Charles Ellicott Commentary 2 Chronicles 2:10

"And, behold, I will give to thy servants, the hewers that cut timber, twenty thousand measures of beaten wheat, and twenty thousand measures of barley, and twenty thousand baths of wine, and twenty thousand baths of oil." — 2 Chronicles 2:10 (ASV)

And, behold, I will give ... barley. —Rather, And, behold, for the hewers, that is, for the woodcutters, I will give wheat as food for your servants, namely, twenty thousand kors, and barley twenty thousand kors, and so on. “For the hewers” may mean “as for the hewers,” or perhaps “on account of the hewers” (Genesis 4:23). The latter sense would bring the verse into substantial harmony with 1 Kings 5:11, where we read: And Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand kors of wheat as food for his household, and twenty kors (Septuagint, 20,000 baths) of pure oil: thus Solomon gave to Hiram year by year, that is, during his building operations.

Beaten wheat. —The Hebrew (hittîm makkôth) is literally wheat — strokes. But it is obvious that makkôth is a misreading for makkôleth, food, the word used in 1 Kings 5:11; and so the Septuagint renders. The expression “your servants” here seems to correspond with the phrase “his household” there. The gist of the whole passage is that, in return for the services of the Tyrian artisans, Solomon engages to supply Hiram’s royal household with provisions of grain, wine, and oil.

Others assume, without much likelihood, that the two passages relate to two distinct agreements, by one of which Solomon undertook to supply Hiram’s court, and by the other his Tyrian workmen, with provisions.

Hewers (hôtĕbîm). —An old word, not recurring in the chronicle, and therefore explained by the writer.

Measures (kôrîm). —The kor was a dry measure equal to one quarter (Syriac, reb‘e, “quarters.”). The bath, a liquid measure, of six or seven gallons’ capacity. Both words occur in the Greek of Luke 16:6-7.