1 Kings 10:11-15

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 ¹  for the Lord’s temple and for the royal palace and stringed instruments ²  for the musicians. No one has seen so much of this fine timber to this very day. ³ ) 10:13 King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba everything she requested, besides what he had freely offered her. ⁴  Then she left and returned ⁵  to her homeland with her attendants.

Solomon’s Wealth

10:14 Solomon received 666 talents ⁶  of gold per year, ⁷  10:15 besides what he collected from the merchants, ⁸  traders, Arabian kings, and governors of the land.

[10:12]  ¹ 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.”

[10:12]  ² tn Two types of stringed instruments are specifically mentioned, the כִּנּוֹר (kinnor, “zither” [?]), and נֶבֶל (nevel, “harp”).

[10:12]  ³ tn Heb “there has not come thus, the fine timber, and there has not been seen to this day.”

[10:13]  ¹ tn Heb “besides what he had given her according to the hand of King Solomon.”

[10:13]  ² tn Heb “turned and went.”

[10:14]  ¹ 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.”

[10:14]  ² tn Heb “the weight of the gold which came to Solomon in one year was 666 talents of gold.”

[10:15]  ¹ tn Heb “traveling men.”