Solomon’s Power, Wealth, and Wisdom

20 (A)Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand that is on the [a]seashore in abundance; they were eating, drinking, and rejoicing.

21 [b](B)Now Solomon was ruling over all the kingdoms (C)from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt; (D)they brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.

22 Solomon’s [c]provision for one day was [d]thirty kors of fine flour and [e]sixty kors of meal, 23 ten fat oxen, twenty [f]pasture-fed oxen, and a hundred sheep, besides deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fattened geese. 24 For he was ruling over everything [g]west of the Euphrates River, from Tiphsah even to (E)Gaza, (F)over all the kings [h]west of the River; and (G)he had peace on all sides surrounding him. 25 (H)So Judah and Israel lived securely, everyone under his vine and his fig tree, (I)from Dan even to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon. 26 (J)Solomon had [i]forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen. 27 And those deputies provided food for King Solomon and all who came to King Solomon’s table, each in his month; they allowed nothing to be lacking. 28 They also brought barley and straw for the war horses and (K)baggage horses to the place where it was required, each deputy according to his duty.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 4:20 Lit sea
  2. 1 Kings 4:21 Ch 5:1 in Heb
  3. 1 Kings 4:22 Lit bread
  4. 1 Kings 4:22 About 231 cubic feet or 6.5 cubic meters
  5. 1 Kings 4:22 About 462 cubic feet or 13 cubic meters
  6. 1 Kings 4:23 Lit oxen of the pasture
  7. 1 Kings 4:24 Lit beyond
  8. 1 Kings 4:24 Lit beyond
  9. 1 Kings 4:26 One LXX ms reads 4,000, cf. 2 Chr 9:25

20 Israel and Judah were a wealthy, populous, contented nation at this time. 21 King Solomon ruled the whole area from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines and down to the borders of Egypt. The conquered peoples of those lands sent taxes to Solomon and continued to serve him throughout his lifetime.

22 The daily food requirements for the palace were 195 bushels of fine flour, 390 bushels of meal, 23 10 oxen from the fattening pens, 20 pasture-fed cattle, 100 sheep, and, from time to time, deer, gazelles, roebucks, and plump fowl.

24 His dominion extended over all the kingdoms west of the Euphrates River, from Tiphsah to Gaza. And there was peace throughout the land.

25 Throughout the lifetime of Solomon, all of Judah and Israel lived in peace and safety; and each family had its own home and garden.

26 Solomon owned forty thousand chariot horses and employed twelve thousand charioteers. 27 Each month the tax officials provided food for King Solomon and his court, 28 also the barley and straw for the royal horses in the stables.

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