Different versions of some of the events depicted in this chapter appear mostly in Chapter 5 of 1Kings.
וַיִּתְחַזֵּק שְׁלֹמֹה בֶן־דָּוִיד עַל־מַלְכוּתוֹ וַיהוָה אֱלֹהָיו עִמּוֹ וַיְגַדְּלֵהוּ לְמָעְלָה׃ 1:1
2Chr. 1:1 And Solomon son of David was strengthened concerning his kingdom, and the Lord, his God, was with him and magnified him exceedingly.
וַיֹּאמֶר שְׁלֹמֹה לְכָל־יִשְׂרָאֵל לְשָׂרֵי הָאֲלָפִים וְהַמֵּאוֹת וְלַשֹּׁפְטִים וּלְכֹל נָשִׂיא לְכָל־יִשְׂרָאֵל רָאשֵׁי 1:2
הָאָבוֹת׃
2Chr. 1:2 And Solomon spoke to all Israel, to the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and to the judges, and to every prince for all of Israel, the heads of households.
וַיֵּלְכוּ שְׁלֹמֹה וְכָל־הַקָּהָל עִמּוֹ לַבָּמָה אֲשֶׁר בְּגִבְעוֹן כִּי־שָׁם הָיָה אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד הָאֱלֹהִים אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה 1:3
מֹשֶׁה עֶבֶד־יְהוָה בַּמִּדְבָּר׃
2Chr. 1:3 Then Solomon and all the congregation with him went to the high place that was in Gibeon, for there was the tent of meeting of God that Moses, servant of the Lord, had made in the wilderness.
אֲבָל אֲרוֹן הָאֱלֹהִים הֶעֱלָה דָוִיד מִקִּרְיַת יְעָרִים בַּהֵכִין לוֹ דָּוִיד כִּי נָטָה־לוֹ אֹהֶל בִּירוּשָׁלִָם׃ 1:4
2Chr. 1:4 However, David had brought up the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim to where David had prepared for it when he had pitched a tent for it in Jerusalem.
וּמִזְבַּח הַנְּחֹשֶׁת אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה בְּצַלְאֵל בֶּן־אוּרִי בֶן־חוּר שָׂם לִפְנֵי מִשְׁכַּן יְהוָה וַיִּדְרְשֵׁהוּ שְׁלֹמֹה וְהַקָּהָל׃ 1:5
2Chr. 1:5 But the altar of brass that Bazalel son of Uri son of Hur had made had been set before the tabernacle of the Lord, and Solomon sought it, and the congregation.
וַיַּעַל שְׁלֹמֹה שָׁם עַל־מִזְבַּח הַנְּחֹשֶׁת לִפְנֵי יְהוָה אֲשֶׁר לְאֹהֶל מוֹעֵד וַיַּעַל עָלָיו עֹלוֹת אָלֶף׃ 1:6
2Chr. 1:6 And Solomon offered there on the altar of brass that belonged to the tent of meeting before the Lord, and he offered on it a thousand burnt offerings.
בַּלַּיְלָה הַהוּא נִרְאָה אֱלֹהִים לִשְׁלֹמֹה וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ שְׁאַל מָה אֶתֶּן־לָךְ׃ 1:7
2Chr. 1:7 During that night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, “Ask for that which I should give you.”
This verse and the next five are an elaboration of 1Kin. 5:9.
וַיֹּאמֶר שְׁלֹמֹה לֵאלֹהִים אַתָּה עָשִׂיתָ עִם־דָּוִיד אָבִי חֶסֶד גָּדוֹל וְהִמְלַכְתַּנִי תַּחְתָּיו׃ 1:8
2Chr. 1:8 And Solomon said to God, “You have wrought with David, my father, great kindness and have made me king in his place.”
עַתָּה יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים יֵאָמֵן דְּבָרְךָ עִם דָּוִיד אָבִי כִּי אַתָּה הִמְלַכְתַּנִי עַל־עַם רַב כַּעֲפַר הָאָרֶץ׃ 1:9
2Chr. 1:9 “Now, Lord God, let Your word with David, my father, be confirmed, for You have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth.”
עַתָּה חָכְמָה וּמַדָּע תֶּן־לִי וְאֵצְאָה לִפְנֵי הָעָם־הַזֶּה וְאָבוֹאָה כִּי־מִי יִשְׁפֹּט אֶת־עַמְּךָ הַזֶּה הַגָּדוֹל׃ 1:10
2Chr. 1:10 “Give me now wisdom and knowledge, as I have gone out before this people and come in; but who can judge Your people? This is too great.”
וַיֹּאמֶר־אֱלֹהִים לִשְׁלֹמֹה יַעַן אֲשֶׁר הָיְתָה זֹאת עִם־לְבָבֶךָ וְלֹא־שָׁאַלְתָּ עֹשֶׁר נְכָסִים וְכָבוֹד וְאֵת נֶפֶשׁ 1:11
שֹׂנְאֶיךָ וְגַם־יָמִים רַבִּים לֹא שָׁאָלְתָּ וַתִּשְׁאַל־לְךָ חָכְמָה וּמַדָּע אֲשֶׁר תִּשְׁפּוֹט אֶת־עַמִּי אֲשֶׁר הִמְלַכְתִּיךָ עָלָיו׃
2Chr. 1:11 And God said to Solomon, “For the reason that you have been such with your heart that you have not asked for wealth, riches, or honor, or the life of your haters, or you do not even seek many days, but you ask wisdom and knowledge for yourself, so that you can judge My people over whom I have made you king,
הַחָכְמָה וְהַמַּדָּע נָתוּן לָךְ וְעֹשֶׁר וּנְכָסִים וְכָבוֹד אֶתֶּן־לָךְ אֲשֶׁר לֹא־הָיָה כֵן לַמְּלָכִים אֲשֶׁר לְפָנֶיךָ 1:12
וְאַחֲרֶיךָ לֹא יִהְיֶה־כֵּן׃
2Chr. 1:12 the wisdom and the knowledge is being granted to you, and the wealth and riches and honor I shall give to you what has not been so for the kings who were before you, and shall not be so after you.”
וַיָּבֹא שְׁלֹמֹה לַבָּמָה אֲשֶׁר־בְּגִבְעוֹן יְרוּשָׁלִַם מִלִּפְנֵי אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד וַיִּמְלֹךְ עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵל׃ 1:13
2Chr. 1:13 And Solomon, from being before the tent of meeting at the high place that was in Gibeon, entered Jerusalem and reigned over Israel.
וַיֶּאֱסֹף שְׁלֹמֹה רֶכֶב וּפָרָשִׁים וַיְהִי־לוֹ אֶלֶף וְאַרְבַּע־מֵאוֹת רֶכֶב וּשְׁנֵים־עָשָׂר אֶלֶף פָּרָשִׁים וַיַּנִּיחֵם 1:14
בְּעָרֵי הָרֶכֶב וְעִם־הַמֶּלֶךְ בִּירוּשָׁלִָם׃
2Chr. 1:14 And Solomon collected chariot and horsemen, that it was, a thousand four hundred chariots and twelve thousand horsemen were his, and he set them in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.
The number of horsemen mentioned here agrees with the number given in 1Kin. 5:6, but there the number of chariots is implied to be much larger; the horses for the chariots were housed in forty thousand stalls. Even if we counted six horses (likely excessive) per chariot, the implication is that there were well over 6,000 chariots. Even at eight horses (even more excessive) per chariot, we are still left with a count of 5,000 chariots. Although there appears to be no notice of this discrepancy in any of the literature, in some bibles the number of stalls is changed from forty thousand to four thousand. Yet even this number is still not in agreement with the number in this verse. It’s now too small. Assuming four horses to a chariot -- a reasonable number, we could then account for 1,000 chariots, 400 short of the total stated here.
וַיִּתֵּן הַמֶּלֶךְ אֶת־הַכֶּסֶף וְאֶת־הַזָּהָב בִּירוּשָׁלִַם כָּאֲבָנִים וְאֵת הָאֲרָזִים נָתַן כַּשִּׁקְמִים אֲשֶׁר־בַּשְּׁפֵלָה 1:15
לָרֹב׃
2Chr. 1:15 And the king set the silver and the gold throughout Jerusalem like stones, and bestowed the cedars in abundance like the sycamores that were in the lowland.
וּמוֹצָא הַסּוּסִים אֲשֶׁר לִשְׁלֹמֹה מִמִּצְרָיִם וּמִקְוֵא סֹחֲרֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ מִקְוֵא יִקְחוּ בִּמְחִיר׃ 1:16
2Chr. 1:16 And the horses that were Solomon's were being brought out from Egypt and from Keve. The merchants of the king would acquire for a price from Keve.
וַיַּעֲלוּ וַיּוֹצִיאוּ מִמִּצְרַיִם מֶרְכָּבָה בְּשֵׁשׁ מֵאוֹת כֶּסֶף וְסוּס בַּחֲמִשִּׁים וּמֵאָה וְכֵן לְכָל־מַלְכֵי הַחִתִּים 1:17
וּמַלְכֵי אֲרָם בְּיָדָם יוֹצִיאוּ׃
2Chr. 1:17 And they departed and brought out from Egypt a chariot for six hundred silver and a horse for a hundred fifty, and it was thus for all the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Aram; by their hand they would bring out.
וַיֹּאמֶר שְׁלֹמֹה לִבְנוֹת בַּיִת לְשֵׁם יְהוָה וּבַיִת לְמַלְכוּתוֹ׃ 1:18
2Chr. 1:18 Now Solomon thought to build the house for the name of the Lord and a house for his kingdom.
[Return to 2Chronicles Chapters] [Prev.: 1Chr. 29] [Next: 2Chr. 2]
