1 Kings 10:22-29
10:22 a fleet of trading ships of Tarshish: The Hebrew term designates a type of merchant ship.• Phoenician sailors manned Solomon’s fleet, which put out to sea from Ezion-geber (9:26-28 b; see Isa 23:1 c).
• apes, and peacocks: Archaeology provides ample evidence that kings imported such creatures. Apparently these animals were desired for their novelty and exotic nature and because they reflected conquest of distant lands.
10:26 d 1,400 chariots: Prior to Solomon, chariots were not a significant part of Israel’s army. In fact, Deut 17:16 e condemns kings for accumulating horses rather than relying on God. Although archaeological confirmation of the presence of chariots in Solomon’s day is debated, his chariot cities are commonly identified as Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer (1 Kgs 9:15 f, 19 g). The Assyrian king Shalmaneser III reported facing a heavy contingent of enemy chariots at the Battle of Qarqar (853 BC), 2,000 of which were supplied by King Ahab of Israel.
Summary for 1Kgs 10:28-29: 10:28-29 h In addition to his own accumulation, Solomon apparently served as a middleman, exchanging horses and chariots between the Egyptians to the south and the Syrians and Anatolians to the north.
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