Sequence of the Hebrew Text of 1Ki 10:1-29 and 2Ch 9:1-28
Version Date: May 17, 2026
(1Ki 10:1) ומלכת שבא שמעת את שמע שלמה ...
| (2Ch 9:1) ומלכת שבא שמעה את שמע שלמה ...
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| (2Ch 9:1) ... לנסות את שלמה ...
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(1Ki 10:2) ... בחיל כבד מאד ...
| (2Ch 9:1) ... בחיל כבד מאד ...
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(1Ki 10:2) ... נשאים בשמים וזהב ...
| (2Ch 9:1) ... נשאים בשמים וזהב ...
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(1Ki 10:3) ויגד לה שלמה את כל דבריה ...
| (2Ch 9:2) ויגד לה שלמה את כל דבריה ...
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(1Ki 10:3) ... לא היה דבר נעלם מן המלך ... 1
| (2Ch 9:2) ... ולא נעלם דבר משלמה ... 1
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(1Ki 10:4) ותרא מלכת שבא את ...
| (2Ch 9:3) ותרא מלכת שבא את ...
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(1Ki 10:4) ... כל ... 2
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(1Ki 10:5) ומאכל שלחנו ומושב עבדיו ומעמד ...
| (2Ch 9:4) ומאכל שלחנו ומושב עבדיו ומעמד ...
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(1Ki 10:5) ... משרתו ... 3
| (2Ch 9:4) ... משרתיו ... 3
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(2Ch 9:4) ... ועליתו אשר יעלה בית יהוה ... 4
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(1Ki 10:5) ... ועלתו אשר יעלה בית יהוה ... 4
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(1Ki 10:6) ותאמר אל המלך אמת ...
| (2Ch 9:5) ותאמר אל המלך אמת ...
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(1Ki 10:7) ... עד אשר באתי ותראינה עיני והנה לא הגד לי ...
| (2Ch 9:6) ... עד אשר באתי ותראינה עיני והנה לא הגד לי ...
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(1Ki 10:7) ... החצי ... 5
| (2Ch 9:6) ... חצי ... 5
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(1Ki 10:8) ... אשרי ... 6
| (2Ch 9:7) ... ואשרי ... 6
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(1Ki 10:8) ... עבדיך אלה העמדים לפניך תמיד ...
| (2Ch 9:7) ... עבדיך אלה העמדים לפניך תמיד ...
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(1Ki 10:8) ... השמעים ... 6
| (2Ch 9:7) ... ושמעים ... 6
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(1Ki 10:9) יהי יהוה אלהיך ברוך אשר חפץ בך לתתך ...
| (2Ch 9:8) יהי יהוה אלהיך ברוך אשר חפץ בך לתתך ...
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(1Ki 10:9) ... על כסא ישראל ...
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(2Ch 9:8) ... על כסאו למלך ליהוה אלהיך ...
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(1Ki 10:9) ... לעלם וישימך למלך ...
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(2Ch 9:8) ... להעמידו לעולם ויתנך עליהם למלך ...
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(1Ki 10:10) ותתן למלך מאה ועשרים ככר זהב ובשמים ...
| (2Ch 9:9) ותתן למלך מאה ועשרים ככר זהב ובשמים ...
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(2Ch 9:9) ... ולא היה כבשם ההוא אשר נתנה מלכת שבא למלך שלמה 7
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(1Ki 10:10) ... לא בא כבשם ההוא עוד לרב אשר נתנה מלכת שבא למלך שלמה 7
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(1Ki 10:11) וגם אני חירם אשר נשא זהב מאופיר הביא מאפיר עצי אלמגים הרבה מאד ואבן יקרה 8
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(1Ki 10:12) ויעש המלך את עצי האלמגים מסעד לבית יהוה ולבית המלך וכנרות ונבלים לשרים לא בא כן עצי אלמגים ולא נראה עד היום הזה 8
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(2Ch 9:10) וגם עבדי חירם ועבדי שלמה אשר הביאו זהב מאופיר הביאו עצי אלגומים ואבן יקרה 8
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(2Ch 9:11) ויעש המלך את עצי האלגומים מסלות לבית יהוה ולבית המלך וכנרות ונבלים לשרים ולא נראו כהם לפנים בארץ יהודה 8
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(1Ki 10:13) והמלך שלמה נתן למלכת שבא את כל חפצה אשר שאלה מלבד ...
| (2Ch 9:12) והמלך שלמה נתן למלכת שבא את כל חפצה אשר שאלה מלבד ...
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(2Ch 9:12) ... אשר הביאה אל המלך ... 9
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(1Ki 10:13) ... אשר נתן לה כיד המלך שלמה ... 9
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(1Ki 10:13) ... ותפן ... 10
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(2Ch 9:12) ... ותהפך ... 10
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(1Ki 10:14) ויהי משקל הזהב אשר בא לשלמה בשנה אחת שש מאות ששים ושש ככר זהב 11
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(1Ki 10:15) לבד מאנשי התרים ומסחר הרכלים וכל מלכי הערב ופחות הארץ 11
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(2Ch 9:13) ויהי משקל הזהב אשר בא לשלמה בשנה אחת שש מאות וששים ושש ככרי זהב 11
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(2Ch 9:14) לבד מאנשי התרים והסחרים מביאים וכל מלכי ערב ופחות הארץ מביאים זהב וכסף לשלמה 11
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(1Ki 10:16) ויעש המלך שלמה מאתים צנה זהב שחוט שש מאות זהב ...
| (2Ch 9:15) ויעש המלך שלמה מאתים צנה זהב שחוט שש מאות זהב ...
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(1Ki 10:17) ושלש מאות מגנים זהב שחוט שלשת מנים זהב יעלה על המגן האחת ויתנם המלך בית יער הלבנון 12
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(2Ch 9:16) ושלש מאות מגנים זהב שחוט שלש מאות זהב יעלה על המגן האחת ויתנם המלך בבית יער הלבנון 12
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(1Ki 10:18) ויעש המלך כסא שן גדול ויצפהו זהב ...
| (2Ch 9:17) ויעש המלך כסא שן גדול ויצפהו זהב ...
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(1Ki 10:19) ... לכסה ... 13
| (2Ch 9:18) ... לכסא ... 13
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(2Ch 9:18) ... וכבש בזהב לכסא מאחזים ...
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(1Ki 10:19) ... וראש עגל לכסה מאחריו ...
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(1Ki 10:19) ... אל ... 14
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(2Ch 9:18) ... על ... 14
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(1Ki 10:20) ... אריים ... 15
| (2Ch 9:19) ... אריות ... 15
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(1Ki 10:20) ... עמדים שם על שש המעלות מזה ומזה לא נעשה כן ...
| (2Ch 9:19) ... עמדים שם על שש המעלות מזה ומזה לא נעשה כן ...
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(1Ki 10:20) ... לכל ממלכות 16
| (2Ch 9:19) ... לכל ממלכה 16
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(1Ki 10:21) וכל כלי משקה המלך שלמה זהב וכל כלי בית יער הלבנון זהב סגור ...
| (2Ch 9:20) וכל כלי משקה המלך שלמה זהב וכל כלי בית יער הלבנון זהב סגור ...
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(1Ki 10:21) ... אין כסף ... 17
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(1Ki 10:21) ... לא נחשב בימי שלמה למאומה 17
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(2Ch 9:20) ... אין כסף נחשב בימי שלמה למאומה 17
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(2Ch 9:21) כי אניות למלך הלכות תרשיש עם עבדי חורם אחת לשלוש שנים תבואנה אניות תרשיש נשאות זהב וכסף שנהבים וקופים ותוכיים 18
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(2Ch 9:22) ויגדל המלך שלמה מכל מלכי הארץ לעשר וחכמה 19
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(2Ch 9:23) וכל מלכי הארץ מבקשים את פני שלמה לשמע את חכמתו אשר נתן האלהים בלבו 20
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(1Ki 10:22) כי אני תרשיש למלך בים עם אני חירם אחת לשלש שנים תבוא אני תרשיש נשאת זהב וכסף שנהבים וקפים ותכיים 18
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(1Ki 10:23) ויגדל המלך שלמה מכל מלכי הארץ לעשר ולחכמה 19
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(1Ki 10:24) וכל הארץ מבקשים את פני שלמה לשמע את חכמתו אשר נתן אלהים בלבו 20
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(1Ki 10:25) והמה ... 21
| (2Ch 9:24) והם ... 21
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(1Ki 10:25) ... מבאים ... 21
| (2Ch 9:24) ... מביאים ... 21
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(1Ki 10:25) ... איש מנחתו כלי כסף וכלי זהב ושלמות ...
| (2Ch 9:24) ... איש מנחתו כלי כסף וכלי זהב ושלמות ...
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(1Ki 10:25) ... ונשק ... 22
| (2Ch 9:24) ... נשק ... 22
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(1Ki 10:26) ויאסף שלמה רכב ופרשים ...
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(2Chi 9:25) ... ארבעת אלפים אריות סוסים ומרכבות ... 23
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(1Ki 10:26) ... אלף וארבע מאות רכב ... 23
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(1Ki 10:26) ... ושנים עשר אלף פרשים ...
| (2Ch 9:25) ... ושנים עשר אלף פרשים ...
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(1Ki 10:26) ... וינחם ... 24
| (2Ch 9:25) ... ויניחם ... 24
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(2Ch 9:26) ויהי מושל בכל המלכים מן הנהר ועד ארץ פלשתים ועד גבול מצרים | |
(1Ki 10:27) ויתן המלך את הכסף בירושלם כאבנים ואת הארזים נתן כשקמים אשר בשפלה לרב | (2Ch 9:27) ויתן המלך את הכסף בירושלם כאבנים ואת הארזים נתן כשקמים אשר בשפלה לרב |
(1Ki 10:28) ומוצא הסוסים אשר לשלמה ממצרים ומקוה סחרי המלך יקחו מקוה במחיר | |
(1Ki 10:29) ותעלה ותצא מרכבה ממצרים בשש מאות כסף וסוס בחמשים ומאה וכן לכל מלכי החתים ולמלכי ארם בידם יצאו |
Endnotes:
(1) Both 1Ki 10:3 and 2Ch 9:2 state that nothing was hidden from Solomon. However, by stating this in a more lengthy way, 1Ki 10:3 has more emphasis on the wisdom of Solomon than 2Ch 9:2. Therefore, by using less words for the first half of the verse, 2Ch 9:2 has more emphasis on the second half. So, 1Ki 10:3 has more emphasis on Solomon's wisdom, while 2Ch 9:2 on the fact that he answered all the questions of the queen of Sheba. [Back]
(2) The only difference between 1Ki 10:4 and 2Ch 9:3 is that the former includes the word כל "all" and the latter does not. 1Ki 10:4 states that the queen saw all wisdom of Solomon. Clearly, "all" modifies "wisdom" so as to refer to aspects of wisdom that in some sense can be counted. Likely, this is about the fact that by asking him questions about everything, she could see his wisdom in virtually all areas of knowledge. This does not mean that she saw the full extent of Solomon's wisdom, all his knowledge and insight, for there was not enough time for it (1Ki 4:29-34). That she did not see the full extent of Solomon's wisdom can also be seen in 2Ch 9:3. The word "wisdom" is not modified by "all" in 2Ch 9:3, and so refers to Solomon's wisdom in the most general way. As the passage states, she saw Solomon's wisdom. The statement that she saw Solomon's wisdom does not imply that she saw everything about it. For example, the fact that she saw Solomon's palace (2Ch 9:3) does not imply that she saw every part of it; she probably only saw those parts to which visitors had access. Since 2Ch 9:3 does not say that she saw the full extent of Solomon's wisdom, it is plain that she did not see it. In conclusion, though the queen had a limited observation of Solomon's wisdom (2Ch 9:3), there is a sense in which she could see all aspects of his wisdom (1Ki 10:4). [Back]
(3) Following the Kethiv, 1Ki 10:5 has משרתו "his attendant" instead of the form משרתיו "his attendants" of 2Ch 9:4. The singular form משרתו "his attendant" is understood here to refer collectively to all attendants of the king. In this interpretation, 2Ch 9:4 adds more emphasis on the service of the king's attendants, implying it was impressive, while 1Ki 10:5 emphasizes each attendant, implying that their individual service impressed the queen of Sheba. [Back]
(4) Considering 2Ch 9:4 and 1Ki 10:5, the form עליתו "his upper place" of 2Ch 9:4 must refer to a place to which Solomon went when going up to the temple. Note that the word עליה does not have to mean "upper room" but can refer to an upper place (Ps 104:3, 13). Moreover, the form עלתו of 1Ki 10:5 must refer to an ascent to the temple. The form עלת appears with the meaning "ascent" also in Ne 3:19. It is somewhat unlikely that עלתו should be translated "his burnt offering" because the word refers to something that amazed the queen of Sheba, and things that Solomon built were more likely to amaze people than his burnt offerings. [Back]
(5) 1Ki 10:7 has החצי "the half" where 2Ch 9:6 has just חצי "half." The interpretation here is that 1Ki 10:7 has the article because it omits מרבית חכמתך "the greatness of thy wisdom." [Back]
(6) Considering 1Ki 10:8 and 2Ch 9:7, in the latter the queen spoke of the blessedness of those who were with Solomon, that is, his men, and his servants standing before him and hearing him. Apparently, she did not state that only those who heard him were blessed but also the others who were not as close to the king. However, as could be seen in 1Ki 10:8, she emphasized that those who heard his wisdom were blessed. 1Ki 10:8 indicates that the queen spoke her words so as to emphasize that the men of Solomon, specifically, those who stood before him, namely, those who heard his wisdom, were blessed. Note that in 1Ki 10:8, the absence of the waw conjunction between אשרי אנשיך "blessed are thy men" and אשרי עבדיך אלה העמדים לפניך תמיד "blessed are these thy servants who stand before thee always" was interpreted as indicating apposition, as showing that "thy men" and "these thy servants" refer to the same people. Moreover, the absence of the waw conjunction between אשרי עבדיך אלה העמדים לפניך תמיד "blessed are these thy servants who stand before thee always" and השמעים את חכמתך "those who hear thy wisdom" was also taken as a sign of apposition, showing that "these thy servants" and "those who hear thy wisdom" refer to the same people. The interpretation here is that the queen spoke the words of 2Ch 9:7 while adding somehow emphasis to the fact that those who heard Solomon's wisdom were blessed. This emphasis was conveyed in 1Ki 10:8 by dropping the "and" at the beginning of ואשרי "and blessed are" and by using השמעים "those who hear" instead of ושמעים "and who hear." [Back]
(7) The word עוד "again" indicates that the statement of 1Ki 10:10 about the abundance of spices is relative to the time when the verse was written. Moreover, in the absence of this word, the statement of 2Ch 9:9 about spices is relative to the time when the queen of Sheba came. Thus, 2Ch 9:9 states that spices like those brought by the queen of Sheba had not been seen before, and 1Ki 10:10 adds that they were not seen afterwards in the same abundance. [Back]
(8) Two indications that 1Ki 10:11-12 took place before 2Ch 9:10-11 are as follows. First, the servants of Solomon are not mentioned in 1Ki 10:11 but are mentioned in 2Ch 9:10-11. As Solomon built ships, the role of his servants in maritime trade became more and more important. Thus, it would seem reasonable to assume that 1Ki 10:11-12 refers to a time when Solomon did not have many ships, and 2Ch 9:10-11 to a later time when he had a significant number of ships. Moreover, the support of algum wood that Solomon built for the house of the Lord (1Ki 10:12) was more important than the roads he made for the temple and for his palace (2Ch 9:11). Thus, it seems likely that the former was made before the latter. Since the temple was at the top of a hill, the temple complex may have involved several terraces with retaining walls. Perhaps, algum wood was used for the support of the temple in the sense that the retaining walls were made from it. Note that the word מסלה "highway" in 2Ch 9:11 is used for the roads that Solomon built. Since algum wood was appropriate for the roads, it must have been suitable also for retaining walls. Given that the surface of a road must have been a little higher than the ground level at the lateral edges of the road, so as to allow rain water to flow away, it may be that algum wood was used at the edges of a road, performing essentially the same function as in the retaining walls. [Back]
(9) Solomon gave gifts to the queen of Sheba, אשר נתן לה כיד המלך שלמה "which king Solomon gave her in accordance to his ability" (1Ki 10:13). Moreover, taking the text אשר הביאה אל המלך "which she brought to the king" (2Ch 9:12) in its context, it can be concluded that Solomon gave the gifts in response to the presents that the queen of Sheba had given him. [Back]
(10) Though both תפן in 1Ki 10:13 and תהפך in 2Ch 9:12 could be translated "she turned," the former verb could mean just "to heed, regard." Since 1Ki 10:13 and 2Ch 9:12 are rather similar, the fact that one uses תפן and the other תהפך draws attention to the difference in meaning of these two verbs. Then, it would follow that the former verb refers to the queen setting her mind on her land, while the latter is about her departing to her land. [Back]
(11) 1Ki 10:14 and 2Ch 9:13 mention the amount of gold that came to Solomon in one year. Since this amount probably varied somewhat from year to year, and since its weight in talents probably had a fractional part, besides its integer part, the number given in 1Ki 10:14 and 2Ch 9:13 appears to be an estimate. Given that the Scripture is thoroughly truthful, it seems safe to assume that estimates are always underestimates, unless otherwise stated in the text. Then, 1Ki 10:14 and 2Ch 9:13 indicate that the yearly amount of gold was over 666 talents.
Now, where 1Ki 10:14 has ככר "talent," 2Ch 9:13 has ככרי "talents." Translating strictly the text, 2Ch 9:13 speaks of שש מאות וששים ושש ככרי זהב "six hundred sixty-six talents of gold," while 1Ki 10:14 speaks of שש מאות ששים ושש ככר זהב "six hundred sixty-six times a talent of gold." This wording is interpreted here as an indication that 1Ki 10:14 provides a closer underestimate than 2Ch 9:13. Confirming this is the observation that 2Ch 9:13 considers a larger portion of Solomon's gold revenue. Indeed, 1Ki 10:15 has, לבד מאנשי התרים ומסחר הרכלים וכל מלכי הערב ופחות הארץ "apart from the exploring men, and from the profit of the merchants, and of all the kings of the mixed multitude, and of the governors of the land." (Since the מ prefix was not applied to כל "all" and to פחות "governors," the text was not translated, " ... from all the kings of the mixed multitude, and from the governors of the land.") In contrast, 2Ch 9:14 has, לבד מאנשי התרים והסחרים מביאים וכל מלכי ערב ופחות הארץ מביאים זהב וכסף לשלמה "apart from the exploring men. And the traders were bringing gold. And all kings of Arabia and the governors of the land were bringing gold and silver to Solomon." Thus, the amount of gold mentioned in 2Ch 9:13 excludes only the gold from the exploring men, while the amount of gold in 1Ki 10:15 excludes also other sources besides the exploring men. It follows that the weight estimated numerically in 2Ch 9:13 is larger than the weight estimated in 1Ki 10:14. Therefore, since the same numbers are given in 2Ch 9:13 and 1Ki 10:14, it follows that 1Ki 10:14 has the closer underestimate.
A comparison of 1Ki 10:14-15 and 2Ch 9:13-14 appears in the following table. Where 1Ki 10:15 has ומסחר הרכלים "and from the profit of the merchants," 2Ch 9:14 has והסחרים "and the traders." The word used in 2Ch 9:14 appears to suggest large scale trade. Clearly, the number of those trading on a large scale was not nearly as large as the number of merchants, which is consistent with the fact that 2Ch 9:14 lists הסחרים "the traders" together with the kings and the governors who brought gold to Solomon. Moreover, in view of Jer 25:24, where the phrase מלכי ערב appears in the same sentence as מלכי הערב השכנים במדבר, it is apparent that ערב and הערב denote different people groups. Thus, in Jer 25:24, common translations have "the kings of Arabia" for מלכי ערב, and a phrase such as "the kings of the mixed multitude" for מלכי הערב. Interpreting 1Ki 10:14 and 2Ch 9:13 consistently with Jer 25:24, מלכי הערב and מלכי ערב do not refer to the same kings but to "the kings of the mixed multitude" and "the kings of Arabia," respectively.
Back] (12) In 2Ch 9:16, understanding the unit of weight to be the shekel, the text does not speak of the same shields as in 1Ki 10:17. (See Eze 45:12 for the relation between minas and shekels.) Considering also that 2Ch 9:16 has בבית "in the house" while 1Ki 10:17 has just בית "house," it is apparent that the shields of 1Ki 10:17 were meant for the palace, apparently for the guards at the entrance of the palace (1Ki 14:27-28, 2Ch 12:10-11), while the shields of 2Ch 9:16, which had more gold, were meant to be inside the palace. See the following table for a comparison of 1Ki 10:17 and 2Ch 9:16. (1Ki 10:17) ושלש מאות מגנים זהב שחוט ... (2Ch 9:16) ושלש מאות מגנים זהב שחוט ... (1Ki 10:17) ... זהב יעלה על המגן האחת ויתנם המלך ... (2Ch 9:16) ... זהב יעלה על המגן האחת ויתנם המלך ... (13) Considering 1Ki 10:19 and 2Ch 9:18, it is plain that both כסה in 1Ki 10:19 and כסא in 2Ch 9:18 refer to the throne. However, deriving the former from the verb כסה "to cover," it would seem that the form כסה, when referring to a throne, adds more emphasis to the canopy of the throne than the form כסא. Confirming this remark is the fact that 1Ki 10:19 mentions that the כסה "throne" had a ראש עגל ... מאחריו, that is, a round top beginning from behind the throne, which must refer to the canopy. [Back] (14) The position of the armrests is described with two different prepositions: אל "towards" in 1Ki 10:19 and על "on" in 2Ch 9:18. Thus, by means of the latter preposition, 2Ch 9:18 indicates that the armrests were near the seat. Moreover, by means of the preposition אל "towards," 1Ki 10:19 mentions that the armrests were towards the seat. This implies that they extended beyond the seat, most likely, to the area in front of the seat. [Back] (15) The forms אריים and אריות of 1Ki 10:20 and 2Ch 9:19, respectively, both meaning "lions," could be explained as follows. Understanding ארי "lion" to refer to a lion of any size and אריה "lion" to refer to a large lion, understanding also אריים to be the plural of ארי, and אריות the plural of אריה, the word אריות of 2Ch 9:19 implies that the lion statues on the steps of the throne represented large lions. However, since 1Ki 10:19-20 has אריות for the lion statues near the armrests and אריים for the lion statues on the steps of the throne, it follows that the latter were smaller than the former. [Back] (16) The phrase לכל ממלכות "for all kingdoms" of 1Ki 10:20 suggests all kingdoms of that time (such as כל ממלכות in 2Ch 17:10, 20:29), while לכל ממלכה "for any kingdom" in 2Ch 9:19 could be understood to refer to all kingdoms up to that time (similarly to the usage of ממלכה in 2Ch 32:15 in the context of כל.) Then, 2Ch 9:19 indicates that Solomon's throne was quite different from anything that had been done up to that time. Moreover, since the word כל "all, any" was used in 1Ki 10:20, though this word admits minor exceptions, it follows that during the time of Solomon there was another kingdom with a throne somewhat comparable to the throne of Solomon. This also explains why the word כל "all, any" appears in the phrase לכל ממלכה "for any kingdom" in 2Ch 9:19. [Back] (17) The ending of 1Ki 10:21 is אין כסף לא נחשב בימי שלמה למאומה "nothing was made of silver; it was not considered for anything that was made during the days of Solomon." The ending of 2Ch 9:20 is similar but complementary: אין כסף נחשב בימי שלמה למאומה "sliver was not considered to be valuable for anything during the days of Solomon." [Back] (18) 1Ki 10:22 and 2Ch 9:21 are interpreted here as referring to different times during the reign of Solomon. Considering 2Ch 9:21, it does not mention ships of Tyre but refers to a time when the servants of Huram went with Solomon's ships, apparently on Solomon's ships, as in 1Ki 9:26-27. In this way, Solomon's servants could be trained by the experienced men of Huram. The fact that the servants of Huram are mentioned in 2Ch 9:21 does not imply that Huram was reigning at that time; it may be that they were sent by Hiram because of a prior agreement of Solomon with Huram; see the note (19) in the sequence of 1Ki 9:1-28 and 2Ch 7:11-8:18. As for 1Ki 10:22, it mentions Solomon's ships going with Hiram's ships, without implying in any way that Huram's servants were on Solomon's ships. This would suggest that at the time of 1Ki 10:22 the servants of Solomon were fully trained. Thus, it appears that 1Ki 10:22 took place at a later time than 2Ch 9:21. Additional evidence for this is provided in the notes (19) and (20) below. A comparison of 1Ki 10:22 and 2Ch 9:21 is presented in the following table. (2Ch 9:21) ... הלכות תרשיש ... (1Ki 10:22) ... עם אני חירם ... (2Ch 9:21) ... עם עבדי חורם ... (2Ch 9:21) ... תבואנה אניות ... (1Ki 10:22) ... זהב וכסף שנהבים ... (2Ch 9:21) ... זהב וכסף שנהבים ... (19) Though 1Ki 10:23 and 2Ch 9:22 are very similar, it is apparent that 1Ki 10:23 refers to a later time than 2Ch 9:22, just as 1Ki 10:22 appears to refer to a later time than 2Ch 9:21 (see the note (18) above.) This conclusion can be reached by comparing לעשר וחכמה "with respect to riches and wisdom" in 2Ch 9:22 with לעשר ולחכמה "with respect to wisdom and with respect to riches" in 1Ki 10:23. So, by the time of 2Ch 9:22, Solomon had surpassed all kings in the combination of riches and wisdom. The text does not say that at that time Solomon was the richest or that he was the wisest, but that in the combination of riches and wisdom he had surpassed all. Then, at the time of 2Ch 9:22, if there was some other king richer than Solomon, he was not nearly as wise, and if there was some other king wiser than Solomon, he was not nearly as rich. However, by the time of 1Ki 10:23, Solomon had surpassed all kings in riches, and he had surpassed them also in wisdom. This fact is interpreted here as indicating that 1Ki 10:23 refers to a later time than 2Ch 9:22. See the table below for a comparison of the two verses. (1Ki 10:23) ויגדל המלך שלמה מכל מלכי הארץ ... (2Ch 9:22) ויגדל המלך שלמה מכל מלכי הארץ ... (20) 1Ki 10:24 appears to refer to a later time than 2Ch 9:23, just as 1Ki 10:22-23 appears to refer to a later time than 2Ch 9:21-22 (see the notes (18) and (19) above.) Indeed, while at the time of 2Ch 9:23 the kings were interested to hear Solomon, at the time of 1Ki 10:24 many more were interested to hear him. The article of האלהים "God" in 2Ch 9:23 could be taken as an indication that by that time they had heard of the God of Israel, because of Solomon's wisdom. See the table below for a comparison of the two verses. (1Ki 10:24) ... מבקשים את פני שלמה לשמע את חכמתו אשר נתן ... (2Ch 9:23) ... מבקשים את פני שלמה לשמע את חכמתו אשר נתן ... (21) Though both והמה מבאים in 1Ki 10:25 and והם מביאים in 2Ch 9:24 are translated "and they were bringing," the former has more emphasis on "they" and the latter on "were bringing." [Back] (22) 1Ki 10:25 and 2Ch 9:24 have two different ways of grouping the gifts. 1Ki 10:25 puts together in one group כלי כסף ... ובשמים "articles of silver, ... , and spices," likely as things that could be brought inside the palace, and then groups סוסים ופרדים "horses and mules," likely as things that could not be brought inside. Moreover, 2Ch 9:24 seems to group gifts according to their nature, for it lists the items of the first group of 1Ki 10:25 in two separate groups: כלי כסף וכלי זהב ושלמות "articles of silver, and articles of gold, and garments," likely as precious things, and נשק ובשמים, as referring, apparently, to costly spices and fragrant things. (Note that נשק is translated in LXX with ηδυσμα, which is defined in the LSJ lexicon as referring to spices.) [Back] (23) The following remarks could be made about 1Ki 10:26 and 2Ch 9:25. A literal translation of the phrase אריות סוסים of 2Ch 9:25 is "lions of horses," suggesting strong horses. Due to the different nature of אריות סוסים "lions of horses" and מרכבות "chariots," the number ארבעת אלפים "four thousand" appears to refer only to the "lions of horses." Thus, the phrase ארבעת אלפים אריות סוסים ומרכבות is interpreted here with the meaning, "four thousand lions of horses, and also chariots." The word translated here "chariot" is מרכבה. Another word, רכב "chariot," appears in 1Ki 10:26, where the text mentions that Solomon had 1,400 chariots. Comparing the words מרכבה "chariot" and רכב "chariot," there are instances in the Scripture in which the same chariot was denoted with both מרכבה and רכב, such as in 1Ki 22:35 and 2Ki 10:15-16. Since the word מרכבה is commonly used for the chariots of important persons, it would appear that a מרכבה chariot was a kind of a רכב chariot. Since 1Ki 10:26 gives the total number of the רכב chariots as 1,400, it would follow that the number of מרכבה chariots did not exceed 1,400. [Back] (24) As written, the form וינחם of 1Ki 10:26 involves the qal stem of נחה "to lead." This emphasizes that the king himself arranged that the horses be placed into cities. Moreover, the form ויניחם of 2Ch 9:25 involves the hiphil stem of the same verb. It indicates that Solomon placed the horses by means of others, that is, by means of his officials. [Back]
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