1 Kings 4:25

And Judah and Israel [here we have the copula, the absence of which in 1 Kings 4:20 suggests a corruption or confusion of the text] dwelt safely [Heb. confidently. Cf. 8:11 ; 1 Samuel 12:11 ], every man under his vine and under his fig tree. [A proverbial expression (see 2 Kings 18:31 , where it is used by Rabshakeh; Micah 4:4 ; Zechariah 3:10 ) to denote rest and the undisturbed enjoyment of the fruits of the earth, not necessarily, as Keil, "the most costly products of the land." In invasions, raids, etc; it is still the custom of the East to cut and carry off all the crops, and fruits. Wordsworth notices that the vine often" clustered on the walls of houses ( Psalms 128:3 ), or around and over the courtyards", from Dan even to Beersheba [ i.e; from the extreme northern to the extreme southern (not eastern, as the American translator of Bähr) boundary, 20:1 ; 1 Samuel 3:20 ; 2 Samuel 3:10 ].