Charles Ellicott Commentary 2 Chronicles 9
Charles Ellicott Commentary
2 Chronicles 9
Charles Ellicott Commentary
2 Chronicles 9
"And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to prove Solomon with hard questions at Jerusalem, with a very great train, and camels that bare spices, and gold in abundance, and precious stones: and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart." — 2 Chronicles 9:1 (ASV)
(ii) SOLOMON’S WISDOM, WEALTH, AND GLORY. HIS DEATH.
(a) THE VISIT OF THE QUEEN OF SHEBA (2 Chronicles 9:1–12). Compare to 1 Kings 10:1–13.
The Hebrew text coincides with Kings, allowing for a few characteristic alterations, the chief of which will be noticed.
- And when the queen of Sheba heard. — Now the queen of Sheba had heard. Kings, was hearing.
- The fame of Solomon. — Kings adds a difficult phrase (“as to the name of Jehovah”) which the chronicler omits.
- Hard questions. — Riddles, enigmas. Septuagint, αἰνίγμασιν (Judges 14:12).
- At Jerusalem. — An abridgment but not an improvement of Kings. The Syriac agrees with the latter.
- Gold in abundance. — The chronicler has substituted a favorite expression for the “ very much gold” of Kings.
"and the food of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel, his cupbearers also, and their apparel, and his ascent by which he went up unto the house of Jehovah; there was no more spirit in her." — 2 Chronicles 9:4 (ASV)
And his ascent by which he went up into the house of the Lord. —Kings, “And his burnt offering which he offered in the house of the Lord.” The Septuagint, Syr., and Vulgate here agree with Kings; and the Arab. reads, “the altar on which he offered.” In all other passages, the word used in our text (‘alîyâh) means not ascent, but upper chamber. It is likely, therefore, that in the present instance it is merely an error of transcription for the term occurring in Kings (‘ôlâh, “burnt-offering”).
"And she said to the king, It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thine acts, and of thy wisdom." — 2 Chronicles 9:5 (ASV)
Of your acts. —Literally, words. Septuagint, περὶ τῶν λόγων σου. We might render matters, affairs.
"Howbeit I believed not their words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it; and, behold, the half of the greatness of thy wisdom was not told me: thou exceedest the fame that I heard." — 2 Chronicles 9:6 (ASV)
The one half of the greatness of your wisdom. —Kings has simply, the half was not told me. The chronicler has made an explanatory addition. (See 1 Chronicles 12:29 and 2 Chronicles 30:18 for the word marbith, “increase,” “multitude,” which occurs three times in the Chronicles and twice elsewhere.)
You exceed the fame. —Literally, You have added to the report. Kings, more fully, You have added wisdom and weal to the report.
"Happy are thy men, and happy are these thy servants, that stand continually before thee, and hear thy wisdom." — 2 Chronicles 9:7 (ASV)
And happy ... and hear. —The conjunctions weaken the rhetorical effect of the verse, and are not read in Kings.
Jump to: