1 Kings 4:21

4:21 (5:1) ¹  Solomon ruled all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River ²  to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. These kingdoms paid tribute as Solomon’s subjects throughout his lifetime. ³ 

1 Kings 4:24

4:24 His royal court was so large because ⁴  he ruled over all the kingdoms west of the Euphrates River from Tiphsah ⁵  to Gaza; he was at peace with all his neighbors. ⁶ 

1 Kings 4:1

Solomon’s Royal Court and Administrators

4:1 King Solomon ruled over all Israel.

1 Kings 18:3

18:3 So Ahab summoned Obadiah, who supervised the palace. (Now Obadiah was a very loyal follower of the Lord. ⁷ 

Psalms 72:8

72:8 May he rule ⁸  from sea to sea, ⁹ 

and from the Euphrates River ¹⁰  to the ends of the earth!

¹ 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.

² tn Heb “the River” (also in v. 24). This is the standard designation for the Euphrates River in biblical Hebrew.

³ tn Heb “[They] were bringing tribute and were serving Solomon all the days of his life.”

⁴ tn Heb “because.” The words “his royal court was so large” are added to facilitate the logical connection with the preceding verse.

⁵ sn Tiphsah. This was located on the Euphrates River.

⁶ 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.”

⁷ tn Heb “now Obadiah greatly feared the Lord.” “Fear” refers here to obedience and allegiance, the products of healthy respect for the Lord’s authority.

⁸ tn The prefixed verbal form is a (shortened) jussive form, indicating this is a prayer of blessing.

⁹ sn From sea to sea. This may mean from the Mediterranean Sea in the west to the Dead Sea in the east. See Amos 8:12. The language of this and the following line also appears in Zech 9:10.

¹⁰ tn Heb “the river,” a reference to the Euphrates.