2 Chronicles 1

Solomon Worships at Gibeon

1 ¹Solomon the son of David established himself in his kingdom, ²and the LORD his God was with him and made him exceedingly great.

2 Solomon spoke to all Israel, to the ³commanders of thousands and of hundreds, to the judges, and to all the leaders in all Israel, the heads of fathers' houses.

3 And Solomon, and all the assembly with him, went to ⁴the high place that was at Gibeon, ⁵for ⁶the tent of meeting of God, which Moses the servant of the LORD had made in the wilderness, was there.

4 ⁷(But David had brought up the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim to the place that David had prepared for it, for he had pitched a tent for it in Jerusalem.)

5 Moreover, ⁸the bronze altar that ⁹Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, had made, was there before the tabernacle of the LORD. And Solomon and the assembly ¹⁰sought it^[a] out.

6 And Solomon went up there to the bronze altar before the LORD, which was at the tent of meeting, ¹¹and offered a thousand burnt offerings on it.

Solomon Prays for Wisdom

7 ¹²In that night God appeared to Solomon, and said to him, "Ask what I shall give you."

8 And Solomon said to God, "You have shown great and steadfast love to David my father, ¹³and have made me king in his place.

9 O LORD God, ¹⁴let your word to David my father be now fulfilled, for you have made me king over a people as numerous ¹⁵as the dust of the earth.

10 Give me now wisdom and knowledge to ¹⁶go out and come in before this people, for who can govern this people of yours, which is so great?"

11 God answered Solomon, "Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked ¹⁷possessions, wealth, honor, or the life of those who hate you, and have not even asked long life, but have asked wisdom and knowledge for yourself that you may govern my people over whom I have made you king,

12 wisdom and knowledge are granted to you. I will also give you ¹⁸riches, possessions, and honor, ¹⁹such as none of the kings had who were before you, and none after you shall have the like."

13 So Solomon came from^[b] the ²⁰high place at Gibeon, from before ²¹the tent of meeting, to Jerusalem. And he reigned over Israel.

Solomon Given Wealth

14 ²²Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen. ²³He had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen, whom he stationed ²⁴in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.

15 And the king made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as stone, and he made cedar as plentiful as the sycamore of the Shephelah.

16 And Solomon's import of horses was from Egypt and Kue, and the king's traders would buy them from Kue for a price.

17 They imported a chariot from Egypt for 600 shekels^[c] of silver, and a horse for 150. Likewise through them these were exported to all the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Syria.

2 Chronicles 1 Commentary

Chapter 1

Solomon's choice of wisdom, His strength and wealth.

- SOLOMON began his reign with a pious, public visit to God's altar. Those that pursue present things most eagerly, are likely to be disappointed; while those that refer themselves to the providence of God, if they have not the most, have the most comfort. Those that make this world their end, come short of the other, and are disappointed in this also; but those that make the other world their end, shall not only obtain that, and full satisfaction in it, but shall have as much of this world as is good for them, in their way. Let us then be contented, without those great things which men generally covet, but which commonly prove fatal snares to the soul.

Cross References

• 1. 1 Kings 2:46
• 2. 1 Chronicles 29:25
• 3. 1 Chronicles 27:1
• 4. See 1 Kings 3:4
• 5. 1 Chronicles 16:39; 1 Chronicles 21:29
• 6. Exodus 29:10; Leviticus 10:7; Numbers 14:10
• 7. See 2 Samuel 6:2-17; 1 Chr. 15:25 - 16:1
• 8. Exodus 27:1, 2; Exodus 38:1, 2
• 9. Exodus 31:2
• 10. [1 Chronicles 13:3]
• 11. 1 Kings 3:4
• 12. For ver. 7-12, see 1 Kings 3:5-14
• 13. 1 Chronicles 28:5
• 14. 2 Chronicles 6:17; 1 Kings 8:26
• 15. Genesis 13:16
• 16. [Numbers 27:17; Deuteronomy 31:2]
• 17. Ecclesiastes 5:19; Ecclesiastes 6:2
• 18. [See ver. 11 above]
• 19. 2 Chronicles 9:22; [1 Chronicles 29:25]
• 20. See 1 Kings 3:4
• 21. ver. 3
• 22. For ver. 14-17, see 2 Chronicles 9:25-28; 1 Kings 10:26-29
• 23. [1 Kings 4:26]
• 24. [1 Kings 9:19]

Footnotes

• [a]. Or him
• [b]. Septuagint, Vulgate; Hebrew to
• [c]. A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO SECOND CHRONICLES

This, and the preceding, were but one book originally, but divided into two because of the size of it, so that this is only a continuation of the former history; that ends at the death of David; this begins with the reign of Solomon, goes through that, and the reigns of all the kings of the house of David; of the kings of Judah only, after the separation of the ten tribes, quite down to the captivity of Judah in Babylon, and reaches to the deliverance of the Jews from thence by Cyrus, and contains an history of four hundred and seventy nine years. It treats not at all of the kings of Israel, after the separation, only of the kings of Judah, through whom the line of the Messiah was drawn; and though it omits several things recorded of them in the book of Kings, yet it gives abundance of anecdotes not to be met with there, which are of great use and advantage in history to know.

\\INTRODUCTION TO 2 CHRONICLES 1\\

This chapter relates, how that Solomon being confirmed in his kingdom, went to Gibeon to sacrifice 2Ch 1:1-6, that the Lord appeared there to him, and what passed between them, 2Ch 1:7-10 and that when he returned from thence to Jerusalem, he increased in splendour, wealth, and riches, 2Ch 1:13-17.