2 Chronicles 1:8-17

Solomon's Prayer for Wisdom

8 Solomon said to God, "You have dealt with my father David with great lovingkindness, and ¹have made me king in his place.

9 "Now, O LORD God, ²Your ^[a]promise to my father David is fulfilled, for You have made me king over ³a people as numerous as the dust of the earth.

10 "⁴Give me now wisdom and knowledge, ⁵that I may go out and come in before this people, for who can rule this great people of Yours?"

11 ⁶God said to Solomon, "Because * ^[b]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 ⁷I will give you riches and wealth and honor, ^[c]such * as none of the kings who were before you has possessed * nor those who will ^[d]come after you."

13 ⁸So Solomon went ^[e]from the high place which was at Gibeon, from the tent of meeting, to Jerusalem, and he reigned over Israel.

Solomon's Wealth

14 ⁹Solomon amassed chariots and horsemen. ¹⁰He had 1,400 * * chariots and 12,000 * * horsemen, and he stationed them in ¹¹the chariot cities and with the king at Jerusalem.

15 ¹²The king made ¹³silver and gold as plentiful in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedars as plentiful as sycamores in the ^[f]lowland.

16 Solomon's ¹⁴horses were imported from Egypt and from Kue; the king's traders procured them from Kue for a price.

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

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2 Chronicles 1:8-17 Meaning and Commentary

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.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 14

1. 1 Chronicles 28:5
2. 2 Samuel 7:12-16
3. Genesis 13:16; Genesis 22:17; Genesis 28:14
4. 1 Kings 3:9
5. Numbers 27:17; 2 Samuel 5:2
6. 1 Kings 3:11
7. 1 Chronicles 29:25; 2 Chronicles 9:22
8. 2 Chronicles 1:3
9. 1 Kings 10:26-29
10. 1 Kings 4:26
11. 1 Kings 9:19
12. 1 Kings 10:27
13. Deuteronomy 17:17
14. Deuteronomy 17:16

Footnotes 9

[a]. Lit "word"
[b]. Lit "this was in your heart"
[c]. Lit "which was not so to the kings who were before you"
[d]. Lit "be"
[e]. Lit "to"
[f]. Heb "shephelah"
[g]. Lit "brought up and brought out"
[h]. Lit "and in like manner by their hand"
[i]. Lit "brought out"