1Ki 10:23-29 | NETfull | STEP | King Solomon was wealthier and wiser than any of the kings of the earth.

1 Kings 10:23-29

23 King Solomon was wealthier and wiser than any of the kings of the earth. ^{▼▼ Heb “King Solomon was greater than all the kings of the earth with respect to wealth and with respect to wisdom.”} 24 Everyone ^{▼▼ The Old Greek translation and Syriac Peshitta have “all the kings of the earth.” See 2 Chr 9:23.} in the world wanted to visit Solomon to see him display his God-given wisdom. ^{▼▼ Heb “and all the earth was seeking the face of Solomon to hear his wisdom which God had placed in his heart.”} 25 Year after year visitors brought their gifts, which included items of silver, items of gold, clothes, perfume, spices, horses, and mules. ^{▼▼ Heb “and they were bringing each one his gift, items of silver…and mules, the matter of a year in a year.”}

26 Solomon accumulated ^{▼▼ Or “gathered.”} chariots and horses. He had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horses. He kept them in assigned cities and in Jerusalem. ^{▼▼ Heb “he placed them in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.”} ^{▼▼ For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; Journey of Paul map 1-F4; Journey of Paul map 2-F4; Journey of Paul map 3-F4; Journey of Paul map 4-F4.} 27 The king made silver as plentiful ^{▼▼ The words “as plentiful” are added for clarification.} in Jerusalem as stones; cedar was ^{▼▼ Heb “he made.”} as plentiful as sycamore fig trees are in the lowlands. ^{▼▼ Heb “as the sycamore fig trees which are in the Shephelah.”} 28 Solomon acquired his horses from Egypt ^{▼▼ 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.} 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. ^{▼▼ 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.”}