His sagacious decision His dom Popular Solomon Traditions 23Then the king said, This one says, 'This is my son, the living, and your son is the dead.' And the other says, 'No; but your son is the dead, and my son is the living!' 24Thereupon the king said, Bring me a sword. And they brought a sword before the king. 25 And the king said, Divide the living child in two and give half to the one and half to the other. 26 Then the woman to whom the living child belonged, spoke to the king—for her heart yearned over her son-and she said, O, my lord, give her the living child and on no account put it to death. But the other said, It shall be neither mine nor yours! Divide it! 27Then the king answered and said, Give her the living child, and on no account put it to death; she is his mother. 28 And when all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had rendered, they revered the king, for they saw that divine wisdom to execute justice was in him. 4 29 And God gave Solomon wisdom and insight in plentiful measure, and breadth of reputa- mind, even as the sand that is on the sea-shore, so that Solomon's wisdom surtion for passed the wisdom of all the eastern Arabians and all the wisdom of Egypt. 31For wishe was wiser than all men: than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Calcol, Darda, the sons of Mahol, and his fame was in all the surrounding nations. 32And he uttered three thousand proverbs, and his songs were five thousand. 33And he spoke of different varieties of trees from the cedar that is in Lebanon even to the hyssop that springs out of the wall; he spoke also of beasts, of birds, of creeping things, and of fishes. And there came some from among all peoples to hear the wisdom of Solomon, deputed by all kings of the earth, who had heard of his wisdom. Solo mon's court § 49. Organization and Glories of Solomon's Kingdom, I Kgs. 31, 41-25, 27, 28, 916, 17a, II Chr. 114-19 Annals of Solomon I Kgs. 4 1Now Solomon was king over all Israel. 2And these were the princes whom he had: Azariah the son of Zadok was priest; 3Elihoreph and officials Ahijah, the sons of Shisha, were scribes; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was chancellor; 4and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was at the head of the 430 Lit., children of the East. But this is used in Judg. 63, 3, 712, Is. 1114. Jer. 4928, and elsewhere to designate the nomadic Arabian tribes east of Israel in northern Arabia, the home of the popular proverb. 0432 So Gk. and Luc. and certain Lat. MSS. Heb., one thousand and five, but by analogy the round number is probably original. P 433 Cf. for an example, Pr. 6. The habits of plants and animals were frequently used by ancient proverb-makers to illustrate their teachings. 4 429-34 A part of these verses in the Gk. follow 225. They embody the late prophetic tradition regarding the wisdom of Solomon, which is here magnified and conceived of as ethical as well as mere keenness of wit, as in the previous early tradition cited as an illustration. The author appears to have in mind proverbs similar to those found in the early collection in Pr. 101-1622. § 49 I Kgs. 4 marks a new beginning independent of the preceding chapter. The flowing, picturesque style of the popular story is suddenly exchanged for the repetitious verbiage of the state annals which appear here to have been quoted verbatim. The Gk. seems to have preserved the original order. Since it is also much more logical than the Heb. it has been followed for the most part. Vss. 20, 21, 24-25 however, are awkwardly introduced in the Gk. after 2 They appear to be later insertions which, as is frequently the case with similar additions, have found a different place in the two versions. Vs. 26 in the Gk. is combined with 102, where it probably belonged in the original text. The older sections vividly present that system of organization, taxation, and forced labor, which was the source of Solomon's wealth and glory and at the same time the cause of the ultimate division of the empire. 43 The one who called to remembrance, i.e., laid important questions before the king, doubtless advising him. He probably also kept records of important events, so that the meaning recorder is not misleading, but this did not apparently represent all his functions. Annals of Solomon army; and Zadok and Abiathar were priests, and Azariah the son of Nathan was at the head of the officers; and Zabud the son of Nathan was a priest and the king's friend; and Ahishar was prefect of the palace; and Adoniram the son of Abda was in charge of the forced levy. intrust lection for the court 7And Solomon had twelve officers over all Israel, who provided food for Officers the king and his household: each man had to make provision for a month ed with in the year. And these are their names: Ben-hur," in the hill-country of the colEphraim; Ben-deker, in Makaz, Shaalbim, Bethshemesh, and Elonbeth- of food hanan: 10Ben-hesed, in Arubboth; to him belonged Socoh and all the land of Hepher; 11Ben-abinadab, in all the highland of Dor (he had Tapath the daughter of Solomon as wife); 12Baana the son of Ahilud, in Taanach and Megiddo and all Bethshean, which is beside Zarethan, beneath Jezreel, from Bethshean to Abel-meholah, as far as the other side of Jokneam; 13Ben-geber in Ramoth in Gilead; to him belonged the towns of Jair the son of Manasseh, which are in Gilead; to him belonged the region of Argob, which is in Bashan," sixty great cities with walls and brazen bars; 14Ahinadab the son of Iddo in Mahanaim; 15 Ahimaaz, in Naphtali (he also took Basemath the daughter of Solomon as wife); 16Baana the son of Hushai, in Asher and Bealoth;* 17 Jehoshaphat the son of Paruah, in Issachar; 18Shimei the son of Ela, in Benjamin; 19Geber the son of Uri, in the land of Gad, the country of Sihon king of the Amorites and of Og king of Bashan; and one officer was over all the officials who were in the land.b pro 27 And these officers provided food for King Solomon and for all who Amount came to King Solomon's table, each in his month. They let nothing be lack- of the ing. 28 Barley also and straw for the horses and swift steeds they brought visions to the proper place each according to his individual responsibility. 22And Solomon's provision for one day was about six hundred bushels of fine flour, and about one thousand, two hundred bushels of meal, 23ten fat, and twenty meadow-fed oxen, and a hundred sheep, besides harts, gazelles, roebucks, and fatted fowls. "For he had dominion over everything on the other side the River Euphrates, from Extent Tiphsah even to Gaza, over all the kings on the other side the River. And he had of Solo mon's rule 44 Evidently a later insertion. In 1 Zadok's son has succeeded him and in 226-27 Abiathar's banishment is recorded. 45 Possibly the word means, an official, but the priests were early regarded as members of the court. 48 Ben-hur, and the names, compounded with ben, son of, are not surnames, but unfortunately five of these names have been lost in all texts. Probably the original text was annalistic in part, each line beginning with a name (cf. Josh. 129-24), and the words next to the margin suffered a common fate. 413 The Gk. and Luc. omit. It was probably added by a late editor from Dt. 314. 413 This last descriptive clause may also have been added from Dt. 34. It is found, however, in the Gk. bility. 416 This place has not been identified. 419 So Gk. and Luc. Heb., Gilead. Zebulon has been suggested with much plausi b 419 Not only is the current translation, he was the only officer who was in the land, unwarranted by the Heb., but it is also contradicted by 13, 14. A more than probable reconstruction, suggested by the Lat., gives the above consistent reading. The Gk., which has lost one of the preceding names, completes the twelve by reading, in the land of Judah. 422 Heb., 20 cor. The cor the homer about 80 gallons. d 422 Heb., 60 cor. Al liance with Annals of Solomon peace on all sides of him, 25so that Judah and Israel from Dan to Beersheba dwelt in safety, every man under his own vine and fig tree, as long as Solomon lived. 20Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand which is by the sea; they were ever eating and drinking and making merry. 21 And Solomon was the ruler from the River to the land of the Philistines, and to the border of Egypt. They brought tribute and were subject to Solomon as long as he lived. 3 1And Solomon allied himself by marriage with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and took Pharaoh's daughter, and brought her into the city of David, until Egypt he had completed the building of his own palace and the temple of Jehovah and the wall around Jerusalem. Capture of Gezer Solo mon's request that Hiram send work men and materials 9 16Then Pharaoh king of Egypt went up, captured Gezer, and burnt it with fire, slew the Canaanites who dwelt in the city, and gave it as a portion to his daughter, Solomon's wife. 17a And Solomon rebuilt Gezer. § 50. Solomon's Preparations for his Building Enterprises, I Kgs. 5, Annals of Solomon I Kgs. 5 1And Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon because he had heard that they had anointed him king in the place of his father; for Hiram had loved David. 2And Solomon sent to Hiram, saying, You yourself know that David my father was not able to build a temple for the name of Jehovah his God on account of the warlike foes' who were about him on every side, until Jehovah brought II Chr. 2 Chronicler's Ecclesiastical History II Chr. 2 1Now Solomon purposed to build a temple for the name of Jehovah, and a temple for his kingdom. 2And Solo.non counted out seventy thousand burden-bearers and eighty thousand hewers of stone in the mountains and three thousand six hundred to oversee them. 3And Solomon sent to Huram king of Tyre, saying, As you dealt with David my father, in that you sent him cedars to build himself a palace in which to dwell, so I now am about to build a temple for the name of Jehovah my God, to dedicate it to him, and to burn before him incense of sweet spices, and for regular presentation of the bread of the presence, for the burnt-offerings morning and evening, on the sabbaths and on the new moons 424 Evidently, like kindred passages in the post-exilic writers, e.g., Ezra 410, 11, 16, 721, 25, Neh. 27. 9, written from the point of view of Babylon and therefore a late insertion. From Tiphsah the River is not found in Gk.A and Luc. The verse as a whole is a later duplicate of 21. 850 I Kgs. 5 appears to be a continuation of the quotation from the annals, although somewhat more expanded, as the subject-matter required. To the original narrative the late prophetic editor has evidently also made certain additions in order to harmonize it with his representations elsewhere and to bring into prominence the religious motives which most concerned him. Thus 3. 4. 5b depend on II Sam. 7. Cf. Dt. 129, 10. The late religious conception of Solomon's wisdom is reflected in 7, 12. Vss. 15, 16 do not appear to be in complete harmony with 13, 14 Not only may the large numbers be questioned, but 15, 16 seem after 13. 14 to be superfluous, even though they do not refer to the same people. From their position, in the mountains would naturally refer to the Lebanons, but the reference is ambiguous, as well as the question whether the workmen were Israelites or not. Cf. 922. It is significant that the Chronicler reproduces these verses and ignores 13, 14, which give a different picture of the levy and one in harmony with the extracts from the annals. Removing these secondary passages, the remaining narrative has all the characteristics of a primitive source of the highest historical value. I Kgs. 53 The Heb. has the abstract noun, warfare, although it contains the plural antecedent of the following verb. Targ., enemies. Hi ram's reply and condi tions Annals of Solomon them into subjection to for the name of Jehovah my God, as Jehovah spoke to David my father, saying, fore command that they cut for me cedar timber Chronicler's Ecclesiastical History and on the set feasts of Jehovah our God (which is the constant practice of Israel). 5And the temple which I am about to build is great, for our God is greater than all gods. But who is able to build him a temple, since heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain him? Who am I then, that I should build him a temple? It is fitting only to offer sacrifice before him. Now therefore send me a man skilful in working in gold, silver and in purple, crimson and violet stuffs, and who knows how to engrave stone in conjunction with the skilful men who are with me in Judah and in Jerusalem, whom David my father provided. Send me also cedar, cypress, and sandalwood from Lebanon; for I know that your servants understand how to cut timber in Lebanon; and, behold, my servants will unite with your servants, even to prepare me timber in abundance; for the temple which I am about to build should be great and wonderful. 10And I will now give to your servants, the hewers that cut timber, four hundred thousand bushelsh of beaten wheat and four hundred thousand bushelsh of barley, and one hundred and sixty thousand gallons of wine and one hundred and sixty thousand gallons of oil. 12 And Huram said, Blessed be Jehovah, the God of Israel, who hath made heaven and earth, who hath given to David the king a wise son, endued with discretion and understanding enough to build a temple for Jehovah and a temple for his kingdom. 11And Huram the king of Tyre sent to Solomon the following reply in writing, Because Jehovah loveth his people, he hath made you king over them. 13And now I have sent a skilful man, endued with understanding, Huram-abi, 14the son of a Danite woman; and his father was a man of Tyre, who knows how to work in gold, silver, brass, iron, stone, and timber, and in purple, violet, and fine "Now when Hiram heard the words of Solomon, he rejoiced exceedingly and said, Blessed be Jehovah this day, who hath given to David a wise son over this great people. 8So Hiram sent to Solomon, saying, I have heard your message to me; I, on my part will fulfil all your wishes in regard to cedar and cypress timber. 9My servants shall bring them down from Lebanon to the sea, and I will make them into rafts to go by sea to the place that you shall appoint, and will have them broken up there, and you shall receive them. You also shall fulfil my wish by providing food for my household. 10So Hiram I Kgs. 53 Heb., put them under the soles of the feet. h II Chr. 210 Heb., 20,000 cor. i II Chr. 210 Heb., 20,000 baths. Solomon's forced work men Annals of Solomon made an alliance with each other. Chronicler's Ecclesiastical History linen, and in crimson; also to do all kinds of engraving and to plan any artistic work which may be assigned to him, together with your skilled workmen and with the skilled workmen of my lord David your father. 15Now therefore the wheat and the barley, the oil and the wine, of which my lord has spoken, let him send to his servants; 16 and we will cut wood out of Lebanon, as much as you need, and we will bring it to you in floats by sea to Joppa, and carry you shall 13 And King Solomon raised a forced levy out of all Israel; and the levy consisted of thirty thoulevy of sand men. 14 And he sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month in relays; a month they were in Lebanon, and two months at home; and Adoniram was in charge of the forced levy. 15And Solomon had seventy thousand burden-bearers and eighty thousand hewers of stone in the mountains; 16besides Solomon's chief officers who were in charge of the work, three thousand, three hundred, who superintended the people who did the work. 17 And the king commanded that they should hew out great, costly stones, to lay the foundation of the temple with cut stone. 18 And Dimen Solomon's builders and Hiram's builders and es it up to Jerusalem. 17 And Solomon took a census of all the resident aliens who were in the land of Israel, according to the census which his father had instituted. And there were found a hundred and fifty-three thousand, six hundred. 18 And he made seventy thousand of them burden-bearers, and eighty thousand hewers of stone in the mountains, and three thousand, six hundred overseers to make pecially the Gebalites' shaped them and prepared the people serve. § 51. Building the Temple, I Kgs. 6, II Chr. 31-14 Annals of Solomon I Kgs. 6 'Now in the four hundred sions and eightieth year after the departure of temple the Israelites from the land of Egypt, in of the JI Kgs. 5 Heb., 20,000 cor. Chronicler's Ecclesiastical History II Chr. 3 Then Solomon began to build the temple of Jehovah at Jerusalem on Mount Moriah where *I Kgs. 5 So Gk. and II Chr. 210 and Josephus, 20,000 baths. Heb., 20,000 cor. But the cor was a dry measure. I Kgs. 518 The prominent place given to the workmen from Gebal is not explained here or in any previous reference. The Gk. takes the word as a verb. If this be the true rendering, the corresponding verb would mean, and they bordered them with grooved edges. § 51 The importance of the subject explains why this section has been supplemented by many editorial and scribal additions. I Kgs. 61s was evidently a later note which in abbreviated form appears in the Gk. and Luc. before 517, and its place is taken by 637, 38a. The somewhat more logical order of the Gk. is probably due to the translators, although it may possibly represent the original text. That 6a is a late note is demonstrated by its use of a late Heb. word for month, instead of the earlier synonym, and by the fact that it outlines the general chronological scheme which is followed by the late editor of the book, i.e., 480 (40x12) years from |