1 Kings 4:21

4:21 (5:1) Solomon ruled all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. These kingdoms paid tribute as Solomon’s subjects throughout his lifetime.

1 Kings 4:24

4:24 His royal court was so large because he ruled over all the kingdoms west of the Euphrates River from Tiphsah to Gaza; he was at peace with all his neighbors.

sn Beginning with 4:21, the verse numbers through 5:18 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 4:21 ET = 5:1 HT, 4:22 ET = 5:2 HT, etc., through 5:18 ET = 5:32 HT. Beginning with 6:1 the numbering of verses in the English Bible and the Hebrew text is again the same.

tn Heb “the River” (also in v. 24). This is the standard designation for the Euphrates River in biblical Hebrew.

tn Heb “[They] were bringing tribute and were serving Solomon all the days of his life.”

tn Heb “because.” The words “his royal court was so large” are added to facilitate the logical connection with the preceding verse.

sn Tiphsah. This was located on the Euphrates River.

tn Heb “for he was ruling over all [the region] beyond the River, from Tiphsah to Gaza, over all the kingdoms beyond the River, and he had peace on every side all around.”