8:1 1 Then Solomon convened in Jerusalem 2 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). 3 8:2 All the men of Israel assembled before King Solomon during the festival 4 in the month Ethanim 5 (the seventh month). 8:3 When all Israel’s elders had arrived, the priests lifted the ark. 8:4 The priests and Levites carried the ark of the Lord, the tent of meeting, 6 and all the holy items in the tent. 7 8:5 Now King Solomon and all the Israelites who had assembled with him went on ahead of the ark and sacrificed more sheep and cattle than could be counted or numbered. 8
8:6 The priests brought the ark of the Lord’s covenant to its assigned 9 place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, in the most holy place, under the wings of the cherubs. 8:7 The cherubs’ wings extended over the place where the ark sat; the cherubs overshadowed the ark and its poles. 10 8:8 The poles were so long their ends were visible from the holy place in front of the inner sanctuary, but they could not be seen from beyond that point. 11 They have remained there to this very day. 8:9 There was nothing in the ark except the two stone tablets Moses had placed there in Horeb. 12 It was there that 13 the Lord made an agreement with the Israelites after he brought them out of the land of Egypt. 8:10 Once the priests left the holy place, a cloud filled the Lord’s temple. 8:11 The priests could not carry out their duties 14 because of the cloud; the Lord’s glory filled his temple. 15
8:12 Then Solomon said, “The Lord has said that he lives in thick darkness. 8:13 O Lord, 16 truly I have built a lofty temple for you, a place where you can live permanently.” 8:14 Then the king turned around 17 and pronounced a blessing over the whole Israelite assembly as they stood there. 18 8:15 He said, “The Lord God of Israel is worthy of praise because he has fulfilled 19 what he promised 20 my father David. 8:16 He told David, 21 ‘Since the day I brought my people Israel out of Egypt, I have not chosen a city from all the tribes of Israel to build a temple in which to live. 22 But I have chosen David to lead my people Israel.’ 8:17 Now my father David had a strong desire 23 to build a temple to honor the Lord God of Israel. 24 8:18 The Lord told my father David, ‘It is right for you to have a strong desire to build a temple to honor me. 25 8:19 But you will not build the temple; your very own son will build the temple for my honor.’ 26 8:20 The Lord has kept the promise he made. 27 I have taken my father David’s place and have occupied the throne of Israel, as the Lord promised. I have built this temple for the honor 28 of the Lord God of Israel 8:21 and set up in it a place for the ark containing the covenant the Lord made with our ancestors 29 when he brought them out of the land of Egypt.”
8:22 Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in front of the entire assembly of Israel and spread out his hands toward the sky. 30 8:23 He prayed: 31 “O Lord, God of Israel, there is no god like you in heaven above or on earth below! You maintain covenantal loyalty 32 to your servants who obey you with sincerity. 33 8:24 You have kept your word to your servant, my father David; 34 this very day you have fulfilled what you promised. 35 8:25 Now, O Lord, God of Israel, keep the promise you made to your servant, my father David, when you said, ‘You will never fail to have a successor ruling before me on the throne of Israel, 36 provided that your descendants watch their step and serve me as you have done.’ 37 8:26 Now, O God of Israel, may the promise you made 38 to your servant, my father David, be realized. 39
8:27 “God does not really live on the earth! 40 Look, if the sky and the highest heaven cannot contain you, how much less this temple I have built! 8:28 But respond favorably to 41 your servant’s prayer and his request for help, O Lord my God. Answer 42 the desperate prayer 43 your servant is presenting to you 44 today. 8:29 Night and day may you watch over this temple, the place where you promised you would live. 45 May you answer your servant’s prayer for this place. 46 8:30 Respond to the request of your servant and your people Israel for this place. 47 Hear from inside your heavenly dwelling place 48 and respond favorably. 49
8:31 “When someone is accused of sinning against his neighbor and the latter pronounces a curse on the alleged offender before your altar in this temple, be willing to forgive the accused if the accusation is false. 50 8:32 Listen from heaven and make a just decision about your servants’ claims. Condemn the guilty party, declare the other innocent, and give both of them what they deserve. 51
8:33 “The time will come when 52 your people Israel are defeated by an enemy 53 because they sinned against you. If they come back to you, renew their allegiance to you, 54 and pray for your help 55 in this temple, 8:34 then listen from heaven, forgive the sin of your people Israel, and bring them back to the land you gave to their ancestors.
8:35 “The time will come when 56 the skies are shut up tightly and no rain falls because your people 57 sinned against you. When they direct their prayers toward this place, renew their allegiance to you, 58 and turn away from their sin because you punish 59 them, 8:36 then listen from heaven and forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel. Certainly 60 you will then teach them the right way to live 61 and send rain on your land that you have given your people to possess. 62
8:37 “The time will come when the land suffers from a famine, a plague, blight and disease, or a locust 63 invasion, or when their enemy lays siege to the cities of the land, 64 or when some other type of plague or epidemic occurs. 8:38 When all your people Israel pray and ask for help, 65 as they acknowledge their pain 66 and spread out their hands toward this temple, 8:39 then listen from your heavenly dwelling place, forgive their sin, 67 and act favorably toward each one based on your evaluation of his motives. 68 (Indeed you are the only one who can correctly evaluate the motives of all people.) 69 8:40 Then they will obey 70 you throughout their lifetimes as 71 they live on the land you gave to our ancestors.
8:41 “Foreigners, who do not belong to your people Israel, will come from a distant land because of your reputation. 72 8:42 When they hear about your great reputation 73 and your ability to accomplish mighty deeds, 74 they will come and direct their prayers toward this temple. 8:43 Then listen from your heavenly dwelling place and answer all the prayers of the foreigners. 75 Then all the nations of the earth will acknowledge your reputation, 76 obey 77 you like your people Israel do, and recognize that this temple I built belongs to you. 78
8:44 “When you direct your people to march out and fight their enemies, 79 and they direct their prayers to the Lord 80 toward his chosen city and this temple I built for your honor, 81 8:45 then listen from heaven to their prayers for help 82 and vindicate them. 83
8:46 “The time will come when your people 84 will sin against you (for there is no one who is sinless!) and you will be angry with them and deliver them over to their enemies, who will take them as prisoners to their own land, 85 whether far away or close by. 8:47 When your people 86 come to their senses 87 in the land where they are held prisoner, they will repent and beg for your mercy in the land of their imprisonment, admitting, ‘We have sinned and gone astray; 88 we have done evil.’ 8:48 When they return to you with all their heart and being 89 in the land where they are held prisoner, 90 and direct their prayers to you toward the land you gave to their ancestors, your chosen city, and the temple I built for your honor, 91 8:49 then listen from your heavenly dwelling place to their prayers for help 92 and vindicate them. 93 8:50 Forgive all the rebellious acts of your sinful people and cause their captors to have mercy on them. 94 8:51 After all, 95 they are your people and your special possession 96 whom you brought out of Egypt, from the middle of the iron-smelting furnace. 97
8:52 “May you be attentive 98 to your servant’s and your people Israel’s requests for help and may you respond to all their prayers to you. 99 8:53 After all, 100 you picked them out of all the nations of the earth to be your special possession, 101 just as you, O sovereign Lord, announced through your servant Moses when you brought our ancestors out of Egypt.”
8:54 When Solomon finished presenting all these prayers and requests to the Lord, he got up from before the altar of the Lord where he had kneeled and spread out his hands toward the sky. 102 8:55 When he stood up, he pronounced a blessing over the entire assembly of Israel, saying in a loud voice: 8:56 “The Lord is worthy of praise because he has made Israel his people secure 103 just as he promised! Not one of all the faithful promises he made through his servant Moses is left unfulfilled! 104 8:57 May the Lord our God be with us, as he was with our ancestors. May he not abandon us or leave us. 8:58 May he make us submissive, 105 so we can follow all his instructions 106 and obey 107 the commandments, rules, and regulations he commanded our ancestors. 8:59 May the Lord our God be constantly aware of these requests of mine I have presented to him, 108 so that he might vindicate 109 his servant and his people Israel as the need arises. 8:60 Then 110 all the nations of the earth will recognize that the Lord is the only genuine God. 111 8:61 May you demonstrate wholehearted devotion to the Lord our God 112 by following 113 his rules and obeying 114 his commandments, as you are presently doing.” 115
8:62 The king and all Israel with him were presenting sacrifices to the Lord. 8:63 Solomon offered as peace offerings 116 to the Lord 22,000 cattle and 120,000 sheep. Then the king and all the Israelites dedicated the Lord’s temple. 8:64 That day the king consecrated the middle of the courtyard that is in front of the Lord’s temple. He offered there burnt sacrifices, grain offerings, and the fat from the peace offerings, because the bronze altar that stood before the Lord was too small to hold all these offerings. 117 8:65 At that time Solomon and all Israel with him celebrated a festival before the Lord our God for two entire weeks. This great assembly included people from all over the land, from Lebo Hamath in the north to the Brook of Egypt 118 in the south. 119 8:66 On the fifteenth day after the festival started, 120 he dismissed the people. They asked God to empower the king 121 and then went to their homes, happy and content 122 because of all the good the Lord had done for his servant David and his people Israel.
9:1 After Solomon finished building the Lord’s temple, the royal palace, and all the other construction projects he had planned, 123 9:2 the Lord appeared to Solomon a second time, in the same way he had appeared to him at Gibeon. 124 9:3 The Lord said to him, “I have answered 125 your prayer and your request for help that you made to me. I have consecrated this temple you built by making it my permanent home; 126 I will be constantly present there. 127 9:4 You must serve me with integrity and sincerity, just as your father David did. Do everything I commanded and obey my rules and regulations. 128 9:5 Then I will allow your dynasty to rule over Israel permanently, 129 just as I promised your father David, ‘You will not fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.’ 130
9:6 “But if you or your sons ever turn away from me, fail to obey the regulations and rules I instructed you to keep, 131 and decide to serve and worship other gods, 132 9:7 then I will remove Israel from the land 133 I have given them, I will abandon this temple I have consecrated with my presence, 134 and Israel will be mocked and ridiculed 135 among all the nations. 9:8 This temple will become a heap of ruins; 136 everyone who passes by it will be shocked and will hiss out their scorn, 137 saying, ‘Why did the Lord do this to this land and this temple?’ 9:9 Others will then answer, 138 ‘Because they abandoned the Lord their God, who led their ancestors 139 out of Egypt. They embraced other gods whom they worshiped and served. 140 That is why the Lord has brought all this disaster down on them.’”
9:10 After twenty years, during which Solomon built the Lord’s temple and the royal palace, 141 9:11 King Solomon gave King Hiram of Tyre 142 twenty cities in the region of Galilee, because Hiram had supplied Solomon with cedars, evergreens, and all the gold he wanted. 9:12 When Hiram went out from Tyre to inspect the cities Solomon had given him, he was not pleased with them. 143 9:13 Hiram asked, 144 “Why did you give me these cities, my friend 145 ?” He called that area the region of Cabul, a name which it has retained to this day. 146 9:14 Hiram had sent to the king one hundred twenty talents 147 of gold.
9:15 Here are the details concerning the work crews 148 King Solomon conscripted 149 to build the Lord’s temple, his palace, the terrace, the wall of Jerusalem, 150 and the cities of 151 Hazor, 152 Megiddo, 153 and Gezer. 9:16 (Pharaoh, king of Egypt, had attacked and captured Gezer. He burned it and killed the Canaanites who lived in the city. He gave it as a wedding present to his daughter, who had married Solomon.) 9:17 Solomon built up Gezer, lower Beth Horon, 9:18 Baalath, Tadmor in the wilderness, 154 9:19 all the storage cities that belonged to him, 155 and the cities where chariots and horses were kept. 156 He built whatever he wanted in Jerusalem, Lebanon, and throughout his entire kingdom. 157 9:20 Now several non-Israelite peoples were left in the land after the conquest of Joshua, including the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. 158 9:21 Their descendants remained in the land (the Israelites were unable to wipe them out completely). Solomon conscripted them for his work crews, and they continue in that role to this very day. 159 9:22 Solomon did not assign Israelites to these work crews; 160 the Israelites served as his soldiers, attendants, officers, charioteers, and commanders of his chariot forces. 161 9:23 These men were also in charge of Solomon’s work projects; there were a total of 550 men who supervised the workers. 162 9:24 Solomon built the terrace as soon as Pharaoh’s daughter moved up from the city of David 163 to the palace Solomon built for her. 164
9:25 Three times a year Solomon offered burnt offerings and peace offerings 165 on the altar he had built for the Lord, burning incense along with them before the Lord. He made the temple his official worship place. 166
9:26 King Solomon also built ships 167 in Ezion Geber, which is located near Elat in the land of Edom, on the shore of the Red Sea. 9:27 Hiram sent his fleet and some of his sailors, who were well acquainted with the sea, to serve with Solomon’s men. 168 9:28 They sailed 169 to Ophir, took from there four hundred twenty talents 170 of gold, and then brought them to King Solomon.
10:1 When the queen of Sheba heard about Solomon, 171 she came to challenge 172 him with difficult questions. 173 10:2 She arrived in Jerusalem 174 with a great display of pomp, 175 bringing with her camels carrying spices, 176 a very large quantity of gold, and precious gems. She visited Solomon and discussed with him everything that was on her mind. 10:3 Solomon answered all her questions; there was no question too complex for the king. 177 10:4 When the queen of Sheba saw for herself Solomon’s extensive wisdom, 178 the palace 179 he had built, 10:5 the food in his banquet hall, 180 his servants and attendants, 181 their robes, his cupbearers, and his burnt offerings which he presented in the Lord’s temple, she was amazed. 182 10:6 She said to the king, “The report I heard in my own country about your wise sayings and insight 183 was true! 10:7 I did not believe these things until I came and saw them with my own eyes. Indeed, I didn’t hear even half the story! 184 Your wisdom and wealth 185 surpass what was reported to me. 10:8 Your attendants, who stand before you at all times and hear your wise sayings, are truly happy! 186 10:9 May the Lord your God be praised because he favored 187 you by placing you on the throne of Israel! Because of the Lord’s eternal love for Israel, he made you king so you could make just and right decisions.” 188 10:10 She gave the king 120 talents 189 of gold, a very large quantity of spices, and precious gems. The quantity of spices the queen of Sheba gave King Solomon has never been matched. 190 10:11 (Hiram’s fleet, which carried gold from Ophir, also brought from Ophir a very large quantity of fine timber and precious gems. 10:12 With the timber the king made supports 191 for the Lord’s temple and for the royal palace and stringed instruments 192 for the musicians. No one has seen so much of this fine timber to this very day. 193 ) 10:13 King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba everything she requested, besides what he had freely offered her. 194 Then she left and returned 195 to her homeland with her attendants.
10:14 Solomon received 666 talents 196 of gold per year, 197 10:15 besides what he collected from the merchants, 198 traders, Arabian kings, and governors of the land. 10:16 King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; 600 measures 199 of gold were used for each shield. 10:17 He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold; three minas 200 of gold were used for each of these shields. The king placed them in the Palace of the Lebanon Forest. 201
10:18 The king made a large throne decorated with ivory and overlaid it with pure gold. 10:19 There were six steps leading up to the throne, and the back of it was rounded on top. The throne had two armrests with a statue of a lion standing on each side. 202 10:20 There were twelve statues of lions on the six steps, one lion at each end of each step. There was nothing like it in any other kingdom. 203
10:21 All of King Solomon’s cups were made of gold, and all the household items in the Palace of the Lebanon Forest were made of pure gold. There were no silver items, for silver was not considered very valuable in Solomon’s time. 204 10:22 Along with Hiram’s fleet, the king had a fleet of large merchant ships 205 that sailed the sea. Once every three years the fleet 206 came into port with cargoes of 207 gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks. 208
10:23 King Solomon was wealthier and wiser than any of the kings of the earth. 209 10:24 Everyone 210 in the world wanted to visit Solomon to see him display his God-given wisdom. 211 10:25 Year after year visitors brought their gifts, which included items of silver, items of gold, clothes, perfume, spices, horses, and mules. 212
10:26 Solomon accumulated 213 chariots and horses. He had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horses. He kept them in assigned cities and in Jerusalem. 214 10:27 The king made silver as plentiful 215 in Jerusalem as stones; cedar was 216 as plentiful as sycamore fig trees are in the lowlands. 217 10:28 Solomon acquired his horses from Egypt 218 and from Que; the king’s traders purchased them from Que. 10:29 They paid 600 silver pieces for each chariot from Egypt and 150 silver pieces for each horse. They also sold chariots and horses to all the kings of the Hittites and to the kings of Syria. 219
1 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.”
2 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
3 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
4 sn The festival. This was the Feast of Tabernacles, see Lev 23:34.
5 sn The month Ethanim. This would be September-October in modern reckoning.
6 tn Heb “the tent of assembly.”
7 tn Heb “and they carried the ark of the
8 tn Heb “And King Solomon and all the assembly of Israel, those who had been gathered to him, [were] before the ark, sacrificing sheep and cattle which could not be counted or numbered because of the abundance.”
9 tn The word “assigned” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
10 sn And its poles. These poles were used to carry the ark. See Exod 25:13-15.
11 tn Heb “they could not be seen outside.”
12 sn Horeb is another name for Mount Sinai.
13 tn Heb “in Horeb where.”
14 tn Heb “were not able to stand to serve.”
15 tn Heb “the house of the
16 tn The words “O
17 tn Heb “turned his face.”
18 tn Heb “and he blessed all the assembly of Israel, and all the assembly of Israel was standing.”
19 tn The Hebrew text reads, “by his hand.”
20 tn The Hebrew text reads, “by his mouth.”
21 tn Heb “saying.”
22 tn Heb “to build a house for my name to be there.”
23 tn Heb “and it was with the heart of David my father.”
24 tn Heb “to build a house for the name of the
25 tn Heb “Because it was with your heart to build a house for my name, you did well that it was with your heart.”
26 tn Heb “your son, the one who came out of your body, he will build the temple for my name.”
27 tn Heb “his word that he spoke.”
28 tn Heb “name.”
29 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 34, 40, 48, 53, 57, 58).
30 tn Or “heaven.”
31 tn Heb “said.”
32 tn Heb “one who keeps the covenant and the loyal love.” The expression is a hendiadys.
33 tn Heb “who walk before you with all their heart.”
34 tn Heb “[you] who kept to your servant David my father that which you spoke to him.”
35 tn Heb “you spoke by your mouth and by your hand you fulfilled, as this day.”
36 tn Heb “there will not be cut off from you a man from before me sitting on the throne of Israel.”
37 tn Heb “guard their way by walking before me as you have walked before me.”
38 tn Heb “the words that you spoke.”
39 tn Or “prove to be reliable.”
40 tn Heb “Indeed, can God really live on the earth?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course not,” the force of which the translation above seeks to reflect.
41 tn Heb “turn to.”
42 tn Heb “by listening to.”
43 tn Heb “the loud cry and the prayer.”
44 tn Heb “praying before you.”
45 tn Heb “so your eyes might be open toward this house night and day, toward the place about which you said, ‘My name will be there.’”
46 tn Heb “by listening to the prayer which your servant is praying concerning this place.”
47 tn Heb “listen to the request of your servant and your people Israel which they are praying concerning this place.”
48 tn Heb “and you, hear inside your dwelling place, inside heaven.” The precise nuance of the preposition אֶל (’el), used here with the verb “hear,” is unclear. One expects the preposition “from,” which appears in the parallel text in 2 Chr 6:21. The nuance “inside; among” is attested for אֶל (see Gen 23:19; 1 Sam 10:22; Jer 4:3), but in each case a verb of motion is employed with the preposition, unlike 1 Kgs 8:30. The translation above (“from inside”) is based on the demands of the immediate context rather than attested usage elsewhere.
49 tn Heb “hear and forgive.”
50 tn Heb “and forgive the man who sins against his neighbor when one takes up against him a curse to curse him and the curse comes before your altar in this house.” In the Hebrew text the words “and forgive” conclude v. 30, but the accusative sign at the beginning of v. 31 suggests the verb actually goes with what follows in v. 31. The parallel text in 2 Chr 6:22 begins with “and if,” rather than the accusative sign. In this case “forgive” must be taken with what precedes, and v. 31 must be taken as the protasis (“if” clause) of a conditional sentence, with v. 32 being the apodosis (“then” clause) that completes the sentence.
51 tn Heb “and you, hear [from] heaven and act and judge your servants by declaring the guilty to be guilty, to give his way on his head, and to declare the innocent to be innocent, to give to him according to his innocence.”
52 tn Heb “when.” In the Hebrew text vv. 33-34 actually contain one lengthy conditional sentence, which the translation has divided into two sentences for stylistic reasons.
53 tn Or “are struck down before an enemy.”
54 tn Heb “confess [or perhaps, “praise”] your name.”
55 tn Heb “and they pray and ask for help.”
56 tn Heb “when.” In the Hebrew text vv. 35-36a actually contain one lengthy conditional sentence, which the translation has divided into two sentences for stylistic reasons.
57 tn Heb “they”; the referent (your people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
58 tn Heb “confess [or perhaps, “praise”] your name.”
59 tn The Hebrew text has “because you answer them,” as if the verb is from עָנָה (’anah, “to answer”). However, this reference to a divine answer is premature, since the next verse asks for God to intervene in mercy. It is better to revocalize the consonantal text as תְעַנֵּם (tÿ’annem, “you afflict them”), a Piel verb form from the homonym עָנָה (“to afflict”).
60 tn The translation understands כִּי (ki) in an emphatic or asseverative sense.
61 tn Heb “the good way in which they should walk.”
62 tn Or “for an inheritance.”
63 tn Actually two Hebrew terms appear here, both of which are usually taken as referring to locusts. Perhaps different stages of growth or different varieties are in view.
64 tn Heb “in the land, his gates.”
65 tn Heb “every prayer, every request for help which will be to all the people, to all your people Israel.”
66 tn Heb “which they know, each the pain of his heart.”
67 tn The words “their sin” are added for clarification.
68 tn Heb “and act and give to each one according to all his ways because you know his heart.” In the Hebrew text vv. 37-39a actually contain one lengthy conditional sentence, which the translation has divided up for stylistic reasons.
69 tn Heb “Indeed you know, you alone, the heart of all the sons of mankind.”
70 tn Heb “fear.”
71 tn Heb “all the days [in] which.”
72 tn Heb “your name.” In the OT the word “name” sometimes refers to one’s reputation or honor. The “name” of the
73 tn Heb “your great name.” See the note on the word “reputation” in the previous verse.
74 tn Heb “and your strong hand and your outstretched arm.”
75 tn Heb “and do all which the foreigner calls to [i.e., “requests of”] you.”
76 tn Heb “your name.” See the note on the word “reputation” in v. 41.
77 tn Heb “fear.”
78 tn Heb “that your name is called over this house which I built.” The Hebrew idiom “to call the name over” indicates ownership. See 2 Sam 12:28.
79 tn Heb “When your people go out for battle against their enemies in the way which you send them.”
80 tn Or perhaps “to you, O
81 tn Heb “your name.” See the note on the word “reputation” in v. 41.
82 tn Heb “their prayer and their request for help.”
83 tn Heb “and accomplish their justice.”
84 tn Heb “they”; the referent (your people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
85 tn Heb “the land of the enemy.”
86 tn Heb “they”; the referent (your people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
87 tn Or “stop and reflect”; Heb “bring back to their heart.”
88 tn Or “done wrong.”
89 tn Or “soul.”
90 tn Heb “in the land of their enemies.”
91 tn Heb “your name.” See the note on the word “reputation” in v. 41.
92 tn Heb “their prayer and their request for help.”
93 tn Heb “and accomplish their justice.”
94 tn Heb “and forgive your people who have sinned against you, [forgive] all their rebellious acts by which they rebelled against you, and grant them mercy before their captors so they will show them mercy.”
95 tn Or “for.”
96 tn Heb “inheritance.”
97 tn The Hebrew term כּוּר (kur, “furnace,” cf. Akkadian ku„ru) is a metaphor for the intense heat of purification. A כּוּר was not a source of heat but a crucible (“iron-smelting furnace”) in which precious metals were melted down and their impurities burned away (see I. Cornelius, NIDOTTE 2:618-19). Thus Egypt served not as a place of punishment for the Israelites, but as a place of refinement to bring Israel to a place of submission to divine sovereignty.
98 tn Heb “May your eyes be open.”
99 tn Heb “to listen to them in all their calling out to you.”
100 tn Or “For.”
101 tn Heb “your inheritance.”
102 tn Or “toward heaven.”
103 tn Heb “he has given a resting place to his people Israel.”
104 tn Heb “not one word from his entire good word he spoke by Moses his servant has fallen.”
105 tn Heb “to bend our hearts toward him.” The infinitive is subordinate to the initial prayer, “may the
106 tn Heb “to walk in all his ways.”
107 tn Heb “keep.”
108 tn Heb “May these words of mine, which I have requested before the
109 tn Heb “accomplish the justice of.”
110 tn Heb “so that.”
111 tn Heb “the
112 tn Heb “may your hearts be complete with the
113 tn Heb “walking in.”
114 tn Heb “keeping.”
115 tn Heb “as this day.”
116 tn Or “tokens of peace”; NIV, TEV “fellowship offerings.”
117 tn Heb “to hold the burnt sacrifices, grain offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings.”
118 tn Or “the Wadi of Egypt” (NAB, NIV, NRSV); CEV “the Egyptian Gorge.”
119 tn Heb “Solomon held at that time the festival, and all Israel was with him, a great assembly from Lebo Hamath to the Brook of Egypt, before the
120 tn Heb “on the eighth day” (that is, the day after the second seven-day sequence).
121 tn Heb “they blessed the king.”
122 tn Heb “good of heart.”
123 tn Heb “and all the desire of Solomon which he wanted to do.”
124 sn In the same way he had appeared to him at Gibeon. See 1 Kgs 3:5.
125 tn Heb “I have heard.”
126 tn Heb “by placing my name there perpetually” (or perhaps, “forever”).
127 tn Heb “and my eyes and my heart will be there all the days.”
128 tn Heb “As for you, if you walk before me, as David your father walked, in integrity of heart and in uprightness, by doing all which I commanded you, [and] you keep my rules and my regulations.” Verse 4 is actually a lengthy protasis (“if” section) of a conditional sentence, the apodosis (“then” section) of which appears in v. 5.
129 tn Heb “I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever.”
130 tn Heb “there will not be cut off from you a man from upon the throne of Israel.”
131 tn Heb “which I placed before you.”
132 tn Heb “and walk and serve other gods and bow down to them.”
133 tn Heb “I will cut off Israel from upon the surface of the land.”
134 tn Heb “and the temple which I consecrated for my name I will send away from before my face.”
135 tn Heb “will become a proverb and a taunt,” that is, a proverbial example of destruction and an object of reproach.
136 tn Heb “and this house will be high [or elevated].” The statement makes little sense in this context, which predicts the desolation that judgment will bring. Some treat the clause as concessive, “Even though this temple is lofty [now].” Others, following the lead of several ancient versions, emend the text to, “this temple will become a heap of ruins.”
137 tn Heb “hiss,” or perhaps “whistle.” This refers to a derisive sound one would make when taunting an object of ridicule.
138 tn Heb “and they will say.”
139 tn Heb “fathers.”
140 tn Heb “and they took hold of other gods and bowed down to them and served them.”
141 tn Heb “the two houses, the house of the
142 map For location see Map1-A2; Map2-G2; Map4-A1; JP3-F3; JP4-F3.
143 tn Heb “they were not agreeable in his eyes.”
144 tn Heb “and he said.”
145 tn Heb “my brother.” Kings allied through a parity treaty would sometimes address each other as “my brother.” See 1 Kgs 20:32-33.
146 tn Heb “he called them the land of Cabul to this day.” The significance of the name is unclear, though it appears to be disparaging. The name may be derived from a root, attested in Akkadian and Arabic, meaning “bound” or “restricted.” Some propose a wordplay, pointing out that the name “Cabul” sounds like a Hebrew phrase meaning, “like not,” or “as good as nothing.”
147 tn The Hebrew term כִּכָּר (kikkar, “circle”) refers generally to something that is round. When used of metals it can refer to a disk-shaped weight made of the metal or to a standard unit of weight, generally regarded as a talent. Since the accepted weight for a talent of metal is about 75 pounds, this would have amounted to about 9,000 pounds of gold (cf. NCV, NLT); CEV “five tons”; TEV “4,000 kilogrammes.”
148 sn The work crews. This Hebrew word מַס (mas) refers to a group of laborers conscripted for royal or public service.
149 tn Heb “raised up.”
150 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
151 tn The words “the cities of” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
152 map For location see Map1-D2; Map2-D3; Map3-A2; Map4-C1.
153 map For location see Map1-D4; Map2-C1; Map4-C2; Map5-F2; Map7-B1.
154 tn The Hebrew text has “in the wilderness, in the land.”
155 tn Heb “to Solomon.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“him”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
156 tn Heb “the cities of the chariots and the cities of the horses.”
157 tn Heb “and the desire of Solomon which he desired to build in Jerusalem and in Lebanon and in all the land of his kingdom.”
158 tn Heb “all the people who were left from the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, who were not from the sons of Israel.”
159 tn Heb “their sons who were left after them in the land, whom the sons of Israel were unable to wipe out, and Solomon raised them up for a crew of labor to this day.”
160 sn These work crews. The work crews referred to here must be different than the temporary crews described in 5:13-16.
161 tn Heb “officers of his chariots and his horses.”
162 tn Heb “these [were] the officials of the governors who were over the work belonging to Solomon, five hundred fifty, the ones ruling over the people, the ones doing the work.”
163 sn The phrase city of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.
164 tn Heb “As soon as Pharaoh’s daughter went up from the city of David to her house which he built for her, then he built the terrace.”
165 tn Or “tokens of peace”; NIV, TEV “fellowship offerings.”
166 tn Heb “and he made complete the house.”
167 tn Or “a fleet” (in which case “ships” would be implied).
168 tn Heb “and Hiram sent with the fleet his servants, men of ships, [who] know the sea, [to be] with the servants of Solomon.”
169 tn Heb “went.”
170 tn The Hebrew term כִּכָּר (kikkar, “circle”) refers generally to something that is round. When used of metals it can refer to a disk-shaped weight made of the metal or to a standard unit of weight, generally regarded as a talent. Since the accepted weight for a talent of metal is about 75 pounds, this would have amounted to about 31,500 pounds of gold (cf. NCV); CEV, NLT “sixteen tons”; TEV “more than 14,000 kilogrammes.”
171 tn Heb “the report about Solomon.” The Hebrew text also has, “to the name of the
172 tn Or “test.”
173 tn Or “riddles.”
174 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
175 tn Heb “with very great strength.” The Hebrew term חַיִל (khayil, “strength”) may refer here to the size of her retinue (cf. NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV) or to the great wealth she brought with her.
176 tn Or “balsam oil.”
177 tn Heb “Solomon declared to her all her words; there was not a word hidden from the king which he did not declare to her.” If riddles are specifically in view (see v. 1), then one might translate, “Solomon explained to her all her riddles; there was no riddle too complex for the king.”
178 tn Heb “all the wisdom of Solomon.”
179 tn Heb “house.”
180 tn Heb “the food on his table.”
181 tn Heb “the seating of his servants and the standing of his attendants.”
182 tn Heb “there was no breath still in her.”
183 tn Heb “about your words [or perhaps, “deeds”] and your wisdom.”
184 tn Heb “the half was not told to me.”
185 tn Heb “good.”
186 tn Heb “How happy are your men! How happy are these servants of yours, who stand before you continually, who hear your wisdom!”
187 tn Or “delighted in.”
188 tn Heb “to do justice and righteousness.”
189 tn The Hebrew term כִּכָּר (kikkar, “circle”) refers generally to something that is round. When used of metals it can refer to a disk-shaped weight made of the metal or to a standard unit of weight, generally regarded as a talent. Since the accepted weight for a talent of metal is about 75 pounds, this would have amounted to about 9,000 pounds of gold (cf. NCV, NLT); CEV “five tons”; TEV “4,000 kilogrammes.”
190 tn Heb “there has not come like those spices yet for quantity which the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.”
191 tn This Hebrew architectural term occurs only here. The meaning is uncertain; some have suggested “banisters” or “parapets”; cf. TEV, NLT “railings.” The parallel passage in 2 Chr 9:11 has a different word, meaning “tracks,” or perhaps “steps.”
192 tn Two types of stringed instruments are specifically mentioned, the כִּנּוֹר (kinnor, “zither” [?]), and נֶבֶל (nevel, “harp”).
193 tn Heb “there has not come thus, the fine timber, and there has not been seen to this day.”
194 tn Heb “besides what he had given her according to the hand of King Solomon.”
195 tn Heb “turned and went.”
196 tn The Hebrew term כִּכָּר (kikkar, “circle”) refers generally to something that is round. When used of metals it can refer to a disk-shaped weight made of the metal or to a standard unit of weight, generally regarded as a talent. Since the accepted weight for a talent of metal is about 75 pounds, this would have amounted to about 50,000 pounds of gold (cf. NCV); CEV, NLT “twenty-five tons”; TEV “almost 23,000 kilogrammes.”
197 tn Heb “the weight of the gold which came to Solomon in one year was 666 talents of gold.”
198 tn Heb “traveling men.”
199 tn The Hebrew text has simply “six hundred,” with no unit of measure given.
200 sn Three minas. The mina was a unit of measure for weight.
201 sn The Palace of the Lebanon Forest. This name was appropriate because of the large amount of cedar, undoubtedly brought from Lebanon, used in its construction. The cedar pillars in the palace must have given it the appearance of a forest.
202 tn Heb “[There were] armrests on each side of the place of the seat, and two lions standing beside the armrests.”
203 tn Heb “nothing like it had been made for all the kingdoms.”
204 tn Heb “there was no silver, it was not regarded as anything in the days of Solomon.”
205 tn Heb “a fleet of Tarshish [ships].” This probably refers to large ships either made in or capable of traveling to the distant western port of Tarshish.
206 tn Heb “the fleet of Tarshish [ships].”
207 tn Heb “came carrying.”
208 tn The meaning of this word is unclear. Some suggest “baboons.”
209 tn Heb “King Solomon was greater than all the kings of the earth with respect to wealth and with respect to wisdom.”
210 tc The Old Greek translation and Syriac Peshitta have “all the kings of the earth.” See 2 Chr 9:23.
211 tn Heb “and all the earth was seeking the face of Solomon to hear his wisdom which God had placed in his heart.”
212 tn Heb “and they were bringing each one his gift, items of silver…and mules, the matter of a year in a year.”
213 tn Or “gathered.”
214 tn Heb “he placed them in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.”
215 tn The words “as plentiful” are added for clarification.
216 tn Heb “he made.”
217 tn Heb “as the sycamore fig trees which are in the Shephelah.”
218 sn From Egypt. Because Que is also mentioned, some prefer to see in vv. 28-29 a reference to Mutsur. Que and Mutsur were located in Cilicia/Cappadocia (in modern southern Turkey). See HALOT 625 s.v. מִצְרַיִם.
219 tn Heb “and a chariot went up and came out of Egypt for six hundred silver [pieces], and a horse for one hundred fifty, and in the same way to all the kings of the Hittites and to the kings of Aram by their hand they brought out.”