2 Tawarikh 6:1--10:19
Konteks6:1 Then Solomon said, “The Lord has said that he lives in thick darkness. 6:2 O Lord, 1 I have built a lofty temple for you, a place where you can live permanently.” 6:3 Then the king turned around 2 and pronounced a blessing over the whole Israelite assembly as they stood there. 3 6:4 He said, “The Lord God of Israel is worthy of praise because he has fulfilled 4 what he promised 5 my father David. 6:5 He told David, 6 ‘Since the day I brought my people out of the land of Egypt, I have not chosen a city from all the tribes of Israel to build a temple in which to live. 7 Nor did I choose a man as leader of my people Israel. 6:6 But now I have chosen Jerusalem as a place to live, 8 and I have chosen David to lead my people Israel.’ 6:7 Now my father David had a strong desire to build a temple to honor the Lord God of Israel. 9 6:8 The Lord told my father David, ‘It is right for you to have a strong desire to build a temple to honor me. 10 6:9 But you will not build the temple; your very own son will build the temple for my honor.’ 11 6:10 The Lord has kept the promise he made. I have taken my father David’s place and have occupied the throne of Israel, as the Lord promised. I have built this temple for the honor of the Lord God of Israel 6:11 and set up in it a place for the ark containing the covenant the Lord made with the Israelites.”
6:12 He stood before the altar of the Lord in front of the entire assembly of Israel and spread out his hands. 6:13 Solomon had made a bronze platform and had placed it in the middle of the enclosure. It was seven and one-half feet 12 long, seven and one-half feet 13 wide, and four and one-half feet 14 high. He stood on it and then got down on his knees in front of the entire assembly of Israel. He spread out his hands toward the sky, 6:14 and prayed: 15 “O Lord God of Israel, there is no god like you in heaven or on earth! You maintain covenantal loyalty 16 to your servants who obey you with sincerity. 17 6:15 You have kept your word to your servant, my father David; 18 this very day you have fulfilled what you promised. 19 6:16 Now, O Lord God of Israel, keep the promise you made to your servant, my father David, when you said, ‘You will never fail to have a successor ruling before me on the throne of Israel, 20 provided that your descendants watch their step and obey my law as you have done.’ 21 6:17 Now, O Lord God of Israel, may the promise you made to your servant David be realized. 22
6:18 “God does not really live with humankind on the earth! 23 Look, if the sky and the highest heaven cannot contain you, how much less this temple I have built! 6:19 But respond favorably to 24 your servant’s prayer and his request for help, O Lord my God. Answer 25 the desperate prayer 26 your servant is presenting to you. 27 6:20 Night and day may you watch over this temple, the place where you promised you would live. 28 May you answer your servant’s prayer for this place. 29 6:21 Respond to the requests of your servant and your people Israel for this place. 30 Hear from your heavenly dwelling place and respond favorably and forgive. 31
6:22 “When someone is accused of sinning against his neighbor and the latter pronounces a curse on the alleged offender before your altar in this temple, 32 6:23 listen from heaven and make a just decision about your servants’ claims. Condemn the guilty party, declare the other innocent, and give both of them what they deserve. 33
6:24 “If your people Israel are defeated by an enemy 34 because they sinned against you, then if they come back to you, renew their allegiance to you, 35 and pray for your help 36 before you in this temple, 6:25 then listen from heaven, forgive the sin of your people Israel, and bring them back to the land you gave to them and their ancestors. 37
6:26 “The time will come when 38 the skies 39 are shut up tightly and no rain falls because your people 40 sinned against you. When they direct their prayers toward this place, renew their allegiance to you, 41 and turn away from their sin because you punish 42 them, 6:27 then listen from heaven and forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel. Certainly 43 you will then teach them the right way to live 44 and send rain on your land that you have given your people to possess. 45
6:28 “The time will come when the land suffers from a famine, a plague, blight, and disease, or a locust 46 invasion, or when their enemy lays siege to the cities of the land, 47 or when some other type of plague or epidemic occurs. 6:29 When all your people Israel pray and ask for help, 48 as they acknowledge their intense pain 49 and spread out their hands toward this temple, 6:30 then listen from your heavenly dwelling place, forgive their sin, 50 and act favorably toward each one based on your evaluation of their motives. 51 (Indeed you are the only one who can correctly evaluate the motives of all people.) 52 6:31 Then they will honor 53 you by obeying you 54 throughout their lifetimes as 55 they live on the land you gave to our ancestors.
6:32 “Foreigners, who do not belong to your people Israel, will come from a distant land because of your great reputation 56 and your ability to accomplish mighty deeds; 57 they will come and direct their prayers toward this temple. 6:33 Then listen from your heavenly dwelling place and answer all the prayers of the foreigners. 58 Then all the nations of the earth will acknowledge your reputation, 59 obey 60 you like your people Israel do, and recognize that this temple I built belongs to you. 61
6:34 “When you direct your people to march out and fight their enemies, 62 and they direct their prayers to you toward this chosen city and this temple I built for your honor, 63 6:35 then listen from heaven to their prayers for help 64 and vindicate them. 65
6:36 “The time will come when your people 66 will sin against you (for there is no one who is sinless!) and you will be angry at them and deliver them over to their enemies, who will take them as prisoners to their land, whether far away or close by. 6:37 When your people 67 come to their senses 68 in the land where they are held prisoner, they will repent and beg for your mercy in the land of their imprisonment, admitting, ‘We have sinned and gone astray 69 , we have done evil!’ 6:38 When they return to you with all their heart and being 70 in the land where they are held prisoner and direct their prayers toward the land you gave to their ancestors, your chosen city, and the temple I built for your honor, 71 6:39 then listen from your heavenly dwelling place to their prayers for help, 72 vindicate them, 73 and forgive your sinful people.
6:40 “Now, my God, may you be attentive and responsive to the prayers offered in this place. 74 6:41 Now ascend, O Lord God, to your resting place, you and the ark of your strength! May your priests, O Lord God, experience your deliverance! 75 May your loyal followers rejoice in the prosperity you give! 76 6:42 O Lord God, do not reject your chosen ones! 77 Remember the faithful promises you made to your servant David!”
7:1 When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven 78 and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the Lord’s splendor filled the temple. 7:2 The priests were unable to enter the Lord’s temple because the Lord’s splendor filled the Lord’s temple. 7:3 When all the Israelites saw the fire come down and the Lord’s splendor over the temple, they got on their knees with their faces downward toward the pavement. They worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying, 79 “Certainly he is good; certainly his loyal love endures!”
7:4 The king and all the people were presenting sacrifices to the Lord. 7:5 King Solomon sacrificed 22,000 cattle and 120,000 sheep. Then the king and all the people dedicated God’s temple. 7:6 The priests stood in their assigned spots, along with the Levites who had the musical instruments used for praising the Lord. 80 (These were the ones King David made for giving thanks to the Lord and which were used by David when he offered praise, saying, “Certainly his loyal love endures.”) 81 Opposite the Levites, 82 the priests were blowing the trumpets, while all Israel stood there. 7:7 Solomon consecrated the middle of the courtyard that is in front of the Lord’s temple. He offered burnt sacrifices, grain offerings, 83 and the fat from the peace offerings there, because the bronze altar that Solomon had made was too small to hold all these offerings. 84 7:8 At that time Solomon and all Israel with him celebrated a festival for seven days. This great assembly included people from Lebo Hamath in the north to the Brook of Egypt in the south. 85 7:9 On the eighth day they held an assembly, for they had dedicated the altar for seven days and celebrated the festival for seven more days. 7:10 On the twenty-third day of the seventh month, Solomon 86 sent the people home. They left 87 happy and contented 88 because of the good the Lord had done for David, Solomon, and his people Israel.
7:11 After Solomon finished building the Lord’s temple and the royal palace, and accomplished all his plans for the Lord’s temple and his royal palace, 89 7:12 the Lord appeared to Solomon at night and said to him: “I have answered 90 your prayer and chosen this place to be my temple where sacrifices are to be made. 91 7:13 When 92 I close up the sky 93 so that it doesn’t rain, or command locusts to devour the land’s vegetation, 94 or send a plague among my people, 7:14 if my people, who belong to me, 95 humble themselves, pray, seek to please me, 96 and repudiate their sinful practices, 97 then I will respond 98 from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land. 99 7:15 Now I will be attentive and responsive to the prayers offered in this place. 100 7:16 Now I have chosen and consecrated this temple by making it my permanent home; 101 I will be constantly present there. 102 7:17 You must serve me as your father David did. Do everything I commanded and obey my rules and regulations. 103 7:18 Then I will establish your dynasty, 104 just as I promised your father David, ‘You will not fail to have a successor ruling over Israel.’ 105
7:19 “But if you people 106 ever turn away from me, fail to obey the regulations and rules I instructed you to keep, 107 and decide to serve and worship other gods, 108 7:20 then I will remove you 109 from my land I have given you, 110 I will abandon this temple I have consecrated with my presence, 111 and I will make you 112 an object of mockery and ridicule 113 among all the nations. 7:21 As for this temple, which was once majestic, 114 everyone who passes by it will be shocked and say, ‘Why did the Lord do this to this land and this temple?’ 7:22 Others will then answer, 115 ‘Because they abandoned the Lord God of their ancestors, 116 who led them out of Egypt. They embraced other gods whom they worshiped and served. 117 That is why he brought all this disaster down on them.’”
8:1 After twenty years, during which Solomon built the Lord’s temple and his royal palace, 8:2 Solomon rebuilt the cities that Huram 118 had given him and settled Israelites there. 8:3 Solomon went to Hamath Zobah and seized it. 8:4 He built up Tadmor in the wilderness and all the storage cities he had built in Hamath. 8:5 He made upper Beth Horon and lower Beth Horon fortified cities with walls and barred gates, 119 8:6 and built up Baalath, all the storage cities that belonged to him, 120 and all the cities where chariots and horses were kept. 121 He built whatever he wanted in Jerusalem, 122 Lebanon, and throughout his entire kingdom. 123
8:7 Now several non-Israelite peoples were left in the land after the conquest of Joshua, including the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. 124 8:8 Their descendants remained in the land (the Israelites were unable to wipe them out). Solomon conscripted them for his work crews and they continue in that role to this very day. 125 8:9 Solomon did not assign Israelites to these work crews; 126 the Israelites served as his soldiers, officers, charioteers, and commanders of his chariot forces. 127 8:10 These men worked for Solomon as supervisors; there were a total of 250 of them who were in charge of the people. 128
8:11 Solomon moved Pharaoh’s daughter up from the City of David 129 to the palace he had built for her, for he said, “My wife must not live in the palace of King David of Israel, for the places where the ark of the Lord has entered are holy.”
8:12 Then Solomon offered burnt sacrifices to the Lord on the altar of the Lord which he had built in front of the temple’s porch. 130 8:13 He observed the daily requirements for sacrifices that Moses had specified for Sabbaths, new moon festivals, and the three annual celebrations – the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Temporary Shelters. 131 8:14 As his father David had decreed, Solomon 132 appointed the divisions of the priests to do their assigned tasks, the Levitical orders to lead worship and help the priests with their daily tasks, 133 and the divisions of the gatekeepers to serve at their assigned gates. 134 This was what David the man of God had ordered. 135 8:15 They did not neglect any detail of the king’s orders pertaining to the priests, Levites, and treasuries. 136
8:16 All the work ordered by Solomon was completed, from the day the foundation of the Lord’s temple was laid until it was finished; the Lord’s temple was completed.
8:17 Then Solomon went to Ezion Geber and to Elat on the coast in the land of Edom. 8:18 Huram sent him ships and some of his sailors, men who were well acquainted with the sea. They sailed with Solomon’s men to Ophir, 137 and took from there 450 talents 138 of gold, which they brought back to King Solomon.
9:1 When the queen of Sheba heard about Solomon, 139 she came to challenge 140 him 141 with difficult questions. 142 She arrived in Jerusalem 143 with a great display of pomp, 144 bringing with her camels carrying spices, 145 a very large quantity of gold, and precious gems. She visited Solomon and discussed with him everything that was on her mind. 9:2 Solomon answered all her questions; there was no question too complex for the king. 146 9:3 When the queen of Sheba saw for herself Solomon’s extensive wisdom, 147 the palace 148 he had built, 9:4 the food in his banquet hall, 149 his servants and attendants 150 in their robes, his cupbearers in their robes, and his burnt sacrifices which he presented in the Lord’s temple, 151 she was amazed. 152 9:5 She said to the king, “The report I heard in my own country about your wise sayings and insight 153 was true! 9:6 I did not believe these things until I came and saw them with my own eyes. Indeed, I didn’t hear even half the story! 154 Your wisdom surpasses what was reported to me. 9:7 Your attendants, who stand before you at all times and hear your wise sayings, are truly happy! 155 9:8 May the Lord your God be praised because he favored 156 you by placing you on his throne as the one ruling on his behalf! 157 Because of your God’s love for Israel and his lasting commitment to them, 158 he made you king over them so you could make just and right decisions.” 159 9:9 She gave the king 120 talents 160 of gold and a very large quantity of spices and precious gems. The quantity of spices the queen of Sheba gave King Solomon has never been matched. 161 9:10 (Huram’s 162 servants, aided by Solomon’s servants, brought gold from Ophir, as well as 163 fine 164 timber and precious gems. 9:11 With the timber the king made steps 165 for the Lord’s temple and royal palace as well as stringed instruments 166 for the musicians. No one had seen anything like them in the land of Judah prior to that. 167 ) 9:12 King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba everything she requested, more than what she had brought him. 168 Then she left and returned 169 to her homeland with her attendants.
9:13 Solomon received 666 talents 170 of gold per year, 171 9:14 besides what he collected from the merchants 172 and traders. All the Arabian kings and the governors of the land also brought gold and silver to Solomon. 9:15 King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; 600 measures 173 of hammered gold were used for each shield. 9:16 He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold; 300 measures 174 of gold were used for each of those shields. The king placed them in the Palace of the Lebanon Forest. 175
9:17 The king made a large throne decorated with ivory and overlaid it with pure gold. 9:18 There were six steps leading up to the throne, and a gold footstool was attached to the throne. 176 The throne had two armrests with a statue of a lion standing on each side. 177 9:19 There were twelve statues of lions on the six steps, one lion at each end of each step. There was nothing like it in any other kingdom. 178
9:20 All of King Solomon’s cups were made of gold, and all the household items in the Palace of the Lebanon Forest were made of pure gold. There were no silver items, for silver was not considered very valuable in Solomon’s time. 179 9:21 The king had a fleet of large merchant ships 180 manned by Huram’s men 181 that sailed the sea. Once every three years the fleet 182 came into port with cargoes of 183 gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks. 184
9:22 King Solomon was wealthier and wiser than any of the kings of the earth. 185 9:23 All the kings of the earth wanted to visit Solomon to see him display his God-given wisdom. 186 9:24 Year after year visitors brought their gifts, which included items of silver, items of gold, clothes, perfume, spices, horses, and mules. 187
9:25 Solomon had 4,000 stalls for his chariot horses 188 and 12,000 horses. He kept them in assigned cities and in Jerusalem. 189 9:26 He ruled all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River 190 to the land of the Philistines as far as the border of Egypt. 9:27 The king made silver as plentiful 191 in Jerusalem as stones; cedar was 192 as plentiful as sycamore fig trees are in the lowlands 193 . 9:28 Solomon acquired horses from Egypt and from all the lands.
9:29 The rest of the events of Solomon’s reign, from start to finish, are recorded 194 in the Annals of Nathan the Prophet, the Prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and the Vision of Iddo the Seer pertaining to Jeroboam son of Nebat. 9:30 Solomon ruled over all Israel from Jerusalem 195 for forty years. 9:31 Then Solomon passed away 196 and was buried in the city of his father David. His son Rehoboam replaced him as king.
10:1 Rehoboam traveled to Shechem, for all Israel had gathered in 197 Shechem to make Rehoboam 198 king. 10:2 When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard the news, he was still in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon. Jeroboam returned from Egypt. 10:3 They sent for him 199 and Jeroboam and all Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying, 10:4 “Your father made us work too hard! 200 Now if you lighten the demands he made and don’t make us work as hard, we will serve you.” 201 10:5 He said to them, “Go away for three days, then return to me.” So the people went away.
10:6 King Rehoboam consulted with the older advisers who had served 202 his father Solomon when he had been alive. He asked them, 203 “How do you advise me to answer these people?” 10:7 They said to him, “If you are fair to these people, grant their request, and are cordial to them, they will be your servants from this time forward.” 204 10:8 But Rehoboam rejected their advice and consulted the young advisers who served him, with whom he had grown up. 205 10:9 He asked them, “How do you advise me to respond to these people who said to me, ‘Lessen the demands your father placed on us’?” 206 10:10 The young advisers with whom Rehoboam 207 had grown up said to him, “Say this to these people who have said to you, ‘Your father made us work hard, but now lighten our burden’ 208 – say this to them: ‘I am a lot harsher than my father! 209 10:11 My father imposed heavy demands on you; I will make them even heavier. 210 My father punished you with ordinary whips; I will punish you with whips that really sting your flesh.’” 211
10:12 Jeroboam and all the people reported to Rehoboam on the third day, just as the king had ordered when he said, “Return to me on the third day.” 10:13 The king responded to the people harshly. He 212 rejected the advice of the older men 10:14 and followed the advice of the younger ones. He said, “My father imposed heavy demands on you; 213 I will make them even heavier. 214 My father punished you with ordinary whips; I will punish you with whips that really sting your flesh.” 215 10:15 The king refused to listen to the people, because God was instigating this turn of events 216 so that he might bring to pass the prophetic announcement he had made 217 through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam son of Nebat.
10:16 When all Israel saw that the king refused to listen to them, the people answered the king, “We have no portion in David – no share in the son of Jesse! 218 Return to your homes, O Israel! 219 Now, look after your own dynasty, O David!” 220 So all Israel returned to their homes. 221 10:17 (Rehoboam continued to rule over the Israelites who lived in the cities of Judah.) 10:18 King Rehoboam sent Hadoram, 222 the supervisor of the work crews, out after them, but the Israelites stoned him to death. King Rehoboam managed to jump into his chariot and escape to Jerusalem. 223 10:19 So Israel has been in rebellion against the Davidic dynasty to this very day.
[6:2] 1 tn The words “O
[6:3] 2 tn Heb “turned his face.”
[6:3] 3 tn Heb “and he blessed all the assembly of Israel, and all the assembly of Israel was standing.”
[6:4] 4 tn The Hebrew text reads, “fulfilled by his hand,” but the phrase “by his hand” is somewhat redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
[6:4] 5 tn The Hebrew text reads, “promised by his mouth,” but the phrase “by his mouth” is somewhat redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
[6:5] 7 tn Heb “to build a house for my name to be there.” Here “name” is used by metonymy for the
[6:6] 8 tn Heb for my name to be there.” See also the note on the word “live” in v. 5.
[6:7] 9 tn Heb “and it was with the heart of David my father to build a house for the name of the
[6:7] sn On the significance of the
[6:8] 10 tn Heb “Because it was with your heart to build a house for my name, you did well that it was with your heart.”
[6:9] 11 tn Heb “your son, the one who came out of your body, he will build the temple for my name.”
[6:13] 12 tn Heb “five cubits.” Assuming a cubit of 18 inches (45 cm), the length would have been 7.5 feet (2.25 m).
[6:13] 13 tn Heb “five cubits.”
[6:13] 14 tn Heb “three cubits.” Assuming a cubit of 18 inches (45 cm), the height would have been 4.5 feet (1.35 m).
[6:14] 16 tn Heb “one who keeps the covenant and the loyal love.”
[6:14] 17 tn Heb “who walk before you with all their heart.”
[6:15] 18 tn Heb “[you] who kept to your servant David my father that which you spoke to him.”
[6:15] 19 tn Heb “you spoke by your mouth and by your hand you fulfilled, as this day.”
[6:16] 20 tn Heb “there will not be cut off from you a man from before me sitting on the throne of Israel.”
[6:16] 21 tn Heb “guard their way by walking in my law as you have walked before me.”
[6:17] 22 tn Or “prove to be reliable.”
[6:18] 23 tn Heb “Indeed, can God really live with mankind on the earth?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course not,” the force of which is reflected in the translation “God does not really live with mankind on the earth.”
[6:19] 25 tn Heb “by listening to.”
[6:19] 26 tn Heb “the loud cry and the prayer.”
[6:19] 27 tn Heb “praying before you.”
[6:20] 28 tn 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.’”
[6:20] 29 tn Heb “by listening to the prayer which your servant is praying concerning this place.”
[6:21] 30 tn Heb “listen to the requests of your servant and your people Israel which they are praying concerning this place.”
[6:21] 31 tn Heb “hear and forgive.”
[6:22] 32 tn Heb “and if 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.”
[6:23] 33 tn Heb “and you, hear [from] heaven and act and judge your servants by repaying the guilty, to give his way on his head, and to declare the innocent to be innocent, to give to him according to his innocence.”
[6:24] 34 tn Or “are struck down before an enemy.”
[6:24] 35 tn Heb “confess [or perhaps, “praise”] your name.”
[6:24] 36 tn Heb “and they pray and ask for help.”
[6:25] 37 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 31, 38).
[6:26] 38 tn Heb “when.” In the Hebrew text vv. 26-27a actually contain one lengthy conditional sentence, which the translation has divided into two sentences for stylistic reasons.
[6:26] 39 tn Or “heavens” (also in v. 12). The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.
[6:26] 41 tn Heb “confess [or perhaps, “praise”] your name.”
[6:26] 42 tn The Hebrew text reads “because you answer them,” as if the verb is from עָנָה (’anah, “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 תְעַנֵּם (tÿ’annem, “you afflict them”), a Piel verb form from the homonym עָנָה (“afflict”).
[6:27] 43 tn The present translation understands כִּי (ki) in an emphatic or asseverative sense (“Certainly”). Other translation have “indeed” (NASB), “when” (NRSV), “so” (NEB), or leave the word untranslated (NIV).
[6:27] 44 tn Heb “the good way in which they should walk.”
[6:27] 45 tn Or “for an inheritance.”
[6:28] 46 tn Actually two Hebrew words appear here, both of which are usually (but not always) taken as referring to locusts. Perhaps different stages of growth or different varieties are in view, but this is uncertain. NEB has “locusts new-sloughed or fully grown”; NASB has “locust or grasshopper”; NIV has “locusts or grasshoppers”; NRSV has “locust, or caterpillar.”
[6:28] 47 tn Heb “in the land, his gates.”
[6:29] 48 tn Heb “every prayer, every request for help which will be to all the people, to all your people Israel.”
[6:29] 49 tn Heb “which they know, each his pain and his affliction.”
[6:30] 50 tn The words “their sin” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied for clarification.
[6:30] 51 tn Heb “and act and give to each one according to all his ways because you know his heart.” In the Hebrew text vv. 28-30a actually contain one lengthy conditional sentence, which the translation has divided up for stylistic reasons.
[6:30] 52 tn Heb “Indeed you know, you alone, the heart of all the sons of mankind.”
[6:31] 54 tn Heb “by walking in your ways.”
[6:31] 55 tn Heb “all the days [in] which.”
[6:32] 56 tn Heb “your great name.” The word “name” sometimes refers to one’s reputation or honor (thus the translation here, “your great reputation
[6:32] 57 tn Heb “and your strong hand and your outstretched arm.”
[6:33] 58 tn Heb “and do all which the foreigner calls to [i.e., “requests of”] you.”
[6:33] 59 tn Heb “name.” See the note on “reputation” in v. 32.
[6:33] 61 tn 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.
[6:34] 62 tn Heb “When your people go out for battle against their enemies in the way which you send them.”
[6:34] 63 tn Heb “toward this city which you have chosen and the house which I built for your name.”
[6:35] 64 tn Heb “their prayer and their request for help.”
[6:35] 65 tn Heb “and accomplish their justice.”
[6:36] 66 tn Heb “they”; the referent (God’s people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[6:37] 67 tn Heb “they”; the referent (God’s people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[6:37] 68 tn Or “stop and reflect”; Heb “bring back to their heart.”
[6:38] 71 tn Heb “your name.” The word “name” sometimes refers to one’s reputation or honor (thus the translation here, “your honor
[6:39] 72 tn Heb “their prayer and their requests for help.”
[6:39] 73 tn Heb “and accomplish their justice.”
[6:40] 74 tn Heb “May your eyes be open and your ears attentive to the prayer of this place.”
[6:41] 75 tn Heb “be clothed with deliverance.”
[6:41] 76 tn Heb “and may your loyal ones rejoice in good.”
[6:42] 77 tc Heb “do not turn away the face of your anointed ones.” Many medieval Hebrew
[7:1] 78 tn Or “the sky.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.
[7:3] 79 tn The word “saying” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[7:6] 80 tn Heb “and the priests were standing at their posts, and the Levites with the instruments of music of the
[7:6] 81 tn Heb “which David the king made to give thanks to the
[7:6] 82 tn Heb “opposite them”; the referent (the Levites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[7:7] 83 tc The Hebrew text omits reference to the grain offerings at this point, but note that they are included both in the list in the second half of the verse (see note on “offerings” at the end of this verse) and in the parallel account in 1 Kgs 8:64. The construction וְאֶת־הַמִּנְחָה (vÿ’et-hamminkhah; vav [ו] + accusative sign + noun with article; “grain offerings”) was probably omitted accidentally by homoioarcton. Note the וְאֶת (vÿ’et) that immediately follows.
[7:7] 84 tn Heb “to hold the burnt sacrifices, grain offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings.” Because this is redundant, the translation employs a summary phrase: “all these offerings.”
[7:8] 85 tn Heb “Solomon held the festival at that time for seven days, and all Israel was with him, a very great assembly from Lebo Hamath to the wadi of Egypt.”
[7:10] 86 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Solomon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[7:10] 87 tn The words “they left” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[7:10] 88 tn Heb “good of heart.”
[7:11] 89 tn Heb “and all that entered the heart of Solomon to do in the house of the
[7:12] 90 tn Heb “I have heard.”
[7:12] 91 tn Heb “temple of sacrifice.” This means the
[7:13] 93 tn Or “heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.
[7:13] 94 tn Heb “the land,” which stands here by metonymy for the vegetation growing in it.
[7:14] 95 tn Heb “over whom my name is called.” The Hebrew idiom “call the name over” indicates ownership. See 2 Sam 12:28.
[7:14] 96 tn Heb “seek my face,” where “my face” is figurative for God’s presence and acceptance.
[7:14] 97 tn Heb “and turn from their sinful ways.”
[7:14] 99 sn Here the phrase heal their land means restore the damage done by the drought, locusts and plague mentioned in v. 13.
[7:15] 100 tn Heb “my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer of this place.” Note Solomon’s request in 6:40.
[7:16] 101 tn Heb “for my name to be there perpetually [or perhaps, “forever”].”
[7:16] 102 tn Heb “and my eyes and my heart will be there all the days.”
[7:17] 103 tn Heb “As for you, if you walk before me, as David your father walked, by doing all which I commanded you, [and] you keep my rules and my regulations.”
[7:17] sn Verse 17 is actually a lengthy protasis (“if” section) of a conditional sentence, the apodosis (“then” section) of which appears in v. 18.
[7:18] 104 tn Heb “I will establish the throne of your kingdom.”
[7:18] 105 tn Heb “there will not be cut off from you a man ruling over Israel.”
[7:19] 106 tn The Hebrew pronoun is plural, suggesting that Solomon and all Israel (or perhaps Solomon and his successors) are in view. To convey this to the English reader, the translation “you people” has been employed.
[7:19] 107 tn Heb “which I placed before you.”
[7:19] 108 tn Heb “and walk and serve other gods and bow down to them.”
[7:20] 109 tn Heb “them.” The switch from the second to the third person pronoun is rhetorically effective, for it mirrors God’s rejection of his people – he has stopped addressing them as “you” and begun addressing them as “them.” However, the switch is awkward and confusing in English, so the translation maintains the direct address style.
[7:20] 110 tn Heb “them.” See the note on “you” earlier in this verse.
[7:20] 111 tc Instead of “I will throw away,” the parallel text in 1 Kgs 9:7 has “I will send away.” The two verbs sound very similar in Hebrew, so the discrepancy is likely due to an oral transmissional error.
[7:20] tn Heb “and this temple which I consecrated for my name I will throw away from before my face.”
[7:20] 112 tn Heb “him,” which appears in context to refer to Israel (i.e., “you” in direct address). Many translations understand the direct object of the verb “make” to be the temple (NEB, NASB, NIV, NRSV “it”).
[7:20] 113 tn Heb “and I will make him [i.e., Israel] a proverb and a taunt,” that is, a proverbial example of destruction and an object of reproach.
[7:21] 114 tn Heb “and this house which was 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.”
[7:22] 115 tn Heb “and they will say.”
[7:22] 117 tn Heb “and they took hold of other gods and bowed down to them and served them.”
[8:2] 118 tn Heb “Huram” (also in v. 18). Some medieval Hebrew
[8:5] 119 tn Heb “and he built…[as] cities of fortification, [with] walls, doors, and a bar.”
[8:6] 120 tn Heb “Solomon.” The recurrence of the proper name is unexpected in terms of contemporary English style, so the pronoun has been used in the translation instead.
[8:6] 121 tn Heb “the cities of the chariots and the cities of the horses.”
[8:6] 122 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[8:6] 123 tn Heb “and all the desire of Solomon which he desired to build in Jerusalem and in Lebanon and in all the land of his kingdom.”
[8:7] 124 tn Heb “all the people who were left from the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, who were not from Israel.”
[8:8] 125 tn Heb “from their sons who were left after them in the land, whom the sons of Israel did not wipe out, and Solomon raised them up for a work crew to this day.”
[8:9] 126 tn Heb “and from the sons of Israel which Solomon did not assign to the laborers for his work.”
[8:9] 127 tn Heb “officers of his chariots and his horses.”
[8:10] 128 tn Heb “these [were] the officials of the governors who belonged to the king, Solomon, 250, the ones ruling over the people.”
[8:11] 129 sn The phrase the City of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.
[8:12] 130 tn Heb “the porch.”
[8:13] 131 tn The Hebrew phrase הַסֻּכּוֹת[חַג] (khag hassukot, “[festival of] huts” [or “shelters”]) is traditionally known as the Feast of Tabernacles. The rendering “booths” (cf. NAB, NASB, NRSV) is probably better than the traditional “tabernacles” in light of the meaning of the term סֻכָּה (sukkah, “hut; booth”), but “booths” are frequently associated with trade shows and craft fairs in contemporary American English. The nature of the celebration during this feast as a commemoration of the wanderings of the Israelites after they left Egypt suggests that a translation like “temporary shelters” is more appropriate.
[8:14] 132 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Solomon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:14] 133 tn Heb “and the Levites, according to their posts, to praise and to serve opposite the priests according to the matter of a day in its day.”
[8:14] 134 tn Heb “and the gatekeepers by their divisions for a gate and a gate.”
[8:14] 135 tn Heb “for so [was] the command of David the man of God.”
[8:15] 136 tn Heb “and they did not turn aside from the command of the king concerning the priests and the Levites with regard to any matter and with regard to the treasuries.”
[8:18] 137 tn Heb “and Huram sent to him by the hand of his servants, ships, and servants [who] know the sea, and they came with the servants of Solomon to Ophir.”
[8:18] 138 tn The Hebrew word כִּכַּר (kikar, “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, by extension, to a standard unit of weight. According to the older (Babylonian) standard the “talent” weighed 130 lbs. (58.9 kg), but later this was lowered to 108.3 lbs. (49.1 kg). More recent research suggests the “light” standard talent was 67.3 lbs. (30.6 kg). Using this as the standard for calculation, the weight of the gold was 30,285 lbs. (13,770 kg).
[9:1] 139 tn Heb “the report about Solomon.”
[9:1] 141 tn Heb “Solomon.” The recurrence of the proper name here is redundant in terms of contemporary English style, so the pronoun has been used in the translation instead.
[9:1] 143 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[9:1] 144 tn Heb “with very great strength.” The Hebrew word חַיִל (khayil, “strength”) may refer here to the size of her retinue or to the great wealth she brought with her.
[9:2] 146 tn 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.”
[9:3] 147 tn Heb “all the wisdom of Solomon.”
[9:4] 149 tn Heb “the food on his table.”
[9:4] 150 tn Heb “the seating of his servants and the standing of his attendants.”
[9:4] 151 tc The Hebrew text has here, “and his upper room [by] which he was going up to the house of the
[9:4] 152 tn Or “it took her breath away”; Heb “there was no breath still in her.”
[9:5] 153 tn Heb “about your words [or perhaps, “deeds”] and your wisdom.”
[9:6] 154 tn Heb “the half was not told to me.”
[9:7] 155 tn Heb “How happy are your men! How happy are these servants of yours, who stand before you continually, who hear your wisdom!”
[9:8] 156 tn Or “delighted in.”
[9:8] 157 tn Heb “as king for the
[9:8] 158 tn Heb “to make him stand permanently.”
[9:8] 159 tn Heb “to do justice and righteousness.”
[9:9] 160 tn The Hebrew word כִּכַּר (kikar, “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, by extension, to a standard unit of weight. According to the older (Babylonian) standard the “talent” weighed 130 lbs. (58.9 kg), but later this was lowered to 108.3 lbs. (49.1 kg). More recent research suggests the “light” standard talent was 67.3 lbs. (30.6 kg). Using this as the standard for calculation, the weight of the gold was 8,076 lbs. (3,672 kg).
[9:9] 161 tn Heb “there has not been like those spices which the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.”
[9:10] 162 tn Heb “Huram’s” (also in v. 21). Some medieval Hebrew
[9:10] 163 tn Heb “who brought gold from Ophir, brought.”
[9:11] 165 tn Heb “tracks.” The parallel text in 1 Kgs 10:12 has a different term whose meaning is uncertain: “supports,” perhaps “banisters” or “parapets.”
[9:11] 166 tn Two types of stringed instruments are specifically mentioned in the Hebrew text, the כִּנּוֹר (kinnor, “zither”) and נֶבֶל (nevel, “harp”).
[9:11] 167 tn Heb “there was not seen like these formerly in the land of Judah.”
[9:12] 168 tn Heb “besides what she brought to the king.”
[9:12] 169 tn Heb “turned and went.”
[9:13] 170 tn The Hebrew word כִּכַּר (kikar, “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, by extension, to a standard unit of weight. According to the older (Babylonian) standard the “talent” weighed 130 lbs. (58.9 kg), but later this was lowered to 108.3 lbs. (49.1 kg). More recent research suggests the “light” standard talent was 67.3 lbs. (30.6 kg). Using this as the standard for calculation, the weight of the gold Solomon received annually was 44,822 lbs. (20,380 kg).
[9:13] 171 tn Heb “the weight of the gold which came to Solomon in one year was 666 units of gold.”
[9:14] 172 tn Heb “traveling men.”
[9:15] 173 tn The Hebrew text has simply “600,” with no unit of measure given.
[9:16] 174 tn The Hebrew text has simply “300,” with no unit of measure given.
[9:16] 175 sn 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. See 1 Kgs 7:2.
[9:18] 176 tc The parallel text of 1 Kgs 10:19 has instead “and the back of it was rounded on top.”
[9:18] 177 tn Heb “[There were] armrests on each side of the place of the seat, and two lions standing beside the armrests.”
[9:19] 178 tn Heb “nothing like it had been made for any kingdom.”
[9:20] 179 tn Heb “there was no silver, it was not regarded as anything in the days of Solomon.”
[9:21] 180 tn Heb “for ships belonging to the king were going [to] Tarshish with the servants of Huram.” This probably refers to large ships either made in or capable of traveling to the distant western port of Tarshish.
[9:21] 182 tn Heb “the fleet of Tarshish [ships].”
[9:21] 183 tn Heb “the ships of Tarshish came carrying.”
[9:21] 184 tn The meaning of this word is unclear; some suggest it refers to “baboons.” NEB has “monkeys,” NASB, NRSV “peacocks,” and NIV “baboons.”
[9:22] 185 tn Heb “King Solomon was greater than all the kings of the earth with respect to wealth and wisdom.”
[9:23] 186 tn Heb “and all the kings of the earth were seeking the face of Solomon to hear his wisdom which God had placed in his heart.”
[9:24] 187 tn Heb “and they were bringing each one his gift, items of silver…and mules, the matter of a year in a year.”
[9:25] 188 tc The parallel text of 1 Kgs 10:26 reads “fourteen hundred chariots.”
[9:25] 189 tn Heb “he placed them in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.”
[9:25] map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[9:26] 190 tn Heb “the River.” In biblical Hebrew the Euphrates River was typically referred to simply as “the River.”
[9:27] 191 tn The words “as plentiful” are supplied for clarification.
[9:27] 192 tn Heb “he made cedar.”
[9:27] 193 tn Heb “as the sycamore fig trees which are in the Shephelah.”
[9:29] 194 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Solomon, the former and the latter, are they not written?”
[9:30] 195 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[9:31] 196 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
[10:1] 197 tn Heb “come [to].”
[10:1] 198 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Rehoboam) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[10:3] 199 tn Heb “They sent and called for him.”
[10:4] 200 tn Heb “made our yoke burdensome.”
[10:4] 201 tn 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 vav (וְנַעַבְדֶךָ, vÿna’avdekha, “and we will serve you”) following the imperative (הָקֵל, haqel, “lighten”) indicates purpose/result. The conditional sentence used in the present translation is an attempt to bring out the logical relationship between these forms.
[10:6] 202 tn Heb “stood before.”
[10:7] 204 tn Heb “If today you are for good to these people and you are favorable to them and speak to them good words, they will be your servants all the days.”
[10:8] 205 tn 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.”
[10:9] 206 tn Heb “Lighten the yoke which your father placed on us.”
[10:10] 207 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Rehoboam) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[10:10] 208 tn Heb “Your father made our yoke heavy, but make it lighter upon us.”
[10:10] 209 tn 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 (so NEB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT). As the following statement makes clear, Rehoboam’s point is that he is more harsh and demanding than his father.
[10:11] 210 tn Heb “and now my father placed upon you a heavy yoke, but I will add to your yoke.”
[10:11] 211 tn 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.
[10:13] 212 tn Heb “Rehoboam.” The pronoun “he” has been used in the translation in place of the proper name in keeping with contemporary English style.
[10:14] 213 tc The Hebrew text reads, “I will make heavy your yoke,” but many medieval Hebrew
[10:14] 214 tn Heb “but I will add to your yoke.”
[10:14] 215 tn 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.
[10:15] 216 tn Heb “because this turn of events was from God.”
[10:15] 217 tn Heb “so that the
[10:16] 218 sn The people’s 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.
[10:16] 219 tn Heb “each one to your tents, Israel.” The word “return” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[10:16] 220 tn Heb “Now see your house, David.”
[10:16] 221 tn Heb “went to their tents.”
[10:18] 222 sn In the parallel account in 1 Kgs 12:18 this name appears as “Adoniram.”
[10:18] 223 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
