Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary
2 Chronicles 9:29

Clarke's Commentary

Verse 2 Chronicles 9:29. Nathan the prophet — These books are all lost. See the account of Solomon, his character, and a review of his works, at the end of 1 Kings 11:43.

I. By the kindness of a learned friend, who has made this kind of subjects his particular study, I am able to give a more correct view of the value of the talent of gold and the talent of silver than that which I have quoted 1 Kings 10:17, from Mr. Reynold's State of the Greatest King.

1. To find the equivalent in British standard to an ounce troy of pure gold, valued at eighty shillings, and to a talent of the same which weighs one thousand eight hundred ounces troy.

The ounce contains four hundred and eighty grains, and the guinea weighs one hundred and twenty-nine grains, or five pennyweights and nine grains.

(1) As 129 grains : 21 shillings :: 480, the number of grains in an ounce : 78.1395348s. or 3l. 18s. 1d. 2.69767q.; the equivalent in our silver coin to one ounce of standard gold.

(2) As 78.1395348 shillings, the value of an ounce of standard gold, : 80 shillings, the value of an ounce troy of pure gold, :: 80 shillings : 81.9047619 shillings, the equivalent in British standard to one ounce of pure gold.

Instead of the preceding, the following proportions may be used: -

(1) As 21.5 shillings : 21 shillings :: 80 shillings : 78.1395348 shillings. This multiplied by 1800, the number of troy ounces in a Hebrew talent, gives 140651.16264s. or 7032l. 11s. 1d. 3.8q., the equivalent to one talent of standard gold.

(2) As 21 standard : 21.5 pure :: 80 pure : 81.9047619 standard. This multiplied by 1800 gives 147428.67142s. or 7371l. 8s. 6d. 3.4q., the equivalent to one talent of pure gold.

2. To find the equivalent in British standard to a talent of pure silver, which is valued at four hundred and fifty pounds sterling, or five shillings the ounce troy.

The pound troy is 240 pennyweights; and our silver coin has 18 pennyweights of alloy in the pound. From 240 pennyweights take 18, and there will remain 222 pennyweights, the pure silver in the pound.

Now as 240 pennyweights : 222 pennyweights :: 20 pennyweights, the weight of a crown piece, : 18 1/2 pennyweights, the weight of the pure silver in the crown.

Then, as 18.5 pennyweights : 6 shillings :: 36000, the number of dwts. in a talent,: 9729.729729729729 shillings, or £486 9s. 8 3/4d., the equivalent in our coin to a talent of pure silver.

Example 1. To find the equivalent in British standard to the one hundred and twenty talents of gold which the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon, 2 Chronicles 9:9.

147428.57142s. equivalent to one talent of pure gold,

120 number of talents [as found above. _____________ 17691428.5704 = £884,571 8s. 6 3/4d., the equivalent to

120 talents. Example 2. To find the equivalent in British standard to Solomon's two hundred targets of beaten gold, each six hundred shekels; and to his three hundred shields, each three hundred shekels, 2 Chronicles 9:15-16.

A talent is three thousand shekels; therefore six hundred shekels are one-fifth, and three hundred are one-tenth of a talent.

5)147428.57142s. equivalent to one talent.

____________

29485.71428 equivalent to one target.

200 the number of targets.

____________ 2|0)589714|2.856

____________

£294,857 2s. 10 1/4d. equivalent to 200 targets. One-tenth of a talent is 14742.857142 = one shield.

300 number of shields.

_____________

2|0)442285|7.1426

______________

£221,142 17s. 1 1/2d. = 300 shields. Example 3. To find the equivalent in British standard to the weight of gold which came to Solomon in one year, independently of what the chapmen and merchants brought him.

147428.57142s. = one talent.

666 number of talents.

____________

88457142852

88457142852

88457142852

________________

2|0)9818742|8.56572

________________

£4,909,371 8s. 6 3/4d. equivalent to 666 talents. Example 4. To find the equivalent in British standard to the hundred thousand talents of gold, and to the million of talents of silver, which were prepared by David for the temple, 1 Chronicles 22:14.

THE GOLD

147428.57142s. = one talent.

100000 number of talents.

____________

2|0)1474285714|2

____________

£737,142,857 2s. the equivalent. Or, seven hundred and thirty-seven millions, one hundred and forty-two thousand, eight hundred and fifty-seven pounds, two shillings sterling, for the gold.

THE SILVER

9729.729729729s. = one talent.

1000000 number of talents.

_______________

2|0)97297297219.729

________________

£486,486,486 9s. 8 1/2d. the equivalent. Or, four hundred and eighty-six millions, four hundred and eighty-six thousand, four hundred and eighty-six pounds, nine shillings, and eightpence halfpenny sterling, for the silver.

II. I have referred, in the note on 2 Chronicles 9:17, to a curious account of Solomon's throne, taken from a Persian MS. entitled [Persian] beet al mukuddus, the Holy House, or Jerusalem. It has already been remarked, in the account of Solomon at the end of 1 Kings 11:43, article 12, that among the oriental writers Solomon is considered, not only as the wisest of all men, but as having supreme command over demons and genii of all kinds; and that he knew the language of beasts and birds, c. and therefore the reader need not be surprised if he find, in the following account, Solomon employing preternatural agency in the construction of this celebrated throne.

"This famous throne was the work of the Deev Sukhur; it was called Koukab al Jinna. The beauty of this throne has never been sufficiently described; the following are the particulars: -

"The sides of it were pure gold; the feet, of emeralds and pearls, intermixed with other pearls, each of which was as large as the egg of an ostrich.

"The throne had SEVEN steps; on each side were delineated orchards full of trees, the branches of which were composed of precious stones, representing ripe and unripe fruits.

"On the tops of the trees were to be seen fowls of the most beautiful plumage; particularly the peacock, the etaub, and the kurgus; all these birds were artificially hollowed within, so as occasionally to utter a thousand melodious notes, such as the ears of mortals had never before heard.

"On the FIRST step were delineated vine-branches, having bunches of grapes, composed of various sorts of precious stones; fashioned in such a manner as to represent the different colours of purple, violet, green, and red, so as to exhibit the appearance of real fruit.

"On the SECOND step, on each side of the throne, were two lions, of massive gold, of terrible aspect, and as large as life.

"The property of this throne was such, that when the prophet Solomon placed his foot upon the FIRST step, all the birds spread their wings, and made a fluttering noise in the air.

"On his touching the SECOND step, the two lions expanded their claws.

"On his reaching the THIRD step, the whole assembly of deevs, peris, and men, repeated the praises of the Deity.

"When he arrived at the FOURTH step, voices were heard addressing him in the following manner: Son of David be grateful for the blessings which the Almighty has bestowed upon thee.

"The same was repeated on his reaching the FIFTH step.

"On his touching the SIXTH step, all the children sang praises.

"On his arrival at the SEVENTH step, the whole throne, with all the birds and other animals, became in motion, and ceased not till he had placed himself in the royal seat; and then the birds, lions, and other animals, by secret springs, discharged a shower of the most precious musk upon the prophet; after which two of the kurguses, descending placed a golden crown upon his head.

"Before the throne was a column of burnished gold; on the top of which was placed a golden dove, which had in its beak a roll bound in silver. In this roll were written the Psalms of the prophet David, and the dove having presented the roll to King Solomon, he read a portion of it to the children of Israel.

"It is farther related that, on the approach of wicked persons to this throne for judgment, the lions were wont to set up a terrible roaring, and to lash their tails about with violence; the birds also began to erect their feathers; and the whole assembly of deeves and genii uttered such loud cries, that for fear of them no person would dare to be guilty of falsehood, but instantly confess his crimes.

"Such was the throne of Solomon, the son of David."

Supposing even this splendid description to be literally true, there is nothing here that could not have been performed by ingenuity and art; nothing that needed the aid of supernatural influence.

In another MS., on which I cannot now lay my hand, the whole value of this throne, and its ornaments, is computed in lacs of rupees! The above description is founded in the main on the account given here, 2 Chronicles 9:17-19. The SIX steps, and the footstool of the sacred writer, make the SEVEN steps, in the above description. The twelve lions are not distinguished by the Mohammedan writer. Other matters are added from tradition.

This profusion of gold and precious stones was not beyond the reach of Solomon, when we consider the many millions left by his father; no less a sum than one thousand two hundred and twenty-three millions, six hundred and twenty-nine thousand, three hundred and forty-three pounds, eleven shillings, and eight pence halfpenny, besides what Solomon himself furnished.

Bridgeway Bible Commentary

Solomon’s greatness (8:1-9:31)

Other building programs of Solomon are outlined. The Chronicler adds a note that the reason Solomon built a separate palace for his Egyptian wife was to preserve the holiness of the throne. This point is important to the Chronicler, who wants to show that the Davidic kings, on the whole, tried to remain faithful to God. He notes in addition that Solomon organized the temple services according to the plan that David had laid down (8:1-18; see notes on 1 Kings 9:10-28).

After outlining once more Solomon’s wisdom, commercial ability, fame and wealth (9:1-28; see notes on 1 Kings 10:1-25), the Chronicler closes his record of Solomon’s reign. He makes no mention of Solomon’s idolatry and the judgment to which it was leading (1 Kings 11:1-40), for he is concerned with the continuation of the Davidic dynasty rather than with the failure of its kings (29-31; see notes on 1 Kings 11:41-43).

Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible

A.    Death of Solomon and the accession of Rehoboam:

"Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, first and last, are they not written in the history of Nathan the prophet, and in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer concerning Jeroboam the son of Nebat? And Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years. And Solomon slept with his fathers, and he was buried in the city of David his father: and Rehoboam his son reigned in his stead."

The important thing here is the Chronicler's mention of several of his sources. (See our Introduction to this volume for a more complete list of these.) We reject as worthless the allegation of some critics that the Chronicler invented or composed much of his material; for it is quite evident that he followed all of his sources very accurately, a fact indicated by the truth that he was careful in the use of 1 Kings, a source that we know he used.

As often noted, the only reason for the critic's rejection of much of the material in Chronicles is the havoc that it plays with a number of their favorite fairy tales, such as (1) the gradual evolution of Israel's conception of the person and nature of God, (2) the discovery of that alleged Deuteronomic document in the reign of Josiah, and (3) the late dating of the Mosaic Pentateuch.

The death of Solomon and the accession of his harem-bred son Rehoboam marked the end of the united kingdom and the beginning of a long chain of tragic events that would result in the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, and the Babylonian captivity of the People of God.

Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible

The book of Nathan ... - On the “books” here mentioned, see the introduction to Chronicles, the second note.

We hear nothing of Iddo in Kings: but he is mentioned below twice 2Ch 12:15; 2 Chronicles 13:22. In the latter of these passages he is called not “the seer,” but “the prophet.” He seems to have been the author of three works:

(1) Visions against Jeroboam;

(2) A book of genealogies; and

(3) A commentary or history.

According to some, he was identical with Oded, the father of Azariah, who prophesied in the reign of Asa (see the 2 Chronicles 15:1 note).

Smith's Bible Commentary

Chapter 9

And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to prove Solomon with difficult questions at Jerusalem, with a very great company, and camels that bare spices, and gold in abundance, and precious stones: and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart. And Solomon told her all her questions: and there was nothing hid from Solomon which he told her not. And when the queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of Solomon, and the house that he had built, and the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel; his cupbearers also, and their apparel; and his ascent by which he went up into the house of the LORD; there was no more spirit in her ( 2 Chronicles 9:1-4 ).

She was wiped out. This was more than she had ever heard. She said, "Man, they told me and I couldn't believe what they told me. But they didn't tell me half the truth. The glory of this whole thing." Now, "she observed the meat of his table." If you go back to I Kings, chapter 4, it tells you the meat of Solomon's table. His daily provision, one day, was thirty measures of fine flour. About three hundred bushels of fine flour for the pancakes everyday. Three score measures of meal or six hundred bushels. Ten fat oxen everyday. Twenty oxen, commercial grade out of the pasture. A hundred sheep, beside the harts and the roebucks and the fallow deer and the fatted fowl. Those were the daily provisions. Man, think of that. A hundred sheep everyday. Thirty oxen.

So when the queen of Sheba saw all this and the way his servants were attired and the way the cupbearers and the way he would go up to the temple of God and the whole thing, it was just too much.

She said, It was a true report which I heard in mine own land of your acts, and of your wisdom: however I didn't believe their words, until I came, and now my eyes have seen it: and, behold, the one half of the greatness of thy wisdom was not told me: for you exceed even the fame that I heard. Happy are thy men, and happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and hear thy wisdom. Blessed be the LORD thy God, which delighted in thee to set thee on his throne, to be king for the LORD thy God: because He loved Israel, to establish them for ever, therefore made he thee king over them, to do judgment and justice ( 2 Chronicles 9:5-8 ).

Now, first of all, she blessed his servants. "Happy are they that serve you. Happy are they that can stand here daily and hear your wisdom." He talked of all kinds of things: flowers, shrubs, animals; and he wrote books on these subjects. And so, "Happy are these men that can just stand here daily and listen to thy wisdom. And blessed be the Lord thy God who delighted in thee and put you on the throne."

So she gave him a hundred and twenty talents of gold, and of spices great abundance, and precious stones. And the servants also of Huram, and the servants of Solomon, which brought gold from Ophir, brought algum trees and precious stones ( 2 Chronicles 9:9-10 ).

And she returned back to her land with all of her desire. Whatsoever she asked, Solomon gave to her.

Now Solomon's annual revenue in gold was six hundred and sixty-six talents of gold ( 2 Chronicles 9:13 );

An interesting number.

Beside that which chapmen and merchants brought. And all the kings of Arabia and governors of the country brought gold and silver to Solomon. And king Solomon made two hundred targets of beaten gold: six hundred shekels each. And three hundred shields of gold: that were three hundred shekels each. And the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon. And he made a great throne of ivory, and he overlaid it with pure gold. And there were six steps up to the throne, with a footstool of gold, which were fastened to the throne, and stays on each side of the sitting place, and two lions standing by the stays: twelve lions stood there on the one side and on the other upon the six steps. There was not like made anything in all of the kingdoms. And all the drinking vessels of king Solomon were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold: none were of silver; [because that was accounted sort of gauche in those days]. And the king's ships went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram: every three years once came the ships of Tarshish bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks. And king Solomon passed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom. And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom, that God had put in his heart. And they brought every man his present, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, raiment, and harness, and spices, horses, and mules, at a rate year by year. And Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen; that he bestowed in the chariot cities, and with the king at Jerusalem. And he reigned over all the kings from the river even unto the land of the Philistines, and to the border of Egypt. And the king made silver in Jerusalem as common as stones, and cedar trees as common as the sycamore that are in the low plains. And they brought unto Solomon horses out of Egypt, and out of all lands. Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, first and last, are they not written in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer against Jeroboam the son of Nebat? And Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all of Israel for forty years. And he slept with his fathers, and he was buried in the city of David his father: and Rehoboam his son reigned in his stead ( 2 Chronicles 9:14-31 ).

So we find now the reign of Solomon, nine chapters devoted to it. And for the remainder of II Chronicles they will give shorter accounts, because here the kingdom came to a zenith. But it is amazing how quickly you can go from the top to the bottom. How quickly this deteriorated. All of this gold that he had amassed. Vastness of his treasures. These shields and targets of pure gold. All of these cups, gold, and all of these things soon were to be taken. Soon were to be sacked by Shishak, the king of Egypt.

And so the glory of the kingdom faded so very rapidly. They went from the very apex of their glory down so rapidly. At his death, just immediately the glory of the kingdom faded. It didn't even pass on to his son. It didn't really continue past Solomon's death. The kingdom immediately began to deteriorate. And before his son was really established in the throne, the kingdom became divided, weakened. "

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

4. Solomon’s death 9:29-31

The Chronicler omitted any reference to Solomon’s apostasy that resulted in the division of the kingdom (cf. 1 Kings 11:9-11). By doing so, he was not trying to whitewash Solomon’s record. The Book of Kings was available to the postexilic community as were other records of Solomon’s reign, to which he referred his readers (2 Chronicles 9:29). Iddo was a seer (cf. 2 Chronicles 12:15) and prophet (2 Chronicles 13:22) whose ministry apparently consisted primarily in writing books. No references to him depict him as involved in any other event. The writer chose to present only those aspects of Solomon’s career in which he provided a positive example of trust and obedience and consequent blessing. His purpose was to encourage his readers with a good example and to build hope for the future King, not to lament the past. The purpose of Chronicles thus emerges quite clearly. It was to preach a message for the present generation from the earlier historical records. It was not primarily to provide a parallel or supplementary historical record to what existed in Samuel and Kings.

Solomon modeled the ultimate Davidic temple builder. He was wise and prosperous. He built and dedicated the glorious temple, and he received the wealth of the Gentiles who sought his wisdom. [Note: Cf. Jeffrey Townsend, "The Purpose of 1 and 2 Chronicles," Bibliotheca Sacra 145:575 (July-September 1987):288.] David’s ultimate Son would do all of these things too. Solomon proved not to be the Son of David who would rule forever. Nevertheless, his reign helped the Jews of the restoration period know what they needed to do, and to what they could look forward.

"The Chronicler’s aim in his portrayal of Solomon is to show how God governed the events of history to impart to the kingdom of Israel, at least once, a splendour [sic] which was fit to symbolize his own. . . . The Kings and Chronicles accounts, taken together, become another testimony-alongside the whole biblical picture of David-to the way in which God deigns to use great sinners in the work of his kingdom, so much so that the OT’s latest picture of Solomon does not even remember his sins." [Note: McConville, p. 110.]

"The study of typology is an approach to the Bible that can readily be abused. But nothing could be more biblical than to hold that the Davidic monarchy is a type of the rule of Christ." [Note: Wilcock, p. 141.]

Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

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Henry's Complete Commentary on the Bible

      13 Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred and threescore and six talents of gold;   14 Beside that which chapmen and merchants brought. And all the kings of Arabia and governors of the country brought gold and silver to Solomon.   15 And king Solomon made two hundred targets of beaten gold: six hundred shekels of beaten gold went to one target.   16 And three hundred shields made he of beaten gold: three hundred shekels of gold went to one shield. And the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon.   17 Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with pure gold.   18 And there were six steps to the throne, with a footstool of gold, which were fastened to the throne, and stays on each side of the sitting place, and two lions standing by the stays:   19 And twelve lions stood there on the one side and on the other upon the six steps. There was not the like made in any kingdom.   20 And all the drinking vessels of king Solomon were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold: none were of silver; it was not any thing accounted of in the days of Solomon.   21 For the king's ships went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram: every three years once came the ships of Tarshish bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks.   22 And king Solomon passed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.   23 And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom, that God had put in his heart.   24 And they brought every man his present, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and raiment, harness, and spices, horses, and mules, a rate year by year.   25 And Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen; whom he bestowed in the chariot cities, and with the king at Jerusalem.   26 And he reigned over all the kings from the river even unto the land of the Philistines, and to the border of Egypt.   27 And the king made silver in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar trees made he as the sycamore trees that are in the low plains in abundance.   28 And they brought unto Solomon horses out of Egypt, and out of all lands.   29 Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, first and last, are they not written in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer against Jeroboam the son of Nebat?   30 And Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years.   31 And Solomon slept with his fathers, and he was buried in the city of David his father: and Rehoboam his son reigned in his stead.

      We have here Solomon in his throne, and Solomon in his grave; for the throne would not secure him from the grave. Mors sceptra ligonibus aequat--Death wrenches from the hand the sceptre as well as the spade.

      I. Here is Solomon reigning in wealth and power, in ease and fulness, such as, for aught I know, could never since be paralleled by any king whatsoever. In cannot pretend to be critical in comparing the grandeur of Solomon with that of some of the great princes of the earth. But I may observe that the most illustrious of them were famed for their wars, whereas Solomon reigned forty years in profound peace. Some of those that might be thought to vie with Solomon affected retirement, kept people in awe by keeping them at a great distance; nobody must see them, or come near him, upon pain of death: but Solomon went much abroad, and appeared in public business. So that, all things considered, the promise was fulfilled, that God would give him riches, and wealth, and honour, such as no kings have had, or shall have,2 Chronicles 1:12; 2 Chronicles 1:12. 1. Never any prince appeared in public with great splendour than Solomon did, which to those that judge by the sight of the eye, as most people do, would very much recommend him. He had 200 targets and 300 shields, all of beaten gold, carried before him (2 Chronicles 9:15; 2 Chronicles 9:16), and sat upon a most stately throne, 2 Chronicles 9:17-19; 2 Chronicles 9:17-19. There was not the like in any kingdom. The lustre wherein he appeared was typical of the spiritual glory of the kingdom of the Messiah and but a faint representation of his throne, which is above every throne. Solomon's pomp was all artificial; and therefore our Saviour prefers the natural beauty of the lilies of the field before it. Matthew 6:29, Solomon, in all his glory, was not arrayed like one of these. 2. Never any prince had greater plenty of gold and silver, though there were no gold or silver mines in his own kingdom. Either he made himself master of the mines in other countries, and, having a populous country, sent hands to dig out those rich metals, or, having a fruitful country, he exported the commodities of it and with them fetched home all this gold that is here spoken of, 2 Chronicles 9:13; 2 Chronicles 9:14-21. 3. Never any prince had such presents brought him by all his neighbours as Solomon had: All the kings of Arabia, and governors of the country, brought him gold and silver (2 Chronicles 9:14; 2 Chronicles 9:14), not as tribute which he extorted from them, but as freewill offerings to procure his favour, or in a way of exchange for some of the productions of his husbandry, corn or cattle. All the kings of the earth brought him presents, that is, all in those parts of the world (2 Chronicles 9:24; 2 Chronicles 9:28), because they coveted his acquaintance and friendship. Herein he was a type of Christ, to whom, as soon as he was born, the wise men of the east brought presents, gold, frankincense, and myrrh (Matthew 2:11), and to whom all that are about him must bring presents, Psalms 76:11; Romans 12:1. 4. Never any prince was so renowned for wisdom, so courted, so consulted, so admired (2 Chronicles 9:23; 2 Chronicles 9:23): The kings of the earth (for it was too great a favour for common persons to pretend to) sought to hear his wisdom--his natural philosophy, or his skill in physic, or his state policy, or his rules of prudence for the conduct of human life, or perhaps the principles of his religion, and the reasons of it. The application which they then made to Solomon to hear his wisdom will aggravate, shame, and condemn, men's general contempt of Christ and his gospel. Though in them are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, yet none of the princes of this world desire to know them, for they are foolishness to them, 1 Corinthians 2:8; 1 Corinthians 2:14.

      II. Here is Solomon dying, stripped of his pomp, and leaving all his wealth and power, not to one concerning whom he knew not whether he would be a wise man or a fool (Ecclesiastes 2:19), but who he knew would be a fool. This was not only vanity but vexation of spirit, 2 Chronicles 9:29-31; 2 Chronicles 9:29-31. It is very observable that no mention is here made of Solomon's departure from God in his latter days, not the least hint given of it, 1. Because the Holy Ghost would teach us not to take delight in repeating the faults and follies of others. If those that have been in reputation for wisdom and honour misbehave, though it may be of use to take notice of their misconduct for warning to ourselves and others, yet we must not be forward to mention it, once the speaking of it is enough; why should that unpleasing string be again struck upon? Why can we not do as the sacred historian here does, speak largely of that in others which is praise-worthy, without saying any thing of their blemishes, yea, though they have been gross and obvious? This is but doing as we would be done by. 2. Because, though he fell, yet he was not utterly cast down. His sin is not again recorded, because it was repented of, and pardoned, and became as if it had never been. Scripture-silence sometimes speaks. I am willing to believe that its silence here concerning the sin of Solomon is an intimation that none of the sins he committed were mentioned against him, Ezekiel 33:16. When God pardons sin he casts it behind his back and remembers it no more.