And all the earth sought to Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart. For it was all of God, a peculiar gift of his; by "all the earth" is meant the inhabitants of it, and only them, and those the more principal; who came from the several parts of it, hearing the fame of his wisdom, to know the truth of it, and to improve themselves by it. read more
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
And all the earth sought to [Heb. sought the face of] Solomon, to hear his wisdom which God had put in his heart [ i.e; mind. Cf. 1 Kings 4:34 ]. read more
See the marginal references. By “all the earth” we are, of course, only to understand the kings or people of neighboring nations. read more
1 Kings 10:23-25. For riches and for wisdom The latter of which he asked of God, who graciously promised to add the former, and did so to a great degree. But what is here said is not to be taken in too strict a sense, but only as intending that he was richer than the kings of the earth in general were at that time. And all the earth sought to Solomon, &c. That is, all the kings of the earth, as it is expressed 2 Chronicles 9:23; namely, of those parts of the earth, or of the... read more
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
3. Solomon’s greatness ch. 10This chapter summarizes with illustrations and statistics the wisdom, acceptance, and riches with which God blessed Solomon. read more
Solomon’s wealth 10:14-29This pericope summarizes Solomon’s wealth as the previous one summarized his wisdom. God brought much wealth to Solomon, almost 25 tons of gold a year (1 Kings 10:14), plus many other riches."Those who would consider his income of 666 talents (ca. 21.6 tons) of gold exaggeration should compare this with amounts registered in ancient Egypt about this time, ’where gold is like dust in the land’ and Osorkon I in his first four years (ca. 924-920 BC) accumulated eighteen... read more
Solomon and the Queen of Sheba1. Sheba] the Sheba of Genesis 10:28 (in Arabia), not of Genesis 10:7 (in Africa). Arabia seems frequently to have been ruled by queens; more than one is mentioned in the Assyrian inscriptions. If Ophir was in Arabia (see on 1 Kings 9:28), it may have been through the traders at that port that the queen here alluded to had heard of Solomon.Hard questions] These were probably of the nature of puzzles or riddles, the same word being used of Samson’s riddle (Judges... 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