1 Kings 10:16-17 NIV

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

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Kings 10:16

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

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Kings 10:17

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

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Kings 10:16

Solomon made two hundred targets of beaten gold - I have already conjectured that the צנה tsinnah might resemble the Highland targe or target, with a dagger projecting from the Umbo or center. read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Kings 10:17

He made three hundred shields - The מגן magen was a large shield by which the whole body was protected. Mr. Reynolds computes that the two hundred targets, on each of which were employed three hundred shekels of gold, were worth £28,131 16s. 9 1/2d. And the three hundred shields, in forming each of which three pounds of gold were employed, were worth £210,976 7s. 7d. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Kings 10:1-18

The Queen of Sheba. The suggestiveness of Solomon's intercourse with surrounding nations. His magnanimity was as remarkable as his magnificence. His broad policy stood out in striking contrast with the narrowness of some of his contemporaries and successors. It was one evidence of his divinely inspired wisdom. In some respects his enlightenment puts to shame modern diplomacy. Trace his relations with the king of Tyre and the queen of Sheba. These were not exceptionally treated by the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Kings 10:14-29

The Decline and Fall of Solomon. The fall of Solomon, in itself one of the most portentous facts in Scripture history, is rendered doubly suggestive and admonitory by a consideration of the way in which it was brought about. It was not that he succumbed to some fierce onslaught of temptation; it was no terrible rush of passion—no sudden guilty love of "fair idolatresses," as some have held—wrought his ruin; on the contrary, his decline in piety was so gradual and slow as to be almost... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Kings 10:16

And king Solomon made two hundred targets [ צִנָּה , from a root which signifies protect, a large oblong shield, which covered the entire person ( Psalms 5:12 ), θυρεός , scutum . See 1 Samuel 17:7 , 1 Samuel 17:41 . The LXX . here reads δόρατα , i.e; spears] of beaten gold [The authorities are divided as to the meaning of שָׁחוּט , here translated beaten . This rendering is supported by Bähr and Keil (after Kimchi), but Gesenius understands mixed gold.... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Kings 10:17

And he made three hundred shield s [portable shields ( peltas, Vulgate) adapted for use in hand to hand encounters ( 2 Chronicles 12:9 , 2 Chronicles 12:10 ; cf. 2 Samuel 1:21 ). That these were much smaller shields is clear from the text. These shields were borne by the royal bodyguard on great occasions ( 1 Kings 14:27 ). They were taken away by Shishak ( ib . 1 Kings 10:26 )] of beaten gold; three pound [ מָגֶה μνᾶ , mina . As 2 Chronicles 9:16 has here 300... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - 1 Kings 10:16

The “targets” seem to have been long shields protecting the whole body, while the “shields” of the next verse were bucklers of a smaller size, probably round, and much lighter. They may be compared with the Assyrian long shield, and the ordinary Assyrian round shield. As the amount of gold used in each of the larger shields was only 600 shekels - worth from 650 to 700 of our money - and that used in the smaller ones was only half as much it is evident that the metal did not form the substance... read more

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 1 Kings 10:14-29

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Kings 10:16

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Kings 10:17

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Kings 10:16

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Kings 10:17

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Kings 10:1-18

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Kings 10:14-29

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Kings 10:16

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Kings 10:17

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - 1 Kings 10:16

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