Bible Commentaries
2 Chronicles 9

Verse 1

IX.

(ii) SOLOMON’S WISDOM, WEALTH, AND GLORY. HIS DEATH.

(a) THE VISIT OF THE QUEEN OF SHEBA (2 Chronicles 9:1-12).
Comp. 1 Kings 10:1-13.

The Hebrew text coincides with Kings, allowing for a few characteristic alterations, the chief of which will be noticed.
(1) And when the queen of Sheba heard.—Now the queen of Sheba had heard. Kings, was hearing.

The fame of Solomon.—Kings, adds a difficult phrase (“as to the name of Jehovah”) which the chronicler omits.

Hard questions.—Riddles, enigmas. LXX., αἰνίγμασιν (Judges 14:12).

At Jerusalem.—An abridgment but not an improvement of Kings. The Syr. agrees with the latter.

Gold in abundance.—The chronicler has substituted a favourite expression for the “very much gold” of Kings.

Verse 4

(4) And his ascent by which he went up into the house of the Lord.—Kings, “And his burnt offering which he offered in the house of the Lord.” The LXX., Syr., and Vulg. here agree with Kings; and the Arab. reads, “the altar on which he offered.” In all other passages, the word used in our text (‘alîyâh) means not ascent, but upper chamber; it is likely, therefore, that in the present instance it is merely an error of transcription for the term occurring in Kings (‘ôlâh, “burnt-offering”).

Verse 5

(5) Of thine acts.—Literally, words. LXX., περὶ τῶν λόγων σου. We might render matters, affairs.

Verse 6

(6) The one half of the greatness of thy wisdom.—Kings has simply, “the half was not told me.” The chronicler has made an explanatory addition. (See 1 Chronicles 12:29, and 2 Chronicles 30:18, for the word marbith, “increase,” “multitude,” which occurs thrice in the Chronicles and twice elsewhere.)

Thou exceedest the fame.—Literally, Thou kast added to the report. Kings, more fully, “Thou hast added wisdom and weal to the report.”

Verse 7

(7) And happy . . . and hear.—The conjunctions weaken the rhetorical effect of the verse, and are not read in Kings.

Verse 8

(8) On his throne—i.e., Jehovah’s throne. (Comp. 1 Chronicles 28:5.) Kings has, “on the throne of Israel.”

To be king for the Lord thy God.—A further insistance on the idea that Solomon was but the vicegerent of Jehovah. The clause is added by the chronicler, but need not be called “an evidently wilful alteration” (Thenius).

To establish.—This phrase is wanting in the Hebrew of Kings, but is probably original, as the LXX. there has it.

Verse 9

(9) Spices.—B’sâmîm, from which come our words balsam and balm.

Great abundance.—See Note on 2 Chronicles 9:1. Here lârôb is substituted for the ancient harbçh.

Neither was there any such spice.—Or, there had not been such spicery, i.e., in Jerusalem. A defect in the chronicler’s MS. authority probably occasioned this deviation from the phrase which we find in the older text, “There came no more such abundance of spicery” (1 Kings 10:10).

Verse 10

(10) And the servants also of Huram, and the servants of Solomon.—Kings, “And the fleet also of Huram which carried gold from Ophir.” The phrase is altered here to correspond with 2 Chronicles 8:18.

Brought algum trees.—See 2 Chronicles 2:8. LXX., ξύλα πεύκιυα; Vulg., “ligna thyina;” Syriac, “acacia (?) wood” (’eshkor‘ô); Kings, “brought from Ophir almug trees in great abundance.” In the Mishna ’almûg is “coral;” and the Rabbis ascribe a red colour to the algum wood. The Pterocarpus Santalinus has blood-red wood with black streaks, is fragrant, and is used in works of art, as well as for burning. The tree called Valgu or Valgum is the Santalum album, which produces white and yellow sandalwood. Thenius doubts whether the algum wood of Solomon was not the teak (Cytharexylon Tectona), which abounds in East India, and is a hard, yellow-streaked, strongly-scented wood, used in India for temple building.

Verse 11

(11) Terraces.—M’sillôth, which usually means highways, that is, raised paths. The word is an interpretation of mis‘âd, which only occurs in 1 Kings 11:12. LXX., ἀναβάσεις; Vulg., “gradus;” Arabic, “pillars.”

Singers.—The singers.

And there were none such seen before in the land of Judah.—A shortened paraphrase of, “There came no such almug trees, nor were seen unto this day” (Kings). “The land of Judah” is a phrase which indicates how utterly the northern kingdom was excluded from the redactor’s thought.

Verse 12

(12) Beside that which she had brought unto the king.—It can hardly be meant that Solomon returned her own presents. If the reading be sound, we may understand return presents, i.e., gifts equal in value to those which she had bestowed. Or better, we may regard the clause as a parenthetic note of the chronicler’s, to the effect that the giving of presents was not all on one side. Solomon showed himself as royally generous as his visitor. Putting the clause first would make this meaning clearer: “And quite apart from what she brought the king, Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all her desire.” Bertheau, however, proposes a slight change in the Hebrew text, so as to get the sense, “beside what the king had brought for her.” 1 Kings 10:13 is much clearer: “besides what he had given her, according to the hand of king Solomon.” LXX. translates, “besides all that she brought to king Solomon;” the Vulg., “and far more than she had brought him,” which may be a trace of the original reading; the Syriac, “besides what he had given her.” Syriac and Arabic add, “and he revealed to her all that was in her heart.”

She turned.—Hâphak, for pânâh of Kings, which is more usual in this sense.

Verse 13

(b) SOLOMON’S INCOME, SPLENDOUR, AND DOMINION—(2 Chronicles 9:13-28). Comp. 1 Kings 10:14-29, and 1 Kings 4:26-27.

(13) Now the weight of gold.—See 1 Kings 10:14, with which this verse coincides.

Verse 14

(14) Besides that which chapmen and merchants brought.—The Hebrew is difficult, and probably corrupt. Literally it seems to run, besides the men of the itinerants (a strange phrase), and that which the merchants were bringing; or, perhaps, apart from the men of the itinerants and the merchants bringing. The last word may be a clerical error, as it occurs again directly. The conjecture of Thenius on 1 Kings 10:15 seems to be borne out by the ancient Versions. He would read instead of ’anshê ha-târîm, “men of the travellers,” ‘onshê ha-r’dûyîm, “fines or tributes of the subjects.” The Syriac of Chronicles has “tributes of the cities.” Perhaps, therefore, the true original reading was ‘onshê he‘arîm. The Vulg. renders “envoys of divers peoples;” but the LXX., “men of the subjected (states).”

For the second half of the phrase Kings has, “and the merchandise of the pedlars.”

The kings of Arabia.—Kings, “the kings of the mixed tribes;” that is, the Bêdâwîs, bordering on and mingling with Israel. (Comp. Exodus 12:38.) The difference depends on the vowel pointing only. (Comp. Jeremiah 25:24, where both words occur; and Ezekiel 30:5.)

Governors.—Pachôth, i.e., pashas. Thenius is wrong in supposing this word to be a token of the “later composition of the section.” (See Note on 2 Kings 18:24.)

Brought.—Were bringing = used to bring. (Comp. 2 Chronicles 9:23-24.)

Verse 15

(15) And king Solomon made.—Word for word as 1 Kings 10:16.

Beaten gold.—Rather, according to Gesenius, mixed or alloyed gold. But the word (shahût, i.e., shatûah) seems to mean gold beaten out, gold-leaf. So LXX., ἐλατούς.

Went to.—He put on, i.e., he plated the “targets,” which were large oblong shields, with gold. (Comp. Amos 8:10, “And I will put upon all loins sackcloth.”) So in 2 Chronicles 9:16.

Verse 16

(16) Shields.—Maginnîm. The mâgçn was a rouud or oval shield, about half the size of the “target” (çinnah), with which it is often contrasted; e.g., Psalms 35:2; LXX., ἀσπίδα.

Three hundred shekels of gold.—Kings, three manehs of gold. The maneh or mina (Assyrian, mana), was 1-60th part of a talent, and was equivalent to fifty or sixty shekels. Either the reading of our text is an error of transcription (sh’losh mç’ôth for sh’losheth manîm), or the word shekels is wrongly supplied in our version, and we ought rather to read drachms (100 drachms = 1 mina). The Syriac reads, “And three minas of gold wrought on the handle of one shield;” so also the Arabic.

Verse 17

(17) Pure.—Tahôr, a common word, for the once occurring mûphaz of Kings.

Verse 18

(18) With a footstool of gold, which were fastened to the throne.—Instead of this Kings has, And the throne had a rounded top behind. Although the footstool is a prominent object in Oriental representations of thrones, it is quite possible that our text is due to a corruption of that which appears in Kings, and with which the Syriac here agrees. The LXX. renders, “and six steps to the throne, fastened with gold,” omitting the footstool. The Heb. is at all events suspiciously awkward.

For the remainder of this and the following verse see 1 Kings 10:19-20. The chronicler has made two, slight verbal corrections in 2 Chronicles 9:19.

Verse 20

(20) None were of silver; it was not anything accounted of.—The not appears to be rightly supplied by our version; comp. 1 Kings 10:21, with which the verse otherwise entirely agrees.

Verse 21

(21) For the king’s ships went to Tarshish.—1 Kings 10:22, “For the king had a Tarshish fleet on the sea, with the fleet of Hiram.” It is generally assumed that the words of the chronicler are an erroneous paraphrase of the expression, “Tarshish fleet,” i.e., a fleet of ships fitted for long voyages. (Comp. Isaiah 2:16.) The identity of the present fleet with that mentioned above in 2 Chronicles 9:10 is not evident. Solomon may have had a fleet in the Mediterranean (“the sea” of 1 Kings 10:22) trading westward, as well as in the Red Sea, trading south and east. Some have identified Tarshish with Cape Tarsis in the Persian Gulf. (See Note on 2 Chronicles 20:36.)

Verse 22

(22) And king Solomon.—See 1 Kings 10:23.

Passed all.—Was great above all.

Verse 23

(23) All the kings of the earth.—Explanatory of “all the earth were seeking” (Kings). The earth, an expression defined in 2 Chronicles 9:26.

Verse 24

(24) And they brought.—Used to bring. (Comp. 2 Chronicles 9:14.)

Harness—i.e., weapons and armour. Compare Macbeth’s

“At least we’ll die with harness on our back.”

A rate year by year.—Literally, a year’s matter in a year. Solomon’s vassal kings are intended.

Verse 25

(25) And Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen.—See 1 Kings 4:26 (where the number of stalls is erroneously stated at 40,000).

The remainder of the verse coincides with 1 Kings 10:26.

Having already given an account of Solomon’s chariots and horses, and his importation of the latter from Egypt, in 2 Chronicles 1:14-17, an account which is identical with 1 Kings 10:26-29, the chronicler naturally avoids mere repetition of that passage in 2 Chronicles 9:25-28.

Verse 26

(26) And he reigned over all the kings.—This verse corresponds to 1 Kings 4:21.

Verse 27

(27) And the king made silver.—Identical with 1 Kings 10:27. On this and the following verse, comp. the prohibitions of Deuteronomy 17:16-17.

Verse 28

(28) And they brought.—Used to bring. The verse summarises 1 Kings 10:28-29 (=2 Chronicles 1:16-17), and adds that Solomon imported horses “out of all the lands,” as well as from Egypt.

Verse 29

(c) REFERENCE TO DOCUMENTS.—CLOSE OF THE REIGN (2 Chronicles 9:29-31). (Comp. 1 Kings 11:41-43.)

(29) Now the rest of the acts of Solomon.—Or, story, history; literally, words. (Comp. 1 Chronicles 29:29.)

First and last.—Or, the former and the latter. Instead of this, Kings has, “and all that he did, and his wisdom.”

In the book.—Or, history. For the sources named here, see the Introduction. Kings has simply, “are they not written in the book of the history of Solomon? “His name conveyed the idea of peace to the Hebrew ear. But there is no doubt that it was originally identical with Shalman (Assyrian Salmânu), the name of a god. Tiglath-pileser II. mentions a Salamânu king of Moab. This name exactly corresponds to Solomon.

Ahijah the Shilonite.—See 1 Kings 11:29-39; 1 Kings 14:2-18.

Iddo.—Hebrew, Ie‘dî or Ie‘dô. This seer is not mentioned in Kings. (See 2 Chronicles 12:15; 2 Chronicles 13:22 for further references to his works.)

Verse 30

(30) And Solomon reigned.—So 1 Kings 11:42, “And the days that Solomon reigned,” etc., as here.

Over all Israel—i.e., the undivided nation.

Verse 31

(31) Slept.—Literally, lay down.

He was buried.—They buried him. Kings has, “he was buried.” The two texts are otherwise identical.