1 Kings 4:20-21

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 1 Kings 4:20-28

Such a kingdom, and such a court, surely never any prince had, as Solomon's are here described to be. I. Such a kingdom. Never did the crown of Israel shine so brightly as it did when Solomon wore it, never in his father's days, never in the days of any of his successors; nor was that kingdom ever so glorious a type of the kingdom of the Messiah as it was then. The account here given of it is such as fully answers the prophecies which we have concerning it in Ps. 72:1-20, which is a psalm for... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Kings 4:20

Judah and Israel were many, as the sand which is by the sea in multitude ,.... Being blessed with great fruitfulness in their families, and having no pestilential disease among them, nor wars to lessen their number, and so the promise to Abraham was fulfilled, Genesis 22:17 ; and which was an emblem of Christ's spiritual subjects, especially in the latter day, whom Solomon was a type of, see Hosea 1:10 ; eating, and drinking, and making merry ; having a large increase of the... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Kings 4:21

And Solomon reigned over all kingdoms ,.... Not only over Judah and Israel, but all people round about him, they standing in fear of him; or who brought him presents, or paid tribute to him, which was an acknowledgment of superiority over them, and doing homage to him: from the river unto the land of the Philistines, and unto the border of Egypt ; that is, from the river Euphrates, as the Targum, which was the border of his proper domains to the east, to Palestine, inhabited by the... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Kings 4:20

Eating and drinking , and making merry - They were very comfortable, very rich, very merry, and very corrupt. And this full feeding and dissipation led to a total corruption of manners. read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Kings 4:21

Solomon reigned over all kingdoms - The meaning of this verse appears to be, that Solomon reigned over all the provinces from the river Euphrates to the land of the Philistines, even to the frontiers of Egypt. The Euphrates was on the east of Solomon's dominions; the Philistines were westward on the Mediterranean sea; and Egypt was on the south. Solomon had, therefore, as tributaries, the kingdoms of Syria, Damascus, Moab, and Ammon, which lay between the Euphrates and the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Kings 4:20

EXPOSITION SOLOMON 'S RULE , STATE , AND WISDOM .—The remainder of this chapter, which de-scribes to us the extent and character of Solomon's sway ( 1 Kings 4:20 , 1 Kings 4:21 , 1 Kings 4:24 , 1 Kings 4:25 ), the pomp and provision of his household ( 1 Kings 4:22 , 1 Kings 4:23 , 1 Kings 4:26-28 ), and his profound and varied wisdom ( 1 Kings 4:29-34 ), has every appearance of a compilation from different sources. It scarcely has the order and coherence which... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Kings 4:20-25

The Golden Age. It has been cynically said that men always place the golden age in the past or in the future. Possibly they are not so far wrong after all. For, if our historian is true, there has been such a period in the history of the world. And if the Holy Gospel is true, there will be such a period hereafter. The reign of Solomon was the Augustan, the golden age, of Israel. The reign of Jesus, of which Solomon's empire was a foreshadowing, will be the golden age of the world. Let... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Kings 4:20-25

A Prosperous Reign. This chapter presents a general view of the prosperity of Solomon's reign, much of which was owing to the extraordinary, glory of the reign of David. Such a rule as David's sowed seeds of blessing m the land which it was Solomon's privilege to reap. David united the kingdoms of Judah and Israel, and Solomon came into quiet possession of the completed commonwealth. David laid the foundation, Solomon developed the fabric and adorned it. Each succeeding generation inherits... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Kings 4:21

And Solomon reigned [Heb. was reigning ] over all kingdoms [Heb. the kingdoms . That is, as suzerain, as is explained presently. So that Psalms 72:10 , Psalms 72:11 had its fulfilment] from the river [ i.e; the Euphrates, the river of that region: so called Genesis 31:21 ; Exodus 23:1-33 :81; 2 Samuel 10:16 . In Genesis 15:18 it is called "the great river, the river Euphrates." Similarly Joshua 1:4 ] unto [not in the Hebrew. It is found in the parallel... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - 1 Kings 4:20

There is some doubt about the proper arrangement of the remainder of this chapter. The best alteration, if we alter the Hebrew order at all, would be to place 1 Kings 4:20-21 after 1 Kings 4:25.Many ... - See 1 Kings 3:8 note; and compare Psalms 127:1-5, which is traditionally ascribed to Solomon, and which celebrates the populousness and security of Israel in his day. read more

Group of Brands