1 Kings 10:19

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.

1 Kings 10:19 Meaning and Commentary

1 Kings 10:19

The throne had six steps
Up to the footstool of the throne, which was of gold, ( 2 Chronicles 9:18 ) and was high, that everyone in court might see him, and the better hear the sentence he gave:

and the top of the throne was round behind;
had a semicircle at the top of it, like an alcove:

and there were stays on either side on the place of the seat;
or "hands" ^F17, such as the arms of a chair, to lean and rest upon:

and two lions stood beside the stays;
which were not only ornamental, and for support of the stays, but expressive of majesty, and of undaunted courage and resolution to do justice, and of the danger such expose themselves to, who oppose magistrates in the discharge of their office; and in which Solomon was a type of Christ, the lion of the tribe of Judah; and for the same reasons were the like portraits on the steps, as follows.

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FOOTNOTES:

F17 (tdy) "manus", V. L. Montanus (agkwnev) "brachiola", Sept. in 2 Chron. ix. 18.

1 Kings 10:19 In-Context

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.

21 All of Solomon's drinking cups, as well as the dishes in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon, were made of pure gold. Nothing was made from silver, because silver was not valuable in Solomon's time.