1 Kings 10:27
in 1 Kings 10The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as abundant as sycamore in the foothills.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And the king made silver to be in Jerusalem as stones, and cedars made he to be as the sycomore-trees that are in the lowland, for abundance.
KJV
And the king made silver to be in Jerusalem as stones, and cedars made he to be as the sycomore trees that are in the vale, for abundance.
⋯
This verse in 1 Kings 10
Commentary
6 notes on this verseThis means that the knowledge of divine things must be imparted to all nations everywhere through the advent and manifestation of Christ; and Isaiah predicted the coming of Christ in the clearest way by saying, "The earth will be full of the knowledge of the …
This site's exposition
gathered together chariots and horsemen
on 1 Kings 10:26-27
Fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand horsemen, some kept in garrison cities and some at Jerusalem, begin the military buildup that the next two verses show breaking the law of the king outright. Silver made as common as stones and cedar as common as sycamore trees repeats verse 21's verdict on gold and extends it to the whole city, the same abundance language used earlier of Solomon's wisdom now used of his wealth. The commentators read the buildup as ordinary royal policy for the age; the text itself offers no praise or blame here, only scale.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
Such is the nature of worldly wealth, plenty of it makes it the less valuable; much more should the enjoyment of spiritual riches lessen our esteem of all earthly possessions. If gold in abundance would make silver to seem so despicable, shall not wisdom, and grace, and the foretastes of heaven, which are far better than gold, make earthly wealth seem much more despicable?
And the king made silver to be in Jerusalem as stones,....
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Made silver as stones - This strong hyperbole marks in the most striking way the great wealth and prosperity of the capital during Solomon’s reign. The lavish expenditure which impoverished the provinces, and produced, or helped to produce, the general discontent that led to the outbreak under Jeroboam, enriched the metropolis, which must have profited greatly by the residence of the court, the constant influx of opulent strangers, and the periodical visits of all Israelites not hindered by some urgent reason at the great festivals. The “sycomore-trees in the vale” (Shephelah) are mentioned also in 1Ch 27:
Made silver - as stones - He destroyed its value by making it so exceedingly plenty. As the sycamore trees - He planted many cedars, and doubtless had much cedar wood imported; so that it became as common as the sycamore trees, which appear to have grown there in great abundance. This is considered to be a tree that partakes of the nature of the fig tree, and of the mulberry. Of the former it has the fruit, and of the latter the leaves; that is, the fruit had a considerable resemblance to the fig, and the leaf to that of the mulberry tree: hence its name sycamore, from the Greek συκον, a fig, and μορεα, a mulberry tree.
The words behind it
13 Hebrew wordsEvery 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.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיִּתֵּ֨ן | vaiyiten | and he made | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| הַמֶּ֧לֶךְ | hamelekh | the king | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| הַכֶּ֛סֶף | hakesef | <the> silver | H3701 → | 403 times |
| בִּירוּשָׁלִַ֖ם | birushalim | in Jerusalem | H3389 → | 643 times |
| כָּאֲבָנִ֑ים | kaavanim | like <the> stone<s> | H68 → | 273 times |
| וְאֵ֣ת | veet | and <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| הָאֲרָזִ֗ים | haarazim | <the> cedars | H730 → | 73 times |
| נָתַ֛ן | natan | he made | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| כַּשִּׁקְמִ֥ים | kashikmim | like the sycamores | H8256 → | |
| אֲשֶׁר־ | ʾasher- | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| בַּשְּׁפֵלָ֖ה | bashefelah | [are] in the Shephelah | H8219 → | |
| לָרֹֽב׃ | laro | for abundance | H7230 → | 149 times |
וַיִּתֵּ֨ןand he made
vaiyitenH5414 →2011 times
הַמֶּ֧לֶךְthe king
hamelekhH4428 →2525 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
הַכֶּ֛סֶף<the> silver
hakesefH3701 →403 times
בִּירוּשָׁלִַ֖םin Jerusalem
birushalimH3389 →643 times
כָּאֲבָנִ֑יםlike <the> stone<s>
kaavanimH68 →273 times
וְאֵ֣תand <obj.>
veetH853 →10935 times
הָאֲרָזִ֗ים<the> cedars
haarazimH730 →73 times
נָתַ֛ןhe made
natanH5414 →2011 times
כַּשִּׁקְמִ֥יםlike the sycamores
kashikmimH8256 →
אֲשֶׁר־which
ʾasher-H834 →5497 times
בַּשְּׁפֵלָ֖ה[are] in the Shephelah
bashefelahH8219 →
לָרֹֽב׃for abundance
laroH7230 →149 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach 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
Deuteronomy 17:17He must not take many wives for himself, lest his heart go astray. He must not accumulate for himself large amounts of silver and gold.
it leads to
- Nehemiah 13:26
Did not King Solomon of Israel sin in matters like this? There was not a king like him among many nations, and he was loved by his God, who made him king over all…
- Proverbs 30:8–9
Keep falsehood and deceitful words far from me. Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the bread that is my portion.
- Matthew 19:5
and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’?
- 1 Kings 11:1–4
King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh—women of Moab, Ammon, Edom, and Sidon, as well as Hittite women.
- Psalms 62:10
Place no trust in extortion, or false hope in stolen goods. If your riches increase, do not set your heart upon them.
- Nehemiah 13:26
Through
2 Chronicles 9:27The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as abundant as sycamore in the foothills.
it leads to
- 2 Chronicles 1:15–17
The king made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as abundant as sycamore in the foothills.
- Amos 7:14
“I was not a prophet,” Amos replied, “nor was I the son of a prophet; rather, I was a herdsman and a tender of sycamore-fig trees.
- 2 Chronicles 9:20
All King Solomon’s drinking cups were gold, and all the utensils of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. There was no silver, because it was accounted as nothing in the…
- 2 Chronicles 1:15–17
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About 1 Kings
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Ephrem the Syrian, ON THE FIRST BOOK OF KINGS 10:27; Jamieson Fausset and Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Keil, The Books of the Kings and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.