1 Kings 10:18

18 The king built a large throne of ivory and covered it with fine gold.

1 Kings 10:18 Meaning and Commentary

1 Kings 10:18

Moreover, the king made a great throne of ivory
To sit on and judge his people; and ivory being white, may denote the purity, justice, and equity with which he judged; the white throne in ( Revelation 20:11 ) may be an allusion to this; the ivory he had from Tarshish, ( 1 Kings 10:22 )

and overlaid it with the best gold;
for the greater splendour and majesty of it; not that he covered it all over, for then the ivory would not be seen, but interlined it, or studded it with it, whereby it appeared the more beautiful and magnificent. Such a throne of gold and ivory was decreed to Caesar by the Romans ^F16.

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FOOTNOTES:

F16 Appian. Alex. l. 2.

1 Kings 10:18 In-Context

16 King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold, each of which contained about seven and one-half pounds of gold.

17 He also made three hundred smaller shields of hammered gold, each of which contained about four pounds of gold. The king put them in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon.

18 The king built a large throne of ivory and covered it with fine gold.

19 The throne had six steps on it, and its back was round at the top. There were armrests on both sides of the chair, and each armrest had a lion beside it.

20 Twelve lions stood on the six steps, one lion at each end of each step. Nothing like this had ever been made for any other kingdom.