John Gill Commentary 1 Kings 10:12

"And the king made of the almug-trees pillars for the house of Jehovah, and for the king`s house, harps also and psalteries for the singers: there came no such almug-trees, nor were seen, unto this day." — 1 Kings 10:12 (ASV)

And the king made of the almug trees pillars for the house
of the Lord, and for the king's house
Or terraces, as in (2 Chronicles 9:11), causeways; and means the ascent or causeway he made from his own house to the temple; the pavement of which, as Jarchi interprets the word here, was made of the wood of these trees; or the supports of it, or rather the rails on each side, on which men might stay themselves as they passed along, as Ben Gersom; and since this ascent was admired by the queen of Sheba, it is particularly observed what wood it was made of, and from whence it came:

harps also, and psalteries for singers ;
these musical instruments were made of the same wood; Josephus ^F9 says of amber, and that their number was 400,000:

there came no such almug trees, nor were seen unto this day ;
not in the land of Israel, neither before nor since, see (2 Chronicles 9:11) .

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FOOTNOTES:

• F9: Antiqu. l. 8. c. 3. sect. 8.