1 Kings 4:26 ESV

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 4:26

And Solomon had forty thousand stalls for horses ,.... In 2 Chronicles 9:25 ; it is only four thousand; and therefore some think that here is a mistake of the copier, of "arbaim", forty, for "arbah", four; which it is thought might be through divine permission, in such lesser matters, without any prejudice to the authority of the Scriptures in matters of faith and practice; but without supposing this, a reconciliation may be made, by observing, that here the writer, as Ben Gersom notes,... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Kings 4:26

Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses - and twelve thousand horsemen - In 2 Chronicles 9:25 , instead of forty thousand stalls, we read four thousand; and even this number might be quite sufficient to hold horses for twelve thousand horsemen; for stalls and stables may be here synonymous. In 1 Kings 10:26 ; it is said he had one thousand four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen; and this is the reading in 2 Chronicles 1:14 . In 2 Chronicles 9:25 ,... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Kings 4:26

And Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses [40,000 is certainly a clerical error, probably for 4000 ( i.e; אַרְבָּיעים for אַרְבָּעָה ). For The chariots, e.g; numbered 1400; the horsemen 12,000. Now for 1400 chariots the proper allowance of horses would be about 4000. We see from the monuments that it was customary to yoke two horses (seldom three) to a chariot; but a third or supernumerary horse was provided to meet emergencies or accidents. 4000 horses would hence be a... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - 1 Kings 4:26

In 2 Chronicles 9:25, the number of stalls for Solomon’s chariot horses is stated at 4,000, instead of 40,000. The number in the present passage is probably a corruption. Solomon’s chariots were but 1,400 1Ki 10:26; 2 Chronicles 1:14, for which 40,000 horses could not possibly be required. The Assyrian chariots had at most three horses apiece, while some had only two. 4,000 horses would supply the full team of three to 1,200, and the smaller team of two to 200 chariots. The number 4,000 is in... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - 1 Kings 4:26

1 Kings 4:26. Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for chariots In 2 Chronicles 9:25, it is said, he had but four thousand. And Bochart thinks that the Hebrew word here used should be rendered four, not forty, or that some error has crept into the text in regard to the number here mentioned. It is justly observed, however, by Poole, that the Hebrew word translated stalls here, is not exactly the same word which is used, and so translated, in Chronicles; and that, therefore,... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - 1 Kings 4:1-34

The administration of the kingdom (4:1-34)Details are now given of how Solomon administered Israel. First the leading religious, civil and army officials are listed (4:1-6). Solomon revised the taxation system by dividing the country into twelve zones, each of which had to provide the royal household with all its food supplies for one month of the year. These twelve zones apparently replaced the former tribal areas (7-19).Neighbouring nations that had become part of the Israelite empire also... read more

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - 1 Kings 4:26

forty thousand. In 2 Chronicles 9:25 it Isaiah 4:0 , which is much more likely to be correct. The 12,000 are the same in both places. The ancient Hebrew characters were Phoenician, and may be seen on the Moabite Stone. These were in current use till about 140 B. C, and were gradually replaced by the modern Hebrew "square" characters. Mistakes in copying occurred through the similarity of certain letters. See notes on 2 Samuel 24:10 . Jeremiah 3:8 . Ezekiel 6:4 ; Ezekiel 22:20 . horses. A... read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - 1 Kings 4:26

SOLOMON'S FORTY THOUSAND STALLS OF HORSES"And Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen. And those officers provided victuals for king Solomon, and for all that came unto the king's table, every man in his month; they let nothing be lacking. Barley also and straw for the horses and swift steeds brought they unto the place where the officers were, every man according to his charge.""Forty thousand stalls of horses" (1 Kings 4:26). The parallel... read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - 1 Kings 4:26

1 Kings 4:26. And Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses— In 2Ch 9:25 he is said to have had four thousand stalls. The smaller number, according to Houbigant and the best critics, is to be preferred. See Houbigant's notes, and Kennicott's 1st Dissert. p. 133. read more