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2 Chronicles 8:17–9:31

17 8:17Then Solomon went to Ezion-geber and Eloth on the shore of the sea, in the land of Edom. 18 8:18And Hiram sent to him by the hand of his servants ships and servants familiar with the sea, and they went to Ophir together with the servants of Solomon and brought from there 450 talents 1 of gold and brought it to King Solomon.

9 Now when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to Jerusalem to test him with hard questions, having a very great retinue and camels bearing spices and very much gold and precious stones. And when she came to Solomon, she told him all that was on her mind. 2 9:2And Solomon answered all her questions. There was nothing hidden from Solomon that he could not explain to her. 3 9:3And when the queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, 4 9:4the food of his table, the seating of his officials, and the attendance of his servants, and their clothing, his cupbearers, and their clothing, and his burnt offerings that he offered at the house of the Lord, there was no more breath in her.

5 9:5And she said to the king, “The report was true that I heard in my own land of your words and of your wisdom, 6 9:6but I did not believe the 2 reports until I came and my own eyes had seen it. And behold, half the greatness of your wisdom was not told me; you surpass the report that I heard. 7 9:7Happy are your wives! 3 Happy are these your servants, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom! 8 9:8Blessed be the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and set you on his throne as king for the Lord your God! Because your God loved Israel and would establish them forever, he has made you king over them, that you may execute justice and righteousness.” 9 9:9Then she gave the king 120 talents 4 of gold, and a very great quantity of spices, and precious stones. There were no spices such as those that the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

10 9:10Moreover, the servants of Hiram and the servants of Solomon, who brought gold from Ophir, brought algum wood and precious stones. 11 9:11And the king made from the algum wood supports for the house of the Lord and for the king’s house, lyres also and harps for the singers. There never was seen the like of them before in the land of Judah.

12 9:12And King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all that she desired, whatever she asked besides what she had brought to the king. So she turned and went back to her own land with her servants.

13 9:13Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was 666 talents of gold, 14 9:14besides that which the explorers and merchants brought. And all the kings of Arabia and the governors of the land brought gold and silver to Solomon. 15 9:15King Solomon made 200 large shields of beaten gold; 600 shekels 5 of beaten gold went into each shield. 16 9:16And he made 300 shields of beaten gold; 300 shekels of gold went into each shield; and the king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon. 17 9:17The king also made a great ivory throne and overlaid it with pure gold. 18 9:18The throne had six steps and a footstool of gold, which were attached to the throne, and on each side of the seat were armrests and two lions standing beside the armrests, 19 9:19while twelve lions stood there, one on each end of a step on the six steps. Nothing like it was ever made for any kingdom. 20 9:20All King Solomon’s drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were of pure gold. Silver was not considered as anything in the days of Solomon. 21 9:21For the king’s ships went to Tarshish with the servants of Hiram. Once every three years the ships of Tarshish used to come bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks. 6

22 9:22Thus King Solomon excelled all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom. 23 9:23And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put into his mind. 24 9:24Every one of them brought his present, articles of silver and of gold, garments, myrrh, 7 spices, horses, and mules, so much year by year. 25 9:25And Solomon had 4,000 stalls for horses and chariots, and 12,000 horsemen, whom he stationed in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem. 26 9:26And he ruled over all the kings from the Euphrates 8 to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt. 27 9:27And the king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stone, and he made cedar as plentiful as the sycamore of the Shephelah. 28 9:28And horses were imported for Solomon from Egypt and from all lands.

29 9:29Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, from first to last, are they not written in the history of Nathan the prophet, and in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer concerning Jeroboam the son of Nebat? 30 9:30Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years. 31 9:31And Solomon slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David his father, and Rehoboam his son reigned in his place.

1 A talent was about 75 pounds or 34 kilograms

2 Hebrew their

3 Septuagint (compare 1 Kings 10:8); Hebrew men

4 A talent was about 75 pounds or 34 kilograms

5 A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams

6 Or baboons

7 Or armor

8 Hebrew the River

Section Overview

God has kept his word (2 Chron. 1:12): the account of Solomon’s reign concludes with the “honor” given to Solomon by foreign rulers (represented individually by Hiram from the northwest and the queen of Sheba from the south) and the “riches” that resulted. Following closely 1 Kings 9:26–10:28, this passage intertwines details relating to Hiram and the queen of Sheba, both serving as examples of wider acclaim (Chronicles does not include the examples of Solomon’s wisdom recorded in 1 Kings 3:16–28; 4:29–34 [5:9–14 MT]):

  1. Solomon’s shipping trade, aided by Hiram (2 Chron. 8:17–18)
    1. Queen of Sheba’s gifts and questions; Solomon’s wisdom and wealth (9:1–9)
  2. Ships aided by Hiram’s servants also brought wealth (9:10–11)
    1. Solomon gives to the queen of Sheba (9:12)
  3. Solomon’s wealth, including Hiram and wider acclaim (9:13–28)
  4. The end of Solomon’s reign (9:29–31)

Various literary features in Chronicles, some found also in Kings, serve to associate blessings of national prosperity with temple building and worship:

  1. (1) Hiram’s involvement with Solomon frames the temple narrative, aiding temple building (ch. 2) and enhancing prosperity through trade (8:17–18; 9:10–11, 21).
  2. (2) The weaving together of the queen of Sheba’s visit, details of trading assisted by Hiram, and wealth and recognition brought by others (9:13–20, 22–24) provides a multifaceted picture of how God blessed Solomon, this time subsequent to temple building.
  3. (3) Another element linking temple and prosperity is how the queen’s words of praise (9:8) and those earlier from Hiram (2:11–12; not in Kings) both speak of the Lord’s “love” for “his people/Israel.” These are the only instances in Chronicles of the Hebrew term ʼahab (“love”) with God as subject (apart from description of Abraham as “your friend” [ʼohabka]; 20:7).1 For both rulers God’s “love” is evident through his making Solomon king. Hiram saw the purpose as to build the temple; the queen points to establishing Israel forever.
  4. (4) Following God’s promise to Solomon (1:11–12), repeated details on “chariots and horsemen/horses” are both the first and the last evidence of securing the whole territory, so establishing the people in the land (1:14–17; 9:25–28). Temple and national prosperity belong together.
Section Outline
  1. II.C.1'. Solomon’s Works, Worship, Wisdom, and Wealth (8:1–9:31) . . .
    1. b. Solomon’s Wealth and Wisdom (8:17–9:31)
Response

Descriptions of the geographical extent of the reign of the Davidic king and of the wealth of nations’ being brought to him are prominent in the prayer of Psalm 72 (especially vv. 8–11, 15). This psalm has the superscription “of Solomon” and could describe his reign, but its presence in the Psalms points to its being a prayer for all subsequent kings, and above all for the coming One who would fulfill its vision (it was still used after the exile). Echoing the words of the queen of Sheba (2 Chron. 9:8), worshipers use the psalm to pray for the king to exercise God’s “righteousness” and “justice,” with that being the basis for prosperity and wide dominion. The queen’s gifts and those of other “kings” (9:9, 24) foreshadowed the bringing of royal gifts to the infant Jesus—“gold and frankincense and myrrh” (Matt. 2:11)—while “the kings of the earth will bring their glory into” “the holy city, new Jerusalem” (Rev. 21:24, 2; cf. v. 26).

The queen’s visit to Solomon to “hear” him becomes a challenge to Jesus’ hearers who will not listen to him. Significantly, Jesus pairs her with other foreigners, “the men of Nineveh,” who will also “rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it” (Matt. 12:38–42; Luke 11:29–32). As also with the worship of the infant Jesus (Matt. 2:1–12), those outside God’s people sometimes see with clarity, with eyes not dimmed by familiarity or compromise.

The Chronicler’s narrating of the reigns of David and Solomon has highlighted the importance of the temple and its worship as the foundation for God’s people to enjoy security and prosperity. While the Kings account portrays some of the ambiguities of Solomon’s reign, including his material prosperity (in keeping with an overall narrative that addresses reasons for the exile and the way forward), Chronicles provides a vision of what God intends for his people when they follow him wholeheartedly. It illustrates God’s desire to bless, with lasting blessing inseparable from loyal worship. It foreshadows the words of Christ, who, after summarizing what “the Gentiles [“nations”] seek”—matters of food, drink, and clothing (and all that is required to provide these)—proclaims, “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matt. 6:31–33; cf. Luke 12:29–31). Some believers may experience foretaste of material blessings in this present life (although NT passages more often warn of opposition and persecution), but the vision of the new creation is one of luxurious plenty, a place “in which righteousness dwells” (Revelation 21–22; 2 Pet. 3:13).

1 English “steadfast love” seen elsewhere (1:8; 5:13; etc.) translates hesed.

2 Japhet, I & II Chronicles, 629–630.

3 Thompson, 1, 2 Chronicles, 241–242.

4 ESV “wives” emends the text to agree with 1 Kings 10:8 LXX. The difference in Hebrew is slight: ʼanashim “men”; nashim “women, wives.” First Kings 10:8 MT (ESV “men”) and 2 Chronicles 9:7 MT and LXX all have “men.” As the Chronicler nowhere else mentions Solomon’s wives (only Pharaoh’s daughter; 8:11), “men” is likely intended. Dillard, 2 Chronicles, 69.

5 Cf. Section Overview of 3:1–5:1 regarding Solomon’s wealth and ancient Near Eastern comparisons.

6 The words in verse 21 translated “ivory, apes, and peacocks” occur only in this verse and the parallel 1 Kings 10:22 and have proved to be difficult for interpreters ancient and modern (a more common word is used for “ivory” in 2 Chron. 9:17).

7 Selman, 2 Chronicles, 356.

8 Ibid., 2 Chronicles, 357; Japhet, I & II Chronicles, 641.

9 Japhet provides detailed analysis of textual issues (I & II Chronicles, 642–644).

10 Ibid., 645.