2 Chronicles 1:7-17

1:7 That night God appeared ¹  to Solomon and said to him, “Tell me ²  what I should give you.” 1:8 Solomon replied to God, “You demonstrated ³  great loyalty to my father David and have made me king in his place. 1:9 Now, Lord God, may your promise ⁴  to my father David be realized, ⁵  for you have made me king over a great nation as numerous as the dust of the earth. 1:10 Now give me wisdom and discernment so ⁶  I can effectively lead this nation. ⁷  Otherwise ⁸  no one is able ⁹  to make judicial decisions for ¹⁰  this great nation of yours.” ¹¹ 

1:11 God said to Solomon, “Because you desire this, ¹²  and did not ask for riches, wealth, and honor, or for vengeance on your enemies, ¹³  and because you did not ask for long life, ¹⁴  but requested wisdom and discernment so you can make judicial decisions for my people over whom I have made you king, 1:12 you are granted wisdom and discernment. ¹⁵  Furthermore I am giving you riches, wealth, and honor surpassing that of any king before or after you.” ¹⁶ 

1:13 Solomon left the meeting tent at the worship center in Gibeon and went to Jerusalem, where he reigned over Israel. ¹⁷ 

Solomon’s Wealth

1:14 Solomon accumulated ¹⁸  chariots and horses. He had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horses. He kept them in assigned cities and in Jerusalem. ¹⁹  1:15 The king made silver and gold as plentiful ²⁰  in Jerusalem as stones; cedar was ²¹  as plentiful as sycamore fig trees are in the lowlands. ²²  1:16 Solomon acquired his horses from Egypt ²³  and from Que; the king’s traders purchased them from Que. 1:17 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. ²⁴ 

[1:7]  ¹ tn Or “revealed himself.”

[1:7]  ² tn Heb “ask.”

[1:8]  ³ tn Heb “did.”

[1:9]  ⁴ tn Heb “you word.”

[1:9]  ⁵ tn Or “be firm, established.”

[1:10]  ⁶ tn The cohortative with prefixed vav (ו) following the imperative here indicates purpose/result.

[1:10]  ⁷ tn Heb “so I may go out before this nation and come in.” The expression “go out…and come in” here means “to lead” (see HALOT 425 s.v. יצא qal.4).

[1:10]  ⁸ tn Heb “for.” The word “otherwise” is used to reflect the logical sense of the statement.

[1:10]  ⁹ tn Heb “who is able?” The rhetorical question anticipates the answer, “no one.”

[1:10]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “to judge.”

[1:10]  ¹¹ tn Heb “these numerous people of yours.”

[1:11]  ¹² tn Heb “because this was in your heart.”

[1:11]  ¹³ tn Heb “the life of those who hate you.”

[1:11]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “many days.”

[1:12]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “wisdom and discernment are given to you.”

[1:12]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “which was not so for the kings who were before you, and after you there will not be so.”

[1:13]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “and Solomon came from the high place which was in Gibeon [to] Jerusalem, from before the tent of meeting, and he reigned over Israel.”

[1:14]  ¹⁸ tn Or “gathered.”

[1:14]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “he placed them in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.”

[1:15]  ²⁰ tn The words “as plentiful” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[1:15]  ²¹ tn Heb “he made.”

[1:15]  ²² tn Heb “as the sycamore fig trees which are in the Shephelah.”

[1:16]  ²³ sn Because Que is also mentioned, some prefer to see 1 Kgs 10:28-29 as a reference to Mutsur. Que and Mutsur were located in Cilicia or Cappadocia (in modern southern Turkey). See HALOT 625 s.v. מִצְרַיִם.

[1:17]  ²⁴ tn Heb “and they brought up and brought out from Egypt a chariot for 600 silver (pieces), and a horse for 150, and in the same way to all the kings of the Hittites and to the kings of Aram by their hand they brought out.”