1 Kings 4:21-23

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 4:21

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

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Kings 4:22

And Solomon's provision for one day was thirty measures of fine flour ,.... The measure here used was the "corus", or "cor", the same with the homer, which was equal to ten ephahs, and, according to Bishop Cumberland F23 Scripture Weights and Measures, ch. 3. p. 86. , held seventy five wine gallons and five pints, and somewhat more; by which may be known how many gallons of fine flour these thirty measures held, which were all consumed in one day: and threescore measures of meal :... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Kings 4:23

Ten fat oxen ,.... Such as were kept up in the stall and fatted: and twenty oxen out of the pastures ; which were killed as they were taken from thence, and not put up to be fed: and an hundred sheep ; out of the folds: beside harts, and roebucks, and fallow deer ; which were clean creatures, according to the Levitical law, Deuteronomy 14:5 ; these were hunted in fields, or taken out of the park, or were presents from other countries; so that here was plenty of beef, mutton,... 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

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Kings 4:22

Solomon's provision for one day: - Of fine flour 30 measures, or cors. Of meal 60 ditto. Stall-fed oxen 10 Ditto from the pasture 20 Sheep 100; with harts, roebucks, fallow deer, and fat fowls. The כר cor was the same as the homer , and contained nearly seventy-six gallons, wine measure, according to Bishop Cumberland. Sheep - צאן tson , comprehending both sheep and goats. Harts - מאיל meaiyal , the deer. Roebucks - צבי tsebi , the gazal, antelope, or wild goat.... 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

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Kings 4:22

And Solomon's provision [marg. bread, but לֶחֶם , strictly signifies any kind of food] for one day was thirty measures [Heb. cots. The כֹר was both a liquid and a dry measure ( Hebrews 5:11 ) and was the equivalent to the homer ( Ezekiel 45:14 ), but its precise capacity is doubtful. According to Josephus, it contained eighty-six gallons; according to the Rabbins, forty-four] of fine flour and threescore measures of meal . [Thenius calculates that this amount of flour would... read more

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