regarded as a talent. Since the accepted weight for a talent of metal is about 75 pounds, this would have amounted to about 9,000 pounds of gold (cf. NCV, NLT); CEV “five tons”; TEV “4,000 kilogrammes.”
- 1 Kings 9:15 sn The work crews. This Hebrew word מַס (mas) refers to a group of laborers conscripted for royal or public service.
- 1 Kings 9:15 tn Heb “raised up.”
- 1 Kings 9:15 tn The words “the cities of” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
- 1 Kings 9:18 tn The Hebrew text has “in the wilderness, in the land.”
- 1 Kings 9:19 tn Heb “to Solomon.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“him”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
- 1 Kings 9:19 tn Heb “the cities of the chariots and the cities of the horses.”
- 1 Kings 9:19 tn Heb “and the desire of Solomon which he desired to build in Jerusalem and in Lebanon and in all the land of his kingdom.”
- 1 Kings 9:20 tn Heb “all the people who were left from the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, who were not from the sons of Israel.”
- 1 Kings 9:21 tn Heb “their sons who were left after them in the land, whom the sons of Israel were unable to wipe out, and Solomon raised them up for a crew of labor to this day.”
- 1 Kings 9:22 sn These work crews. The work crews referred to here must be different than the temporary crews described in 5:13-16.
- 1 Kings 9:22 tn Heb “officers of his chariots and his horses.”
- 1 Kings 9:23 tn Heb “these [were] the officials of the governors who were over the work belonging to Solomon, five hundred fifty, the ones ruling over the people, the ones doing the work.”
- 1 Kings 9:24 sn The phrase City of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.
- 1 Kings 9:24 tn Heb “As soon as Pharaoh’s daughter went up from the City of David to her house which he built for her, then he built the terrace.”
- 1 Kings 9:25 tn Or “tokens of peace”; NIV, TEV “fellowship offerings.”
- 1 Kings 9:25 tn Heb “and he made complete the house.”
- 1 Kings 9:26 tn Or “a fleet” (in which case “ships” would be implied).
- 1 Kings 9:27 tn Heb “and Hiram sent with the fleet his servants, men of ships, [who] know the sea, [to be] with the servants of Solomon.”
- 1 Kings 9:28 tn Heb “went.”
- 1 Kings 9:28 tn The Hebrew term כִּכָּר (kikkar, “circle”) refers generally to something that is round. When used of metals it can refer to a disk-shaped weight made of the metal or to a standard unit of weight, generally regarded as a talent. Since the accepted weight for a talent of metal is about 75 pounds, this would have amounted to about 31,500 pounds of gold (cf. NCV); CEV, NLT “sixteen tons”; TEV “more than 14,000 kilogrammes.”
- 1 Kings 10:1 tn Heb “the report about Solomon.”tc The Hebrew text also has, “to the name of the Lord,” which is very awkward due to its unusual syntax. The phrase is omitted in the parallel passage in 2 Chr 9:1. The word “report” is followed by the preposition ל (lamed) in Isa 23:5 and Hos 7:12 and indicates whom the message came to. And otherwise the collocation of לְשֵׁם (leshem, “to the name”) does not follow either a proper noun or the word report elsewhere in scripture. If retained, perhaps it should be translated, “for the reputation of the Lord.”
- 1 Kings 10:1 tn Or “test.”
- 1 Kings 10:1 tn Or “riddles.”
- 1 Kings 10:2 tn Heb “with very great strength.” The Hebrew term חַיִל (khayil, “strength”) may refer here to the size of her retinue (cf. NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV) or to the great wealth she brought with her.
- 1 Kings 10:2 tn Or “balsam oil.”
- 1 Kings 10:3 tn Heb “Solomon declared to her all her words; there was not a word hidden from the king which he did not declare to her.” If riddles are specifically in view (see v. 1), then one might translate, “Solomon explained to her all her riddles; there was no riddle too complex for the king.”
- 1 Kings 10:4 tn Heb “all the wisdom of Solomon.”
- 1 Kings 10:4 tn Heb “house.”
- 1 Kings 10:5 tn Heb “the food on his table.”
- 1 Kings 10:5 tn Heb “the seating of his servants and the standing of his attendants.”
- 1 Kings 10:5 tn Heb “there was no breath still in her.”
- 1 Kings 10:6 tn Heb “about your words [or perhaps, “deeds”] and your wisdom.”
- 1 Kings 10:7 tn Heb “the half was not told to me.”
- 1 Kings 10:7 tn Heb “good.”
- 1 Kings 10:8 tn Heb “How happy are your men! How happy are these servants of yours, who stand before you continually, who hear your wisdom!”
- 1 Kings 10:9 tn Or “delighted in.”
- 1 Kings 10:9 tn Heb “to do justice and righteousness.”
- 1 Kings 10:10 tn The Hebrew term כִּכָּר (kikkar, “circle”) refers generally to something that is round. When used of metals it can refer to a disk-shaped weight made of the metal or to a standard unit of weight, generally regarded as a talent. Since the accepted weight for a talent of metal is about 75 pounds, this would have amounted to about 9,000 pounds of gold (cf. NCV, NLT); CEV “five tons”; TEV “4,000 kilogrammes.”
- 1 Kings 10:10 tn Heb “there has not come like those spices yet for quantity which the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.”
- 1 Kings 10:12 tn This Hebrew architectural term occurs only here. The meaning is uncertain; some have suggested “banisters” or “parapets”; cf. TEV, NLT “railings.” The parallel passage in 2 Chr 9:11 has a different word, meaning “tracks,” or perhaps “steps.”
- 1 Kings 10:12 tn Two types of stringed instruments are specifically mentioned, the כִּנּוֹר (kinnor, “zither” [?]), and נֶבֶל (nevel, “harp”).
- 1 Kings 10:12 tn Heb “there has not come thus, the fine timber, and there has not been seen to this day.”
- 1 Kings 10:13 tn Heb “besides what he had given her according to the hand of King Solomon.”
- 1 Kings 10:13 tn Heb “turned and went.”
- 1 Kings 10:14 tn The Hebrew term כִּכָּר (kikkar, “circle”) refers generally to something that is round. When used of metals it can refer to a disk-shaped weight made of the metal or to a standard unit of weight, generally regarded as a talent. Since the accepted weight for a talent of metal is about 75 pounds, this would have amounted to about 50,000 pounds of gold (cf. NCV); CEV, NLT “twenty-five tons”; TEV “almost 23,000 kilogrammes.”
- 1 Kings 10:14 tn Heb “the weight of the gold which came to Solomon in one year was 666 talents of gold.”
- 1 Kings 10:15 tn Heb “from the traveling men.”
- 1 Kings 10:16 tn The Hebrew text has simply “six hundred,” with no unit of measure given.
- 1 Kings 10:17 sn Three minas. The mina was a unit of measure for weight.
- 1 Kings 10:17 sn The Palace of the Lebanon Forest. This name was appropriate because of the large amount of cedar, undoubtedly brought from Lebanon, used in its construction. The cedar pillars in the palace must have given it the appearance of a forest.
- 1 Kings 10:19 tn Heb “[There were] armrests on each side of the place of the seat, and two lions standing beside the armrests.”
- 1 Kings 10:20 tn Heb “nothing like it had been made for all the kingdoms.”
- 1 Kings 10:21 tn Heb “there was no silver, it was not regarded as anything in the days of Solomon.”
- 1 Kings 10:22 tn Heb “a fleet of Tarshish [ships].” This probably refers to large ships either made in or capable of traveling to the distant western port of Tarshish.
- 1 Kings 10:22 tn Heb “the fleet of Tarshish [ships].”
- 1 Kings 10:22 tn Heb “came carrying.”
- 1 Kings 10:22 tn The meaning of this word is unclear. Some suggest “baboons.”
- 1 Kings 10:23 tn Heb “King Solomon was greater than all the kings of the earth with respect to wealth and with respect to wisdom.”
- 1 Kings 10:24 tc The Old Greek translation and Syriac Peshitta have “all the kings of the earth.” See 2 Chr 9:23.
- 1 Kings 10:24 tn Heb “and all the earth was seeking the face of Solomon to hear his wisdom which God had placed in his heart.”
- 1 Kings 10:25 tn Heb “and they were bringing each one his gift, items of silver…and mules, the matter of a year in a year.”
- 1 Kings 10:26 tn Or “gathered.”
- 1 Kings 10:26 tn Heb “he placed them in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.”
- 1 Kings 10:27 tn The words “as plentiful” are added for clarification.
- 1 Kings 10:27 tn Heb “he made.”
- 1 Kings 10:27 sn The foothills (שְׁפֵלָה, shephelah) are the region between the Judean hill country and the Mediterranean coastal plain.
- 1 Kings 10:28 sn From Egypt. Because Que is also mentioned, some prefer to see in vv. 28-29 a reference to Mutsur. Que and Mutsur were located in Cilicia/Cappadocia (in modern southern Turkey). See HALOT 625 s.v. מִצְרַיִם.
- 1 Kings 10:29 tn Heb “and a chariot went up and came out of Egypt for six hundred silver [pieces], and a horse for one hundred fifty, and in the same way to all the kings of the Hittites and to the kings of Aram by their hand they brought out.”
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