2 Chronicles 1

Solomon Worships at Gibeon

1 Now ¹Solomon the son of David established himself securely over his kingdom, and the LORD his God was with him and ²exalted him greatly.

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

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

4 However, David had brought up ⁶the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim ^[a]to ⁷the place he had prepared for it, for he had pitched a tent for it in Jerusalem.

5 Now ⁸the bronze altar, which Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, had made, ^[b]was there before the tabernacle of the LORD, and Solomon and the assembly sought it out.

6 Solomon went up there before the LORD to the bronze altar which was at the tent of meeting, and ⁹offered a thousand burnt offerings on it.

7 ¹⁰In that night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, "Ask what I shall give you."

Solomon's Prayer for Wisdom

8 Solomon said to God, "You have dealt with my father David with great lovingkindness, and ¹¹have made me king in his place.

9 "Now, O LORD God, ¹²Your ^[c]promise to my father David is fulfilled, for You have made me king over ¹³a people as numerous as the dust of the earth.

10 "¹⁴Give me now wisdom and knowledge, ¹⁵that I may go out and come in before this people, for who can rule this great people of Yours?"

11 ¹⁶God said to Solomon, "Because * ^[d]you had this in mind, and did not ask for riches, wealth or honor, or the life of those who hate you, nor have you even asked for long life, but you have asked for yourself wisdom and knowledge that you may rule My people over whom I have made you king,

12 wisdom and knowledge have been granted to you. And ¹⁷I will give you riches and wealth and honor, ^[e]such * as none of the kings who were before you has possessed * nor those who will ^[f]come after you."

13 ¹⁸So Solomon went ^[g]from the high place which was at Gibeon, from the tent of meeting, to Jerusalem, and he reigned over Israel.

Solomon's Wealth

14 ¹⁹Solomon amassed chariots and horsemen. ²⁰He had 1,400 * * chariots and 12,000 * * horsemen, and he stationed them in ²¹the chariot cities and with the king at Jerusalem.

15 ²²The king made ²³silver and gold as plentiful in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedars as plentiful as sycamores in the ^[h]lowland.

16 Solomon's ²⁴horses were imported from Egypt and from Kue; the king's traders procured them from Kue for a price.

17 They ^[i]imported * chariots from Egypt for 600 * shekels of silver apiece and horses for 150 * apiece, and ^[j]by the same means * they ^[k]exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Aram.

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 2:12, 46
• 2. 1 Chronicles 29:25
• 3. 1 Chronicles 28:1
• 4. 1 Kings 3:4
• 5. Exodus 36:8
• 6. 1 Chronicles 15:25-28
• 7. 2 Chronicles 6:2
• 8. Exodus 31:9; Exodus 38:1-7
• 9. 1 Kings 3:4
• 10. 1 Kings 3:5-14
• 11. 1 Chronicles 28:5
• 12. 2 Samuel 7:12-16
• 13. Genesis 13:16; Genesis 22:17; Genesis 28:14
• 14. 1 Kings 3:9
• 15. Numbers 27:17; 2 Samuel 5:2
• 16. 1 Kings 3:11
• 17. 1 Chronicles 29:25; 2 Chronicles 9:22
• 18. 2 Chronicles 1:3
• 19. 1 Kings 10:26-29
• 20. 1 Kings 4:26
• 21. 1 Kings 9:19
• 22. 1 Kings 10:27
• 23. Deuteronomy 17:17
• 24. Deuteronomy 17:16

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit "where David had prepared for it"
• [b]. Lit "he put"
• [c]. Lit "word"
• [d]. Lit "this was in your heart"
• [e]. Lit "which was not so to the kings who were before you"
• [f]. Lit "be"
• [g]. Lit "to"
• [h]. Heb "shephelah"
• [i]. Lit "brought up and brought out"
• [j]. Lit "and in like manner by their hand"
• [k]. Lit "brought out"

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.