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Matthew Henry

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 10:18

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

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 10:18

Moreover the ling made a great throne [Heb. seat . The use of a chair where the custom of the country is to squat on the ground, or to recline on a divan, is always a mark of dignity. See 2 Kings 4:10 ; Proverbs 9:14 ] of ivory [Heb. tooth . Below in verse 22 we have elephant's tooth . It is generally thought that this "throne of the house of David" ( Psalms 122:5 ) was of wood, veneered with ivory, as was the practice in Assyria, and in the chryselephantine statues of... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - 1 Kings 10:18

It is, on the whole, probable that the substance of the throne was wood, and that the ivory, cut into thin slabs, and probably carved in patterns, was applied externally as a veneer. This is found to have been the practice in Assyria. The gold was probably not placed over the ivory, but covered other parts of the throne. read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - 1 Kings 10:18-20

1 Kings 10:18-20. The king made a great throne of ivory We never read of ivory till about Solomon’s time; who, perhaps, brought elephants out of India, or at least took care to have a great deal of ivory imported from thence; for we read of ivory palaces Psalms 45:9, whose walls were overlaid with ivory; which was more precious than gold in ancient times, as Pliny tells us in many places. And overlaid it with the best gold Not entirely, so as to cover the ivory, for in that case it might... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - 1 Kings 10:1-29

Click image for full-size version9:26-11:43 OTHER FEATURES OF SOLOMON’S REIGNTrade, fame and wealth (9:26-10:29)Always alert in business dealings, Solomon saw the opportunity for further profits by cooperating with Hiram in trade transport. Goods from the Mediterranean were received at Hiram’s port of Tyre, taken overland to the Israelite port of Ezion-geber at the northern tip of the Red Sea, then shipped east, possibly as far as India. Since the Israelites were not a seafaring people, Solomon... read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - 1 Kings 10:18

1 Kings 10:18. The king made a great throne of ivory— The porch in which this throne was placed is mentioned, chap. 1Ki 7:7 and it was by far the most magnificent of all the rest, inasmuch as it was both the king's seat of judgment and the public audience, where he shewed himself either to the nobles, or to the strangers who resorted to him. It was placed in the midst of rich pillars of cedar, curiously carved and covered, or rather inlaid, with gold: the throne itself, which was in the fashion... read more

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