heart, to judge thy people, &c.] Not an underftanding ot things {piritual, nor of things natural, though both were given him, but-of things political, what related to the civil government, that he might be able to judge or rule the people of J/rael in the beft manner: that I may difcern between good and bad; not merely between moral good and evil, of which he had a difcernment; but between right and wrong in any cafe or controverfy that came before him between man and man, that fo he might be able to pafs a right fentence, and do jultice toevery one: for who is able to judge ibis thy fo greata people; who are fo very numerous, and have fo many caufes to be heard and tried, and thofe many of them. very intricate and difficult; fo chat no man is equal to fuch arduous work, unlefs he has more than an ordinary capacity. given him by the Lord.
¥.10. And the fpeech pleafed the Lord, that Solomon had afked this thing.] - Underftanding in the affairs of civil government; fince he had refpect not to his own private benefit and advantage, but the good of the people he governed, and the honour and glory of God, who had fet him over them, they being his chofen people, and whofe vicegerent he was.
¥. 11. And God faid unto bim, &c.] Being yet in a dream: secaufe thou haft afked this thing; wifdom for government: and baft not afked for thy- Self long life; which is naturally defired by men, and always reckoned a great temporal bleffing, and efpecially to be withed for by a king living in great pomp and fplendour: neither baft afked riches for ibyfelf; to fapport his grandeur; for though David his father had left him much, yet not for himéfelf, but for the building of the temple: zor haft afked the life of thine enemies, victory over them, and to have it in his power to take away their lives when he pleafed; which kings, and efpecially tyrants, are defirous of, fuch as are ambitious, haughty, and revengeful: ut baft afked for thyfelf underfianding to difcern judgment; where theeright of a caufe lay, that fo he might make a right judgment of it, and pafs a righteous fentence, a fentence not to the injury of any.
¥. 12. Bebold, Ihave done according to thy words, &c.} Exprefied in his requeft; he not only promifed he would grant him it, buthe had already done it, or at leaft had begun todo it: /o, J have given thee a wife and an underfianding heart, had greatly increafed his wifdom and underftanding in things political, things -refpecting civil government, and alfo in things ‘natural, in the knowledge of the things of nature, as appears from ch, iv. 33. and -of all arts and fciences:\ /o that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee foall any arife like unto thee; which {ome rettrain to kings, and tothe kings of J/rael that there were none of the kings before him, as Sez] and David, like him for wifdom, nor any of the kings of Yudab and Ufrael after him; but it may include all men of all nations in the world, fince he is faid to be wifer than vall:men; and fome ather nations, and particular -men. of other nations, famous for wifdom, are -exprefly mentioned as inferior to him, ch. iv. 30, 31. but then this muft be underftood of men fince
.» the fall; for 4dem, doubtlets, had a larger ftock
_of knowledge and underftanding in his’ ftate of in-
-nocence than ever So/gmon had, and it muft be re-
{trained to political and natural knowledge; for as for divine knowledge, Kimchi excepts Mo/es; and we may well except the apoftles of Cérif# for fpiri- Vou. Il, N°, XXI. *
SPL g. Give therefore thy Servant an underftanding tual an@ evangelical knowledge; and ag for our Lord, the antitype of Solomon, he is greater than him in all kind of knowledge, all the treafures of wifdom and knowledge being hid in him,’ fee Matt. xii. 42. Col. ii. 3.
¥. 13. And I have alfo given thee that which thou haft not afeed, &c.] That is, intended to give him, and now promifed it, and was about to beftow it on him: oth riches and honour; the former through the prefents and tribute of the nations about him, and his trading to foreign parts; and the latter chiefly through his wifdom, the fame of which was fpread every where: fo that there fhall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days; that is, none like him for riches and honour among all the kings of the neighbouring nations fo long as he lived; though there might be kings in aftertimes as rich, or richer than ‘he, as Crefus, Alexander, &c. but then not fo honourable as he; fo, putting both together, there were no kings like him before or after, and efpécially if wifdom be v.14. And if thou wilt walkin my ways, &c.] Prefcribed and directed to in his word: to keep my ftatutes and my commandments; ceremonial, moral, and judicial: as thy father David did walk; which
Solomon himfelf had obferved, y.6.. and whofe walk was worthy of his imitation: then I will lengthen thy days, the other promifes of riches and honour are abfolute, but this of long life conditional, depending upon his holy walk and converfation; and hence, becatife he failed tn this, the Jews obferve he did not attain to long life, dying, as they fuppofe, at 52 years of age; which is grounded on a wrong hypothefis, that he was but
12 years of age when he began to reign, and he reigned 40 years, as before obferved,
¥. 15. And Solomon awoke, and behold, it was a
dream, &c.|] Not that it was nothing but a dream, a natural one, a vain and empty one, but a divine and fupernatural one, a dream of prophecy, as the Fews call it, or a prophetic dream $ a true one, which had its full accomplifhment in him, the truth of which he perceived as foon as he awoke; for he found himfelf pofiefled of fuch a meafure of wifdom and knowledge he never had before, which occafioned the thank{giving and joy next expreffed: and be came to Ferufalem; from Gibeon, accompanied by his nobles and fervants: and ftood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; which was ina tent David had pitched for it there, 2 Sam. vi. 17. here he ftood with tholy reverence, as in the prefence of the Lord, and as a fervant of his, to minifter to him, and as a worfhipper of him, with a heart full of gratitude for the great things he had done for him, and promifed to him: and offered up burnt-offerings, and offered peace-offerings,; by way of thankfulnefs for his quiet fettlement in the kingdom, for the Lerd’s appearance to him at Gibeon, and for what he had already given, and promifed to give: and made a feaft to all bis fervants; in a way of joy and gladnefs for the above favours; this feaft was either the part of the peace-offerings he offered, which belonged’to the offerer to eat of with his friends, or this was a fpecial feaft made at his own palace for his courtiers.
y. 16. Then came there two women that wefe harlots, unto the king, &c.] The fame day, as Abarbinel thinks, the night before which the Lord had appeared to Solomon; this came to pafs thro’ the providence of God, that there fhould be immediately an inftance and proof of the wifdom and underftanding the Lord fad given to Solomon y thefe women, according to the Targum, Were victuallers or inn-keepers; and fo Bex Gerjom thinks, they were fellers of food, as Rahab, though he obierves it is poflible they might proftitute themfelves: this may be faid in their favour, that common proftitutes do not ufually bear children, or when they do, take no care of them, have no affeétion for them, and much lefs are fond of them, as thefe feem to be; but on the other hand, no mention being made of their hufbands, and living together in one houle, and alone, and being impudent, brawling, and litigious, give great fufpicion of the truth of the character they bear in.our verfion and others: aud fiood before him; to lay their cafe before him, and each plead their own caufe; it may be, it had been tried in another court before, and could not be determined, and fo was brought to the king; and if fo, the wifdom of Solomon was the more confpicuous, in deciding it in the manner he did.
y. 37. And the one woman faid, &c.] Who was the plaintiff: O my lord, I and this woman dwell in one houfe; pointing to the defendant, who ftood by her: and I was delivered of a child, with her in the houfe; fhe being prefent at the delivery, and fhe only as it fhould feem.
y. 18. And it came to pafs the third day after J was delivered, &c.}: Of a child, as before. exprefied: that this woman was delivered alfo; of another child; and being both of the fame fex, both fons, as afterwards appears; and being fo nearly of an age, it was, difficult to diftinguifh them: aud we were together; there was no ranger with us in the houfe, fave we two in the houfe; fo that in this trial no evidences could be produced on either fide.
y. 19. And this woman’s child died in the night, &c.] Whether the fame night following the day it was born is not certain: becaufe fhe overlaid it; or laid upon it, being heavy through fleep, and not knowing what fhe did, turned herfelf upon it, and {mothered it; becaufe it had no previous illnefs, or any marks of any difeafe it could be thought to die of, and perhaps there might be fome of its being overlaid.
y. 20. And fhe arofe at midnight, &c.|, Perceiving what fhe had done, that fhe had overlaid her child, and it was dead; either thro’ fear..of punifhment inflicted on perfons thus negligent, or becaufe of the difgrace of it, taking no more care of her child, fhe made ufe of the following ftratagem: and took my fon from befide me, while thine handmaid flept; this ferved to puzzle the caufe, for how could fhe know what fhe did when fhe was afleep? this fe could not prove, it was only conjecture: and laid it in her bofom, and laid her. dead child in my bofom; where fhe found it in the morning; bur ftill what proof was there that it was the other woman’s, and not her own, that lay dead in her bofom?
¥. 21. And when 1 rofe in the morning, lo give my
. child fuck, &c.] As the ufed to do: behold, it was dead, her own child as fhe thought at firft; but when I had confidered it in the morning; it was towards morning, or juft at break of day, when fhe arofe to fuckle it, and found it dead: but. when it was broad day, and the light of the morning was increafed, fhe more narrowly viewed it, and by its features, or fome marks fhe had obferved; Lebold, it was not my fon which 1 did bear: fhe was fully fatisfied it was not her own child, but another, y. 22. dud the other woman Jaid, &c.] The
KINGS Chiiiin17—0z7
defendant: Nay; buf the living is my fon, and the dead is thy fon; fhe denied what the other faid, but offered nothing in proof of it: and this faid; the who was the plaintiff replied in the famelanguage> No; but the dead is thy fon, and the living is my fons } without being able to add any thing in contirma* tion of what fhe had depofed: thus they fpake defore the king; feveral times, over and over again, what is betore exprefféd, having nothing to produce on either fide in proof of their afiertions; fo that it was very difficult to determine to whom th ¥. 23. Then faid the king, &c.] As judge, fumming up what had been faid on both fides; which were only bare affertions without proof; the one affirming what the other denied, and the other denying what the other affirmed: The one faith, This is my fon that liveth, and tby fon is -the dead: and the other faith, Nay; but thy fon is the dead, — and my fon is the living; this he repeated to fhew to all prefent, that no determination could be made by what had been faid.on each fide, and that fome other method mutt be taken. ie ¥. 24. And the king faid, Bring me a fword, &e.} The defign of which might not at firft appear to the court, and it might be thought ftrange, and greatly -wondered at, what fhould be the meaning of its and they brought a fword before the king 5 his commands were obeyed. 1 ay ¥. 25. And the king faid, 8c.) one of his officers: Divide the hiving child in tao’; not that, he meant it fhould be aétually done, though. it might at firft be thought he really intendéd it, and fo {trike the minds of fome with horror, “as it did; however, the mother; but he ordered this, to-try, the affeGtions of the women, and thereby come to the true knowledge of the affair; though fome think he knew. it before by their countenances and manner of {peech, but that he was defirous all’pre+ fent might fee it, and be fatisfied of it: and give balf to the one, and half to the other, finee both claimed it., ob ee ¥. 26. Then fpake the woman, whofe the living. child was, unto the king,’&c.} In hafte, and with great vehemency, left the executioner fhould at _ once difpatch it: (for. her bowels yerned upon ber fon;) not being able to bear to fee his life taken away: and fhe faid, O my lord; or, on me, my lord let the fin, the lie that I have told, be on me, and the punifhment of it; fhe rather chofe to be reckoned a liar, and to endure any punifhment fuch an offence deferved, rather than her! child fhould be cut:afunder: give ber the living child, and in no wife flay it, being willing to part with her intereft in it, rather than’it fhould be put to death: but the other faid, Let it be neither mine nor thine, but divide it 5. for as fhe knew it was na fs own, fhe had no affection for it, nor defire te have it; chofe rather to be clear of the experice of keeping and nurfing it, and would by its being put to death, be avenged ‘of her adverfary, brought this caufe before the king.; ay SA ¥. 27. Then the king anfwered and faid, Give her the living child,. and in no wife flay it, &e.) That is, to her who defired it might rot be flain,’ but rather be given to her who had no right to it: foe is the mother thereof; which might be itrongly concluded from her compaffion for it, her ea ey earneftnefs to have its life {pared,. and from the indifference of the other, yea, from her perme 4 barbarity in moving to hayeit divided. © 9)
yt. 28. And all Ifrael beard of the judgment which\difcover it quickly, and bring them to thame and the king bad judged, &c.\ In the above cafe; the!punifhment: fer they faw that the wifdom of God decifion of it was divulged throughout the land,|was iz bim, to do judgment; that God had put and the fame of it was fpread every where: audjmore than ordinary wifdom into him, to make a they feared the king, reverenced him as a wife, ju-jright judgment in caufés that came before him, dicious, and faithful king, and feared to do any ‘and finifh them in the moft juft and equitable manthing of a criminal nature, as perceiving that he ner, was {fo fagacious and penetrating, that he would,
AS in the preceding chapter we have a proof of the wifdom and underftanding which the Lord gave to Solomon, as promifed, fo in this an account is given of the riches and honour he was poffeffed of; of him as king over all J/rael, and of his princes, ¥. 1—6. of the providers of food for his houfhold in the feveral parts of the land, ¥. 7—19. of the largenefs and extent of his dominions, and of the peace and profperity thereof, y. 20, 21, 24, 25. of his daily provifions for his houfhold, and for his cattle, ¥. 22, 23. 26, 27, 28. and of his fuperior wifdom and knowledge to all others in all nations, which brought fome out of all to hear it, and Zabud the fon of Nathan; another of the fons of Nathen the prophet; for he being a principal inftrument of fettling Solomon on the throne, had” intereft enough to promote his fons to the chief places of honour andtruft: and this here was princi pal officer, and the kiag’s friend; a chief minifter about him, very intimate with him, that kept him | company, privately converfed with him, was in his fecrets, and admitted to great privacy and nearnefs to him..
¥. 6. And Abiathar was over the houfhald, &c.] Steward of the houfhold: and Adoniram the fon of Abda was over the tribute; over thofe that collected the tribute, as the Targum, whether from the people of J/rael or other nations, or both; this man was in the fame poft in David's time, 2 Sam. xx. 24.
y. 7. And Solomon had twelve officers over all Trael, &c.\ Not with refpect to the twelve tribes of Ijrael, for it does not appear that they had each of them a tribe under them, but fome particular places ina tribe; but with refpeét to the twelve months of the year, in which each took his turn: which provided vitiuals for the king and his houfbold: each man his month in a year made provifion; furnifhed food of all forts out of the country in which they prefided for the fpace of one month in a year $ by which means there was always a plenty of provifions at court for the king’s family, and for all ftrangers that came and went, and no one part of the land was burdened or drained, nor the price of proyifions raifed; thefe feem to be the twelve Phylarchi, or governors of tribes, Eupolemus', an heathen writer, {peaks of, before whom, and the high-prieft, David delivered the kingdom to Solomon; though in that he was miftaken, that they were in being then, fince thefe were officers of Solomon’s creating. ‘ y. 8. And thefe are their names, &c.]’ Or rather the names of their fathers; for of many of them not their own names but their fathers names are given, as being well known: the fon of Hur, in mount Ephraim; a fruitful country in the tribe of Ephraim, from whence this officer was to furnifh the king with provifions for one month in the year.
¥. 9. The fon of Deker, in Makaz,&c.]} A place in the tribe of Daz, on the borders of it: and in Shaalbim, and Beth foemefb, and Elon-betkhanan; all in the fame tribe, fee Fo/b. xix. 41, 42, yy. 1. So-king Solomon was king over all Ifrael.| As David his father was not at firft, only over Fudab, and as Solomon’s fucceffors were not, after the diyifion of the kingdom under his fon Reboboam, though this feems to have a particular refpect to what is related in the preceding chapter concerning the wifdom of Solomon, for which he was fo famous, that he reigned by the confent of all, and in the hearts of all the people of J rael.
¥.2. And thefe were the princes which he had, &c.] That were in office about him, in the higheft pofts of honour and truft: Azariab the fon of Zadok, the prief; or rather his grandfon, fince Abimaaz was the fon of Zadok, and Azariah the fon of Abimaaz, 1 Chron, vi. 8, 9. though another Zadok may be meant, and his fon not a prieft but a prince, as the word may be rendered, and was Solomon’s prime-minifter of ftate, and the rather, fince he is méntioned firft.
y¥. 3. Eliboreph and Abiah, the fons of Sbifha, feribes, &c.] Their father Shiba, the fame with Sheva, was fcribe only in David's time; and he being dead very probably, both his fons were contimtued in the office as fecretaries of ftate, Solomon having more bufinefs for fuch an office, fee 2 Sam. xx. 25. Fehofbapbat the fon of Abilud, the recorder, who was in the fame office in the times of David, and now held it under Solomon, 2 Sam, viii. 16.
y¥. 4. And Benaiah the fon of Feboiada was over the hoff, &c.| General of the army in the room of Foab, ch. ii. 35. and Zadok and Abiathar were the priefts; fo they were when Solomon came to the throne; but 4diethar was depofed by him after fome time, though he might retain the name afterwards, and be employed, as Ben Gerfom thinks, in cafe of neceflity, in the room of Zadok, or however, be employed as a common prieft at Feru/alem, wpon a reconciliation’ with Solomon; though Kimcbi thinks another Abiathar is meant,: which is not fo likely.
¥. 5. And Azariab the fom of Nathan was over the officers, &c.\. ‘The twelve officers who provided food for S¢/emen’s houihold after-mentioned:
43. ip 10. The fon of Hefed, in Aruboth, &c.} Which feems to have been in the tribe of fudab by the places that follow: ¢o bim pertained Sochoh; there were two places of this name in that tribe, Fob. xv. 35. 48. and all the land of Hepher, there was an Hepber in the land of Canaan, which was a royal city in the times. of the Canaanites, Fo d. xii.
this land belonged, 1 Chron. iv. 6. unlefs it can be thought to be the portion of land given to the daughters of Hepher, Fofh. xvii. 3.
y¥. 41. The fon of Abinadab, in all the region of
Jor, &c.] The fame with Dor and her towns, which belonged to: the half-tribe of Manaffeb, on this fide Fordan, Fofb. xvii. 11. which cad Taphath the daughter of Solomon to wife, not when he was firft put into this office,” when, in all probability, Solomon had not a daughter marriageable; but behaving well in it, in procefs of time he beftowed a daughter of his on him. ne y¥. 12. Baana the fon of Abilud, to him pertained Taanach and Megiddo, and all Bethfbean, 8c. All which were places in the tribe of Manafeb, Fo/b. xvii. 11. which is by Zartanah beneath Fezreel; fo defcribed, to diftinguifh it, as is thought, from Zaretan in Fofp. iii. 16. and the country this officer prefided over reached alfo from Beth-~hean to Abelmebolab, even unto the place that is deyoud Fokneam; the two firft of thefe were in the tribe of Manaffeb, and the laft in the tribe of Zebulun, Fo/h. xix. 11.
xy. 13. The fon of Geber, in Ramoth-gilead, &c.] A city in the tribe of Gad, and was city of refuge, Foo. xx. 8. to him pertained the towns of Fair the fon of Manaffeb, which are in Gilead, of which fee Numb. xxxii. 4.1. to him allo pertained she region of Argob, which is in Bafhan, threefcore great cities with walls, and brazen bars; called by Fofephus * Ragaba, beyond Fordan; fee the note on Deut. iii. 4.
y.314. Abinadab the fon of Iddo had Mahanain, Another city on the other fidé Yordan, where both Ihbofheth and David{ometimes dwelt, 2 Sam. ii. 8. and xvii. 24, this and the places adjacent muft be very fruitful, fince this officer was.to furnifh the king with provifions fora month once a year from hence. =
¥. 15. Abimaaz was in Naphtali, &c] Out of that tribe he made a monthly provifion annually: be alfo took Bafmath the daughter of Solomen to wife; another daughter of Solomon’s, in courie of time, fee ¥. 11.
y.16; Baanah the fon of Hufoai was in Afber, &c.] In the tribe of 4fer;, a very plentiful tribe, particularly for oil; this officer was perhaps the fon of Hufhai the Archite, David's friend, and, it may be, promoted for his fake: and in Aloth; which fignifies afcenfions, mountains went upon by fteps; mear to this place was an high mountain, ealled the ladder of Tyre‘; perhaps. that and the parts adjacent may be meant here. '
¥..17. Febofoaphat the fon of Paruah ix Ifachar.] In the tribe of Ifachar; he had the whole tribe. at his command to make a monthly provifion out of for the king once a year,' as had the preceding officer and the following one, |»
¥. 18. Shimei the fon of Elab in Benjamin.) So defcribed, to diftinguith him from that Shimei that eurfed David, who was of the fame tribe,
¥. 19. Geber the fon of Uri was in the country of Gilead, 8c.).Which was beyond Yordan, and inhabited by the tribes of Reuben and Gad and the half-tribe, of Manafeh this mutt be underftood of all the country, excepting what was under the jurifdiétion of the fon of Geber, ¥. 13. and which had been the country of Sihon king of the Amorites, and of Og king of Bafoam; until it was taken from them by Mojes; and he was the only officer which was i the land; which is not true of Gebers for lobferved of all the reft of the officers: the there was another officer -in the land. of Gilead be— t fides him, the fon of Geber before-obferved, unlefs it fhould be renege that land, in that part of the land he had; but-then. the fame mighthave Bee wor may be rendred belt, and there was one officer in the land, which fome underftand of one officer over all the reft, Azariah the fon of Nathan, yr. 5. but it feems beft what other Fewi/h writers fay *, that this was another officer appointed for the intercalated: month; when there were 13 months in the year, there. was an officer in the land fixed for that month to make provifion out of the land; perhaps any where, where he pleafed, being not limited toany certain place. Thefe 12 providers for So omon’s family were emblems of the 12 apoftles of Chrift, appointed to provide. food for his’ family, thechurch; and if you add to them the apoftle Paul, it will make 13, as this officer did. ¥.
¥. 20. Judah and Yrael were many, as the fand which is by the fea in multitude, &c.|. Being blef-, fed with great fruitfulnefs in their families, and and having no peftilential difeafe among them, nor wars to leffen their number, and fo the promife to. Abrckam was fulfilled, Gen. xxii. 17. and. which was an emblem of Cdri/i’s {piritual fubjects, efpe-. cially in the latter day, whom Solomon was a type of, fee Hof. i. 10. eating, and drinking, and making merry; having a Jarge increafe of the fruits of the earth, and in no fear of any enemies; expreflive c the fpiritual joy of believers in the kingdom of. Chrift, and under the word and ordinances, Cant. li. 3,4, and v,1. Rom.v. 2, 3. 11. and Xly. 17.
y¥. 21. And Solomon reigned over all kingdoms, &c.] Not only over’ Zudab and Jrael, but alk people round about him, they ftanding in fear of him or who brought him prefents, or paid tribute. to him, which was an acknowledgment of fuperiority over them, and doing homage to him»
from the river unto the land of the Philiftines, and
unto the border of Egypt, that is, from the river Euphrates, as the Targum, which was the. border of his proper domains, to the ealt, to Paleftine, inha= bited by the Pdiliftines, which lay to the weft, and. as far as the border of Egypt, which was the fouthern boundary; a like and larger extent of Chrif?’s kingdom is given, Pf. Ixxii. 8. Zach. ixe 10. and they brought prefents, and ferved Solomon all the days of bis life, this explains in what fenfe - other kingdoms befides were ruled by Solomon, and - fubje&t.to,him; of Chri his antitype, fee Pf. Ixxiis 10, II. te beth ¥..22. And Solomon’s provifion for. one day, was 30 meafures of fine flour, &c.] The meafure here ufed was the Corus, or Cor, the fame Tih i Ge accord~ mer, which was equal to ten Ephabs; and, ing to Bifhop Cumberland“, held 75 wine gallons — and. five pints, and fomewhat more; by which may be known how many gallons of fine flour thefe 30 meaiures.held, which were all confumed in one — day: cud 60 meafures of meal, of a coarfer for, the fervants, not fo finely dreffed; the fame meafure is here ufed as before. and it is obferve fome, that one Cor is equivalent to 648 Romar pounds, and allowing to. one man two pounds day for his food, there would be food enough 1 29,160 men out of go times 648, or 58,24 aus *, Others a the Pion =
4 ' tk:: Jews fay * that he had 60,000 that eat at his that is, who were maintained at his court.
table 5! 4000, ten horfes in a ftable; or here he numbers the ftalls, which were 40,000, and there the ftables, which were 4000, there being ten ftalls in each; and the word there has the letter 20d in it more than here, which is the numerical letter for fen; and 100) and may point thereunto; or here the writer fpeaks ot all the ftalls for horfes Solomon had throughout the kingdom, there of thofe only he had in Jerafalem. Benjamin of Tudela * affirms; that thele ftalls, or itables, which Solomon built very ftrong of large ftones, are ftill in being in Feru/alem, and that there is no building to be feen like it any where o-| but no other writer fpeaks of them; nor is it at all probable that they fhould remain: for bis chariots, aud 12,0c0 horfemen; fome of the faid ftalls of the! horfes were for his chariots, to draw in them for various ufes, of which he had 1400, ch. x. 26. and others to mount 12,000 horfemen, who were placed in divers parts, to defend the kingdom. nor knew their) _¥. 27. And thefe officers provided vitiuals for king
¥. 23. Ten fat oxen, bec.) Such as were kept up in the ftall and fatted: and 20 oxen out of the pyiures, which were killed as they were taken from fen’ and not put up to be fed:
Jheep, “iat of the folds: defide arts, and roe-bucks, and faliow-deer; which were clean creatures, according to the Levitical law, Deut. xiv. 5. thefe were hunted in fields, or taken out of the park, or were prefents from other countries; fo that here was plenty of beef, mutton, and venifon: for the ipiritual application of this to the antitypical So mon, and his, provifions, fee Matt. xxii. 4...and Jetted fowl, fuch as we call capons *; fome Fewifh writers °, becaufe of the likenefs of found in word here ufed, take them to be: Barbary fowls, or fuch as were, brought from that country: there is a fort of birds called a Capa, which were without a yeice, that neither heard men,.
Voice * Solomon, &c.] The 12 before mentioned; and x. 24: For be had dominion over all the region om ibis fide the river, &c.] Or beyond the river Zuphrates, in the fenfe before given, ¥. 21. which accounts for the plenty of provifions he had, and the revenue with which he. fupported fuch a table he kept: from Tiphfab even to dzzab, or Gaza, one of the five principalities of the Pdili/times. Yipbjeh is thought to be the Thapfacus of Pliny*, which both he and Ptolemy * place near the river Euphrates, fince called Ampbipolis; the former places it in Syria, the latter in drabia Deferta; and which Szrabe ", trom Eratofthenes, defcribes as 4800 furlongs from Sabylon, and from the place where Mefcpotamia begins not lefs than 2000 furlongs: over all the kings on this fide the river, the river Euphrates, or beyond it, in the fenfe before explained, as the kings of Syria, Arabia, &c. andhe had peace.on all fides round about him; in which he was a type of Chri/?, the prince of peace.
¥.25. And Fudab and Irael dwelt fafely, &c.] Without fear of any injury done to their perfons or properties by any enemy; which is, and will be, more abundantly fulfilled in Cori, the antitype of Solomon, Jer. xxiii. 5. every man under his vine, and under bis fig-tree; which were ptincipal trees in the land of Fudea, put for all the reft; and the phrafe denotes the happy, fafe, quiet, full, and peaceable enjoyment of all outward bleffings, and. is ufed of the times of the Mefiah, Mic. iv. 4. from Dan even to Beerfoeba, which were the two extremities of the land of J/rael, north and fouth: al/ the days of Solomon; fo long this peace and fafety continued, there being no wars in his time, _ ftead of it, y¥. 26. And Solomon had 40,000 fralls for borfes, &c.] In 2 Chron, ix. 25. it is only 40003 and therefore fome think that here is a ‘miftake of the this is repeated here, after the account of his horfes; to obferve, that they provided for them alto, as well as for the fake of what follows; thatthe large provifion made by them was not only for Sclomon’s tamily and domeftic fervants, but for ftrangers from different parts, who came upon meflages to him, or to vifit him, and to “behold the fplendor of his court: and for all that came to Solomon’s ¢able,; which was an open table for all comers, as there were fome from all parts‘of the earth, ¥. 34. every man in bis month, each of the 12 officers provided food in the month affigned to him: shey lacked nothing; they always had enough to fupply the king with, and they failed not in the pertorm= ance of their duty, nor came fhort of their falaries, being fully and punctually paid them.
y. 28. Barley alfo, and firaw for the borfes; and dromedaries, 8c.) Or rather mules, by comparing the paflage. with 2 Chron. ix. 24. the particular kind of creatures meant is not agreed on; though all take them to be a fwifter fort of creatures than horfes; or the {wifter fort of horfes, as race-horfes or poft-horfes: barley was for their provender, that being the common food of horfes in thofe times and countries, and in others, as Bochart* has fhown from various writers; and in the Mi/nah* it is called the food of beafts; and Solomou is faid to have every day for his own horfes 200,000 Neapolitan meafures of it, called Tomd0/i*; fo the Roman foldiers, the horfe were allowed a certain quantity of barley for their horfes every morning, and fometimes they had money inwhich they therefore called Hordiarium’; and the fraw was for the litter of them: thefe brought they unto the place; where the officers were; not where the king was, as the Vulgate Latin verfion; where Solomon was, as the Arabic copier, of Arbaim 40 for Arbab 4; which it is thought might be through divine permiffion, in verfion, that is, in Ferufalem; nor where the officers were in their refpective jurifdictions, as our
- fuch Jeffer matters, without any prejudice to the authority of the fcriptures in matters of faith and verfion fupplies it, which would be bringing them to themfelves; but to the place where the beatts practice; but without fuppofing this, a reconcilia-:; were, whether in Feru/alem, or in any other parts tion may be made, by obferving, that here the writer, as Ben Gerfom notes, gives the number of of the kingdom: every man according to his charge 3 which he was monthly to perform.
the horfes that. were in the ftables, which were 49,000, there the ftables themfelves, which were - y.29. And God gave Solomon wifdom and. under- - ftanding exceeding much, &c.] In things natural. fmoral, divine and fpiritual, and that not flight and Jongs were 1005 fome things that were ufeful to improve the minds and morals of men, he deli- fuperficial, but exceeding deep, and large beyond exprefiion; and this he had not from the acutenefs ot his genius merely, nor from his induftry and diligence; but by the gift of God, as whatfoever folid wifdom and underftanding is in any man, it is from the liberal hand of God, the fountain of wifdom, Yam. i. 5. and largene/s of heart, even as fand that is on the fea-foore; he had a genius and capacity to receive any thing; his knowledge was vaft and comprehenfive; it reached to, and included things innumerable, as the fand of the fea; there was fearce any thing under the heavens, or on the earth, and in the fea, but came within the compafs of it, as what are after-mentioned fhew.
¥. 30. And Solomon's wifdom excelled the wifdom of all che children of the eaft, &c.) The Arabians, and Perfians, famous for wifdom, and who lay to the eaft of the land of udea; whofe wifdom lay in the knowledge of the ftars, in divination by birds, and foothlaying ™: end all the wifdom of Egypt; which it was eminent for in the times of Mo/és, and in which he was learned and well-fkilled, As vii. 22. and hence in later times the philofophers of the Gentiles travelled to get knowledge, as Pherecydes, Pythagoras, Anaxagoras, Plato, and others to Egypt, faid to be the mother of arts and fciences *.
¥. 31. For be was wifer than all men, &c.| Not only that lived in his time, but in ages paft fince the fall of 4dam, and in times to come, efpecially in natural wifdom and knowledge, in all the branches of it; for though fome men excel in fome part of knowledge, yet not in all, as Solomon did: than Ethan the Ezrabite, and Heman, and Chalcol, and Darda, the fons of Mabol, men of the fame names are faid to be fons of Zerah, grandfon of Fudah, i Chron. ii. 6. wherefore thefe are either other men, or their father had two names; or Mabol here may be an appellative, and defcribe the character of thefe men, and point at what they were famous for, as that they were fons of mufic, piping and dancing, as Mabhol may fignify; the ews have a tradition °, that Ethan is Abraham, and Heman, Mofes, and Chalcel, Fofeph: and bis fame was in all nations round about, not for his riches and grandeur only, but chiefly for his wifdom.:
¥.32. dnd he [pake’3000 proverbs, &c.) Wife fayings, fhort and pithy fentences, inftructive in morality and civil life; thefe were not written as the book of Proverbs, but fpoken only, and were taken from his lips, and fpread by thofe that heard them for the ufe of others, but in procefs of time were loft; whereas the above book, being written
. * * vered in verfe, to make them more pleafant and agteeable, that they might be the more eafily re~ — ceived and tetained in memory; but of all his fongs, the moft excellent is the book of Caxticles, called the” Song of Songs, being divine and fpiritual, dies». tated by the infpiration of the Spirit of God: he was both a moral philofopher and poet, as well as a botanift and naturalift, and well-fkilled in medicine, — as’ the following words fuggeft.
¥. 33. And be fpake of trees, &c.] Of all trees, herbs and plants, of the nature, virtues and ufe of them: from the cedar-tree that is in Lebanon, a mountain on the northern border of Fudea, famous for cedars, the talleft and largeft of trees:
Jeven unto the hyffop that fpringeth out of the wall;
which grew about Ferufalem, and in the mountains of it, as an Arabic writer teftifies®, the loweft and leaft herb; fo that what is between the cedar and hyflop, include trees and plants of every kind and fort:; whether the fame herb we call hyffop is meant, is not certain; fome take it to be mint; others marjoram; fome houfeleek; others the waliflower; Levinus Lemnius ° fuppofes it to be Adtan-. tum, or maiden hair: the Zergum interprets it allegorically, that he prophecied of the kings of the houfe of David in this world, and in the world to come of the Meffiah: he /pake alfo of beafts, and of fowls, and of creeping things, and of fifbes; he underftood the nature of all forts of animals in the earth, air, and fea, and difcourfed of their names, kinds, qualities and ufe, with the greateft eafe and perfpicuity; the Fews fancy, ‘that Ariftotle’s hiftory of animals is his, which that philofopher lighted on, and publifhed it in his own name. Suidas* fays, it was reported that Solomon wrote a book of medicines for all difeafes, which was fixed to the entrance of the temple, which Hezekiah took away, becaufe fick people applied to that for cure of their diforders, and neglected to pray to God.
¥.34. And there came of all people to hear the wifdom of Solomon, from all kings of the earth, 8cc.
Who {ent their ambaffadors to his court to know the-truth of what was reported, and bring them fome proofs and fpecimens, by which they might judge of the truth of the relations that had been told them; which perhaps might feem to them to be beyond all belief: which had beard of his wifdom, for the fame of it was fpread every where by merchants and travellers, and fuch fort of perfons, who had been at Ferufalem, and were matters of various anecdotes relating to Solomon; which they induftrioufly fpread in the feveral parts of the world they © under divine infpiration, is preferved: amd bis had dealings in.