Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred and sixty and six talents of gold. From Ophir and Tarshish, and wherever he traded; which was of our money, according to Berewood F11 De Ponder. & Pret. c. 5. , 2,997,000 pounds; or as another learned man F12 Scheuchzer. Physic. Sacr. vol. 3. p. 580. , who makes it equal to 5,138,520 ducats of gold. read more
Besides that he had of the merchantmen, and of the traffic of the spice merchants ,.... What they paid him as a duty or custom for the importation of their goods: and of all the kings of Arabia ; who were subject to him, and paid him a yearly tribute, or at least made presents, see 1 Kings 4:21 . and of the governors of the country ; who were viceroys or deputy governors of countries conquered by his father, and who collected tribute from the people, and paid it to him. read more
And King Solomon made two hundred targets of beaten gold ,.... Which were a larger sort of shields, which covered the whole body; and these were made of gold beaten with the hammer, or drawn into plates, being melted like wax; so the Poeni or Carthaginians made shields of gold F13 Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 35. 3. : six hundred shekels of gold went to one target ; which is to be understood not of the weight, but of the price or value of them, which amounted to four hundred and fifty... read more
And he made three hundred shields of beaten gold ,.... Which were a lesser sort: three pounds of gold went to one shield ; or three hundred shekels, as in 2 Chronicles 9:16 a hundred shekels made one pound; so that these were but half the value of the former, and one of them was worth but two hundred and twenty five pounds: Eupolemus F15 Apud Euseb. Praepar. Evangel. l. 9. c. 34. , an Heathen writer, makes mention of those golden shields Solomon made, and which were made for... read more
Moreover, the king made a great throne of ivory ,.... To sit on and judge his people; and ivory being white, may denote the purity, justice, and equity with which he judged; the white throne in Revelation 20:11 may be an allusion to this; the ivory he had from Tarshish, 1 Kings 10:22 . and overlaid it with the best gold ; for the greater splendour and majesty of it; not that he covered it all over, for then the ivory would not be seen, but interlined it, or studded it with it,... read more
The throne had six steps ,.... Up to the footstool of the throne, which was of gold, 2 Chronicles 9:18 and was high, that everyone in court might see him, and the better hear the sentence he gave: and the top of the throne was round behind ; had a semicircle at the top of it, like an alcove: and there were stays on either side on the place of the seat ; or "hands" F17 ידת "manus", V. L. Montanus, &c.; αγκωνες "brachiola", Sept. in 2 Chron. ix. 18. , such as the arms... read more
And twelve lions stood there on the one side and on the other upon the six steps ,.... There was a lion on each side of every step, a symbol of royal power, as before observed; so the Egyptians placed lions under the throne of Orus F18 Hori Apoll. Hieroglyph, l. 1. c. 17. : there was not the like made in any kingdom ; for the matter and form of it, for its grandeur and magnificence; there was none at least at that time, whatever has been since; for this is the first throne of ivory... read more
And all King Solomon's drinking vessels were of gold ,.... Such quantities of it were brought to him from Ophir, and paid to him in tribute, and given him as presents: and all the vessels of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold ; not only what were used in his palace at Jerusalem, but in his country house at some little distance: none were of silver; it was nothing accounted of in the days of Solomon ; to make plate of; or silver plate was but little esteemed, and scarce any use... read more
For the king had at sea a navy of Tharshish, with the navy of Hiram ,.... Tharshish was not the place the navy went from, but whither it went to, as appears from 2 Chronicles 9:21 and designs not Tarsus in Cilicia; nor Tartessus in Spain, or Gades, or which was however near it; though it appears from Strabo F19 Corinthiaca, sive, l. 2. p. 136. and Mela F20 Ut supra. (Navigat. l. 5. c. 20.) that the Phoenicians were acquainted with those parts, and were possessed of them; and... read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 1 Kings 10:14-29
We have here a further account of Solomon's prosperity. I. How he increased his wealth. Though he had much, he still coveted to have more, being willing to try the utmost the things of this world could do to make men happy. 1. Besides the gold that came from Ophir (1 Kgs. 9:28), he brought so much into his country from other places that the whole amounted, every year, to 666 talents (1 Kgs. 10:14), an ominous number, compare Rev. 13:18; Ezra 2:13. 2. He received a great deal in customs from... read more