1 Kings 4:31

31 Solomon was wiser than any other man. He was wiser than Ethan, the Ezrahite. He was wiser than Heman, Calcol and Darda. They were the sons of Mahol. Solomon became famous in all of the nations that were around him.

1 Kings 4:31 Meaning and Commentary

1 Kings 4:31

For he was wiser than all men
Not only that lived in his time, but in ages past since the fall of Adam, and in times to come, especially in natural wisdom and knowledge, in all the branches of it; for though some men excel in some part of knowledge, yet not in all, as Solomon did:

than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of
Mahol;
men of the same names are said to be sons of Zerah, grandson of Judah, ( 1 Chronicles 2:6 ) ; wherefore these are either other men, or their father had two names; or Mahol here may be an appellative, and describe the character of these then, and point at what they were famous for, as that they were sons of music, piping, and dancing, as Mahol may signify; the Jews have a tradition ^F15, that Ethan is Abraham, and Heman Moses, and Chalcol Joseph:

and his fame was in all nations round about;
not for his riches and grandeur only, but chiefly for his wisdom.

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FOOTNOTES:

F15 Hieron. Trad. Heb. in 2 Reg. fol. 80. 1.

1 Kings 4:31 In-Context

29 God made Solomon very wise. His understanding couldn't even be measured. It was like the sand on the seashore. People can't measure that either.

30 Solomon's wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all of the people of the east. It was greater than all of the wisdom of Egypt.

31 Solomon was wiser than any other man. He was wiser than Ethan, the Ezrahite. He was wiser than Heman, Calcol and Darda. They were the sons of Mahol. Solomon became famous in all of the nations that were around him.

32 He spoke 3,000 proverbs. He wrote 1,005 songs.

33 He explained all about plants. He knew everything about them, from the cedar trees in Lebanon to the hyssop plants that grow out of walls. He taught about animals and birds. He also taught about reptiles and fish.