Charles Ellicott Commentary 1 Kings 10:18

"Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with the finest gold." — 1 Kings 10:18 (ASV)

Ivory. This seems to have been brought in by the Tyrians (1 Kings 10:22), and it may be noted that the only other mention of ivory in the history is in the ivory house of Ahab (1 Kings 22:39), who was allied with Tyre. In Psalms 45:8 (presumably from the age of Solomon) we find mention of ivory palaces, or possibly caskets. The Tyrians are described in Ezekiel 27:15 as receiving it through Dedan in Arabia, to which place, no doubt, it came from India. But the Egyptians used ivory extensively, drawing it from Africa; and there was, in later times, a port on the Red Sea that was a market for ivory. The Tyrians may, therefore, have imported it both from India and from Africa. The throne of Solomon was probably inlaid with ivory and gold.

Traces of such inlaying are found in Assyrian and Egyptian monuments. It is probable that, like his other architectural and decorative work, it was executed by Tyrian workmen, and the detailed description of it shows how greatly it impressed the imagination of Israel. The lion was the emblem of the house of Judah; the number twelve corresponded to the twelve tribes; and the exaltation of the throne—especially remarkable in a country where people commonly sat on the ground or on cushions—was the emblem of majesty. In the Dictionary of the Bible (see the entry “THRONE”), is given a sketch of an Assyrian throne from a Nineveh bas-relief, which has horses supporting “the stays,” or arms of the throne, a role here ascribed to lions.