Solomon's Great Wealth

14 (A)Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was 666 talents of gold, 15 besides that which came from the explorers and from the business of the merchants, and from all the kings of the west and from the governors of the land. 16 King Solomon made 200 large shields of beaten gold; 600 shekels[a] of gold went into each shield. 17 And he made 300 (B)shields of beaten gold; three minas[b] of gold went into each shield. And the king put them in (C)the House of the Forest of Lebanon. 18 The king also made a great ivory throne and overlaid it with the finest gold. 19 The throne had six steps, and the throne had a round top,[c] and on each side of the seat were armrests and two lions standing beside the armrests, 20 while twelve lions stood there, one on each end of a step on the six steps. The like of it was never made in any kingdom. 21 All King Solomon's drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of (D)the House of the Forest of Lebanon were of pure gold. None were of silver; silver was not considered as anything in the days of Solomon. 22 For the king had (E)a fleet of ships of Tarshish at sea with the fleet of Hiram. Once every three years the fleet of ships of Tarshish used to come bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.[d]

23 (F)Thus King Solomon excelled all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom. 24 And the whole earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put into his mind. 25 Every one of them brought his present, articles of silver and gold, garments, myrrh,[e] spices, horses, and mules, so much year by year.

26 (G)And Solomon gathered together (H)chariots and horsemen. He had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen, whom he stationed in the (I)chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem. 27 And the king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stone, and he made cedar as plentiful as (J)the sycamore of the Shephelah. 28 And Solomon's (K)import of horses was from Egypt and Kue, and the king's traders received them from Kue at a price.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 10:16 A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams
  2. 1 Kings 10:17 A mina was about 1 1/4 pounds or 0.6 kilogram
  3. 1 Kings 10:19 Or and at the back of the throne was a calf's head
  4. 1 Kings 10:22 Or baboons
  5. 1 Kings 10:25 Or armor

Solomon’s Splendor(A)

14 The weight of the gold(B) that Solomon received yearly was 666 talents,[a] 15 not including the revenues from merchants and traders and from all the Arabian kings and the governors of the territories.

16 King Solomon made two hundred large shields(C) of hammered gold; six hundred shekels[b] of gold went into each shield. 17 He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold, with three minas[c] of gold in each shield. The king put them in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon.(D)

18 Then the king made a great throne covered with ivory and overlaid with fine gold. 19 The throne had six steps, and its back had a rounded top. On both sides of the seat were armrests, with a lion standing beside each of them. 20 Twelve lions stood on the six steps, one at either end of each step. Nothing like it had ever been made for any other kingdom. 21 All King Solomon’s goblets were gold, and all the household articles in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold.(E) Nothing was made of silver, because silver was considered of little value in Solomon’s days. 22 The king had a fleet of trading ships[d](F) at sea along with the ships(G) of Hiram. Once every three years it returned, carrying gold, silver and ivory, and apes and baboons.

23 King Solomon was greater in riches(H) and wisdom(I) than all the other kings of the earth. 24 The whole world sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom(J) God had put in his heart. 25 Year after year, everyone who came brought a gift(K)—articles of silver and gold, robes, weapons and spices, and horses and mules.

26 Solomon accumulated chariots and horses;(L) he had fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand horses,[e] which he kept in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem. 27 The king made silver as common(M) in Jerusalem as stones,(N) and cedar as plentiful as sycamore-fig(O) trees in the foothills. 28 Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and from Kue[f]—the royal merchants purchased them from Kue at the current price.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 10:14 That is, about 25 tons or about 23 metric tons
  2. 1 Kings 10:16 That is, about 15 pounds or about 6.9 kilograms; also in verse 29
  3. 1 Kings 10:17 That is, about 3 3/4 pounds or about 1.7 kilograms; or perhaps reference is to double minas, that is, about 7 1/2 pounds or about 3.5 kilograms.
  4. 1 Kings 10:22 Hebrew of ships of Tarshish
  5. 1 Kings 10:26 Or charioteers
  6. 1 Kings 10:28 Probably Cilicia