Solomon had 4,000 stalls for his chariot horses and 12,000 horses. SolomonThe name Solomon, derived from the Hebrew "Shlomo," means "peaceful." Solomon, the son of King David and Bathsheba, is renowned for his wisdom, wealth, and building projects, including the First Temple in Jerusalem. His reign is often seen as a golden age for Israel, marked by peace and prosperity. Solomon's name itself is a reminder of the peace and stability that characterized his rule, a fulfillment of God's promise to David that his son would reign in peace. had
The verb "had" indicates possession and control. In the context of Solomon's reign, it reflects the vast resources and wealth that were under his command. This possession is not merely about material wealth but also about the responsibility and stewardship that comes with such abundance. Solomon's ability to maintain such a large number of horses and chariots speaks to the organizational and administrative skills that were necessary to manage the kingdom effectively. four thousand stalls
The phrase "four thousand stalls" highlights the scale of Solomon's resources. Stalls were structures used to house horses, indicating a significant investment in infrastructure. This number suggests a well-organized and maintained system, reflecting the prosperity and military preparedness of Solomon's kingdom. Archaeological findings have uncovered similar structures in ancient Near Eastern cultures, underscoring the historical accuracy of such descriptions in the Bible. for his chariot horses
Chariot horses were a symbol of military strength and power in the ancient world. The use of chariots revolutionized warfare, providing speed and mobility. Solomon's investment in chariot horses indicates a strategic approach to defense and a deterrent against potential adversaries. This phrase underscores the importance of preparedness and the role of wisdom in governance, as Solomon ensured the security of his kingdom through such means. and twelve thousand horses
The mention of "twelve thousand horses" further emphasizes the magnitude of Solomon's wealth and military capability. Horses were valuable assets, not only for warfare but also for trade and transportation. The number twelve, often symbolizing completeness or perfection in the Bible, may also suggest the comprehensive nature of Solomon's resources. This abundance is a testament to God's blessing upon Solomon's reign, fulfilling the promises made to David regarding his lineage. Persons / Places / Events 1. SolomonThe son of King David and Bathsheba, Solomon was the third king of Israel. Known for his wisdom, wealth, and building projects, he expanded Israel's influence and prosperity. 2. Chariot HorsesThese were a symbol of military strength and wealth in ancient Israel. Solomon's accumulation of horses and chariots demonstrated his kingdom's power and prosperity. 3. StallsThe stalls mentioned were likely part of Solomon's extensive infrastructure to support his military and trade endeavors. They reflect the organizational and administrative capabilities of his reign. 4. IsraelThe united kingdom under Solomon, experiencing a period of peace and prosperity, allowing for such accumulation of wealth and resources. 5. Military ExpansionThe accumulation of horses and chariots indicates a focus on military strength and readiness, which was a significant aspect of Solomon's reign. Teaching Points Trust in God Over Material StrengthWhile Solomon's wealth and military might were impressive, they serve as a reminder that true security comes from trusting in God, not in material possessions or military power. The Danger of DisobedienceSolomon's accumulation of horses was contrary to God's command in Deuteronomy. This highlights the importance of obedience to God's Word, even when it seems counterintuitive to worldly wisdom. Wisdom and WealthSolomon's wisdom led to great wealth and prosperity, but it also brought challenges. Believers should seek wisdom from God to manage resources responsibly and in alignment with His will. The Role of LeadershipSolomon's reign shows the impact of leadership on a nation's spiritual and material state. Leaders are called to guide with integrity and reliance on God. The Temporary Nature of Earthly PowerDespite Solomon's great power and wealth, his kingdom eventually divided. This serves as a reminder of the fleeting nature of earthly achievements compared to eternal spiritual truths. Bible Study Questions 1. How does Solomon's accumulation of horses and chariots reflect his priorities, and what can we learn about our own priorities from this? 2. In what ways might we be tempted to rely on "horses and chariots" in our lives today, and how can we shift our trust to God instead? 3. How does Solomon's disobedience to God's command in Deuteronomy 17:16 serve as a warning for us in our walk with God? 4. What lessons can we learn from Solomon's leadership about the balance between wisdom, wealth, and obedience to God? 5. How can we apply the principle of trusting in God over material strength in our personal and community lives? Connections to Other Scriptures Deuteronomy 17:16This verse warns Israelite kings against accumulating excessive horses, as it could lead them to rely on military might rather than God. Solomon's actions in 1 Kings 4:26 can be seen as a deviation from this command. 2 Chronicles 9:25This passage parallels 1 Kings 4:26, providing additional context to Solomon's wealth and military resources. Psalm 20:7This verse contrasts trust in chariots and horses with trust in the name of the Lord, highlighting the spiritual danger of relying on material strength. People Abda, Abel, Abiathar, Abinadab, Adoniram, Ahiah, Ahijah, Ahilud, Ahimaaz, Ahinadab, Ahishar, Amorites, Argob, Asher, Azariah, Baana, Baanah, Basmath, Ben, Benaiah, Benjamin, Calcol, Chalcol, Dan, Darda, Dekar, Elah, Elihoreph, Elon, Ethan, Geber, Hanan, Heman, Hepher, Hesed, Hur, Hushai, Iddo, Issachar, Jair, Jehoiada, Jehoshaphat, Jezreel, Mahol, Manasseh, Naphtali, Nathan, Og, Paruah, Shimei, Shisha, Sihon, Solomon, Taphath, Uri, Zabud, ZadokPlaces Abel-meholah, Argob, Arubboth, Bashan, Bealoth, Beersheba, Beth-shan, Beth-shemesh, Dan, Egypt, Elonbeth-hanan, Euphrates River, Gaza, Gilead, Hepher, Jerusalem, Jezreel, Jokmeam, Lebanon, Mahanaim, Makaz, Megiddo, Naphath-dor, Ramoth-gilead, Shaalbim, Socoh, Taanach, Tiphsah, ZarethanTopics Boxed-off, Carriages, Chariot, Chariots, Forty, Horsemen, Horses, Solomon, Spaces, Stalls, Thousand, TwelveDictionary of Bible Themes 1 Kings 4:26 4657 horse
4672 manger
5208 armies
8421 equipping, physical 1 Kings 4:22-28 4476 meals Library The Great Gain of Godliness
'And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, all the days of Solomon. 26. And Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen. 27. And those officers provided victual for king Solomon, and for all that came unto king Solomon's table, every man in his month: they lacked nothing. 28. Barley also and straw for the horses and dromedaries brought they unto the place where the officers were, …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy ScriptureWhether He who Raises the Unworthy to Orders Commits a Sin?
Objection 1: It would seem that he who raises the unworthy to orders commits no sin. For a bishop needs assistants appointed to the lesser offices. But he would be unable to find them in sufficient number, if he were to require of them such qualifications as the saints enumerate. Therefore if he raise some who are not qualified, he would seem to be excusable. Objection 2: Further, the Church needs not only ministers for the dispensation of things spiritual, but also for the supervision of temporalities. …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica Whether Vengeance Should be Taken on those who have Sinned Involuntarily?
Objection 1: It seems that vengeance should be taken on those who have sinned involuntarily. For the will of one man does not follow from the will of another. Yet one man is punished for another, according to Ex. 20:5, "I am . . . God . . . jealous, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, unto the third and fourth generation." Thus for the sin of Cham, his son Chanaan was curse (Gn. 9:25) and for the sin of Giezi, his descendants were struck with leprosy (4 Kings 5). Again the blood …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica Stedfastness in the Old Paths.
"Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls."--Jer. vi. 16. Reverence for the old paths is a chief Christian duty. We look to the future indeed with hope; yet this need not stand in the way of our dwelling on the past days of the Church with affection and deference. This is the feeling of our own Church, as continually expressed in the Prayer Book;--not to slight what has gone before, …
John Henry Newman—Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. VII Adam and Zaretan, Joshua 3
I suspect a double error in some maps, while they place these two towns in Perea; much more, while they place them at so little a distance. We do not deny, indeed, that the city Adam was in Perea; but Zaretan was not so. Of Adam is mention, Joshua 3:16; where discourse is had of the cutting-off, or cutting in two, the waters of Jordan, that they might afford a passage to Israel; The waters rose up upon a heap afar off in Adam. For the textual reading "In Adam," the marginal hath "From Adam." You …
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica The Fact of the Redeemer's Return was Typified in the Lives of Joseph and Solomon.
In the Old Testament there are numerous references to the Second Coming of Christ, references both direct and typical, but in every instance it was His return to the earth which was in view. The secret coming of Christ into the air, to catch up the saints to Himself, was an event quite unknown to the Old Testament prophets, an event kept secret until revealed by God to the apostle Paul who, when writing to the Corinthians upon this particular aspect of our subject, said, "Behold, I show you a mystery …
Arthur W. Pink—The Redeemer's Return Perhaps There is no Book Within the Whole Canon of Scripture So Perplexing and Anomalous...
Perhaps there is no book within the whole canon of Scripture so perplexing and anomalous, at first sight, as that entitled "Ecclesiastes." Its terrible hopelessness, its bold expression of those difficulties with which man is surrounded on every side, the apparent fruitlessness of its quest after good, the unsatisfactory character, from a Christian standpoint, of its conclusion: all these points have made it, at one and the same time, an enigma to the superficial student of the Word, and the arsenal …
F. C. Jennings—Old Groans and New Songs The Care of the Soul Urged as the one Thing Needful
Luke 10:42 -- "But one thing is needful." It was the amiable character of our blessed Redeemer, that "he went about doing good," this great motive, which animated all his actions, brought him to the house of his friend Lazarus, at Bethany, and directed his behavior there. Though it was a season of recess from public labor, our Lord brought the sentiments and the pious cares of a preacher of righteousness into the parlor of a friend; and there his doctrine dropped as the rain, and distilled as the …
George Whitefield—Selected Sermons of George Whitefield The Spiced Wine of My Pomegranate;
OR, THE COMMUNION OF COMMUNICATION. I would cause Thee to drink of spiced wine of the juice of my pomegranate."--Song of Solomon viii. 2.And of His fulness have all we received, and grace for grace."--John i. 16. THE SPICED WINE OF MY POMEGRANATE. THE immovable basis of communion having been laid of old in the eternal union which subsisted between Christ and His elect, it only needed a fitting occasion to manifest itself in active development. The Lord Jesus had for ever delighted Himself with the …
Charles Hadden Spurgeon—Till He Come A vision of Judgement and Cleansing
'And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. 2. And the Lord said unto Satan, The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan; even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire? 3. Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the Angel. 4. And He answered and spake unto those that stood before Him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him He said, …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture The Historical Books.
1. In the Pentateuch we have the establishment of the Theocracy, with the preparatory and accompanying history pertaining to it. The province of the historical books is to unfold its practiced working, and to show how, under the divine superintendence and guidance, it accomplished the end for which it was given. They contain, therefore, primarily, a history of God's dealings with the covenant people under the economy which he had imposed upon them. They look at the course of human events on the …
E. P. Barrows—Companion to the Bible The Poetical Books (Including Also Ecclesiastes and Canticles).
1. The Hebrews reckon but three books as poetical, namely: Job, Psalms, and Proverbs, which are distinguished from the rest by a stricter rhythm--the rhythm not of feet, but of clauses (see below, No. 3)--and a peculiar system of accentuation. It is obvious to every reader that the poetry of the Old Testament, in the usual sense of the word, is not restricted to these three books. But they are called poetical in a special and technical sense. In any natural classification of the books of the …
E. P. Barrows—Companion to the Bible Kings
The book[1] of Kings is strikingly unlike any modern historical narrative. Its comparative brevity, its curious perspective, and-with some brilliant exceptions--its relative monotony, are obvious to the most cursory perusal, and to understand these things is, in large measure, to understand the book. It covers a period of no less than four centuries. Beginning with the death of David and the accession of Solomon (1 Kings i., ii.) it traverses his reign with considerable fulness (1 Kings iii.-xi.), …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links 1 Kings 4:26 NIV1 Kings 4:26 NLT1 Kings 4:26 ESV1 Kings 4:26 NASB1 Kings 4:26 KJV
1 Kings 4:26 Commentaries
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