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1 Kings 10:12

in 1 Kings 10

The king made the almug wood into steps for the house of the LORD and for the king’s palace, and into lyres and harps for the singers. Never before had such almug wood been brought in, nor has such been seen to this day.)

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

And the king made of the almug-trees pillars for the house of Jehovah, and for the king’s house, harps also and psalteries for the singers: there came no such almug-trees, nor were seen, unto this day.

KJV

And the king made of the almug trees pillars for the house of the Lord, and for the king’s house, harps also and psalteries for singers: there came no such almug trees, nor were seen unto this day.

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This verse in 1 Kings 10

Commentary

5 notes on this verse
Pillars - The Hebrew word signifies ordinarily a “prop” (margin). It is generally supposed to mean in this place a “railing,” or “balustrade,” a sense which connects and harmonises the present passage with the parallel passage in Chronicles (marginal reference), where Solomon is said to have made of the almug-wood “stairs” for the temple and for his own house. Harps - The Jewish harp כנור kı̂nnôr was of a triangular shape, and had ordinarily ten strings.

This site's exposition

The fleet of Hiram that brought gold from Ophir

on 1 Kings 10:11-13

Hiram's fleet, which brought gold from Ophir, also brings almug wood, and the narrator says “Never before had such almug wood been brought in”. Solomon uses it “for the house of the LORD”, and for “lyres and harps for the singers”, so one wood serves worship and music.

This site's exposition

made the almug wood into steps

The Hebrew word ordinarily means a prop, and Albert Barnes takes it as a railing for the house of the LORD and the king's palace. The Berean renders it steps, as at 2 Chronicles 9:11. Barnes describes the lyre as a triangular harp with ten strings.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

) as extraordinary, because perhaps much admired by the queen of Sheba. Solomon was not behind-hand with her: He gave her whatsoever, she asked, patterns, we may suppose, of those things that were curious, by which she might make the like; or perhaps he gave her his precepts of wisdom and piety in writing, besides that which he gave her of his royal bounty,

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens

And the king made of the almug trees pillars for the house of the Lord, and for the king's house,....

How the passage was read

What the Jewish commentators add

On the verses either side of this one

Gave to the queen of Sheva. This giving refers only to the teaching of wisdom.
Rashi: France, 1040–1105 · Rashi on I Kings 10:13:1, via Sefaria, The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J

This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.

Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 5 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.

The words behind it

23 Hebrew words

Every Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.

  • וַיַּ֣עַשׂand he made

    vaiyaasH6213 →2628 times

  • הַ֠מֶּלֶךְthe king

    hamelekhH4428 →2525 times

  • אֶת־<obj.>

    ʾet-H853 →10935 times

  • עֲצֵ֨י[the] wood<s> of

    ʾatzeiH6086 →328 times

  • הָאַלְמֻגִּ֜יםthe almug<s>

    haalmugimH484 →3 times

  • מִסְעָ֤דsupport[s]

    misadH4552 →

  • לְבֵית־for [the] house of

    leveit-H1004 →2046 times

  • יְהוָה֙Yahweh

    yahwehH3068 →6520 times

  • וּלְבֵ֣יתand for [the] house of

    uleveitH1004 →2046 times

  • הַמֶּ֔לֶךְthe king

    hamelekhH4428 →2525 times

  • וְכִנֹּר֥וֹתand harps

    vekhinorotH3658 →

  • וּנְבָלִ֖יםand lyres

    unevalimH5035 →

  • לַשָּׁרִ֑יםfor the singers

    lasharimH7891 →

  • לֹ֣אnot

    lo'H3808 →5168 times

  • בָֽא־it has come

    va'-H935 →2568 times

  • כֵ֞ןthus

    khenH3651 →771 times

  • עֲצֵ֤יwood<s> of

    ʾatzeiH6086 →328 times

  • אַלְמֻגִּים֙almug<s>

    ʾalmugimH484 →3 times

  • וְלֹ֣אand not

    velo'H3808 →5168 times

  • נִרְאָ֔הit has been seen

    nirahH7200 →1300 times

  • עַ֖דuntil

    ʾadH5704 →1261 times

  • הַיּ֥וֹםthe day

    haiyomH3117 →2304 times

  • הַזֶּֽה׃<the> this

    hazehH2088 →1180 times

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

Related verses

6 in all, six open

The number beside each verse is how many compiled reference works tie it to this one. The strongest six stand open.

2 Chronicles 9:11The king made the algum wood into steps for the house of the LORD and for the king’s palace, and into lyres and harps for the singers. Never before had anything like them been seen in the land of Judah.)3 worksRevelation 14:2–3And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of many waters and the loud rumbling of thunder. And the sound I heard was like harpists strumming their harps.2 works1 Chronicles 23:54,000 are to be gatekeepers, and 4,000 are to praise the LORD with the instruments I have made for giving praise.”2 worksPsalms 92:1–3It is good to praise the LORD, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High,2 works1 Chronicles 25:1–31Additionally, David and the commanders of the army set apart some of the sons of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun to prophesy with the accompaniment of lyres, harps, and cymbals. The following is the list of the men who performed this service:2 worksPsalms 150:3–5Praise Him with the sound of the horn; praise Him with the harp and lyre.2 works

The walk

5 stops

Each card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.

  • Through

    1 Chronicles 23:5

    4,000 are to be gatekeepers, and 4,000 are to praise the LORD with the instruments I have made for giving praise.”

    it leads to

    • Amos 6:5

      You improvise songs on the harp like David and invent your own musical instruments.

    • Psalms 87:7

      Singers and pipers will proclaim, “All my springs of joy are in You.”

    • 2 Chronicles 8:14

      In keeping with the ordinances of his father David, Solomon appointed the divisions of the priests over their service, and the Levites for their duties to offer praise and to minister before the priests…

    • 2 Chronicles 29:25–26

      Hezekiah stationed the Levites in the house of the LORD with cymbals, harps, and lyres according to the command of David, of Gad the king’s seer, and of Nathan the prophet. For the command…

    • 2 Chronicles 35:15

      The singers, the descendants of Asaph, were at their stations according to the command of David, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun the king’s seer. And the gatekeepers at each gate did not need to leave…

Where this verse is studied

About 1 Kings

Solomon Receives the Queen of Sheba — Gustave Doré, Doré's English Bible (1866), public domain
Solomon Receives the Queen of Sheba — Gustave Doré, Doré's English Bible (1866), public domain
1 Kings: the study guide →Read 1 Kings 10 →

This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Keil, The Books of the Kings and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.

Read on in 1 Kings 10 →