1 Re 9:26

26 Il re Salomone fece ancora un navilio in Esion-gheber, ch’è presso di Elot, in sul lito del mar rosso, nel paese degl’Idumei.

1 Re 9:26 Meaning and Commentary

1 Kings 9:26

And King Solomon made a navy of ships in Eziongeber
Which was one of the stations of the Israelites, near the wilderness of Sin, or Paran, ( Numbers 33:35 ) , it signifies the backbone of a man; and it is said ^F23 the ridge of rocks before this port were in that form, covered by the sea at high water, and sticking up with various points in a line when it was low. Josephus says ^F24 in his time it was called Berenice, which is placed by Mela ^F25 between the Heroopolitic bay, and the promontory Strobilus, or Pharan. It is thought probable ^F26 to be the same with that which is called by the Arabs Meenah-el-Dsahab, the port of gold, called Dizahab, ( Deuteronomy 1:1 ) , which stands upon the shore of the Arabic gulf, about two or three days' distance from Mount Sinai; though by others ^F1 thought to be the same the Arabs call Calzem, where was a great quantity of wood fit for building ships. It is further described,

which is beside Elath, on the shore of the Red sea, in the land of
Edom;
and when Edom was subdued by David, this port fell into his hands, and so was in the possession of Solomon; and there being plenty of timber in the parts adjacent, and this being a port in the Red sea, Solomon chose it as proper place to build ships in. Elath, near to which was, is the same the Elanitic bay had its name from; or which (See Gill on Deuteronomy 2:8). Trajan, the Roman emperor, formed a navy in the Red sea ^F2, that by it he might ravage and waste the borders of India; and here it seems Solomon's navy went; see ( 1 Kings 9:28 ) .

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FOOTNOTES:

F23 Harris's Voyages, vol. 1. B. 1. ch. 2. sect. 3. p. 377.
F24 Antiqu. l. 8. c. 6. sect. 4.
F25 De Situ Orbis, l. 3. c. 8.
F26 Clayton's Chronology p. 407.
F1 Vossius in Melam ut supra, (Harris's Voyages, vol. 1. B. 1. ch. 2. sect. 3.) p. 386.
F2 Eutrop. Rom. Hist. l. 8. Ruti Fest. Breviar.

1 Re 9:26 In-Context

24 Ora la figliuola di Faraone non salì dalla città di Davide nella sua casa, che Salomone le avea edificata, se non allora ch’egli ebbe edificato Millo.

25 E, dopo ch’egli ebbe finito di edificare la Casa, egli offeriva tre volte l’anno olocausti, e sacrificii da render grazie, sopra l’Altare ch’egli avea edificato al Signore; e faceva profumi in su quello ch’era nel cospetto del Signore.

26 Il re Salomone fece ancora un navilio in Esion-gheber, ch’è presso di Elot, in sul lito del mar rosso, nel paese degl’Idumei.

27 Ed Hiram mandò in quel navilio, co’ servitori di Salomone, i suoi servitori marinari, intendenti dell’arte marinaresca.

28 Ed essi, arrivati in Ofir, tolsero di là quattrocenventi talenti d’oro, i quali condussero al re Salomone.