1 Kings 2:44

2:44 Then the king said to Shimei, “You are well aware of the way you mistreated my father David. ¹  The Lord will punish you for what you did. ² 

1 Kings 7:16

7:16 He made two bronze tops for the pillars; each was seven-and-a-half feet high. ³ 

1 Kings 7:18

7:18 When he made the pillars, there were two rows of pomegranate-shaped ornaments around the latticework covering the top of each pillar. ⁴ 

1 Kings 8:1

Solomon Moves the Ark into the Temple

8:1 ⁵ Then Solomon convened in Jerusalem ⁶  Israel’s elders, all the leaders of the Israelite tribes and families, so they could witness the transferal of the ark of the Lord’s covenant from the city of David (that is, Zion). ⁷ 

1 Kings 20:31-32

20:31 His advisers ⁸  said to him, “Look, we have heard that the kings of the Israelite dynasty are kind. ⁹  Allow us to put sackcloth around our waists and ropes on our heads ¹⁰  and surrender ¹¹  to the king of Israel. Maybe he will spare our lives.” 20:32 So they put sackcloth around their waists and ropes on their heads and went to the king of Israel. They said, “Your servant ¹²  Ben Hadad says, ‘Please let me live!’” Ahab ¹³  replied, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.” ¹⁴ 

¹ tn Heb “You know all the evil, for your heart knows, which you did to David my father.”

² tn Heb “The Lord will cause your evil to return upon your head.”

³ tn Heb “two capitals he made to place on the tops of the pillars, cast in bronze; five cubits was the height of the first capital, and five cubits was the height of the second capital.”

⁵ tn Heb “he made the pillars, and two rows surrounding one latticework to cover the capitals which were on top of the pomegranates, and so he did for the second latticework.” The translation supplies “pomegranates” after “two rows,” and understands “pillars,” rather than “pomegranates,” to be the correct reading after “on top of.” The latter change finds support from many Hebrew mss and the ancient Greek version.

⁷ tc The Old Greek translation includes the following words at the beginning of ch. 8: “It so happened that when Solomon finished building the Lord’s temple and his own house, after twenty years.”

⁸ map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.

⁹ tn Heb “Then Solomon convened the elders of Israel, the heads of the tribes, the chiefs of the fathers belonging to the sons of Israel to King Solomon [in] Jerusalem to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord from the city of David (it is Zion).”

⁹ tn Or “servants.”

¹⁰ tn Or “merciful.” The word used here often means “devoted” or “loyal.” Perhaps the idea is that the Israelite kings are willing to make treaties with other kings.

¹¹ sn Sackcloth was worn as a sign of sorrow and repentance. The precise significance of the ropes on the head is uncertain, but it probably was a sign of submission. These actions were comparable to raising a white flag on the battlefield or throwing in the towel in a boxing match.

¹² tn Heb “go out.”

¹¹ sn Your servant. By referring to Ben Hadad as Ahab’s servant, they are suggesting that Ahab make him a subject in a vassal treaty arrangement.

¹² tn Heb “he”; the referent (Ahab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹³ sn He is my brother. Ahab’s response indicates that he wants to make a parity treaty and treat Ben Hadad as an equal partner.