2 Chronicles 9:20-25

Context

9:20 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.¹ 9:21 The king had a fleet of large merchant ships² manned by Huram’s men³ that sailed the sea. Once every three years the fleet⁴ came into port with cargoes of⁵ gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.⁶

9:22 King Solomon was wealthier and wiser than any of the kings of the earth.⁷ 9:23 All the kings of the earth wanted to visit Solomon to see him display his God-given wisdom.⁸ 9:24 Year after year visitors brought their gifts, which included items of silver, items of gold, clothes, perfume, spices, horses, and mules.⁹

9:25 Solomon had 4,000 stalls for his chariot horses¹⁰ and 12,000 horses. He kept them in assigned cities and in Jerusalem.¹¹

[9:20] ¹tn Heb “there was no silver, it was not regarded as anything in the days of Solomon.”

[9:21] ²tn Heb “for ships belonging to the king were going [to] Tarshish with the servants of Huram.” This probably refers to large ships either made in or capable of traveling to the distant western port of Tarshish.

[9:21] ³tn Heb “servants.”

[9:21] ⁴tn Heb “the fleet of Tarshish [ships].”

[9:21] ⁵tn Heb “the ships of Tarshish came carrying.”

[9:21] ⁶tn The meaning of this word is unclear; some suggest it refers to “baboons.” NEB has “monkeys,” NASB, NRSV “peacocks,” and NIV “baboons.”

[9:22] ⁷tn Heb “King Solomon was greater than all the kings of the earth with respect to wealth and wisdom.”

[9:23] ⁸tn Heb “and all the kings of the earth were seeking the face of Solomon to hear his wisdom which God had placed in his heart.”

[9:24] ⁹tn Heb “and they were bringing each one his gift, items of silver…and mules, the matter of a year in a year.”

[9:25] ¹⁰tc The parallel text of 1 Kgs 10:26 reads “fourteen hundred chariots.”

[9:25] ¹¹tn Heb “he placed them in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.”