10:21 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. 1 10:22 Along with Hiram’s fleet, the king had a fleet of large merchant ships 2 that sailed the sea. Once every three years the fleet 3 came into port with cargoes of 4 gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks. 5
10:23 King Solomon was wealthier and wiser than any of the kings of the earth. 6 10:24 Everyone 7 in the world wanted to visit Solomon to see him display his God-given wisdom. 8 10:25 Year after year visitors brought their gifts, which included items of silver, items of gold, clothes, perfume, spices, horses, and mules. 9
10:26 Solomon accumulated 10 chariots and horses. He had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horses. He kept them in assigned cities and in Jerusalem. 11 10:27 The king made silver as plentiful 12 in Jerusalem as stones; cedar was 13 as plentiful as sycamore fig trees are in the lowlands. 14
1 tn Heb “there was no silver, it was not regarded as anything in the days of Solomon.”
2 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.
3 tn Heb “the fleet of Tarshish [ships].”
4 tn Heb “came carrying.”
5 tn The meaning of this word is unclear. Some suggest “baboons.”
6 tn Heb “King Solomon was greater than all the kings of the earth with respect to wealth and with respect to wisdom.”
7 tc The Old Greek translation and Syriac Peshitta have “all the kings of the earth.” See 2 Chr 9:23.
8 tn Heb “and all the earth was seeking the face of Solomon to hear his wisdom which God had placed in his heart.”
9 tn Heb “and they were bringing each one his gift, items of silver…and mules, the matter of a year in a year.”
10 tn Or “gathered.”
11 tn Heb “he placed them in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.”
map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
12 tn The words “as plentiful” are added for clarification.
13 tn Heb “he made.”
14 tn Heb “as the sycamore fig trees which are in the Shephelah.”