¹ tn Heb “was old, coming into the days” (i.e., advancing in years).
²tn Or “garments.”
³tn Heb “said to.”
⁴tn Heb “let them seek for my master, the king, a young girl, a virgin.” The third person plural subject of the verb is indefinite (see GKC, 460, para. 144f). The appositional expression, “a young girl, a virgin,” is idiomatic; the second term specifically defines the more general first term (see WO, 230).
⁵tn Heb “and she will stand before the king.” The Hebrew phrase “stand before” can mean “to attend, serve” (see BDB, 764).
⁶tn Heb “and she will lie down in your arms.” The expression might imply sexual intimacy (see 2 Sam 12:3 [where the lamb symbolizes Bathsheba] and Mic 7:5), though v. 4b indicates that David did not actually have sex with the young woman.
⁷tn Heb “and my master, the king, will be warm.”
⁸tn Heb “through all the territory of Israel.”
⁹tn Heb “did not know her.”
¹⁰sn Haggith was one of David’s wives (2 Sam 3:4; 2 Chr 3:2).
¹¹tn Heb “lifting himself up.”
¹²tn Heb “saying.”
¹³tn Or “he acquired for himself.”
¹⁴tn Heb “to run ahead of him.”
¹⁵tn Or “disciplined.”
¹⁶tn Heb “did not correct him from his days.” The phrase “from his days” means “from his earliest days,” or “ever in his life.” See GKC, 382, n. 2.
¹⁷tn Heb “and she gave birth to him after Absalom.” This does not imply they had the same mother; Absalom’s mother was Maacah, not Haggith (2 Sam 3:4).
¹⁸tn Heb “his words were.”
¹⁹tn Heb “helped after” (i.e., stood by).
²⁰tn Or “bodyguard” (Heb “mighty men”).
²¹tn Heb “were not.”
²²tc The ancient Greek version omits this appositional phrase.
²³tn Or “bodyguard” (Heb “mighty men”).
²⁴tn Heb “Have you not heard?”
²⁵tn Heb “and our master David does not know.”
²⁶tn Heb “now, come.” The imperative of Jlh is here used as an introductory interjection. See BDB, 234.
²⁷tn Or “so that.”
²⁸tn Heb “come, go to.” The imperative of Jlh is here used as an introductory interjection. See BDB, 234.
²⁹tn Or “swear an oath to.”
³⁰tn In the Hebrew text the sentence is introduced by hnh, “look,” which here draws attention to Nathan’s concluding word of assurance and support. For this use of the word, see KB, 252.
³¹tc The Hebrew text adds, “after you.”
³²tn Heb “fill up (i.e., confirm) your words.”
³³tn Or “bedroom.”
³⁴tn Heb “bowed low and bowed down to.”
³⁵tc Instead of htu, “now,” many Hebrew manuscripts have the similar sounding independent pronoun hta, “you.”
³⁶tn Heb “you do not know (about it).”
³⁷tc Many Hebrew manuscripts have htu, “now,” rather than the similar sounding independent pronoun hta, “you.”
³⁸tn Heb “the eyes of all Israel are upon you to declare to them who will sit on the throne of my master the king after him.”
³⁹tn The words “if a decision is not made” are added for clarification.
⁴⁰tn Heb “lies down with his fathers.”
⁴¹tn Heb “will be guilty.”
⁴²tn Heb “look.” hnh here draws attention to Nathan’s arrival and invites the audience to view the scene through the eyes of the participants.
⁴³tn Heb “look.”
⁴⁴tn Heb “eating and drinking.”
⁴⁵tn Heb “let the king, Adonijah, live!”
⁴⁶tc Many manuscripts and ancient textual witnesses agree with the qere in reading this as singular, “your servant.”
⁴⁷tn Heb “From my master the king is this thing done, and you did not make known to your servants who will sit on the throne of my master the king after him?”
⁴⁸tn Heb “answered and said.”
⁴⁹sn Summon Bathsheba. Bathsheba must have left the room when Nathan arrived (see 1:22).
⁵⁰tn Heb “she came before the king and stood before the king.”
⁵¹tn Or “ransomed my life.”
⁵²tn Or “carry out, perform.”
⁵³tn Heb “bowed low, face (to) the ground, and bowed down to the king.”
⁵⁴sn Summon...Nathan. Nathan must have left the room when Bathsheba reentered.
⁵⁵tn Heb “the king.”
⁵⁶tn The plural form is used in the Hebrew text to indicate honor and authority.
⁵⁷tn Heb “mount Solomon my son on the mule that belongs to me and take him down to Gihon.”
⁵⁸tn Heb “anoint (with oil).”
⁵⁹tn Or “commanded.”
⁶⁰tn Heb “answered and said.”
⁶¹tn Or “Amen.”
⁶²tn Heb “So may the LORD God of my master the king say.”
⁶³tn Heb “and may he make his throne greater than the throne of my master King David.”
⁶⁴sn The Kerethites and Pelethites were members of David’s royal guard (see 2 Sam 8:18). The Kerethites may have been descendents of an ethnic group originating in Crete.
⁶⁵tn Heb “the horn of oil.”
sn A horn filled with oil. An animal’s horn was used as an oil flask in the anointing ceremony.
⁶⁶tn Or “anointed.”
⁶⁷tn Heb “and all the people went up after him, and the people were playing flutes and rejoicing with great joy and the ground split open at the sound of them.” The verb uqb, “split open,” which elsewhere describes the effects of an earthquake, is obviously here an exaggeration for the sake of emphasis.
⁶⁸tn Heb “And Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard, now they had finished eating.”
⁶⁹tn Heb “Why is the city’s sound noisy?”
⁷⁰tn The Hebrew text has “look” at this point. hnh here draws attention to Jonathan’s arrival and invites the audience to view the scene through the eyes of the participants.
⁷¹tn Or “surely.”
⁷²tn Heb “you are a man of strength (or, “ability”) and you bring a message (that is) good.” Another option is to understand the phrase lyj vya in the sense of “a worthy man,” that is “loyal.” See also 1 Kgs 1:52 and KB, 311.
⁷³tn Heb “answered and said.”
⁷⁴tn For a similar use of lba, see Gen 17:19, where God rejects Abraham’s proposal and offers an alternative.
⁷⁵tn The plural form is used in the Hebrew text to indicate honor and authority.
⁷⁶tn Or “anointed.”
⁷⁷tn Heb “And also Solomon sits on the throne of the kingdom.”
⁷⁸tn The plural form is used in the Hebrew text to indicate honor and authority.
⁷⁹tc Many Hebrew manuscripts agree with the qere in reading simply “God.”
⁸⁰tn Heb “make the name of Solomon better than your name, and make his throne greater than your throne.” <v, “name,” is used here of one’s fame and reputation.
⁸¹tn Or “bowed down, worshiped.”
⁸²tn The Hebrew text says, “and the king said.”
⁸³tn Or “Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, who….” In this blessing formula rva, “who, because,” introduces the reason why the one being blessed deserves the honor.
⁸⁴tn Heb “and my eyes are seeing.”
⁸⁵tn Or “were afraid, trembled.”
⁸⁶sn Grabbed hold of the horns of the altar. The “horns” of the altar were the horn-shaped projections on the four corners of the altar (see Exod 27:2). By going to the holy place and grabbing hold of the horns of the altar, Adonijah was seeking asylum from Solomon.
⁸⁷tn Or “swear an oath to.”
⁸⁸tn Heb “if he is a man of strength” (or “ability”). In this context, where Adonijah calls himself a “servant,” implying allegiance to the new king, the phrase lyj vya probably carries the sense of “a worthy man,” that is, “loyal” (see KB, 311).
⁸⁹tn Heb “but if evil is found in him.”
⁹⁰tn Heb “sent and they brought him down.”
⁹¹tn Heb “Go to your house.”
¹tn Heb “and the days of David approached to die.”
²tn Or “commanded.”
³tn Heb “going the way of the all the earth.”
⁴tn Heb “keep the charge of the LORD your God.”
⁵tn Heb “by walking in his ways.”
⁶tn Or “keeping.”
⁷tn Heb “then you will cause to succeed all which you do and all which you turn there.”
⁸tn Heb “then the LORD will establish his word which he spoke to me, saying.”
⁹tn Heb “guard their way.”
¹⁰tn Heb “by walking before me in faithfulness.”
¹¹tn Or “soul.”
¹²tn Heb “saying.”
¹³tn Heb “there will not be cut off from you a man from upon the throne of Israel.”
¹⁴tn Heb “what he did to the two commanders...and he killed them.”
¹⁵tn Heb “he shed the blood of battle in peace.”
¹⁶tn Heb “and he shed the blood of battle when he killed which is on his waist and on his sandal(s) which are on his feet.” That is, he covered himself with guilt and his guilt was obvious to all who saw him.
¹⁷tn Heb “according to your wisdom.”
¹⁸tn Heb “and do not bring down his grey hair in peace (to) Sheol.”
¹⁹tn Heb “do loyalty with,” or “act faithfully towards.”
²⁰tn Heb “and let them be among the ones who eat (at) your table.”
²¹tn Heb “drew near to.”
²²tn Heb “Look, with you is Shimei….”
²³tn Heb “and he cursed me with a horrible curse on the day I went to Mahanaim.”
²⁴tn Or “swore an oath to.”
²⁵tn Heb “kill you.”
²⁶tn Heb “what you should do to him”
²⁷tn Heb “bring his grey hair down in blood (to) Sheol.”
²⁸tn Heb “and David lay down with his fathers.”
²⁹sn The phrase the city of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.
³⁰tn Or “kingship.”
³¹tn Heb “(in) peace.”
³²tn Or “kingship.”
³³tn Heb “set their face to me to be king.”
³⁴tn Heb “and the kingdom turned about and became my brother’s, for from the LORD it became his.”
³⁵tn Heb “Do not turn back my face.”
³⁶tn Heb “She said, ‘Speak!’”
³⁷tn Heb “Say to Solomon the king, for he will not turn back your face, that he might give to me Abishag the Shunammite for a wife.”
³⁸tn Heb “It is good!”
³⁹tn Or “meet.”
⁴⁰tn Heb “he set up a throne for the mother of the king.”
⁴¹tn Or “I’d like to make just one request of you.”
⁴²tn Heb “Do not turn back my face.”
⁴³tn Heb “So may God do to me, and so may he add.”
⁴⁴tn Heb “if with his life Adonijah has not spoken this word.”
⁴⁵tn Heb “house.”
⁴⁶tn The Hebrew text adds, “by the hand of.”
⁴⁷tn Heb “and he struck him and he died.”
⁴⁸tn Or “field.”
⁴⁹tn Heb “you are a man of death.”
⁵⁰tn Heb “and because you suffered through all which my father suffered.”
⁵¹tn Heb “Solomon drove out Abiathar from being a priest to the LORD.”
⁵²tn Heb “fulfilling the word of the LORD which he spoke against the house of Eli in Shiloh.”
⁵³tn Heb “turned after.”
⁵⁴tn Heb “turned after.”
⁵⁵tn Heb “Joab.”
⁵⁶sn Grabbed hold of the horns of the altar. The “horns” of the altar were the horn-shaped projections on the four corners of the altar (see Exod 27:2). By going to the holy place and grabbing hold of the horns of the altar, Joab was seeking asylum from Solomon.
⁵⁷tn Heb “so he sent Benaiah son of Jehoiada, saying.”
⁵⁸tn Heb “saying, “In this way Joab spoke and in this way he answered me.”
⁵⁹tn Heb “house.”
⁶⁰tn Heb “take away the underserved bloodshed which Joab spilled from upon me and from upon the house of my father.”
⁶¹tn Heb “The LORD will cause his blood to return upon his head.”
⁶²tn Heb “because he struck down two men more innocent and better than him and he killed them with the sword, and my father David did not know.”
⁶³tn Heb “house.”
⁶⁴tn Heb “his throne.”
⁶⁵tn Heb “struck him and killed him.”
⁶⁶tn Heb “over.”
⁶⁷tn Heb “sent and summoned.”
⁶⁸tn Heb “and you may not go out from there here or there.”
⁶⁹tn Heb “your blood will be upon your head.”
⁷⁰tn Heb “Good is the word, as my master the king has spoken.”
⁷¹tn Heb “so your servant will do.”
⁷²tn Heb “many days.”
⁷³tn Heb “sent and summoned.”
⁷⁴tn Heb “Is it not (true)...?” In the Hebrew text the statement is interrogative; the rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course it is.”
⁷⁵tn Heb “here or there.”
⁷⁶tn Heb “good is the word; I have heard.”
⁷⁷tn Heb “Why have you not kept the oath (to) the LORD and the commandment I commanded you?”
⁷⁸tn Heb “You know all the evil, for your heart knows, which you did to David my father.”
⁷⁹tn Heb “The LORD will cause your evil to return upon your head.”
⁸⁰tn Or “blessed.”
⁸¹tn Heb “throne.”
⁸²tn “The king commanded Benaiah son of Jehoiada and he went out and struck him down and he died.”
⁸³tn “And the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.”
¹sn The phrase city of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.
²sn Offering sacrifices at the high places. The “high places” were places of worship that were naturally or artificially elevated.
³tn Heb “for the name of the LORD.” The word “name” sometimes refers to one’s reputation or honor (thus the translation here, “to honor the LORD”). The “name” of the LORD sometimes designates the LORD himself, being indistinguishable from the proper name.
⁴tn Heb “Solomon loved the LORD by walking in.”
⁵tn Or “policies, rules.”
⁶tn Heb “for it was the great high place.”
⁷tn The verb form is an imperfect, which is probably used here in a customary sense to indicate continued or repeated action in past time. See GKC, 314, para. 107b.
⁸tn Or “revealed himself.”
⁹tn Heb “ask.”
¹⁰tn Heb “did.”
¹¹tn Heb “walked before.”
¹²tn Heb “in faithfulness and in innocence and in uprightness of heart with you.”
¹³tn Heb “and you have kept to him this great loyalty and you gave to him a son (who) sits on his throne as this day.”
¹⁴tn Heb “and I do not know going out or coming in.”
¹⁵tn There is no verb expressed in the Hebrew text; “stands” is added for clarification.
¹⁶tn Heb “a hearing heart” (“heart” often refers to the mental faculties).
¹⁷tn Heb “to judge.”
¹⁸tn Heb “to understand between good and evil.”
¹⁹tn Heb “for;” the word “otherwise” is used to reflect the logical sense of the statement.
²⁰tn Heb “who is able?” The rhetorical question anticipates the answer, “no one.”
²¹tn Heb “to judge.”
²²tn Heb “your numerous people.”
²³tn Heb “And the thing was good in the eyes of the Lord, for Solomon asked for this thing.”
²⁴tn Heb “because you asked for this thing, and did not ask for yourself many days and did not ask for yourself riches and did not ask for the life of your enemies, but you asked for yourself understanding to hear judgment.”
²⁵tn This statement is introduced by hnh, “look,” which draws attention to and emphasizes what follows.
²⁶tn Heb “I am doing according to your words.” The perfect tense is sometimes used of actions occurring at the same time a statement is made.
²⁷tn This statement is introduced by hnh, “look,” which draws attention to and emphasizes what follows.
²⁸tn The translation assumes that the perfect tense here indicates that the action occurs as the statement is made.
²⁹tn Heb “heart.”
³⁰tn Heb “so that there has not been one like you prior to you, and after you one will not arise like you.”
³¹tn The translation assumes that the perfect tense here indicates that the action occurs as the statement is made.
³²tn Heb “so that there is not one among the kings like you all your days.”
³³tn Heb “walk in my ways.”
³⁴tn Or “keeping.”
³⁵tn Heb “walked.”
³⁶tn Heb “I will lengthen your days.”
³⁷tn Heb “and look, a dream.”
³⁸tn Or “peace offerings.”
³⁹sn There was no one else in the house except the two of us. In other words, there were no other witnesses to the births who could identify which child belonged to which mother.
⁴⁰tn Heb “died.”
⁴¹tn Heb “lay, slept.”
⁴²tn Heb “look.”
⁴³tn Heb “look, it was not my son to whom I had given birth.”
⁴⁴tn Heb “they spoke before the king.” Another option is to translate, “they argued before the king.”
⁴⁵tn Heb “the woman whose son was alive.”
⁴⁶tn The infinitive absolute before the negated jussive emphasizes the main verb.
⁴⁷tn Heb “feared,” perhaps in the sense, “stood in awe of.”
⁴⁸tn Heb “saw.”
⁴⁹tn Heb “the wisdom of God within him.”
¹tn Heb “was over.”
²tn Heb “was over.”
³tn Heb “close associate of.”
⁴tn Heb “over the house.”
⁵tn Heb “was over.”
⁶sn The work crews. This word (sm^) refers to a group of laborers conscripted for royal/public service.
⁷sn In the Hebrew text chapter 5 begins here. 5:1-14 in the Hebrew text corresponds to 4:21-34 in the English translation; 5:15-32 in the Hebrew text corresponds to 5:1-18 in the English translation.
⁸tn Heb “the River.”
⁹tn Heb “(They) were bringing tribute and were serving Solomon all the days of his life.”
¹⁰tn Heb “the food of Solomon for each day was.”
¹¹tn As a unit of dry measure a cor was roughly equivalent to six bushels.
¹²tn As a unit of dry measure a cor was roughly equivalent to six bushels.
¹³tn The words “in the stall” are added for clarification; note the immediately following reference to cattle from the pasture.
¹⁴tn Heb “because.” The words “his royal court was so large” are added to facilitate the logical connection with the preceding verse.
¹⁵sn Tiphsah. This was located on the Euphrates River.
¹⁶tn Heb “for he was ruling over all (the region) beyond the River, from Tiphsah to Gaza, over all the kingdoms beyond the River, and he had peace on every side all around.”
¹⁷tn Heb “Judah and Israel lived securely, each one under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon.”
¹⁸tn The Hebrew text has 40,000, but this is probably an inflated number. The parallel in 2 Chr 9:25 has “4,000.”
¹⁹tn Heb “everyone who drew near to the table of King Solomon.”
²⁰tn Heb “barley and straw for the horses and the steeds they brought to the place which was there, each according to his measure.”
²¹tn Heb “heart,” i.e., mind (“heart” often refers to the mental faculties).
²²tn Heb “the wisdom of Solomon was greater than the wisdom of all the sons of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt.”
²³tn Heb “his name was in the surrounding nations.”
²⁴tn Heb “spoke.”
²⁵tn Heb “he spoke about plants.”
²⁶tn Heb “he spoke about.”
²⁷tn Heb “the wisdom of Solomon.”
¹tn 1 Kings 5:1-18 in the English translation corresponds to 5:15-32 in the Hebrew text. See also the note at 4:21.
²tn Heb “anointed.”
³tn Heb “a house for the name of the LORD.” The word “name” sometimes refers to one’s reputation or honor. The “name” of the LORD sometimes designates the LORD himself, being indistinguishable from the proper name.
⁴tn Heb “because of the battles which surrounded him until the LORD placed them under the soles of his feet.”
⁵tn Heb “Look I am saying.”
⁶tn Heb “a house for the name of the LORD.” The word “name” sometimes refers to one’s reputation or honor. The “name” of the LORD sometimes designates the LORD himself, being indistinguishable from the proper name.
⁷tn Heb “a house for my name.” The word “name” sometimes refers to one’s reputation or honor. The “name” of the LORD sometimes designates the LORD himself, being indistinguishable from the proper name.
⁸tn Or “Blessed be the LORD today, who….”
⁹tn Heb “heard.”
¹⁰tn Heb “I will satisfy all your desire with respect to cedar wood and with respect to the wood of evergreens.”
¹¹tn Heb “I will place them (on? as?) rafts in the sea to the place where you designate to me.” This may mean he would send them by raft, or that he would tie them in raftlike bundles, and have ships tow them down to an Israelite port.
¹²tn Heb “smash them,” i.e., untie the bundles.
¹³tn Heb “as for you, you will satisfy my desire by giving food for my house.”
¹⁴tn Heb “and Hiram gave to Solomon cedar wood and the wood of evergreens, all his desire.”
¹⁵sn As a unit of dry measure a cor was roughly equivalent to six bushels.
¹⁶tn Heb “his house.”
¹⁷tc The Hebrew text has 20 cors, but the ancient Greek version and the parallel text in 2 Chr 2:10 read “20,000 baths.”
sn A bath was a liquid measure equivalent to almost six gallons.
¹⁸tn Or “pressed.”
¹⁹tn Heb “and Solomon supplied Hiram with 20,000 cors of wheat...pure olive oil. So Solomon would give to Hiram year by year.”
²⁰tn Heb “raised up.”
²¹sn Work crews. This word (sm^) refers to a group of laborers conscripted for royal/public service.
²²tn Heb “was over.”
²³tn Heb “carriers of loads.”
²⁴tn Heb “cutters” (probably of stones).
²⁵tn Heb “besides 3,300 from the officials of Solomon’s governors who were over the work, the ones ruling over the people, the ones doing the work.”
²⁶tn Heb “and the king commanded.”
²⁷tn Heb “builders.”
²⁸tn Heb “the Gebalites.” The reading is problematic and some emend to a verb form meaning, “set the borders.”
¹sn During the month Ziv. This would be April-May, 966 BC by modern reckoning.
²tn Heb “60 cubits” (a cubit was a unit of measure roughly equivalent to 18 inches or 45 cm).
³tn Heb “20 cubits” (a cubit was a unit of measure roughly equivalent to 18 inches or 45 cm).
⁴tn Heb “30 cubits” (a cubit was a unit of measure roughly equivalent to 18 inches or 45 cm).
⁵tn Heb “20 cubits” (a cubit was a unit of measure roughly equivalent to 18 inches or 45 cm).
⁶tn Heb “10 cubits” (a cubit was a unit of measure roughly equivalent to 18 inches or 45 cm).
⁷tn Heb “and he built on the wall of the temple an extension all around, the walls of the temple all around, for the main hall and for the holy place, and he made siderooms all around.”
⁸tn Heb “five cubits” (a cubit was a unit of measure roughly equivalent to 18 inches or 45 cm).
⁹tn Heb “six cubits” (a cubit was a unit of measure roughly equivalent to 18 inches or 45 cm).
¹⁰tn Heb “seven cubits” (a cubit was a unit of measure roughly equivalent to 18 inches or 45 cm).
¹¹tn Or “ledges.”
¹²tn Heb “so that (the beams) would not have a hold in the walls of the temple.”
¹³tn Heb “finished stone of the quarry,” i.e., stones chiseled and shaped at the time they were taken out of the quarry.
¹⁴tc The Hebrew text has “middle,” but the remainder of the verse suggests this is an error.
¹⁵tn Heb “by stairs they went up.” The word translated “stairs” occurs only here. Other options are “trapdoors” or “ladders.”
¹⁶tn Heb “ built the temple and completed it.”
¹⁷tn The word occurs only here; the precise meaning is uncertain.
¹⁸tn Heb “and rows with cedar wood.”
¹⁹tn Heb “five cubits.” This must refer to the height of each floor or room.
²⁰tn Heb “walk in.”
²¹tn Heb “do.”
²²tn Heb “and keep all my commandments by walking in them.”
²³tn Heb “I will establish my word with you which I spoke to David your father.”
²⁴tn Heb “ built the temple and completed it.”
²⁵tc The Hebrew text has “walls” (twryq), but this should be emended to twrwq, “rafters.” See BDB, 900.
²⁶tn Heb “He built 20 cubits from the rear areas of the temple with cedar planks from the floor to the walls, and he built it on the inside for an inner sanctuary, for a holy place of holy places.”
²⁷tc The Hebrew text has “walls” (twryq), but this should be emended to twrwq, “rafters.” See BDB, 900.
²⁸tn Heb “and the temple was 40 cubits, that is, the main hall before it.”
²⁹tn Heb “Cedar was inside the temple, carvings of gourds (i.e., gourd-shaped ornaments) and opened flowers; the whole was cedar, no stone was seen.”
³⁰tn Heb “20 cubits” (a cubit was a unit of measure roughly equivalent to 18 inches or 45 cm).
³¹tn Heb “20 cubits” (a cubit was a unit of measure roughly equivalent to 18 inches or 45 cm).
³²tn Heb “20 cubits” (a cubit was a unit of measure roughly equivalent to 18 inches or 45 cm).
³³tn Heb “with plated gold” (or perhaps, “with pure gold”).
³⁴tn Heb “he plated (the) altar of cedar.”
³⁵tn Heb “with plated gold” (or perhaps, “with pure gold”).
³⁶tn Heb “it.”
³⁷tn Heb “all the temple he plated with gold until all the temple was finished; and the whole altar which was in the inner sanctuary he plated with gold.”
³⁸tn Heb “ten cubits” (a cubit was a unit of measure roughly equivalent to 18 inches or 45 cm).
³⁹tn Heb “The first wing of the (one) cherub was five cubits, and the second wing of the cherub was five cubits, ten cubits from the tips of his wings to the tips of his wings.”
⁴⁰tn Heb “and the second cherub was ten cubits, the two cherubs had one measurement and one shape.”
⁴¹tn Heb “the height of the first cherub was ten cubits; and so was the second cherub.”
⁴²tn Heb “in the midst of the inner house,” i.e., in the inner sanctuary.
⁴³tn Heb “and their wings were in the middle of the room, touching wing to wing.”
⁴⁴sn Inside and out probably refers to the inner and outer rooms within the building.
⁴⁵tn Heb “carved engravings of carvings.”
⁴⁶sn Inside and out probably refers to the inner and outer rooms within the building.
⁴⁷tn Heb “the pillar, doorposts, a fifth part” (the precise meaning of this description is uncertain).
⁴⁸tn Heb “carved carvings of.”
⁴⁹tn Heb “he plated (with) gold” (the precise object is not stated).
⁵⁰tn Heb “and he hammered out the gold on the cherubs and the palm trees.”
⁵¹tn Heb “and so he did at the entrance of the main hall, doorposts of olive wood, from a fourth.”
⁵²tn The words “he also made” are added for stylistic reasons.
⁵³tc Heb “two of the leaves of the first door were folding, and two of the leaves of the second door were folding.” In the second half of the description, the Hebrew text has “curtains” (<yulq), but this is surely a corruption of <yulx, “leaves,” which appears in the first half of the statement.
⁵⁴sn In the month Ziv. This would be April-May, 966 BC by modern reckoning.
⁵⁵tn The words “of Solomon’s reign” are added for clarification. See v. 1.
⁵⁶sn In the month Bul. This would be October-November 559 BC in modern reckoning.
⁵⁷tn Heb “he built it in seven years.”
¹tn Heb “His house Solomon built in 13 years and he completed all his house.”
²sn The Palace of the Lebanon Forest. This name was appropriate because of the large amount of cedar, undoubtedly brought from Lebanon, used in its construction. The cedar pillars in the palace must have given it the appearance of a forest.
³tn Heb “100 cubits” (a cubit was a unit of measure roughly equivalent to 18 inches or 45 cm).
⁴tn Heb “50 cubits” (a cubit was a unit of measure roughly equivalent to 18 inches or 45 cm).
⁵tn Heb “30 cubits” (a cubit was a unit of measure roughly equivalent to 18 inches or 45 cm).
⁶tn Heb “and framed (windows in) three rows, and opening to opening three times.” The precise meaning of this description is uncertain. Another option might be, “overhung (in) three rows...” This might mean they were positioned high on the walls.
⁷sn Rectangular in shape. That is, rather than arched.
⁸tn Heb “and all the entrances and the doorposts (had) four frames, and in front of opening to opening three times” (the precise meaning of the description is uncertain).
⁹tn Heb “a porch of pillars.”
¹⁰tn Heb “50 cubits” (a cubit was a unit of measure roughly equivalent to 18 inches or 45 cm).
¹¹tn Heb “30 cubits” (a cubit was a unit of measure roughly equivalent to 18 inches or 45 cm).
¹²tn Heb “and a porch was in front of them (i.e., the aforementioned pillars) and pillars and a roof in front of them (i.e., the aforementioned pillars and porch).” The precise meaning of the term translated “roof” is uncertain; it occurs only here and in Ezek 41:25-26.
¹³tn Heb “and a porch for the throne, where he was making judicial decisions, the Porch of Judgment, he made.”
¹⁴tc The Hebrew text reads, “from the floor to the floor.” The second uqrqh, “the floor,” is probably an error; one should emend to twrwqh, “the rafters.” See 6:16.
¹⁵tn Heb “and his house where he lived, the other court (i.e., as opposed to the great court), separated from the house belonging to the hall, was like this work (i.e., style of architechture).”
¹⁶tn Heb “and a house he was making for the daughter of Pharaoh, whom Solomon had taken, like this porch.”
¹⁷tn Or “valuable” (see 5:17).
¹⁸tn Heb “according to the measurement of chiseled (stone).”
¹⁹tn Heb “inside and out.”
²⁰tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew word (twjpf) is uncertain, but it is clear that the referent stands in opposition to the foundation.
²¹tn Heb “stones of ten cubits and stones of eight cubits” (it is unclear exactly what dimension is being measured).
²²tn Heb “on top,” or “above.”
²³tn Or “valuable” (see 5:17).
²⁴tn Heb “according to the measurement of chiseled (stone).”
²⁵tn Or “the porch of the temple.”
²⁶tn Heb “King Solomon sent and took Hiram from Tyre.” In 2 Chr 2:13 (Heb. v. 12) and 4:11, 16 his name is spelled “Huram.”
²⁷tn 2 Chr 2:14 (Heb. v. 13) says “from the daughters of Dan.”
²⁸tn Heb “he was filled with the skill, understanding and knowledge.”
²⁹tn Heb “18 cubits” (a cubit was a unit of measure roughly equivalent to 18 inches or 45 cm).
³⁰tn Heb “12 cubits” (a cubit was a unit of measure roughly equivalent to 18 inches or 45 cm).
³¹tn Heb “two capitals he made to place on the tops of the pillars, cast in bronze; five cubits was the height of the first capital, and five cubits was the height of the second capital.”
³²tn Heb “there were seven for the first capital, and seven for the second capital.”
³³tn Heb “he made the pillars, and two rows surrounding one latticework to cover the capitals which were on top of the pomegranates, and so he did for the second latticework.” The translation above adds “pomegranates” after “two rows,” and understands “pillars,” rather than “pomegranates,” to be the correct reading after “on top of.” The latter change finds support from many Hebrew manuscripts and the ancient Greek version.
³⁴tn Heb “the capitals which were on the top of the pillars were the work of lilies, in the porch, four cubits.” It is unclear exactly what dimension is being measured.
³⁵tn Heb “and the capitals on the two pillars, also above, close beside the bulge which was beside the latticework, 200 pomegranates in rows around , on the second capital.” The precise meaning of the word translated “bulge” is uncertain.
³⁶tn Or “south.”
³⁷sn The name Jachin appears to be a verbal form and probably means, “he establishes.”
³⁸tn Or “north.”
³⁹sn The meaning of the name Boaz is uncertain. For various proposals, see BDB, 126-27. One attractive option is to revocalize the name as zuoB=, “in strength,” and to understand it as completing the verbal form on the first pillar. Taking the words together and reading from right to left, one can translate the sentence, “he establishes (it) in strength.”
⁴⁰tn Heb “He made the sea, cast.”
sn The big bronze basin called “The Sea.” This large basin that was mounted on twelve bronze bulls and contained water for the priests to bathe themselves [2 Chr 4:6; cf. Exod 30:17-21].
⁴¹tn Heb “ten cubits” (a cubit was a unit of measure roughly equivalent to 18 inches or 45 cm).
⁴²tn Heb “five cubits” (a cubit was a unit of measure roughly equivalent to 18 inches or 45 cm).
⁴³tn Heb “and a measuring line went around it 30 cubits all around.”
⁴⁴tn Or “gourd-shaped ornaments.”
⁴⁵tn Heb “ten cubits surrounding the sea all around.” The precise meaning of this description is uncertain.
⁴⁶tn Heb “the gourd-shaped ornaments were in two rows, cast in its casting.”
⁴⁷tn Heb “all their hindquarters were toward the inside.”
⁴⁸tn Heb “2000 baths” (a bath was a liquid measure roughly equivalent to six gallons).
⁴⁹tn Heb “four cubits” (a cubit was a unit of measure roughly equivalent to 18 inches or 45 cm).
⁵⁰tn Heb “four cubits” (a cubit was a unit of measure roughly equivalent to 18 inches or 45 cm).
⁵¹tn Heb “three cubits” (a cubit was a unit of measure roughly equivalent to 18 inches or 45 cm).
⁵²tn The precise meaning of these final words is uncertain. A possible literal translation would be, “wreaths, the work of descent.”
⁵³tn The precise meaning of this last word, translated “wreaths,” is uncertain.
⁵⁴tn Heb “And its opening from the inside to the top and upwards (was) a cubit, and its opening was round, the work of a stand, a cubit-and-a-half.” The precise meaning of this description is uncertain.
⁵⁵tn Heb “also over its opening were carvings and their frames (were) squared, not round.”
⁵⁶tn Heb “a cubit-and-a-half” (a cubit was a unit of measure roughly equivalent to 18 inches or 45 cm).
⁵⁷tn Heb “four shoulders to the four sides of each stand, from the stand its shoulders.” The precise meaning of the description is uncertain.
⁵⁸tn Heb “and on top of the stand, a half cubit (in) height, round all around” (the meaning of this description is uncertain).
⁵⁹tn Heb “according to the space of each.”
⁶⁰tn The precise meaning of this last word, translated “wreaths,” is uncertain.
⁶¹tn Heb “40 baths” (a bath was a liquid measure roughly equivalent to six gallons).
⁶²tn Heb “four cubits, each basin.” It is unclear which dimension is being measured.
⁶³tn Heb “Hiram finished doing all the work which he did for King Solomon (on) the house of the LORD.”
⁶⁴tn The words “he made” are added for stylistic reasons.
⁶⁵tn Heb “which Hiram made for King Solomon (for) the house of the LORD.”
⁶⁶tn Or perhaps, “molds.”
⁶⁷tn Heb “Solomon left all the items, due to their very great abundance; the weight of the bronze was not sought.”
⁶⁸tn Heb “the bread of the face/presence.”
sn The bread offered to God. This bread was viewed as a perpetual offering to God. See Lev 24:5-9.
¹tn Heb “Then Solomon convened the elders of Israel, the heads of the tribes, the chiefs of the fathers belonging to the sons of Israel to King Solomon (in) Jerusalem to bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD from the city of David (it is Zion).”
²sn The festival. This was the Feast of Tabernacles, see Lev 23:34.
³sn The month Ethanim. This would be September-October in modern reckoning.
⁴tn Heb “the tent of assembly.”
sn The tent where God appeared to his people. See Exod 33:7-11.
⁵tn Heb “and they carried the ark of the LORD... The priests and the Levites carried them.”
⁶tn Heb “And King Solomon and all the assembly of Israel, those who had been gathered to him, (were) before the ark, sacrificing sheep and cattle which could not be counted or numbered because of the abundance.”
⁷tn The word “assigned” is added for clarification.
⁸sn And its poles. These poles were used to carry the ark. See Exod 25:13-15.
⁹tn Heb “they could not be seen outside.”
¹⁰tn Heb “in Horeb where.”
¹¹tn Heb “were not able to stand to serve.”
¹²tn The words “O LORD” do not appear in the original text, but they are supplied for clarification; Solomon addresses the Lord in prayer at this point.
¹³tn Heb “turned his face.”
¹⁴tn Heb “and he blessed all the assembly of Israel, and all the assembly of Israel was standing.”
¹⁵tn The Hebrew text adds, “by his hand.”
¹⁶tn The Hebrew text adds, “by his mouth.”
¹⁷tn Heb “saying.”
¹⁸tn Heb “to build a house for my name to be there.”
sn To build a temple in which to live. Heb “to build a house for my name to be there;” on the significance of the Lord’s name, the word “name” sometimes refers to one’s reputation or honor. The “name” of the LORD sometimes designates the LORD himself, being indistinguishable from the proper name.
¹⁹tn Heb “and it was with the heart of David my father to build a house for the name of the LORD God of Israel.”
sn A temple to honor the LORD God of Israel. Heb “a house for the name of the LORD God of Israel;” on the significance of the Lord’s “name,” the word “name” sometimes refers to one’s reputation or honor. The “name” of the LORD sometimes designates the LORD himself, being indistinguishable from the proper name.
²⁰tn Heb “Because it was with your heart to build a house for my name, you did well that it was with your heart.”
²¹tn Heb “your son, the one who came out of your body, he will build the temple for my name.”
²²tn Or “heaven.”
²³tn Heb “said.”
²⁴tn Heb “one who keeps the covenant and the loyal love.”
²⁵tn Heb “who walk before you with all their heart.”
²⁶tn Heb “(you) who kept to your servant David my father that which you spoke to him.”
²⁷tn Heb “you spoke by your mouth and by your hand you fulfilled, as this day.”
²⁸tn Heb “there will not be cut off from you a man from before me sitting on the throne of Israel.”
²⁹tn Heb “guard their way by walking before me as you have walked before me.”
³⁰tn Or “prove to be reliable.”
³¹tn Heb “Indeed, can God really live on the earth?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course not,” the force of which the translation above seeks to reflect.
³²tn Heb “turn to.”
³³tn Heb “by listening to.”
³⁴tn Heb “the loud cry and the prayer.”
³⁵tn Heb “praying before you.”
³⁶tn Heb “so your eyes might be open toward this house night and day, toward the place about which you said, ‘My name will be there.’“
³⁷tn Heb “by listening to the prayer which your servant is praying concerning this place.”
³⁸tn Heb “listen to the request of your servant and your people Israel which they are praying concerning this place.”
³⁹tn Heb “and you, hear inside your dwelling place, inside heaven.” The precise nuance of the preposition la, used here with the verb “hear,” is unclear here. One expects the preposition “from,” which appears in the parallel text in 2 Chr 6:21. The nuance “inside, among” is attested for la (see Gen 23:19; 1 Sam 10:22; Jer 4:3), but in each case a verb of motion is employed with the preposition, unlike 1 Kgs 8:30. The translation above (“from inside”) is based on the demands of the immediate context, rather than attested usage elsewhere.
⁴⁰tn Heb “hear.”
⁴¹tn Heb “and forgive the man who sins against his neighbor when one takes up against him a curse to curse him and the curse comes before your altar in this house.” In the Hebrew text the words “and forgive” conclude v. 30, but the accusative sign at the beginning of v. 31 suggests the verb actually goes with what follows in v. 31. The parallel text in 2 Chr 6:22 begins with “and if,” rather than the accusative sign. In this case “forgive” must be taken with what precedes, and v. 31 must be taken as the protasis (“if” clause) of a conditional sentence, with v. 32 being the apodosis (“then” clause) that completes the sentence.
sn Be willing to forgive the accused if the accusation is false. At first it appears that Solomon is asking God to forgive the guilty party. But in v. 32 Solomon asks the Lord to discern who is guilty and innocent, so v. 31 must refer to a situation where an accusation has been made, but not yet proven. The very periphrastic translation above reflects this interpretation.
⁴²tn Heb “and you, hear (from) heaven and act and judge your servants by declaring the guilty to be guilty, to give his way on his head, and to declare the innocent to be innocent, to give to him according to his innocence.”
⁴³tn Heb “when.” In the Hebrew text verses 33-34 actually contain one lengthy conditional sentence, which the translation has divided into two sentences for stylistic reasons.
⁴⁴tn Or “are struck down before an enemy.”
⁴⁵tn Heb “confess (or perhaps “praise”) your name.”
⁴⁶tn Heb “and they pray and ask for help.”
⁴⁷tn Heb “when.” In the Hebrew text verses 35-36a actually contain one lengthy conditional sentence, which the translation has divided into two sentences for stylistic reasons.
⁴⁸tn Heb “they.”
⁴⁹tn Heb “confess (or perhaps “praise”) your name.”
⁵⁰tn The Hebrew text has “because you answer them,” as if the verb is from hnu, “answer.” However, this reference to a divine answer is premature, since the next verse asks for God to intervene in mercy. It is better to revocalize the consonantal text as <n}u^t=, “you afflict them,” a piel verb form from the homonym hnu, “afflict.”
⁵¹tn The translation understands yk in an emphatic or asseverative sense.
⁵²tn Heb “the good way in which they should walk.”
⁵³tn Or “for an inheritance.”
⁵⁴tn In the Hebrew text verses 37-39a actually contain one lengthy conditional sentence, which the translation has divided up for stylistic reasons.
⁵⁵tn Actually two terms appear here, both of which are usually taken as referring to locusts. Perhaps different stages of growth or different varieties are in view.
⁵⁶tn Heb “in the land, his gates.”
⁵⁷tn Heb “every prayer, every request for help which will be to all the people, to all your people Israel.”
⁵⁸tn Heb “which they know, each the pain of his heart.”
⁵⁹tn The words “their sin” are added for clarification.
⁶⁰tn Heb “and act and give to each one according to all his ways because you know his heart.”
⁶¹tn Heb “Indeed you know, you alone, the heart of all the sons of mankind.”
⁶²tn Heb “fear.”
⁶³tn Heb “all the days (in) which.”
⁶⁴tn Heb “your name.” The word “name” sometimes refers to one’s reputation or honor. The “name” of the LORD sometimes designates the LORD himself, being indistinguishable from the proper name.
⁶⁵tn Heb “your great name.” The word “name” sometimes refers to one’s reputation or honor. The “name” of the LORD sometimes designates the LORD himself, being indistinguishable from the proper name.
⁶⁶tn Heb “and your strong hand and your outstretched arm.”
⁶⁷tn Heb “and do all which the foreigner calls to (i.e, “requests of”) you.”
⁶⁸tn Heb “your name.” The word “name” sometimes refers to one’s reputation or honor. The “name” of the LORD sometimes designates the LORD himself, being indistinguishable from the proper name.
⁶⁹tn Heb “fear.”
⁷⁰tn Heb “that your name is called over this house which I built.” The Hebrew idiom “call the name over” indicates ownership. See 2 Sam 12:28.
⁷¹tn Heb “When your people go out for battle against their enemies in the way which you send them.”
⁷²tn Heb “your name.” The word “name” sometimes refers to one’s reputation or honor. The “name” of the LORD sometimes designates the LORD himself, being indistinguishable from the proper name.
⁷³tn Heb “their prayer and their request for help.”
⁷⁴tn Heb “and accomplish their justice.”
⁷⁵tn Heb “they;” the referent (your people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
⁷⁶tn Heb “they;” the referent (your people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
⁷⁷tn Or “stop and reflect;” Heb “bring back to their heart.”
⁷⁸tn Or “done wrong.”
⁷⁹tn Or “soul.”
⁸⁰tn Heb “your name.” The word “name” sometimes refers to one’s reputation or honor. The “name” of the LORD sometimes designates the LORD himself, being indistinguishable from the proper name.
⁸¹tn Heb “their prayer and their request for help.”
⁸²tn Heb “and accomplish their justice.”
⁸³tn Heb “and forgive your people who have sinned against you, (forgive) all their rebellious acts by which they rebelled against you, and grant them mercy before their captors so they will show them mercy.”
⁸⁴tn Or “for.”
⁸⁵tn Heb “inheritance.”
⁸⁶sn From the middle of the iron furnace. The metaphor of a furnace suggests fire and heat and is an apt image to remind the people of the suffering they endured while slaves in Egypt.
⁸⁷tn Heb “May your eyes be open.”
⁸⁸tn Heb “to listen to them in all their calling out to you.”
⁸⁹tn Ot, “For.”
⁹⁰tn Heb “your inheritance.”
⁹¹tn Or “toward heaven.”
⁹²tn Heb “he has given a resting place to his people Israel.”
⁹³tn Heb “not one word from his entire good word he spoke by Moses his servant has fallen.”
⁹⁴tn Heb “to bend our hearts toward him.” The infinitive is subordinate to the initial prayer, “may the LORD our God be with us.” bbl, “heart,” here refers to the people’s volition and will.
⁹⁵tn Heb “to walk in all his ways.”
⁹⁶tn Heb “keep.”
⁹⁷tn Heb “May these words of mine, which I have requested before the LORD, be near the LORD our God day and night.”
⁹⁸tn Heb “accomplish the justice of.”
⁹⁹tn Heb “so that.”
¹⁰⁰tn Heb “the LORD, he is the God, there is no other.”
¹⁰¹tn Heb “may your hearts be complete with the LORD our God.”
¹⁰²tn Heb “walking in.”
¹⁰³tn Heb “keeping.”
¹⁰⁴tn Heb “as this day.”
¹⁰⁵tn Or “peace offerings.”
¹⁰⁶tn Heb “to hold the burnt sacrifices, grain offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings.”
¹⁰⁷tn Heb “Solomon held at that time the festival, and all Israel was with with him, a great assembly from Lebo Hamath to the Stream of Egypt, before the LORD our God for seven days and seven days, 14 days.”
¹⁰⁸tn Heb “on the eighth day” (that is, the day after the second seven-day sequence).
¹⁰⁹tn Heb “they blessed the king.”
¹tn Heb “and all the desire of Solomon which he wanted to do.”
²sn In the same way he had appeared to him at Gibeon. See 1 Kgs 3:5.
³tn Heb “I have heard.”
⁴tn Heb “by placing my name there perpetually” (or perhaps, “forever”).
⁵tn Heb “and my eyes and my heart will be there all the days.”
⁶tn Heb “As for you, if you walk before me, as David your father walked, in integrity of heart and in uprightness, by doing all which I commanded you, (and) you keep my rules and my regulations.” Verse 4 is actually a lengthy protasis (“if” section) of a conditional sentence, the apodosis (“then” section) of which appears in verse 5.
⁷tn Heb “I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever.”
⁸tn Heb “there will not be cut off from you a man from upon the throne of Israel.”
⁹tn Heb “which I placed before you.”
¹⁰tn Heb “and walk and serve other gods and bow down to them.”
¹¹tn Heb “I will cut off Israel from upon the surface of the land.”
¹²tn Heb “and the temple which I consecrated for my name I will send away from before my face.”
sn Instead of “I will send away,” the parallel text in 2 Chr 7:20 has “I will throw away.” The two verbs sound very similar in Hebrew, so the discrepency is likely due to an oral transmissional error.
¹³tn Heb “will become a proverb and a taunt,” that is, a proverbial example of destruction and an object of reproach.
¹⁴tn The Hebrew text reads, “and this house will be high/elevated.” The statement makes little sense in this context, which predicts the desolation that judgment will bring. Some treat the clause as concessive, “Even though this temple is lofty (now).” Others, following the lead of several ancient versions, emend the text to, “this temple will become a heap of ruins.”
¹⁵tn Heb “hiss,” or perhaps “whistle.” This refers to a derisive sound one would make when taunting an object of ridicule.
¹⁶tn Heb “and they will say.”
¹⁷tn Heb “and they took hold of other gods and bowed down to them and served them.”
¹⁸tn Heb “the two houses, the house of the LORD and the house of the king.”
¹⁹tn Heb “they were not agreeable in his eyes.”
²⁰tn Heb “and he said.”
²¹tn Heb “my brother.” Kings allied through a parity treaty would sometimes address each other as “my brother.” See 1 Kgs 20:32-33.
²²tn Heb “he called them the land of Cabul to his day.” The significance of the name is unclear, though it appears to be disparaging. The name may be derived from a root, attested in Akkadian and Arabic, meaning “bound” or “restricted.” Some propose a wordplay, pointing out that the name “Cabul” sounds like a Hebrew phrase meaning, “like not,” or “as good as nothing.”
²³sn Units. Hebrew rkk , “circle,” refers generally to something that is round. When used of metals it can refer to a disk-shaped weight made of the metal or to a standard unit of weight.
²⁴sn The work crews. This word (sm^) refers to a group of laborers conscripted for royal/public service.
²⁵tn Heb “raised up.”
²⁶tn The words “the cities of” are added for clarification.
²⁷tn The Hebrew text has “in the wilderness, in the land.”
²⁸tn Heb “the cities of the chariots and the cities of the horses.”
²⁹tn Heb “and the desire of Solomon which he desired to build in Jerusalem and in Lebanon and in all the land of his kingdom.”
³⁰tn Heb “all the people who were left from the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, who were not from the sons of Israel.”
³¹tn Heb “their sons who were left after them in the land, whom the sons of Israel were unable to wipe out, and Solomon raised them up for a crew of labor to this day.”
³²sn These work crews. The work crews referred to here must be different than the temporary crews described in 5:13-16.
³³tn Heb “officers of his chariots and his horses.”
³⁴tn Heb “these (were) the officials of the governors who were over the work belonging to Solomon, 550, the ones ruling over the people, the ones doing the work.”
³⁵sn The phrase city of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.
³⁶tn Heb “As soon as Pharaoh’s daughter went up from the city of David to her house which he built for her, then he built the terrace.”
³⁷tn Heb “and he made complete the house.”
³⁸tn Heb “and Hiram sent with the fleet his servants, men of ships, (who) know the sea, (to be) with the servants of Solomon.”
³⁹tn Heb “went.”
⁴⁰sn Units. Hebrew rkk , “circle,” refers generally to something that is round. When used of metals it can refer to a disk-shaped weight made of the metal or to a standard unit of weight.
¹tn Heb “the report about Solomon.” The Hebrew text adds, “to the name of the LORD,” which fits very awkwardly in the sentence. If retained, perhaps it should be translated, “because of the reputation of the LORD.” The phrase, which is omitted in the parallel passage in 2 Chr 9:1, may be an addition based on the queen’s declaration of praise to the Lord in v. 9.
²tn Or “test.”
³tn Or “riddles.”
⁴tn Heb “with very great strength.” lyj, “strength,” may refer here to the size of her retinue or to the great wealth she brought with her.
⁵tn Or “balsam oil.”
⁶tn Heb “Solomon declared to her all her words; there was not a word hidden from the king which he did not declare to her.” If riddles are specifically in view (see v. 1), then one might translate, “Solomon explained to her all her riddles; there was no riddle too complex for the king.”
⁷tn Heb “all the wisdom of Solomon.”
⁸tn Heb “house.”
⁹tn Heb “the food on his table.”
¹⁰tn Heb “the seating of his servants and the standing of his attendants.”
¹¹tn Heb “there was no breath still in her.”
¹²tn Heb “in my land.”
¹³tn Heb “about your words (or perhaps “deeds”) and your wisdom.”
¹⁴tn Heb “the half was not told to me.”
¹⁵tn Heb “How happy are your men! How happy are these servants of yours, who stand before you continually, who hear your wisdom!”
¹⁶tn Or “delighted in.”
¹⁷tn Heb “to do justice and righteousness.”
¹⁸sn Units. Hebrew rkk , “circle,” refers generally to something that is round. When used of metals it can refer to a disk-shaped weight made of the metal or to a standard unit of weight.
¹⁹tn Heb “there has not come like those spices yet for quantity which the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.”
²⁰tn This Hebrew architectural term occurs only here. The meaning is uncertain; some have suggested “bannisters” or “parapets.” The parallel passage in 2 Chr 9:11 has a different word, meaning “tracks,” or perhaps “steps.”
²¹tn Two types of stringed instruments are specifically mentioned, the rwnk, “zither” (?), and lbn, “harp.”
²²tn Heb “there has not come thus, the fine timber, and there has not been seen to this day.”
²³tn Heb “besides what he had given her according to the hand of the king.”
²⁴tn Heb “turned and went.”
²⁵sn Units. Hebrew rkk , “circle,” refers generally to something that is round. When used of metals it can refer to a disk-shaped weight made of the metal or to a standard unit of weight.
²⁶tn Heb “the weight of the gold which came to Solomon in one year was 666 units of gold.”
²⁷tn Heb “traveling men.”
²⁸tn The Hebrew text has simply “600,” with no unit of measure given.
²⁹sn Three minas. The mina was a unit of measure for weight.
³⁰sn The Palace of the Lebanon Forest. This name was appropriate because of the large amount of cedar, undoubtedly brought from Lebanon, used in its construction. The cedar pillars in the palace must have given it the appearance of a forest.
³¹tn Heb “(There were) armrests on each side of the place of the seat, and two lions standing beside the armrests.”
³²tn Heb “nothing like it had been made for all the kingdoms.”
³³tn Heb “there was no silver, it was not regarded as anything in the days of Solomon.”
³⁴tn Heb “a fleet of Tarshish (ships).” This probably refers to large ships either made in or capable of traveling to the distant western port of Tarshish.
³⁵tn Heb “the fleet of Tarshish (ships) came carrying.”
³⁶tn The meaning of this word is unclear. Some suggest “baboons.”
³⁷tn Heb “King Solomon was greater than all the kings of the earth with respect to wealth and with respect to wisdom.”
³⁸tn Heb “and all the earth was seeking the face of Solomon to hear his wisdom which God had placed in his heart.”
³⁹tn Heb “and they were bringing each one his gift, items of silver...and mules, the matter of a year in a year.”
⁴⁰tn Or “gathered.”
⁴¹tn Heb “he placed them in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.”
⁴²tn The words “as plentiful” are added for clarification.
⁴³tn Heb “he made.”
⁴⁴tn Heb “as the sycamore fig trees which are in the Shephelah.”
⁴⁵sn From Egypt. Because Que is also mentioned, some prefer to see in vv. 28-29 a reference to Mutsur. Que and Mutsur were located in Cilicia/Cappadocia (in modern southern Turkey). See KB3, 625.
⁴⁶sn From Egypt. Because Que is also mentioned, some prefer to see in vv. 28-29 a reference to Mutsur. Que and Mutsur were located in Cilicia/Cappadocia (in modern southern Turkey). See KB3, 625.
⁴⁷tn Heb “and a chariot went up and came out of Egypt for 600 silver (pieces), and a horse for 150, and in the same way to all the kings of the Hittites and to the kings of Aram by their hand they brought out.”
¹tn Heb “you must not go into them, and they must not go into you.”
²tn Heb “Surely they will bend your heart after their gods” (the words “if you do” are added for clarification).
³tn Heb “Solomon clung to them for love.” The pronominal suffix, translated “them,” is masculine here, even though it appears the foreign women are in view. Perhaps this is due to attraction to the masculine forms used of the nations earlier in the verse.
⁴tn Heb “wives, princesses.”
⁵tn Or “concubines.”
⁶tn Heb “his wives bent his heart.”
⁷tn Heb “bent his heart after.”
⁸tn Heb “his heart was not complete with the LORD his God, like the heart of David his father.”
⁹tn Heb “walked after.”
¹⁰tn Heb “Milcom, the detestable thing of the Ammonites.”
¹¹tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
¹²tn The idiomatic statement reads in Hebrew, “he did not fill up after.”
¹³tn Heb “then.”
¹⁴tn That is, the Mount of Olives.
¹⁵sn A high place. The “high places” were places of worship that were naturally or artificially elevated (see 1 Kgs 3:2).
¹⁶tn Heb “Chemosh, the detestable thing of Moab.”
¹⁷tn The Hebrew text has “Molech,” but Milcom must be intended (see vv. 5, 33).
¹⁸tn Heb “and the same thing he did for all his foreign wives, (who) were burning incense and sacrificing to their gods.”
¹⁹tn Heb “bent his heart.”
²⁰sn On two occasions. These are mentioned in 1 Kgs 3:5 and 9:2.
²¹tn Heb “and had commanded him concerning this thing not to walk after other gods.”
²²tn Or “keep.”
²³tn Heb “Because this is with you and you have not kept my covenant and my rules which I commanded you.”
²⁴tn Heb “give.”
²⁵tn Or “raised up.”
²⁶tn Heb “when David was (fighting?) with Edom.”
²⁷tn Heb “and all Israel.”
²⁸tn Heb “until he had cut off every male in Edom.”
²⁹tn The Hebrew text has Adad, an alternate form of the name Hadad.
³⁰tn Heb “and Adad fled, he and Edomite men from the servants of his father, to go to Egypt, and Hadad was a small boy.”
³¹tn Heb “and they arose from Midian and went to Paran and they took men with them from Paran and went to Egypt to Pharaoh king of Egypt and he gave to him a house and food and he said to him, and a land he gave to him.” Something seems to be accidentally omitted after “and he said to him.”
³²tn Heb “and Hadad found great favor in the eyes of Pharaoh.”
³³tn Heb “and he gave to him a wife, the sister of his wife, the sister of Tahpenes the queen.”
³⁴tn Heb “bore.”
³⁵tc The Hebrew text reads, “weaned him” (whlmgtw) but a slight alteration of the consonantal text yields, “raised him” (whldgtw), which seems to make better sense.
³⁶tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
³⁷tn Heb “send me away.”
³⁸tn Heb “Indeed what do you lack with me, that now you are seeking to go to your land?”
³⁹tn Heb “and he said.”
⁴⁰sn So Hadad asked Pharaoh... This lengthy description of Hadad’s exile in Egypt explains why Hadad wanted to oppose Solomon and supports the author’s thesis that his hostility to Solomon found its ultimate source in divine providence. Though Hadad enjoyed a comfortable life in Egypt, when the Lord raised him up (apparently stirring up his desire for vengeance) he decided to leave the comforts of Egypt and return to Edom.
⁴¹tn Heb “him.”
⁴²tn Heb “and he was the officer of a raiding band.”
⁴³tn The Hebrew text reads “when David killed them.” This phrase is traditionally joined with what precedes. The ancient Greek version does not reflect the phrase and some suggest that it has been misplaced from the end of verse 23.
⁴⁴tn The construction (qal of Jwq + b) is rare, but not without parallel (see Lev 20:23).
⁴⁵tn Heb “raised a hand against.”
⁴⁶tn Heb “Ephrathite,” which here refers to an Ephraimite (see KB3, 81).
⁴⁷tn Heb “this is the matter concerning which he raised a hand against the king.”
⁴⁸sn The city of his father David. The phrase refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.
⁴⁹tn Heb “man of strength.”
⁵⁰tn The Hebrew text has simply “he,” making it a bit unclear whether Jeroboam or Ahijah is the subject, but in the Hebrew word order Ahijah is the nearer antecedent.
⁵¹tn Heb “and Ahijah grabbed the new robe that was on him.”
⁵²tn The words “I am taking the kingdom from him” are added for clarification.
⁵³tn Heb “walked in my ways.”
⁵⁴tn Heb “by doing what is right in my eyes, my rules and my regulations, like David his father.”
⁵⁵tn Heb “and I will give it to you, ten tribes.”
⁵⁶tn Heb “give.”
⁵⁷sn So my servant David’s dynasty might continue to serve me in Jerusalem. (Heb “so there might be a lamp for David my servant all the days before me in Jerusalem”); the metaphorical “lamp” symbolizes the Davidic dynasty.
⁵⁸tn Heb “so there might be a lamp for David my servant all the days before me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen for myself to put my name there.”
⁵⁹tn Heb “take.”
⁶⁰tn Heb “If you obey.” Verse 38 is actually one long conditional sentence which has been broken into two parts in the translation for stylistic purposes.
⁶¹tn Heb “walk in my ways.”
⁶²tn Heb “do what is right in my eyes.”
⁶³tn Heb “I will build for you a permanent house, like I built for David.”
⁶⁴sn Because of this. Reference is made to the idolatry mentioned earlier.
⁶⁵tn Heb “but not all the days.”
⁶⁶tn Heb “but Jeroboam arose and ran away to Egypt, to Shishak king of Egypt.”
⁶⁷tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Solomon, and all which he did, and his wisdom, are they not written on the scroll of the events of Solomon?”
⁶⁸tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
⁶⁹sn The city of his father David. The phrase refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.
¹tn Heb “come (to).”
²tn Heb “and Jeroboam lived in Egypt.” The parallel text in 2 Chr 10:2 reads, “and Jeroboam returned from Egypt.” In a purely consonantal text the forms “and he lived” and “and he returned” are identical (bvyw).
³tn Heb “They sent and called for him.”
⁴tn Heb “made our yoke burdensome.”
⁵tn Heb “but you, now, lighten the burdensome work of your father and the heavy yoke which he placed on us, and we will serve you.” In the Hebrew text the prefixed verbal form with waw (Jdbunw, “and we will serve you”) following the imperative (lqh, “lighten”) indicates purpose/result. The conditional sentence used in the translation above is an attempt to bring out the logical relationship between these forms.
⁶tn Heb “stood before.”
⁷tn Heb “saying.”
⁸tn Heb “If today you are a servant to these people and you serve them and answer them and speak to them good words, they will be your servants all the days.”
⁹tn Heb “Rehoboam rejected the advice of the elders which they advised and he consulted the young men with whom he had grown up, who stood before him.”
¹⁰tn Heb “Lighten the yoke which your father placed on us.”
¹¹tn Heb “Your father made our yoke heavy, but make it lighter upon us.”
¹²tn Heb “My little one is thicker than my father’s hips.” The referent of “my little one” is not clear. The traditional view is that it refers to the little finger. As the following statement makes clear, Rehoboam’s point is that he is more harsh and demanding than his father.
¹³tn Heb “and now my father placed upon you a heavy yoke, but I will add to your yoke.”
¹⁴tn Heb “My father punished you with whips, but I will punish you with scorpions.” “Scorpions” might allude to some type of torture, but more likely it refers to a type of whip that inflicts an especially biting, painful wound.
¹⁵tn Heb “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke.”
¹⁶tn Heb “My father punished you with whips, but I will punish you with scorpions.” “Scorpions” might allude to some type of torture, but more likely it refers to a type of whip that inflicts an especially biting, painful wound.
¹⁷tn Heb “because this turn of events was from the LORD.”
¹⁸tn Heb “so that he might bring to pass his word which the LORD spoke.”
¹⁹sn We have no portion in David; no share in the son of Jesse. Their point seems to be that they have no familial relationship with David that brings them any benefits or places upon them any obligations. They are being treated like outsiders.
²⁰tn Heb “to your tents, Israel.” The word “return” is added for stylistic reasons.
²¹tn Heb “Now see your house, David.”
²²tn Heb “went to their tents.”
²³sn The work crews. See the appropriate notes at 4:6.
²⁴tn Heb “there was no one (following) after the house of David except the tribe of Judah, it alone.”
²⁵tn Heb “he summoned all the house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin, 180,000 chosen men, accomplished in war.”
²⁶tn Heb “and the word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying.”
²⁷tn Heb “for his thing is from me.”
²⁸tn Heb “and they heard the word of the LORD and returned to go according to the word of the LORD.”
²⁹tn Heb “said in his heart.”
³⁰tn Heb “Now the kingdom could return to the house of David.” The imperfect verbal form translated “could return” is understood as having a potential force here. Perhaps this is not strong enough; another option is “will return.”
³¹tn Heb “the heart of these people could return to their master.”
³²tn The words “with his advisers” are added for clarification.
³³tn Heb “them.”
³⁴tn Heb “and this thing became a sin.”
³⁵tc The Hebrew text reads “and the people went before the one to Dan.” It is likely that some words have been accidentally omitted and that the text originally said, “and the people went before the one at Bethel and before the one at Dan.”
³⁶tn The Hebrew text has the singular, but the plural is preferable here (see 1 Kgs 13:32).
³⁷sn The eighth month would correspond to October-November in modern reckoning.
³⁸sn The festival he celebrated in Judah probably refers to the Feast of Tabernacles, held in the seventh month (September-October). See also 1 Kgs 8:2.
³⁹tn Heb “and he offered up (sacrifices) on the altar; he did this in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves which he had made.”
¹tn Heb “which he had chosen by himself.”
²tn Heb “Look.” This is a rhetorical device by which the author invites the reader to visualize the scene for dramatic effect.
³tn Heb “the man of God.”
⁴tn Heb “came by the word of the LORD to Bethel.”
⁵tn Heb “by the word of the LORD.”
⁶sn ‘Look...you.’ For the fulfillment of this prophecy see 2 Kgs 23:15-20.
⁷tn Heb “gave.”
⁸tn Heb “spoken.”
⁹tn Heb “the fat.” Reference is made to burnt wood mixed with fat. See KB3, 234.
¹⁰tn Heb “will be poured out.”
¹¹tn Heb “the man of God.”
¹²tn Heb “Jeroboam extended his hand from the altar.”
¹³tn Heb “saying.”
¹⁴tn Heb “the fat.” Reference is made to burnt wood mixed with fat. See KB3, 234.
¹⁵tn Heb “were poured out from the altar.”
¹⁶tn Heb “according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the LORD.”
¹⁷tn Heb “The king answered and said to.”
¹⁸tn Heb “the man of God.”
¹⁹tn Heb “appease the face of.”
²⁰tn Heb “the man of God.”
²¹tn Heb “appeased the face of the LORD.”
²²tn Heb “and it was as in the beginning.”
²³tn Heb “the man of God.”
²⁴tn Heb “the man of God.”
²⁵tn Heb “house.”
²⁶tn Heb “eat food and drink water.”
²⁷tn Heb “for this he commanded me by the word of the LORD, saying.”
²⁸tn Heb “eat food and drink water.”
²⁹tn Heb “and his son came and told him.” The Hebrew text has the singular here, but several other textual witnesses have the plural, which is more consistent with the second half of the verse and with vv. 12-13.
³⁰tn Heb “all the actions which the man of God performed that day in Bethel, the words which he spoke to the king, and they told them to their father.”
³¹tn The Hebrew text has “and his sons saw” (War+Y]w^, a qal form of the verb har). In this case the verbal construction (waw consecutive + prefixed verbal form) would have to be understood as pluperfect, “his sons had seen.” Such uses of this construction are rare at best. Consequently many, following the lead of the ancient versions, prefer to emend the verbal form to a hiphil with pronominal suffix (Wha%r+Y^w^, “and they showed him”).
³²tn Heb “the man of God.”
³³tn Heb “the man of God.”
³⁴tn Heb “the man of God.”
³⁵tn Heb “I am unable to return with you or to go with you.”
³⁶tn Heb “eat food and drink water.”
³⁷tn Heb “for a word to me by the word of the LORD.”
³⁸tn Heb “eat food and drink water.”
³⁹tn Heb “and he said to him.”
⁴⁰tn Heb “by the word of the LORD.”
⁴¹tn Heb “eat food and drink water.”
⁴²tn Or “deceiving him.”
sn He was lying to him. The motives and actions of the old prophet are difficult to understand. The old man’s response to the prophet’s death (see vv. 26-32) suggests he did not trick him with malicious intent. The old prophet probably wanted the honor of entertaining such a celebrity or perhaps simply desired some social interaction with a fellow prophet.
⁴³tn Heb “and he returned with him and ate food in his house and drank water.”
⁴⁴tn Heb “and the word of the LORD came to the prophet who had brought him back.”
⁴⁵tn The Hebrew text has “because” at the beginning of the sentence. In the Hebrew text vv. 21-22 are one long sentence comprised of a causal clause giving the reason for divine punishment (vv. 21-22a) and the main clause announcing the punishment (v. 22b). The translation divides this lengthy sentence up for stylistic reasons.
⁴⁶tn Heb “the mouth (i.e. command) of the LORD.”
⁴⁷tn Heb “and you returned and ate food and drank water in the place about which he said to you, ‘do not ate food and do not drink water.’”
⁴⁸tn “Therefore” is added for stylistic reasons. See the note at 1 Kgs 13:21 pertaining to the grammatical structure of vv. 21-22.
⁴⁹tn Heb “will not go to the tomb of your fathers.”
⁵⁰tn Heb “and after he had eaten food and after he had drunk.”
⁵¹tn Heb “and he saddled for him the donkey, for the prophet whom he had brought back.”
⁵²tn Heb “and he went and a lion met him in the road and killed him.”
⁵³tn Heb “and his corpse fell on the road, and the donkey was standing beside it, and the lion was standing beside the corpse.”
⁵⁴tn Heb “Look, men were passing by.”
⁵⁵tn The words “what they had seen” are added for clarification.
⁵⁶tn Heb “and the prophet who had brought him back from the road heard.”
⁵⁷tn Heb “the man of God.”
⁵⁸tn Heb “broke him,” or “crushed him.”
⁵⁹tn Heb “according to the word of the LORD which he spoke to him.”
⁶⁰tn Heb “and they saddled (it).”
⁶¹tn Heb “the prophet.”
⁶²tn Heb “the man of God.”
⁶³tn Heb “the man of God.”
⁶⁴tn Heb “for the word which he cried out by the word of the LORD”
⁶⁵tn Heb “Samaria.” The name of Israel’s capital city here stands for the northern kingdom as a whole. Actually Samaria was not built and named until several years after this (see 1 Kgs 16:24), so it is likely that the author of Kings, writing at a later time, is here adapting the old prophet’s original statement.
⁶⁶tn Heb “did not turn from his evil way.”
⁶⁷sn Common people. That is, people who were not Levites. See 1 Kgs 12:31.
⁶⁸tn Heb “and one who had the desire he was filling his hand so that he became (one of) the priests of the high places.”
⁶⁹tn Heb “house.”
¹tn Heb “Get up, change yourself.”
²tn Heb “look, Ahijah the prophet is there, he told me (I would be) king over this nation.”
³tn Heb “and the wife of Jeroboam did so; she arose and went to Shiloh and entered the house of Ahijah.”
⁴tn Heb “his eyes were set because of his old age.”
⁵sn Tell her so-and-so. Certainly the Lord gave Ahijah a specific message to give to Jeroboam’s wife (see vv. 6-16), but the author of Kings here condenses the Lord’s message with the words “so-and-so.” For dramatic effect he prefers to have us hear the message from Ahijah’s lips as he speaks to the king’s wife.
⁶tn Heb “I am sent to you (with) a hard (message).”
⁷tn The Hebrew text has “because” at the beginning of the sentence. In the Hebrew text vv. 7-11 are one long sentence comprised of a causal clause giving the reason for divine punishment (vv. 7-9) and the main clause announcing the punishment (vv. 10-11). The translation divides this lengthy sentence up for stylistic reasons.
⁸tn Heb “what was right in my eyes.”
⁹tn Heb “you went and you made for yourself other gods, metal (ones), angering me, and you threw me behind your back.”
¹⁰sn Disaster. There is a wordplay in the Hebrew text. The word translated “disaster” (hur) is from the same root as “you have sinned” (v. 9, urtw, from uur). Jeroboam’s sins would receive an appropriate punishment.
¹¹tn Heb “house.”
¹²tn Heb “and I will cut off from Jeroboam those who urinate against a wall, (including both those who are) restrained and let free (or “abandoned”) in Israel.” The precise meaning of the idiomatic phrase bwzuw rwxu is uncertain. For various options see KB3, 871, and Cogan and Tadmor, II Kings, 107. The two terms are usually taken as polar opposites (“slaves and freemen” or “minors and adults”), but Cogan and Tadmor, on the basis of contextual considerations (note the usage with spa, “nothing but”) in Deut 32:36 and 2 Kgs 14:26, argue convincingly that the terms are synonyms, meaning “restrained and abandoned,” and refer to incapable or incapacitated individuals.
¹³tn The traditional view understands the verb rub to mean “burn.” Manure was sometimes used as fuel (see Ezek 4:12, 15). However, an alternate view takes rub as a homonym meaning “sweep away” (KB3, 146). In this case one might translate, “I will sweep away the dynasty of Jeroboam, just as one sweeps away manure it is gone.” Either metaphor emphasizes the thorough and destructive nature of the coming judgment.
¹⁴tn The Hebrew text adds “belonging to Jeroboam” here.
¹⁵tn Heb “house.”
¹⁶tn Heb “house.”
¹⁷tn Heb “This is the day. What also now?” The precise meaning of the second half of the statement is uncertain.
¹⁸tn The elliptical Hebrew text reads literally “and the LORD will strike Israel as a reed sways in the water.”
¹⁹tn Heb “the River.”
²⁰tn Heb “because they made their Asherah poles that anger the LORD.”
²¹tn Heb “and he will give (up) Israel.”
²²tn Heb “went and entered.”
²³tn Heb “according to the word of the LORD which he spoke.”
²⁴tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Jeroboam, how he fought and how he ruled, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel?”
²⁵tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
²⁶tn Heb “the city where the LORD chose to place his name from all the tribes of Israel.”
²⁷tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
²⁸tn Heb “and they made him jealous more than all which their fathers had done by their sins which they sinned.”
²⁹tn Heb “they did according to all the abominable acts of the nations.”
³⁰tn Heb “runners.”
³¹tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Rehoboam, and all which he did, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah?”
³²tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
³³tn In the Hebrew text the name is spelled “Abijam” here and in 1 Kgs 15:1-8.
¹tn Heb “his heart was not complete with the LORD his God, like the heart of David his father.”
²tn Heb “gave him a lamp.”
³tn Heb “by raising up his son after him.”
⁴tn Heb “and by causing Jerusalem to stand firm.”
⁵tn The words “he did this” are added for stylistic reasons.
⁶tn Heb “what was right in the eyes of the LORD.”
⁷tn Heb”and had not turned aside from all which he commanded him.”
⁸tn Heb “his.”
⁹tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Abijah, and all which he did, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah?”
¹⁰tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
¹¹tn Heb “mother,” but Hebrew often uses “father” and “mother” for grandparents and more remote ancestors.
¹²tn Heb “what was right in the eyes of the LORD.”
¹³tn Heb “father,” but Hebrew often uses “father” and “mother” for grandparents and more remote ancestors.
¹⁴tn The word used here [Heb. <yl!WLg]] is always used as a disdainful reference to idols. It is generally thought to have originally referred to “dung pellets” [cf. KB2, <yl!WLg], 183]. It is only one of several terms used in this way, such as “worthless things” [Heb. <yl!yl!a^], “vanities” or “empty winds” [Heb. <yl!b*h&].
¹⁵tn Heb “mother,” but Hebrew often uses “father” and “mother” for grandparents and more remote ancestors.
¹⁶tn Heb “yet the heart of Asa was complete with the LORD all his days.”
¹⁷tn Heb “and he brought the holy things of his father and his holy things (into) the house of the LORD, silver, gold, and items.” Instead of “his holy things,” a marginal reading (qere) in the Hebrew text has “the holy things of (the house of the LORD).”
¹⁸tn Heb “There was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days.”
¹⁹tn Heb “and he built up Ramah so as to not permit going out or coming in to Asa king of Judah.”
²⁰tn Heb “King Asa sent it.”
²¹tn Heb “(May there be) a covenant between me and you (as there was) between my father and your father.”
²²tn Heb “so he will go up from upon me.”
²³tn Heb “and Ben Hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of the armies which belonged to him against the cities of Israel.”
²⁴tn Heb “he struck down.”
²⁵tn Heb “and all Kinnereth together with all the land of Naphtali.”
²⁶tn Heb “building.”
²⁷tn Heb “and King Asa made a proclamation to all Judah, there was no one exempt, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its wood which Baasha had built.”
²⁸tn Heb “and King Asa built with them.”
²⁹tn Heb “As for the rest of all the events of Asa, and all his strength and all which he did and the cities which he built, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah?”
³⁰tn Heb “Yet in the time of his old age he became sick in his feet.”
³¹tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
³²tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
³³tn Heb “and he walked in the way of his father and in his sin which he made Israel sin.”
³⁴tn Heb “and when he became king, he struck down all the house of Jeroboam; he did not live any breath to Jeroboam until he destroyed him.”
³⁵tn Heb “according to the word of the LORD which he spoke.”
³⁶tn Heb “because of Jeroboam which he committed and which he made Israel commit, by his provocation by which he made the LORD God of Israel angry.”
³⁷tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Nadab, and all which he did, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel?”
³⁸tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
³⁹tn Heb “and he walked in the way of Jeroboam and in his sin which he made Israel sin.”
¹tn Heb “and the word of the LORD came to Jehu son of Hanani concerning (or, “against”) Baasha, saying.”
²tn The Hebrew text has “because” at the beginning of the sentence. In the Hebrew text vv. 2-3 are one sentence comprised of a causal clause giving the reason for divine punishment (v. 2) and the main clause announcing the punishment (v. 3). The translation divides this sentence up for stylistic reasons.
³tn Heb “walked in the way of Jeroboam.”
⁴tn Heb “angering me by their sins.”
⁵tn The traditional view understands the verb rub to mean “burn.” However, an alternate view takes rub as a homonym meaning “sweep away” (KB3, 146). In this case one might translate, “I am ready to sweep away Baasha and his family.” Either metaphor emphasizes the thorough and destructive nature of the coming judgment.
⁶tn The Hebrew text adds “belonging to Baasha” here.
⁷tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Baasha, and that which he did and his strength, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel?”
⁸tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
⁹tn Heb “and also through Jehu son of Hanani the word of the LORD came concerning (or, “against”) Baasha and his house, and because of all the evil which he did in the eyes of the LORD.”
¹⁰tn Heb “angering him by the work of his hands, so that he was like the house of Jeroboam, and because of how he struck it down.”
¹¹tn Heb “while he was drinking and drunken.”
¹²tn Heb “and he became king in his place.”
¹³tn Heb “and he did not spare any belonging to him who urinate against a wall, (including) his kinsmen redeemers and his friends.”
¹⁴tn Heb “according to the word of the LORD which he spoke concerning” (or, “spoke against”).
¹⁵tn Heb “angering the LORD God of Israel with their empty things.”
¹⁶tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Elah, and all which he did, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel?”
¹⁷tn Heb “Now the people were encamped.
¹⁸tn Heb “and the people who were encamped heard.”
¹⁹tn Heb “and he burned the house of the king over him with fire and he died.”
²⁰tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
²¹tn Heb “walking in the way of Jeroboam and in his sin which he did to make Israel sin.”
²²tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Zimri, and his conspiracy which he conspired, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel?”
²³sn Units. Hebrew rkk , “circle,” refers generally to something that is round. When used of metals it can refer to a disk-shaped weight made of the metal or to a standard unit of weight.
²⁴tn Heb “he built up the hill.”
²⁵tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
²⁶tn Heb “walked in all the way of Jeroboam and in his sin which he made Israel sin.”
²⁷tn Heb “angering the LORD God of Israel with their empty things.”
²⁸tn Heb “As for the rest of the acts of Omri which he did, and his stength which he demonstrated, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel?”
²⁹tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
³⁰tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
³¹tn Heb “and he went and served Baal and bowed down to him.”
sn The Canaanites worshiped Baal as a storm and fertility god.
³²tn Heb “in his days.”
³³tn Heb “with Abiram, his firstborn, he founded it.”
³⁴tn Heb “with Segub, his youngest, he set up its gates.”
³⁵tn Heb “according to the word of the LORD which he spoke.”
³⁶sn Warned through Joshua son of Nun. For the background see Josh 6:26, where Joshua pronounces a curse on the one who dares to rebuild Jericho. Here that curse is viewed as a prophecy spoken by God through Joshua.
¹tn Heb “before whom I stand.”
²tn Heb “except at the command of my word.”
³tn Heb “and the word of the LORD came to him, saying.”
⁴tn Heb “commanded.”
⁵tn Heb “to provide for you.”
⁶tn Heb “And the word of the LORD came to him, saying.”
⁷tn Heb “Look, I have commanded.”
⁸tn Heb “Look, I am gathering two sticks and then I will go and make it for me and my son and we will eat it and we will die.”
⁹tn Heb “according to your word.”
¹⁰tn Heb “and she ate, she and he and her house (for) days.”
¹¹tn Heb “out, according to the word of the LORD which he spoke.”
¹²tn Heb “What to me and to you, man of God, that you have come.”
¹³tn Heb “you are a man of God and the word of the LORD is truly in your mouth.”
sn “Now I know that you are a prophet and that the LORD really does speak through you.” This episode is especially significant in light of Ahab’s decision to promote Baal worship in Israel. In Canaanite mythology the drought that swept over the region (v. 1) would signal that Baal, a fertility god responsible for providing food for his subjects, had been defeated by the god of death and was imprisoned in the underworld. While Baal was overcome by death and unable to function like a king, Israel’s God demonstrated his sovereignty and superiority to death by providing food for a widow and restoring life to her son. And he did it all in Sidonian territory, Baal’s back yard, as it were. The episode demonstrates that Israel’s God, not Baal, is the true king who provides food and controls life and death. This polemic against Baalism reaches its climax in the next chapter, when the Lord proves that he, not Baal, controls the elements of the storm and determines when the rains will fall.
¹tn Heb “the word of the LORD came to Elijah.”
²tn Heb “now Obadiah greatly feared the LORD.” “Fear” refers here to obedience and allegiance, the products of healthy respect for the Lord’s authority.
³tn Heb “cutting off.”
⁴tn Heb “grass.”
⁵tn Heb “look, Elijah (came) to meet him.”
⁶tn Heb “(It is) I.”
⁷tn Heb “Look, Elijah;” or, “Elijah is here.”
⁸tn Heb “he;” the referent (Obadiah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
⁹tn Heb “to kill me.”
¹⁰tn Heb “he makes the kingdom or the nation swear an oath.”
¹¹tn Heb “Look, Elijah;” or, “Elijah is here.”
¹²tn Heb “to (a place) which I do not know.”
¹³tn Heb “and I will go to inform Ahab and he will not find you and he will kill me.”
¹⁴tn The words “that would not be fair” are added to clarify the logic of Obadiah’s argument.
¹⁵tn Heb “has feared the LORD” (also see the note at 1 Kgs 18:3).
¹⁶tn Heb “Has it not been told to my master what I did...?” The rhetorical question expects an answer, “Of course it has!”
¹⁷tn Heb “Look, Elijah;” or, “Elijah is here.”
¹⁸tn Traditionally, “the LORD of Hosts.”
¹⁹tn Heb “(before whom I stand).”
²⁰tn Heb “Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him, and Ahab went to meet Elijah.”
²¹tn Heb “Ahab.”
²²tn Or “trouble.”
²³tn Heb “he;” the referent (Elijah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
²⁴tn Or “trouble.”
²⁵tn The word “messengers” is added for clarification.
²⁶tn Heb “who eat at the table of Jezebel.”
²⁷tn The word “messengers” is added for clarification.
²⁸tn Heb “How long are you going to limp around on two crutches?” (see KB3, 762)
²⁹tn Heb “the God.”
³⁰tn Elijah now directly addresses the prophets.
³¹tn Heb “the God.”
³²tn Heb “The matter (i.e., proposal) is good (i.e., acceptable).”
³³tn Heb “and they took the bull which he allowed them.”
³⁴tn Heb “limped” (the same verb is used in v. 21).
³⁵tc The Hebrew text has, “which he made,” but many ancient textual witnesses have the plural form of the verb.
³⁶sn Perhaps he is sleeping and needs to be awakened. Elijah’s sarcastic proposals would have been especially offensive and irritating to Baal’s prophets, for they believed Baal was imprisoned in the underworld as death’s captive during this time of drought. Elijah’s apparent ignorance of their theology is probably designed for dramatic effect; indeed the suggestion that Baal is away on a trip or deep in sleep comes precariously close to the truth as viewed by the prophets.
³⁷tn Or “as was their custom.”
³⁸tn Heb “until blood poured out on them.”
sn mutilated...covered with blood. This self-mutilation was a mourning rite designed to facilitate Baal’s return from the underworld.
³⁹tn Heb “when noon passed they prophesied until the offering up of the offering.”
⁴⁰sn No sound, no answer, and no response. In 2 Kgs 4:31 the words “there was no sound and there was no response” are used to describe a dead boy. In the same way the god Baal was dead and therefore unresponsive.
⁴¹sn Torn down. The condition of the altar symbolizes the spiritual state of the people.
⁴²sn Israel will be your new name. See Gen 32:28; 35:10.
⁴³tn Heb “and he built the stones into an altar in the name of the LORD.”
⁴⁴tn A seah was a dry measure equivalent to about 7 quarts.
⁴⁵tn The words “when they had done so” are added for clarification.
⁴⁶tn Heb “at the offering up of the offering.”
⁴⁷tn The words “the altar” are added for clarification.
⁴⁸tn Heb “let it be known.”
⁴⁹tn Heb “the God.”
⁵⁰tn Heb “that you are turning their heart(s) back.”
⁵¹tn The words “from the sky” are added for stylistic reasons.
⁵²tn Heb “the God.”
⁵³tn Heb “the God.”
⁵⁴tn Or “slaughtered.”
⁵⁵tn Heb “for (there is) the sound of the roar of the rain.”
⁵⁶sn So he went on up, looked, and reported, “There is nothing.” Several times in this chapter those addressed by Elijah obey his orders. In vv. 20 and 42 Ahab does as instructed, in vv. 26 and 28 the prophets follow Elijah’s advice, in vv. 30, 34, 40 and 43 the people and servants do as they are told. By juxtaposing Elijah’s commands with accounts of their being obeyed, the narrator emphasizes the authority of the Lord’s prophet.
⁵⁷tn Heb “He said, ‘Return,’ seven times.”
⁵⁸tn Heb “he;” the referent (the servant) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
⁵⁹tn Heb “he;” the referent (Elijah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
⁶⁰tn Heb “so that the rain won’t restrain you.”
⁶¹tn Heb “and the hand of the LORD was on Elijah.”
¹tn Heb “saying.”
²tn Heb “So may the gods do to me, and so may they add.”
³tn Heb “I do not make your life like the life of one of them.”
⁴tc The Hebrew text has “and he saw,” but some Hebrew manuscripts, as well as several ancient versions, support the reading “he was afraid.” The consonantal text (aryw) is ambiguous and can be vocalized ar+Y^w^ (from har, “to see”) or ar`Y]w^ (from ary, “to fear”).
⁵tn Or “broom tree.”
⁶tn Heb “and asked with respect to his life to die.”
⁷tn Or “lay down.”
⁸tn Or “broom tree.”
⁹tn Heb “Look, a messenger.”
¹⁰tn Heb “and again lay down”
¹¹tn Heb “for the journey is too great for you.”
¹²tn Or “very zealous.” The infinitive absolute preceding the finite verb emphasizes the degree of his zeal and allegiance.
¹³tn Traditionally, “the God of Hosts.”
¹⁴tn Heb “abandoned your covenant.”
¹⁵tn Heb “and they are seeking my life to take it.”
¹⁶tn Heb “he;” the referent (the LORD) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
¹⁷tn Heb “tearing away the mountains and breaking the cliffs” (or perhaps “breaking the stones”).
¹⁸tn Heb “a voice, calm, soft.”
¹⁹tn Heb “look.”
²⁰tn Or “very zealous.” The infinitive absolute preceding the finite verb emphasizes the degree of his zeal and allegiance.
²¹tn Traditionally, “the God of Hosts.”
²²tn Heb “abandoned your covenant.”
²³tn Heb “and they are seeking my life to take it.”
²⁴tn Heb “anoint.”
²⁵tn Heb “anoint.”
²⁶tn Heb “I have kept in Israel 7,000, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and all the mouths that have not kissed him.”
²⁷tn Heb “he;” the referent (Elijah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
²⁸tn Heb “he;” the referent (Elijah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
²⁹tn Heb “and with the equipment of the oxen he cooked them, the flesh.”
¹tn Heb “and he went up and besieged Samaria and fought against it.”
²tn Heb “to the city.”
³tn Heb “all that is desirable to your eyes.”
⁴tn Heb “elders.”
⁵tn Heb “Know and see that this (man) is seeking trouble.”
⁶tn Heb “Do not listen and do not be willing.”
⁷tn Heb “all which you sent to your servant in the beginning I will do, but this thing I am unable to do.”
⁸tn Heb “So may the gods do to me, and so may they add.”
⁹tn Heb “if the dirt of Samaria suffices for the handfuls of all the people who are at my feet.”
¹⁰sn “Tell him the one who puts on his battle gear should not boast like one who is taking it off.” The point of the saying is this: one who is still preparing for a battle should not boast as if he has already won the battle. A modern parallel would be, “Don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched.”
¹¹tn Heb “When he heard this word.”
¹²tn Heb “in the temporary shelters” (probably tents).
¹³tn Heb “this great horde.”
¹⁴tn The words “will this be accomplished” are added for clarification.
¹⁵tn Heb “he;” the referent (Ahab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
¹⁶tn Heb “he;” the referent (Ahab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
¹⁷tn Heb “after them he assembled all the people, all the sons of Israel, 7,000.”
¹⁸tn Heb “drinking and drunken.”
¹⁹tn Heb “in the temporary shelters” (probably tents).
²⁰tn Heb “if they come in peace, take them alive; if they come for battle, take them alive.”
²¹tn Heb “each struck down his man.”
²²tn Heb “struck down Aram with a great striking down.”
²³tn The definite article indicates previous reference, that is, “the prophet mentioned earlier” (see v. 13).
²⁴tn Heb “strengthen yourself.”
²⁵tn Heb “know and see.”
²⁶tn Heb “at the turning of the year.”
²⁷tn Or “servants.”
²⁸tn Heb “And you, you muster an army like the one that fell from you, horse like horse and chariot like chariot.”
²⁹tn Heb “he listened to their voice and did so.”
³⁰tn Heb “at the turning of the year.”
³¹tn Heb “Aram.”
³²tn Heb “and went up to Aphek for battle with Israel.”
³³tn The noun translated “small flocks” occurs only here. The common interpretation derives the word from the verbal root [cj , “strip off, make bare.” In this case the noun refers to something “stripped off” or “made bare.” KB3, 359, derives the noun from a proposed homonymic verbal root (which occurs only in Ps 29:9) meaning “cause a premature birth.” In this case the derived noun could refer to goats that are undersized because they are born prematurely.
³⁴tn Heb “the man of God.”
³⁵tn Heb “I will place all this great horde in your hand.”
³⁶tn Heb “and the remaining ones fled to Aphek to the city and the wall fell on 27,000 men, the ones who remained.”
³⁷tn Heb “and Ben Hadad fled and went into the city, (into) an inner room in an inner room.”
³⁸tn Or “servants.”
³⁹tn Or “merciful.” The word used here often means “devoted, loyal.” Perhaps the idea is that the Israelite kings are willing to make treaties with other kings.
⁴⁰sn Sackcloth aroung our waists and ropes on our heads. Sackcloth was worn as a sign of sorrow and repentance. The precise significance of the ropes on the head is uncertain, but it probably was a sign of submission. These actions were comparable to raising a white flag on the battlefield or throwing in the towel in a boxing match.
⁴¹tn Heb “go out.”
⁴²sn Your servant. By referring to Ben Hadad as Ahab’s servant, they are suggesting that Ahab make him a subject in a vassal treaty arrangement.
⁴³tn Heb “he;” the referent (Ahab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
⁴⁴sn He is my brother. Ahab’s response indicates that he wants to make a parity treaty and treat Ben Hadad as an equal partner.
⁴⁵tn Heb “he;” the referent (Ahab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
⁴⁶tn Heb “he;” the referent (Ben Hadad) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
⁴⁷tn Heb “streets,” but this must refer to streets set up with stalls for merchants to sell their goods. See KB3, 299.
⁴⁸tn Heb “I will send you away with a treaty.” The words “Ahab then said” are added. There is nothing in the Hebrew text to indicate that the speaker has changed from Ben Hadad to Ahab. Some suggest adding “and he said” before “I will send you away.” Others prefer to maintain Ben Hadad as the speaker and change the statement to, “Please send me away with a treaty.”
⁴⁹tn Heb “Now a man from the sons of the prophets said to his companion by the word of the LORD, ‘Wound me’”
⁵⁰tn Heb “he;” the referent (the prophet) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
⁵¹tn Heb “and the man wounded him, wounding and bruising.”
⁵²tn Heb “middle.”
⁵³tn Heb “man.”
⁵⁴tn Heb “man.”
⁵⁵tn Heb “if being missed, he is missed.” The emphatic infinitive absolute before the finite verbal form lends solemnity to the warning.
⁵⁶sn Unit. Hebrew rkk , “circle,” refers generally to something that is round. When used of metals it can refer to a disk-shaped weight made of the metal or to a standard unit of weight.
⁵⁷tn Heb “your life will be in place of his life, or a unit of silver you will pay.”
⁵⁸tn Heb “so (i.e., in accordance with his testimony) is your judgment, you have determined (it).”
⁵⁹tn Heb “he;” the referent (the prophet) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
⁶⁰tn Heb “he;” the referent (the prophet) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
⁶¹tn Heb “Because you sent away the man of my destruction (i.e., that I determined should be destroyed) from (my/your?) hand, your like will be in place of his life, and your people in place of his people.”
¹tn Heb “after these things.” The words “the following episode took place” are added for stylistic reasons.
²sn King of Samaria. Samaria, as the capital of the northern kingdom, here stands for the nation of Israel.
³tn Heb “Far be it from me, by the LORD, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers to you.”
⁴tn Heb “on account of the word that Naboth the Jezreelite spoke to him.”
⁵tn Heb “I will not give to you the inheritance of my fathers.”
⁶tn Heb “turned away his face.”
⁷tn Heb “While I was talking..., I said..., he said....” Ahab’s explanation is one lengthy sentence in the Hebrew text, which is divided up in the translation for stylistic reasons.
⁸tn Heb “You, now, you are exercising kingship over Israel.”
⁹tn Heb “so your heart (i.e., disposition) might be well.”
¹⁰tn Heb “scrolls.”
¹¹tn Heb “in the name of Ahab.”
¹²tn Heb “scrolls.”
¹³tn Heb “elders.”
¹⁴tn Heb “to the nobles who were in his city, the ones who lived with Naboth.”
¹⁵tn Heb “she wrote on the scrolls, saying.”
¹⁶tn Heb “elders.”
¹⁷tn Heb “and the nobles who were living in his city.”
¹⁸tn Heb “did as Jezebel sent to them, just as was written in the scrolls which she sent to them.”
¹⁹tn Heb “Jezebel.”
²⁰tn Heb “the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite.”
²¹tn Heb “and Ahab said to Elijah.” The narrative is elliptical and streamlined. The words “when Elijah arrived” are added in the translation for clarification.
²²tn Heb “he;” the referent (Elijah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
²³tn Heb “you have sold yourself.”
²⁴tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
²⁵tn The introductory formula “the LORD says” is omitted in the Hebrew text, but added in the translation for clarification.
²⁶sn Disaster. There is a wordplay in the Hebrew text. The word translated “disaster” (hur) is almost identical to “evil” (v. 20, urt). Ahab’s’s sins would receive an appropriate punishment.
²⁷tn Heb “I will burn after you.” Some take the verb rub to mean here “sweep away.” See the discussion of this verb in the notes at 14:10 and 16:3.
²⁸tn Heb “and I will cut off from Ahab those who urinate against a wall, (including both those who are) restrained and let free (or “abandoned”) in Israel.” The precise meaning of the idiomatic phrase bwzuw rwxu (translated here “weak and incapacitated”) is uncertain. For various options see KB3, 871, and Cogan and Tadmor, II Kings, 107. The two terms are usually taken as polar opposites (“slaves and freemen” or “minors and adults”), but Cogan and Tadmor, on the basis of contextual considerations (note the usage with spa, “nothing but”) in Deut 32:36 and 2 Kgs 14:26, argue convincingly that the terms are synonyms, meaning “restrained and abandoned,” and refer to incapable or incapacitated individuals.
²⁹tn Heb “house.”
³⁰tn Heb “because of the provocation by which you angered (me), and you caused Israel to sin.”
³¹tc A few Hebrew manuscripts and some ancient versions agree with 2 Kgs 9:10, 36, which reads, “the plot (of ground) at Jezreel.” The Hebrew words translated “outer wall” (lj, defectively written here!) and “plot (of ground)” (qlj) are spelled similarly.
³²tn “Dogs will eat the ones who belonging to Ahab who die in the city.”
³³tn Heb “sold himself.”
³⁴tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
³⁵tn Heb “like Ahab...whom his wife Jezebel incited.”
³⁶tn The word used here [Heb. <yl!WLg]] is always used as a disdainful reference to idols. It is generally thought to have originally referred to “dung pellets” [cf. KB2, <yl!WLg], 183]. It is only one of several terms used in this way, such as “worthless things” [Heb. <yl!yl!a^], “vanities” or “empty winds” [Heb. <yl!b*h&].
³⁷tn Heb “He acted very abominably by walking after the disgusting idols, according to all which the Amorites had done.”
³⁸tn Heb “the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite.”
³⁹tn Or “humbles himself.”
⁴⁰tn Or “humbles himself.”
⁴¹tn Heb “I will not bring the disaster during his days, (but) in the days of his son I will bring the disaster on his house.”
¹tn Heb “and they lived three years without war between Aram and Israel.”
²tn The word “visit” is added for stylistic reasons.
³tn Heb “Do you know that Ramoth Gilead belongs to us, and we hesitate to take it from the hand of the king of Aram?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course, you must know!”
⁴tn Heb “Like me, like you; like my people, like your people; like my horses; like your horses.”
⁵tn Heb “and Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel.”
⁶tn Heb “the word of the LORD.” Jehoshaphat is requesting a prophetic oracle revealing the Lord’s will in the matter and their prospects for success. For examples of such oracles, see 2 Sam 5:19, 23-24.
⁷tn Heb “Should I go against Ramoth Gilead for war or should I refrain?”
⁸tn Though Jehoshaphat requested an oracle from “the LORD” (Yahweh, Heb. hwhy), they stop short of actually using this name and substitute the title ynda, “lord, master.” This ambiguity may explain in part Jehoshaphat’s hesitancy and caution (vv. 7-8). He seems to doubt that the 400 are genuine prophets of the LORD.
⁹tn Heb “to seek the LORD from him.”
¹⁰tn Or “hate.”
¹¹tn The words “his name is” are added for stylistic reasons.
¹²tn Heb “the words of the prophets are (with) one mouth good for the king.”
¹³tn Heb “let your words be like the word of each of them and speak good.”
¹⁴sn “Attack! You will succeed; the LORD will hand it over to the king.” One does not expect Micaiah, having just vowed to speak only what the Lord tells him, to agree with the other prophets and give the king an inaccurate prophecy. Micaiah’s actions became understandable later, when we discover that the Lord desires to deceive the king and lead him to his demise. The Lord even dispatches a lying spirit to deceive Ahab’s prophets. Micaiah can lie to the king because he realizes this lie is from the Lord. It is important to note that in v. 14 Micaiah only vows to speak the word of the Lord; he does not necessarily say he will tell the truth. In this case the Lord’s word is deceptive. Only when the king adjures him to tell the truth (v. 16), does Micaiah do so.
¹⁵tn Or “swear an oath by.”
¹⁶tn Heb “he;” the referent (Micaiah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
¹⁷tn Heb “he;” the referent (Micaiah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
¹⁸tn Heb “the spirit.” The significance of the article prefixed to j^Wr is uncertain, but it could contain a clue as to this spirit’s identity, especially when interpreted in light of verse 24. It is certainly possible, and probably even likely, that the article is used in a generic or dramatic sense and should be translated, “a spirit.” In the latter case it would show that this spirit was vivid and definite in the mind of Micaiah the storyteller. However, if one insists that the article indicates a well-known or universally known spirit, the following context provides a likely referent. Verse 24 tells how Zedekiah slapped Micaiah in the face and then asked sarcastically, “Which way did the spirit from the LORD (hwhy-j^Wr, Heb “the spirit of the LORD”) go when he went from me to speak to you?” When the phrase “the spirit of the LORD” refers to the divine spirit (rather than the divine breath or mind, Isa. 40:7, 13) elsewhere, the spirit energizes an individual or group for special tasks or moves one to prophesy. This raises the possibility that the deceiving spirit of verses 20-23 is the same as the divine spirit mentioned by Zedekiah in verse 24. This would explain why the article is used on j^Wr; he can be called “the spirit” because he is the well-known spirit who energizes the prophets.
¹⁹tn Heb “he;” the referent (the LORD) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
²⁰tn The Hebrew text has two imperfects connected by <g^w&. These verbs could be translated as specific futures, “you will deceive and also you will prevail,” in which case the Lord is assuring the spirit of success on his mission. However, in a commissioning context (note the following imperatives) such as this, it is more likely that the imperfects are injunctive, in which case one could translate, “Deceive, and also overpower.”
²¹tn Heb “the bread of affliction and the water of affliction.”
²²tn Heb “Listen.”
²³tn The Hebrew verbal forms could be imperatives (“Disguise yourself and enter”), but this would make no sense in light of the immediately following context. The forms are better interpreted as infinitives absolute functioning as cohortatives. See WO, 594. Some prefer to emend the forms to imperfects.
²⁴tn Heb “small or great.”
²⁵tn Heb “now a man drew a bow in his innocence” (i.e., with no specific target in mind, or, at least without realizing his target was the king of Israel).
²⁶tn Heb “he;” the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
²⁷tn Heb “camp.”
²⁸tn Heb “and the king died and he came to Samaria, and they buried the king in Samaria.”
²⁹tn Heb “now the prostitutes bathed.”
³⁰tn Heb “according to the word of the LORD which he spoke.”
³¹tn Heb “As for the rest of the acts of Ahab which he did, and the house of ivory which he built and all the cities which he built, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel?”
³²tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
³³tn Heb “he walked in all the way of Asa his father and did not turn from it, doing what is right in the eyes of the LORD.”
³⁴sn Verse 43b in English versions = v. 44 in the Hebrew text. Verses 44-53 in English versions = vv. 45-54 in the Hebrew text.
³⁵tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Jehoshaphat, and his strength that he demonstrated and how he fought, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah?”
³⁶tn Heb “and the rest of the male cultic prostitutes who were left in the days of Asa his father, he burned from the land.” Some understand the verb rub to mean “sweep away” here, rather than “burn.” See the note at 1 Kgs 14:10.
sn Male cultic prostitutes who had managed to survive the reign of his father Asa. Despite Asa’s opposition to these prostitutes (see 1 Kgs 15:12) some of them had managed to remain in the land. Jehoshaphat finished what his father had started.
³⁷tn Heb “a fleet of Tarshish (ships).” This probably refers to large ships either made in or capable of traveling to the distant western port of Tarshish.
³⁸tn Heb “Let my servants go with your servants in the fleet.”
³⁹tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
⁴⁰tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
⁴¹tn Heb “and walked in the way of his father and in the way of his mother and in the way of Jeroboam son of Nebat who made Israel sin.”
⁴²tn Heb “he served Baal and bowed down to him.”
⁴³tn Heb “according to all which his father had done.”