2 Chronicles 9:21
in 2 Chronicles 9For the king had the ships of Tarshish that went with Hiram’s servants, and once every three years the ships of Tarshish would arrive bearing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
For the king had ships that went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram; once every three years came the ships of Tarshish, bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks.
KJV
For the king’s ships went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram: every three years once came the ships of Tarshish bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks.
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This verse in 2 Chronicles 9
Commentary
4 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
drinking cups were gold
on 2 Chronicles 9:20-21
Gold replaces silver so completely in daily use that silver “was accounted as nothing in the days of Solomon”. The ships of Tarshish arrive once every three years “bearing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks”. The Hebrew words behind apes and peacocks are foreign loanwords.
This site's exposition
the ships of Tarshish that went with Hiram
Hiram's servants sail with the ships of Tarshish again, as at 8:18. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown take ships of Tarshish as ships of the size and build used at Tarshish, citing Calmet. Clarke reports that the Targum sends the ships to Africa.
The record, by era
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
the king's ships went to Tarshish--rather, "the king's ships of Tarshish went" with the servants of Huram. ships of Tarshish--that is, in burden and construction like the large vessels built for or used at Tarshish [CALMET, Fragments].
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
The king’s ships went to Tarshish - “Went to Africa.” - Targum.
The words behind it
20 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| כִּֽי־ | ki- | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| אֳנִיּ֤וֹת | ʾoniyot | ships | H591 → | 31 times |
| לַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙ | lamelekh | of the king | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| הֹלְכ֣וֹת | holekhot | [were] going | H1980 → | 1546 times |
| תַּרְשִׁ֔ישׁ | tarshish | Tarshish | H8659 → | 28 times |
| עִ֖ם | ʾim | with | H5973 → | 1050 times |
| עַבְדֵ֣י | ʾavdei | [the] servants of | H5650 → | 799 times |
| חוּרָ֑ם | churam | Huram | H2361 → | 13 times |
| אַחַת֩ | ʾachat | one [time] | H259 → | 971 times |
| לְשָׁל֨וֹשׁ | leshaloosh | to three | H7969 → | 432 times |
| שָׁנִ֜ים | shanim | years | H8141 → | 877 times |
| תָּב֣וֹאנָה׀ | tavonah | they came | H935 → | 2568 times |
| אֳנִיּ֣וֹת | ʾoniyot | ships of | H591 → | 31 times |
| תַּרְשִׁ֗ישׁ | tarshish | Tarshish | H8659 → | 28 times |
| נֹֽשְׂאוֹת֙ | noseot | carrying | H5375 → | 656 times |
| זָהָ֣ב | zahav | gold | H2091 → | 389 times |
| וָכֶ֔סֶף | vakhesef | and silver | H3701 → | 403 times |
| שֶׁנְהַבִּ֥ים | shenhabim | ivori<es> | H8143 → | |
| וְקוֹפִ֖ים | vekofim | and monkeys | H6971 → | |
| וְתוּכִּיִּֽים׃ פ | vetukiyim | and apes | H8500 → |
כִּֽי־for
ki-H3588 →4482 times
אֳנִיּ֤וֹתships
ʾoniyotH591 →31 times
לַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙of the king
lamelekhH4428 →2525 times
הֹלְכ֣וֹת[were] going
holekhotH1980 →1546 times
תַּרְשִׁ֔ישׁTarshish
tarshishH8659 →28 times
עִ֖םwith
ʾimH5973 →1050 times
עַבְדֵ֣י[the] servants of
ʾavdeiH5650 →799 times
חוּרָ֑םHuram
churamH2361 →13 times
אַחַת֩one [time]
ʾachatH259 →971 times
לְשָׁל֨וֹשׁto three
leshalooshH7969 →432 times
שָׁנִ֜יםyears
shanimH8141 →877 times
תָּב֣וֹאנָה׀they came
tavonahH935 →2568 times
אֳנִיּ֣וֹתships of
ʾoniyotH591 →31 times
תַּרְשִׁ֗ישׁTarshish
tarshishH8659 →28 times
נֹֽשְׂאוֹת֙carrying
noseotH5375 →656 times
זָהָ֣בgold
zahavH2091 →389 times
וָכֶ֔סֶףand silver
vakhesefH3701 →403 times
שֶׁנְהַבִּ֥יםivori<es>
shenhabimH8143 →
וְקוֹפִ֖יםand monkeys
vekofimH6971 →
וְתוּכִּיִּֽים׃ פand apes
vetukiyimH8500 →
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
1 Kings 10:22For the king had the ships of Tarshish at sea with Hiram’s fleet, and once every three years the ships of Tarshish would arrive bearing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.
it leads to
- 1 Kings 22:48
Jehoshaphat built ships of Tarshish to go to Ophir for gold, but they never set sail, because they were wrecked at Ezion-geber.
- 2 Chronicles 20:36–37
They agreed to make ships to go to Tarshish, and these were built in Ezion-geber.
- Psalms 72:10
May the kings of Tarshish and distant shores bring tribute; may the kings of Sheba and Seba offer gifts.
- Psalms 48:7
With a wind from the east You wrecked the ships of Tarshish.
- Genesis 10:4
And the sons of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, the Kittites, and the Rodanites.
- 1 Kings 22:48
Through
1 Kings 22:48Jehoshaphat built ships of Tarshish to go to Ophir for gold, but they never set sail, because they were wrecked at Ezion-geber.
it leads to
- 1 Kings 10:22
For the king had the ships of Tarshish at sea with Hiram’s fleet, and once every three years the ships of Tarshish would arrive bearing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.
- 1 Kings 9:26
King Solomon also assembled a fleet of ships at Ezion-geber, which is near Eloth in Edom, on the shore of the Red Sea.
- 1 Kings 9:28
They sailed to Ophir and imported gold from there—420 talents—and delivered it to Solomon.
- 1 Kings 10:22
About 2 Chronicles
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible and Keil, The Books of the Chronicles.