The queen of Sheba comes with hard questions, and leaves breathless — having seen the wisdom, the house, 'and the food of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers... there was no more spirit in her.' Gold of Ophir, algum-trees, targets of beaten gold, the great ivory throne with its twelve lions: 'So king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.' And then, quietly, the reign ends — forty years, and Solomon sleeps with his fathers; the book will not follow him into his failures.
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to prove Solomon with hard questions at Jerusalem, with a very great train, and camels that bore spices and gold in abundance, and precious stones; and when she had come to Solomon, she spoke with him of all that was in her heart.
verse value 9494
Insights
Verse structure: 27 words, 126 letters. Notable word values: "heavy" (כָּבֵ֣ד) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "heavy" (כָּבֵ֣ד, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·queen·of·Sheba" (וּמַֽלְכַּת־שְׁבָ֗א, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 415: she·heard, and·she·came, and·she·came. 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "and·queen·of·Sheba" (וּמַֽלְכַּת־שְׁבָ֗א), "she·heard" (שָׁמְעָה֮), "fame·of" (אֶת־שֵׁ֣מַע). The root שלמה appears 3 times in this verse. 23 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·she·came" (root בוא, 159x in II Chronicles); "with·him" (root עם, 149x in II Chronicles); "was" (root היה, 133x in II Chronicles). First appearance of the root מלכה ("and·queen·of·Sheba") in II Chronicles. First appearance of the root חיל ("in·strength") in II Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'precious', dividing the verse into phrases of 19 and 8 words.
Rashi
to test Solomon whether that which she had heard about his wisdom was true, and she came to test him. with riddles - Heb. בְחִידוֹת like (Jud. 14:12): “Let me ask you a riddle (אָחוּדָה נָא לָכֶם חִידָה),” [in the story] of Samson.
Ralbag
And when the queen of Sheba, etc. — We have already explained all of this in the Book of Kings.
Metzudat David
'To prove Solomon' – to ask him obscure matters, difficult to resolve, in order to test his wisdom, whether he would be able to answer them. 'Of all that was in her heart' – which she had concealed from everyone and kept in her heart, not revealing it until then, for fear that word of it would reach Solomon beforehand.
Metzudat Zion
To prove (l'nasot) - Related to the language of testing. With hard questions (b'chidot) - Obscure matters, difficult to understand. With a very great train (uvechayil) - An expression of wealth and possessions, as in 'your wealth and all your treasures' (Jeremiah 17:3). Great (kaved) - An expression of great quantity. Precious [stones] (yekarah) - Valuable.
Malbim
'And when the queen [of Sheba heard]' — this whole account is copied from I Kings, ch. 10, and I explained the matter there; seek it out there.
And Solomon told her all her questions; and there was not any thing hid from Solomon which he did not tell her.
verse value 2542
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 45 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֦א, 2 letters) and the longest is "all·her·words" (אֶת־כׇּל־דְּבָרֶ֑יהָ, 9 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "and·he·told·to·her" (וַיַּגֶּד־לָ֥הּ), "all·her·words" (אֶת־כׇּל־דְּבָרֶ֑יהָ), "and·not·hidden" (וְלֹֽא־נֶעְלַ֤ם). The root נגד appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 203x in II Chronicles); "all·her·words" (root דבר, 108x in II Chronicles); "not" (root לא, 86x in II Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'all·her·words', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 7 words. Full calculation: וַיַּגֶּד־לָ֥הּ [and·he·told·to·her] (58) + שְׁלֹמֹ֖ה [Solomon] (375) + אֶת־כׇּל־דְּבָרֶ֑יהָ [all·her·words] (672) + וְלֹֽא־נֶעְלַ֤ם [and·not·hidden] (227) + דָּבָר֙ [thing] (206) + מִשְּׁלֹמֹ֔ה [from·Solomon] (415) + אֲשֶׁ֧ר [that] (501) + לֹ֦א [not] (31) + הִגִּ֖יד [he·told] (22) + לָֽהּ [to·her] (35) = 2542.
Rashi
and nothing was hidden Since she saw that he told her everything, and nothing that she asked him was hidden, she admitted that the report she had heard was true. In the Targum (Sheni) of Megillath Esther (1:2), some of the riddles that she asked him are written.
Metzudat David
'All her questions' – that she had asked him. 'Which he did not tell her' – meaning, which he was unable to tell her.
And when the queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of Solomon, and the house that he had built,
verse value 3625
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 32 letters. The shortest word is "that" (אֲשֶׁ֥ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "queen·of·Sheba" (מַֽלְכַּת־שְׁבָ֔א, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "wisdom·of" (חׇכְמַ֣ת). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 203x in II Chronicles); "and·the·house" (root בית, 191x in II Chronicles); "Solomon" (root שלמה, 83x in II Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Solomon', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 3 words.
and the food of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel; his cupbearers also, and their apparel; and his ascent by which he went up into the house of Hashem; there was no more spirit in her.
verse value 5327
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 89 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "in·her" (בָּ֖הּ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·their·apparel" (וּמַלְבּוּשֵׁיהֶ֗ם, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 439: and·their·apparel, and·their·apparel. 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "and·food·of" (וּמַאֲכַ֣ל), "his·table" (שֻׁלְחָנ֡וֹ), "and·sitting·of" (וּמוֹשַׁ֣ב). The root מלבוש appears 2 times in this verse. 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 384x in II Chronicles); "that" (root אשר, 203x in II Chronicles); "house·of" (root בית, 191x in II Chronicles). First appearance of the root עוד ("still") in II Chronicles. First appearance of the root רוח ("spirit") in II Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 14 and 4 words.
Rashi
And the food of his table fowl (I Kings 5:3) and kinds of delicacies that were served on his table in abundance. and the seating of his servants That each one recognized his place when they were seated at the table, and of those who constantly saw the king’s face, no one was allowed to sit in his neighbor’s place all the days of his life. and the station of his attendants Each one would retain his station and his position, and he would not change it the next day. and their attire The attire that they would wear tomorrow was not the same as, the attire that they wore today. and his cupbearers most of his cupbearers. and his ascent the stairway by which he ascended from his palace to the Temple. and she was breathless because she thought that there was no wisdom in any of the kingdoms but in her own country and like that of her wise men, because her country was in the east; they were wise because they were stargazers, as is stated in the first chapter of Tractate Rosh Hashanah, for Eretz Israel is west of Babylon, and that is what is written (I Kings 5:10): “And Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the children of the east,” for they were in the east, as it is written (Gen. 11: 2): “And it came to pass as they migrated from the east.” (I Kings 5:10) “And all the wisdom of Egypt,” for they were sorcerers, necromancers, and astrologers, and he was wise in divination (טַיִיר). So it is written in Pesikta (d’Rav Kahana p. 33b). The word (טַיִיר) is Arabic, and in Leviticus Rabbah (32:2), in the chapter dealing with the son of the Egyptian (24:10): (Eccl. 10:20): “for a bird of the air shall carry the voice.” This is the raven and refers to the art of bird divination (טוּיאַרִי).
Metzudat David
'And the sitting of his servants' – each one in the place fitting for him; and so, too, was the standing of his attendants, each one in the place fitting for his service. 'And their apparel' – fitting for each one, according to his station. 'His cupbearers' – the attendants who poured drink for those seated at the table. 'And his ascent' – the route by which he went up to the House of Hashem. 'There was no more spirit in her,' etc. – she said this in hyperbole, out of sheer astonishment.
And she said to the king: ‘It was a true report that I heard in my own land of your acts, and of your wisdom.
verse value 3979
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 46 letters. The shortest word is "truth" (אֱמֶת֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·concerning·your·wisdom" (וְעַל־חׇכְמָתֶֽךָ, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "in·my·land" (בְּאַרְצִ֑י), "concerning·your·words" (עַל־דְּבָרֶ֖יךָ), "and·concerning·your·wisdom" (וְעַל־חׇכְמָתֶֽךָ). The root דבר appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·the·king" (root מלך, 344x in II Chronicles); "that" (root אשר, 203x in II Chronicles); "and·she·said" (root אמר, 184x in II Chronicles). First appearance of the root אמת ("truth") in II Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·my·land', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַתֹּ֙אמֶר֙ [and·she·said] (647) + אֶל־הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ [to·the·king] (126) + אֱמֶת֙ [truth] (441) + הַדָּבָ֔ר [the·word] (211) + אֲשֶׁ֥ר [that] (501) + שָׁמַ֖עְתִּי [I·heard] (820) + בְּאַרְצִ֑י [in·my·land] (303) + עַל־דְּבָרֶ֖יךָ [concerning·your·words] (336) + וְעַל־חׇכְמָתֶֽךָ [and·concerning·your·wisdom] (594) = 3979.
However, I did not believe their words, until I came, and my eyes had seen it; and, behold, the half of the greatness of your wisdom was not told me; you exceed the fame that I heard.
verse value 6428
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 80 letters. The shortest word is "until" (עַ֤ד, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·not·I·believed" (וְלֹא־הֶאֱמַ֣נְתִּי, 9 letters). 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "and·not·I·believed" (וְלֹא־הֶאֱמַ֣נְתִּי), "to·their·words" (לְדִבְרֵיהֶ֗ם), "that·I·came" (אֲשֶׁר־בָּ֙אתִי֙). 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 203x in II Chronicles); "that·I·came" (root בוא, 159x in II Chronicles); "to·their·words" (root דבר, 108x in II Chronicles). First appearance of the root יסף ("you·added") in II Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'your·wisdom', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 4 words.
Rashi
half of your abundant [wisdom] The many wisdoms.
Metzudat David
'You exceed the fame that I heard' – the wisdom found in you is greater than what was told to me.
Metzudat Zion
The greatness (marbit) - An expression of abundance.
Malbim
'the half of the greatness of your wisdom' — there it says, 'and behold, the half was not told me; you have added wisdom and prosperity [beyond the report],' and Ezra explains the meaning: the half of the wisdom and prosperity that you have added beyond what I heard was not told to me.
Happy are your men, and happy are these your servants, who stand continually before you, and hear your wisdom.
verse value 3719
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 50 letters. Notable word values: "these" (אֵ֑לֶּה) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "these" (אֵ֑לֶּה, 3 letters) and the longest is "your·wisdom" (אֶת־חׇכְמָתֶֽךָ, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "happy·of" (אַשְׁרֵ֣י), "your·men" (אֲנָשֶׁ֔יךָ), "and·happy·of" (וְאַשְׁרֵ֖י). The root אשר appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "happy·of" (root אשר, 203x in II Chronicles); "before·you" (root פנים, 116x in II Chronicles); "your·servants" (root עבד, 54x in II Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'these', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 5 words. Full calculation: אַשְׁרֵ֣י [happy·of] (511) + אֲנָשֶׁ֔יךָ [your·men] (381) + וְאַשְׁרֵ֖י [and·happy·of] (517) + עֲבָדֶ֣יךָ [your·servants] (106) + אֵ֑לֶּה [these] (36) + הָעֹמְדִ֤ים [who·stand] (169) + לְפָנֶ֙יךָ֙ [before·you] (190) + תָּמִ֔יד [continually] (454) + וְשֹׁמְעִ֖ים [and·hear] (466) + אֶת־חׇכְמָתֶֽךָ [your·wisdom] (889) = 3719.
Blessed be Hashem your God, who delighted in you, to set you on His throne, to be king for Hashem your God; because your God loved Israel, to establish them for ever, therefore He made you king over them, to do justice and righteousness.’
verse value 6285
Insights
Verse structure: 23 words, 105 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֤ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "in·you" (בְּךָ֗, 2 letters) and the longest is "Israel" (אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵל֙, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 120: to·king, to·king. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "he·delighted" (חָפֵ֣ץ), "in·you" (בְּךָ֗), "to·give·you" (לְתִתְּךָ֤). The root אלהים appears 3 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 384x in II Chronicles); "to·king" (root מלך, 344x in II Chronicles); "that" (root אשר, 203x in II Chronicles). First appearance of the root אהב ("in·love·of") in II Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'your·God', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 11 words.
Metzudat David
'Because your God loved Israel, to establish them for ever' – because Hashem loves Israel, wanting them to endure forever, He therefore set you up to reign over them, to lead them justly, in keeping with your abundant wisdom.
Malbim
'to set you' — what is stated there, 'to set you on the throne of Israel,' Ezra explains [by writing 'on His throne'], because the throne of Israel is Hashem's throne, and their king is a king attributed to Hashem. And there it says, 'because of Hashem's everlasting love for Israel,' meaning that through His love He wanted them to endure forever, by your doing justice and righteousness.
And she gave the king a hundred and twenty talents of gold, and spices in great abundance, and precious stones; neither was there any such spice as the queen of Sheba gave to king Solomon.
verse value 5681
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 79 letters. Verse gematria: 5681 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "hundred" (מֵאָ֥ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "that·she·gave" (אֲשֶׁר־נָתְנָ֥ה, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 120: to·the·king, to·the·king. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "like·the·spice" (כַּבֹּ֣שֶׂם), "that·she·gave" (אֲשֶׁר־נָתְנָ֥ה). The root נתן appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·the·king" (root מלך, 344x in II Chronicles); "was" (root היה, 133x in II Chronicles); "and·she·gave" (root נתן, 116x in II Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'precious', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 8 words.
Metzudat David
'Neither was there any such spice' – in so great a quantity.
Malbim
'neither was there' — there it says, 'there came no more of that spice in such abundance,' and Ezra adds that among them were varieties that Solomon never had again at all.
And the servants also of Huram, and the servants of Solomon who brought gold from Ophir, brought sandal-wood and precious stones.
verse value 2688
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 64 letters. The shortest word is "gold" (זָהָ֖ב, 3 letters) and the longest is "that·they·brought" (אֲשֶׁר־הֵבִ֥יאוּ, 8 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "also·slave" (וְגַם־עַבְדֵ֤י), "slave" (וְעַבְדֵ֣י), "that·they·brought" (אֲשֶׁר־הֵבִ֥יאוּ). The root עבד appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that·they·brought" (root בוא, 159x in II Chronicles); "Solomon" (root שלמה, 83x in II Chronicles); "also·slave" (root עבד, 54x in II Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·Ophir', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 5 words.
Rashi
algom wood In Pesikta it is explained: One verse (I Kings 10:11) says אַלְמֻגִּים, and one verse says אַלְגּוּמִּים. The truth is that its name is אַלְגּוּמִּים, but it is called אַלְמֻגִּים because it melted and bent because of its softness, (like cups, which bend because of their value.)
Metzudat Zion
Sandal-wood (algumim) - This is a transposition of 'almugim'; it is a precious kind of wood.
Malbim
'And also' — I explained this in my commentary on Kings, there. 'Terraces' — there [in Kings] the word is 'support,' meaning that one would lean on it for support along the way; and this is the plain sense of what is stated above (9:4): 'and his ascent by which he went up to the house of Hashem.'
And the king made of the sandal-wood paths for the house of Hashem, and for the king’s house, and harps and psalteries for the singers; and there were none such seen before in the land of Judah.
verse value 5026
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 84 letters. The shortest word is "like·them" (כָהֵ֛ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "a·tree·(from·Lebanon)" (הָאַלְגּוּמִּ֜ים, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 95: the·king, the·king. 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "tree" (אֶת־עֲצֵ֨י), "a·tree·(from·Lebanon)" (הָאַלְגּוּמִּ֜ים), "highway" (מְסִלּ֤וֹת). The root מלך appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·the·house·of·Hashem" (root יהוה, 384x in II Chronicles); "the·king" (root מלך, 344x in II Chronicles); "and·to·house·of" (root בית, 191x in II Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·the·singers', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 5 words.
Rashi
a path מְסִלּוֹת, stairs. In I Kings (10:12) it is written מִסְעָד, [a support] after the manner that they make for those who ascend by way of elevated places and stairs. Some say that מִסְעָד and מְסִילָה are one and the same. and harps and psalteries for the singers Some say (Jonathan and Rashi to Kings) for the Levites who sing with musical instruments, and Rabbi Eliezer explained it to mean: for the singers who stroll before the king. A similar case is (I Kings 5:12): “and his songs were a thousand and five.” These were secular songs that he composed to sing before him, and that is what is meant (below 35:25): “And Jeremiah lamented over Josiah, and all the male singers and the female singers recited in their lamentations, etc.”
Metzudat David
'Paths' – that is the ascent mentioned above, which was like a paved road. 'For the house of Hashem, and for the king's house' – meaning, from the one to the other. 'For the singers' – that is, the musicians. 'Such as these' – in such great magnitude. 'Before' – prior to this time.
Metzudat Zion
Paths (mesillot) - An expression of a highway and road.
And king Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatsoever she asked, beside that which she had brought to the king. So she turned, and went to her own land, she and her servants.
verse value 5402
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 76 letters. The shortest word is "he·gave" (נָתַ֣ן, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·queen·of·Sheba" (לְמַֽלְכַּת־שְׁבָ֗א, 8 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "to·queen·of·Sheba" (לְמַֽלְכַּת־שְׁבָ֗א), "all·her·delight" (אֶת־כׇּל־חֶפְצָהּ֙), "she·asked" (שָׁאָ֔לָה). The root מלך appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "king" (root מלך, 344x in II Chronicles); "that" (root אשר, 203x in II Chronicles); "that·she·brought" (root בוא, 159x in II Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·the·king', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 5 words.
Rashi
aside from that which she brought This is written here in deference to the honor of the kings of Judah; it means that she gave him more than he gave her, and in I Kings (10:13) it is written: “aside from that which he gave her according to King [Solomon’s] ability.” [He gave her] things that were common in the land of Israel, but were not common in her country.
Metzudat David
'All her desire' – of the precious things that she had seen in Solomon's palace. 'Beside that which she had brought' – meaning, beside what he gave her on his own initiative, apart from her request, in exchange for the gift that she herself had brought to Solomon. 'So she turned' – she turned about and went on her way.
Malbim
'besides that which she had brought' — this explains what is stated there: 'besides that which he gave her of his royal bounty' — meaning that he gave her in kind for what she had brought, gift for gift.
Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred and threescore and six talents of gold;
verse value 4768
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 50 letters. The shortest word is "six" (שֵׁ֥שׁ, 2 letters) and the longest is "that·it·came" (אֲשֶׁר־בָּ֥א, 5 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "talents·of" (כִּכְּרֵ֥י). The root זהב appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that·it·came" (root בוא, 159x in II Chronicles); "and·it·was" (root היה, 133x in II Chronicles); "to·Solomon" (root שלמה, 83x in II Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'one·(number)', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַֽיְהִי֙ [and·it·was] (31) + מִשְׁקַ֣ל [heaviness] (470) + הַזָּהָ֔ב [gold] (19) + אֲשֶׁר־בָּ֥א [that·it·came] (504) + לִשְׁלֹמֹ֖ה [to·Solomon] (405) + בְּשָׁנָ֣ה [year] (357) + אֶחָ֑ת [one·(number)] (409) + שֵׁ֥שׁ [six] (600) + מֵא֛וֹת [hundred] (447) + וְשִׁשִּׁ֥ים [and·sixty] (656) + וָשֵׁ֖שׁ [and·six] (606) + כִּכְּרֵ֥י [talents·of] (250) + זָהָֽב [gold] (14) = 4768.
Metzudat David
'That came to Solomon' – from Ophir.
Malbim
'Now [the weight of gold]' — copied from Kings (there, 10:14-17), and I explained it there.
beside that which the traffickers and merchants brought; and all the kings of Arabia and the governors of the country brought gold and silver to Solomon.
verse value 3436
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 63 letters. Notable word values: "alone" (לְבַ֨ד) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "alone" (לְבַ֨ד, 3 letters) and the longest is "merchants" (וְהַסֹּחֲרִ֖ים, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 103: bringing, bringing. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "alone" (לְבַ֨ד), "man" (מֵאַנְשֵׁ֧י), "the·traffickers" (הַתָּרִ֛ים). The root בוא appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "all·king" (root מלך, 344x in II Chronicles); "bringing" (root בוא, 159x in II Chronicles); "to·Solomon" (root שלמה, 83x in II Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'bringing', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 8 words. Full calculation: לְבַ֨ד [alone] (36) + מֵאַנְשֵׁ֧י [man] (401) + הַתָּרִ֛ים [the·traffickers] (655) + וְהַסֹּחֲרִ֖ים [merchants] (329) + מְבִיאִ֑ים [bringing] (103) + וְכׇל־מַלְכֵ֤י [all·king] (156) + עֲרַב֙ [Arabia] (272) + וּפַח֣וֹת [governor] (500) + הָאָ֔רֶץ [earth] (296) + מְבִיאִ֛ים [bringing] (103) + זָהָ֥ב [gold] (14) + וָכֶ֖סֶף [silver] (166) + לִשְׁלֹמֹֽה [to·Solomon] (405) = 3436.
Rashi
Aside from that which the guides - Heb. הַתָּרִים. They were afraid to pass from province to province or from kingdom to kingdom without a guide, and they would give him the guide’s fee. and the merchants would bring They would bring him [gold] on a pretext in order to see his wisdom.
Metzudat David
'Beside that' – aside from the gold that came to him from the traveling traders and merchants who used to bring it.
Metzudat Zion
Traffickers — This is related to the phrase 'to scout the land' (Numbers 13:16); it refers to the small merchants who search out and spy after merchandise, in order to buy it where it is cheap. Governors — Rulers, as in 'the governor of Judah' (Haggai 1).
And king Solomon made two hundred targets of beaten gold: six hundred shekels of beaten gold went to one target;
verse value 3992
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 54 letters. The shortest word is "six" (שֵׁ֤שׁ, 2 letters) and the longest is "upon·the·shield" (עַל־הַצִּנָּ֥ה, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 323: beaten, beaten. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "upon·the·shield" (עַל־הַצִּנָּ֥ה). The root מאה appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "king" (root מלך, 344x in II Chronicles); "and·he·made" (root עשה, 159x in II Chronicles); "Solomon" (root שלמה, 83x in II Chronicles). First appearance of the root צנה ("shield") in II Chronicles. First appearance of the root שחט ("beaten") in II Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'beaten', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 7 words. Full calculation: וַיַּ֨עַשׂ [and·he·made] (386) + הַמֶּ֧לֶךְ [king] (95) + שְׁלֹמֹ֛ה [Solomon] (375) + מָאתַ֥יִם [two·hundred] (491) + צִנָּ֖ה [shield] (145) + זָהָ֣ב [gold] (14) + שָׁח֑וּט [beaten] (323) + שֵׁ֤שׁ [six] (600) + מֵאוֹת֙ [hundred] (447) + זָהָ֣ב [gold] (14) + שָׁח֔וּט [beaten] (323) + יַעֲלֶ֖ה [went·up] (115) + עַל־הַצִּנָּ֥ה [upon·the·shield] (250) + הָאֶחָֽת [one·(number)] (414) = 3992.
Rashi
two hundred shields צִנָּה which encompasses the person from his three sides, as is written (Ps. 5: 13): “As a shield You encompass him with favor” (כַּצִּנָּה). malleable gold gold that is soft and easily flattened out. It had great value because it could be spun like a thread. six hundred gold pieces Six hundred zehubim, the equivalent of six manehs, for the zahab is the dinar.
Metzudat David
'Six hundred shekels of gold' – meaning, gold dinars. 'Went' – was used in it.
Metzudat Zion
Targets — This is a kind of covering that encases the body, to protect against the blow of a sword, as in 'You surround him with favor as with a shield' (Psalms 9). Beaten — [Related to] 'drawn out,' as in 'a sharpened arrow' (Jeremiah 9:7); that is, fine gold that is drawn out thin, like wax.
three hundred shields of beaten gold also: three hundred shekels of gold went to one shield; and the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon.
verse value 4819
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 66 letters. The shortest word is "gold" (זָהָ֣ב, 3 letters) and the longest is "three·hundred" (וּשְׁלֹשׁ־מֵא֤וֹת, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 414: one·(number), in·house·of. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "three·hundred" (וּשְׁלֹשׁ־מֵא֤וֹת), "upon·the·shield" (עַל־הַמָּגֵ֣ן), "forest·of" (יַ֥עַר). The root שלוש appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·king" (root מלך, 344x in II Chronicles); "in·house·of" (root בית, 191x in II Chronicles); "and·he·put·them" (root נתן, 116x in II Chronicles). First appearance of the root מגן ("shields") in II Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'one·(number)', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 5 words.
Rashi
the forest of Lebanon Solomon built a huge house in Jerusalem, as is proven further, and Shishak took all those shields (below 12:9), and he made them (sic) from an abundance of the large trees of Lebanon, as it is written in I Kings (7:2): “And he built the house of the forest of Lebanon, etc. on four rows, etc.,” and there he deposited those shields, and that is what is written (Isa. 22:8): “and you looked on that day to the weapons of the house of the forest.”
Ralbag
three hundred shekels of gold went to one shield — In the Book of Kings it is written ‘three manehs of gold,’ and this shows that a maneh is a hundred [shekels of] gold.
Metzudat David
'In the house of the forest of Lebanon' – he built a large house in the Forest of Lebanon, as stated in I Kings.
Metzudat Zion
Shields — Implements made to be held in battle for protection.
Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with pure gold.
verse value 1386
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 30 letters. Verse gematria: 1386 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "gold" (זָהָ֥ב, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·he·overlaid·it" (וַיְצַפֵּ֖הוּ, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "seat·(of·honour)·of·tooth" (כִּסֵּא־שֵׁ֖ן). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·king" (root מלך, 344x in II Chronicles); "and·he·made" (root עשה, 159x in II Chronicles); "gold" (root זהב, 49x in II Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'great', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיַּ֧עַשׂ [and·he·made] (386) + הַמֶּ֛לֶךְ [the·king] (95) + כִּסֵּא־שֵׁ֖ן [seat·(of·honour)·of·tooth] (431) + גָּד֑וֹל [great] (43) + וַיְצַפֵּ֖הוּ [and·he·overlaid·it] (197) + זָהָ֥ב [gold] (14) + טָהֽוֹר [pure] (220) = 1386.
Rashi
ivory throne the ivory of elephants.
Metzudat Zion
Ivory — The tusk of the elephant.
Malbim
'Moreover [the king made]' — this too is there [in Kings], except that where it is written there, 'and a round top to the throne behind it,' here it is written, 'and a step of gold, fastened to the throne.' Here it adds that the footstool, too, was of gold; and 'kevesh' refers to a place for treading with the foot, as in the phrase 'the road that thieves have overrun [kavshuhu].' 'fastened' — meaning well overlaid, as in (I Kings 6:10), 'and he fastened the house with cedar beams.' The rest of the details I explained in my commentary on Kings.
And there were six steps to the throne, with a footstool of gold, which were fastened to the throne, and arms on either side by the place of the seat, and two lions standing beside the arms.
verse value 5086
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 75 letters. The shortest word is "six" (וְשֵׁ֣שׁ, 3 letters) and the longest is "fastened" (מׇאֳחָזִ֔ים, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 111: seat·(of·honour), seat·(of·honour). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "steps" (מַעֲל֣וֹת), "footstool" (וְכֶ֨בֶשׁ), "fastened" (מׇאֳחָזִ֔ים). The root כסא appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "hand" (root יד, 72x in II Chronicles); "standing" (root עמד, 54x in II Chronicles); "from·this" (root זה, 51x in II Chronicles). First appearance of the root מעלה ("steps") in II Chronicles. First appearance of the root כבש ("footstool") in II Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'sitting', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 5 words.
Rashi
And there were six steps to the throne steps by which to ascend. with armrests on either side by the place of the seat like rods from corner to corner, from the right and from the left, upon which to support his arms.
Ralbag
with a footstool of gold, which were fastened to the throne — Meaning that each and every step of the throne was fastened to the throne by the gold that overlaid it, so that once they were overlaid with gold, they appeared, together with the throne, to be a single piece of gold.
Metzudat David
'With a footstool of gold' – before the steps were made, a ramp of gold had existed, and by way of it one would go up to sit on the throne. 'Which were fastened to the throne, and arms' – this refers back to the steps, to say that they were fastened to the throne; and it also refers to armrests, like arms projecting near the seat, to lean upon. 'Lions' – made of gold.
Metzudat Zion
Steps — Stairs. Footstool — Made like a sloping bridge; and in the Mishnah: 'they run and go up by the ramp' (Yoma 22).
And twelve lions stood there on the one side and on the other upon the six steps; there was not the like made in any kingdom.
verse value 4199
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 53 letters. Verse gematria: 4199 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "there" (שָׁ֛ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "in·all·kingdom" (לְכׇל־מַמְלָכָֽה, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "upon·six" (עַל־שֵׁ֥שׁ), "the·steps" (הַֽמַּעֲל֖וֹת), "not·was·made" (לֹא־נַעֲשָׂ֥ה). The root זה appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not·was·made" (root עשה, 159x in II Chronicles); "in·all·kingdom" (root כל, 113x in II Chronicles); "there" (root שם, 63x in II Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·from·this', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 3 words. Full calculation: וּשְׁנֵ֧ים [and·two] (406) + עָשָׂ֣ר [-teen] (570) + אֲרָי֗וֹת [lions] (617) + עֹמְדִ֥ים [standing] (164) + שָׁ֛ם [there] (340) + עַל־שֵׁ֥שׁ [upon·six] (700) + הַֽמַּעֲל֖וֹת [the·steps] (551) + מִזֶּ֣ה [from·this] (52) + וּמִזֶּ֑ה [and·from·this] (58) + לֹא־נַעֲשָׂ֥ה [not·was·made] (456) + כֵ֖ן [thus] (70) + לְכׇל־מַמְלָכָֽה [in·all·kingdom] (215) = 4199.
Rashi
and two lions were standing beside the armrests [The lions were made] of gold, and the entire form of the throne and the forms of the beasts that were in the throne are depicted in the Targum of the Scroll of Esther (1:2).
Metzudat David
'On the one side and on the other' – six on the one side and six on the other.
And all king Solomon’s drinking-vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold; silver was nothing accounted of in the days of Solomon.
verse value 3419
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 70 letters. Verse gematria: 3419 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "and·all" (וְ֠כֹ֠ל, 3 letters) and the longest is "house·of·forest·of" (בֵּֽית־יַ֥עַר, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 375: Solomon, Solomon. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "drink·of" (מַשְׁקֵ֨ה), "house·of·forest·of" (בֵּֽית־יַ֥עַר), "was·accounted" (נֶחְשָׁ֛ב). The root כל appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·king" (root מלך, 344x in II Chronicles); "house·of·forest·of" (root בית, 191x in II Chronicles); "and·all" (root כל, 113x in II Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'pure', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 6 words.
Ralbag
and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon — That is, the House of Solomon; its form has already been explained in the Book of Kings.
Metzudat David
'Accounted of as nothing' – as nothing at all.
Metzudat Zion
Pure [gold] — That which is smelted in the refiner's furnace to remove the dross.
For the king had ships that went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram; once every three years came the ships of Tarshish, bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks.
verse value 8432
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 90 letters. Notable word values: "servants·of" (עַבְדֵ֣י) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "with" (עִ֖ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "for·ships" (כִּֽי־אֳנִיּ֤וֹת, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 1210: Tarshish, Tarshish. 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "for·ships" (כִּֽי־אֳנִיּ֤וֹת), "going" (הֹלְכ֣וֹת), "to·three" (לְשָׁל֨וֹשׁ). The root אניה appears 2 times in this verse. 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·the·king" (root מלך, 344x in II Chronicles); "they·came" (root בוא, 159x in II Chronicles); "with" (root עם, 149x in II Chronicles). First appearance of the root תרשיש ("Tarshish") in II Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Huram', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 12 words.
Rashi
ivory the tusks of elephants and the elephants themselves. and apes In German, meerkats, long- tailed monkeys. and peacocks - Heb. וְתוּכִּיִּים.
Metzudat David
'That went to Tarshish' – which used to sail to Tarshish, and once every three years they would arrive back from Tarshish, bringing gold, etc. It is possible that this is not the same Ophir mentioned above, and that he sent ships to both places.
Metzudat Zion
Ivory — The tusk of the elephant. Apes — The name of an animal, the ape, mentioned also in the words of our sages (Yoma 29). Peacocks — Birds with beautiful feathers of shifting colors, called peacocks.
Malbim
'For [the king had] ships' — see what I wrote about this in my commentary on Kings, regarding the words of Abarbanel, who spoke harshly of our scribe [Ezra].
So king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.
verse value 1688
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 33 letters. The shortest word is "from·all" (מִכֹּ֖ל, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·he·became·great" (וַיִּגְדַּל֙, 5 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "and·he·became·great" (וַיִּגְדַּל֙), "to·riches" (לְעֹ֖שֶׁר), "and·wisdom" (וְחׇכְמָֽה). The root מלך appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·king" (root מלך, 344x in II Chronicles); "from·all" (root כל, 113x in II Chronicles); "Solomon" (root שלמה, 83x in II Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·earth', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיִּגְדַּל֙ [and·he·became·great] (53) + הַמֶּ֣לֶךְ [the·king] (95) + שְׁלֹמֹ֔ה [Solomon] (375) + מִכֹּ֖ל [from·all] (90) + מַלְכֵ֣י [kings·of] (100) + הָאָ֑רֶץ [the·earth] (296) + לְעֹ֖שֶׁר [to·riches] (600) + וְחׇכְמָֽה [and·wisdom] (79) = 1688.
Rashi
Now King Solomon transcended, etc. To fulfill that which He said to him, (I Kings 3:13): “And I have also given you that which you have not asked, etc. and honor.”
And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart.
verse value 4307
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 53 letters. The shortest word is "and·all" (וְכֹל֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "his·wisdom" (אֶת־חׇכְמָת֔וֹ, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "seeking" (מְבַקְשִׁ֖ים), "his·wisdom" (אֶת־חׇכְמָת֔וֹ), "in·his·heart" (בְּלִבּֽוֹ). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "kings·of" (root מלך, 344x in II Chronicles); "God" (root אלהים, 202x in II Chronicles); "that·he·put" (root נתן, 116x in II Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Solomon', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 5 words. Full calculation: וְכֹל֙ [and·all] (56) + מַלְכֵ֣י [kings·of] (100) + הָאָ֔רֶץ [the·earth] (296) + מְבַקְשִׁ֖ים [seeking] (492) + אֶת־פְּנֵ֣י [presence·of] (541) + שְׁלֹמֹ֑ה [Solomon] (375) + לִשְׁמֹ֙עַ֙ [to·hear] (440) + אֶת־חׇכְמָת֔וֹ [his·wisdom] (875) + אֲשֶׁר־נָתַ֥ן [that·he·put] (1001) + הָאֱלֹהִ֖ים [God] (91) + בְּלִבּֽוֹ [in·his·heart] (40) = 4307.
Rashi
And all the kings of the earth, etc. To fulfill that which He said to him, (ibid. verse 12): “Behold I have given you a wise and understanding heart; so that there was none like you before you.”
Metzudat David
'Sought,' etc. – they wished to see Solomon in person.
Malbim
'And all the kings of the earth' — this explains what is stated there: 'and all the earth.'
And they brought every man his present, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and raiment, armor, and spices, horses, and mules, a rate year by year.
verse value 4333
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 66 letters. The shortest word is "and·they" (וְהֵ֣ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "bringing" (מְבִיאִ֣ים, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "his·present" (מִנְחָת֡וֹ), "and·raiment" (וּשְׂלָמוֹת֙), "armor" (נֵ֣שֶׁק). The root כלי appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "bringing" (root בוא, 159x in II Chronicles); "matter·of·year" (root דבר, 108x in II Chronicles); "and·raiment" (root שלמה, 83x in II Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·mules', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 2 words.
Rashi
And each one would bring his gift as a pretext because they were [really] coming to hear [his wisdom], since it is disrespectful to come before a king empty-handed, similar to (Deut. 16:16): “and he shall not appear before the Lord empty-handed.” weapons - Heb. נֶשֶׁק.
Metzudat David
'A rate year by year' – a custom repeated year after year, for such was the time of their coming: once a year.
And Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, that he bestowed in the chariot cities, and with the king at Jerusalem.
verse value 5886
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 80 letters. Verse gematria: 5886 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "thousand" (אֶ֖לֶף, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·twelve" (וּשְׁנֵים־עָשָׂ֥ר, 8 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "four" (אַרְבַּ֩עַת֩). The root אלף appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "with·the·king" (root מלך, 344x in II Chronicles); "and·it·was" (root היה, 133x in II Chronicles); "in·Jerusalem" (root ירושלם, 127x in II Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'horsemen', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 5 words.
Rashi
and he placed them in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem. some of them. He transgressed [the negative commandment of] (Deut. 17:17): “Only he shall not multiply horses to himself.”
Ralbag
And Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots — In the Book of Kings it is written, ‘And Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots.’ We have already resolved the difficulty of this contradiction in the Book of Kings.
Metzudat David
'Four thousand stalls' – and in each one stood ten horses; hence it says in I Kings 'forty thousand stalls,' meaning that forty thousand horses stood in the stalls. 'That he bestowed' – some of them he stationed in the chariot cities, and some remained with the king in Jerusalem.
Metzudat Zion
Stalls — Mangers; for [the phrase] 'his master's crib' (Isaiah 1:3) is rendered by Targum as 'urya,' which is the place where animals eat.
Malbim
'And Solomon had' — In Kings (5:6) it says forty thousand stalls for horses; in each stall there were ten compartments, so there were four thousand large stalls and forty thousand compartments in all. The discrepancy between this and what I wrote above (1:14) was explained there.
And he ruled over all the kings from the River even to the land of the Philistines, and to the border of Egypt.
verse value 2686
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 47 letters. The shortest word is "and·unto" (וְעַ֖ד, 3 letters) and the longest is "over·all·the·kings" (בְּכׇל־הַמְּלָכִ֑ים, 9 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "over·all·the·kings" (בְּכׇל־הַמְּלָכִ֑ים), "from·the·River" (מִן־הַנָּהָר֙), "and·unto·land·of" (וְעַד־אֶ֣רֶץ). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "over·all·the·kings" (root מלך, 344x in II Chronicles); "and·he·was" (root היה, 133x in II Chronicles); "and·unto·land·of" (root ארץ, 74x in II Chronicles). First appearance of the root פלשתי ("Philistines") in II Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'over·all·the·kings', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַיְהִ֥י [and·he·was] (31) + מוֹשֵׁ֖ל [ruling] (376) + בְּכׇל־הַמְּלָכִ֑ים [over·all·the·kings] (197) + מִן־הַנָּהָר֙ [from·the·River] (350) + וְעַד־אֶ֣רֶץ [and·unto·land·of] (371) + פְּלִשְׁתִּ֔ים [Philistines] (860) + וְעַ֖ד [and·unto] (80) + גְּב֥וּל [border·of] (41) + מִצְרָֽיִם [Egypt] (380) = 2686.
Metzudat David
'From the River' – which flows out from Eden; that is the beginning of the East.
Malbim
'And he ruled' — I Kings 5:1; there it is written, 'from the River, [to] the land of the Philistines,' and Ezra explains: 'from the River' means the Euphrates, until the land of the Philistines.
And the king made silver to be in Jerusalem as stones, and cedars he made to be as the sycamore-trees that are in the Lowland, for abundance.
verse value 4668
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 56 letters. The shortest word is "and" (וְאֵ֣ת, 3 letters) and the longest is "that·in·the·Lowland" (אֲשֶׁר־בַּשְּׁפֵלָ֖ה, 8 letters). The root נתן appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·king" (root מלך, 344x in II Chronicles); "in·Jerusalem" (root ירושלם, 127x in II Chronicles); "and·he·gave" (root נתן, 116x in II Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'like·the·stones', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַיִּתֵּ֨ן [and·he·gave] (466) + הַמֶּ֧לֶךְ [the·king] (95) + אֶת־הַכֶּ֛סֶף [the·silver] (566) + בִּירוּשָׁלִַ֖ם [in·Jerusalem] (588) + כָּאֲבָנִ֑ים [like·the·stones] (123) + וְאֵ֣ת [and] (407) + הָאֲרָזִ֗ים [the·cedars] (263) + נָתַ֛ן [gave] (500) + כַּשִּׁקְמִ֥ים [like·the·sycamores] (510) + אֲשֶׁר־בַּשְּׁפֵלָ֖ה [that·in·the·Lowland] (918) + לָרֹֽב [for·abundance] (232) = 4668.
Metzudat David
'And the king made silver to be, like stones' – he had them left lying in the city square like stones; and because they were so heavy, it was not possible to carry them off and steal them. 'That are in the Lowland' – which grow there in great abundance.
Metzudat Zion
As the sycamore-trees — A species of fig tree. In the Lowland — In the valley.
Malbim
'And [the king] made' — see what I wrote above (1:15).
And they brought horses for Solomon out of Egypt, and out of all lands.
verse value 2002
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 34 letters. Verse gematria: 2002 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "horses" (סוּסִ֧ים, 5 letters) and the longest is "and·from·all·the·lands" (וּמִכׇּל־הָאֲרָצֽוֹת, 10 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "and·bringing·out" (וּמוֹצִיאִ֨ים), "and·from·all·the·lands" (וּמִכׇּל־הָאֲרָצֽוֹת). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for·Solomon" (root שלמה, 83x in II Chronicles); "and·from·all·the·lands" (root ארץ, 74x in II Chronicles); "and·bringing·out" (root יצא, 50x in II Chronicles). Full calculation: וּמוֹצִיאִ֨ים [and·bringing·out] (203) + סוּסִ֧ים [horses] (176) + מִמִּצְרַ֛יִם [from·Egypt] (420) + לִשְׁלֹמֹ֖ה [for·Solomon] (405) + וּמִכׇּל־הָאֲרָצֽוֹת [and·from·all·the·lands] (798) = 2002.
Ralbag
'And they brought horses for Solomon out of Egypt, and out of all lands' - That is to say, the toll that horse-exporters used to pay on horses taken out of Egypt went to Solomon; and the same was true regarding the export of horses from all the [other] kingdoms - that toll, too, went to Solomon. Or, alternatively, this means that from all the lands from which horses were exported out of Egypt, the toll went to Solomon. Or, alternatively, this means that from all the lands from which horses were exported out of Egypt, the toll went to Solomon.
Metzudat David
'And they brought horses' – the Egyptians would export horses from their own land to bring to Solomon, and likewise from all the other lands.
Malbim
'And they brought' — see what I wrote above (1:14).
Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, first and last, are they not written in the words of Nathan the prophet, and in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Jedo the seer concerning Jeroboam the son of Nebat?
verse value 5646
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 102 letters. The shortest word is "Nathan" (נָתָ֣ן, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·the·last" (וְהָאַחֲרוֹנִ֑ים, 9 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "and·rest" (וּשְׁאָר֙), "and·in·prophecy·of" (וְעַל־נְבוּאַ֞ת), "Ahijah" (אֲחִיָּ֣ה). The root דבר appears 2 times in this verse. 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son·of·Nebat" (root בן, 225x in II Chronicles); "Nathan" (root נתן, 116x in II Chronicles); "acts·of" (root דבר, 108x in II Chronicles). First appearance of the root שאר ("and·rest") in II Chronicles. First appearance of the root אחרון ("and·the·last") in II Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·the·last', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 14 words.
Rashi
in the words of Nathan the prophet (II Sam. 12:25): “And He sent by the hand of Nathan the prophet, and he called his name Jedidiah for the Lord’s sake.” and in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite (I Kings 11:31) who rent the kingdom from him and gave it to Jeroboam.
Metzudat David
'First and last' – at the beginning of his days and at the end of his days. 'In the words of Nathan the prophet' – concerning the book that Nathan the prophet wrote, and in the book of the prophecy of Ahijah, and in the book of the visions of Jedo the seer, in the account of the prophecy that he prophesied concerning Jeroboam. None of these books are extant among us.
Metzudat Zion
And in the visions — This refers to prophetic visions; that is, in the book of prophecies, [the name written here as] Yedo is the same as Iddo the seer.
Malbim
'Now the rest of the acts of Solomon' — In Kings (11:41): 'Now the rest of the acts of Solomon... are they not written in the book of the acts of Solomon?' This is based on what I wrote about the difference between 'nish'ar' and 'noter': 'noter' is that which is left over on its own, while 'nish'ar' is retained deliberately. There [in Kings], the verse speaks of matters that had no need to be written in the holy books, so it says 'vayeter' [and the rest], and they are recorded in the Acts of Solomon, meaning in his own chronicle. But here it speaks of matters that are holy, and they are not written here because the prophets devoted separate accounts to them, so it says 'vesh'ar' [and the remainder]. And so you will find it always says 'vayeter' — as in 'the rest of the acts of Rehoboam' and similar cases — because it speaks of mundane matters; only here, speaking of holy matters, does it say 'vesh'ar.'
And Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years.
verse value 2438
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 34 letters. The shortest word is "year" (שָׁנָֽה, 3 letters) and the longest is "over·all·Israel" (עַל־כׇּל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל, 9 letters). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·he·reigned" (root מלך, 344x in II Chronicles); "over·all·Israel" (root ישראל, 140x in II Chronicles); "in·Jerusalem" (root ירושלם, 127x in II Chronicles). Full calculation: וַיִּמְלֹ֨ךְ [and·he·reigned] (106) + שְׁלֹמֹ֧ה [Solomon] (375) + בִירוּשָׁלִַ֛ם [in·Jerusalem] (588) + עַל־כׇּל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל [over·all·Israel] (691) + אַרְבָּעִ֥ים [forty] (323) + שָׁנָֽה [year] (355) = 2438.
Rashi
over all Israel forty years unlike David, who reigned seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem.
Metzudat David
'Over all Israel' – because David, too, reigned forty years, yet not all of them were over all Israel, for in Hebron he reigned seven years and six months over Judah alone; therefore Scripture says that Solomon reigned over all Israel the entire forty years.
And Solomon slept with his fathers; they buried him in the city of David his father; and Rehoboam his son reigned in his stead.
verse value 3204
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 53 letters. Verse gematria: 3204 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "his·son" (בְּנ֖וֹ, 3 letters) and the longest is "with·his·fathers" (עִם־אֲבֹתָ֔יו, 7 letters). The root אב appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·he·reigned" (root מלך, 344x in II Chronicles); "his·son" (root בן, 225x in II Chronicles); "with·his·fathers" (root אב, 114x in II Chronicles). First appearance of the root שכב ("and·he·slept") in II Chronicles. First appearance of the root קבר ("and·they·buried·him") in II Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'his·father', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיִּשְׁכַּ֤ב [and·he·slept] (338) + שְׁלֹמֹה֙ [Solomon] (375) + עִם־אֲבֹתָ֔יו [with·his·fathers] (529) + וַֽיִּקְבְּרֻ֔הוּ [and·they·buried·him] (329) + בְּעִ֖יר [in·city·of] (282) + דָּוִ֣יד [David] (24) + אָבִ֑יו [his·father] (19) + וַיִּמְלֹ֛ךְ [and·he·reigned] (106) + רְחַבְעָ֥ם [Rehoboam] (320) + בְּנ֖וֹ [his·son] (58) + תַּחְתָּֽיו [in·his·stead] (824) = 3204.
Rashi
Ralbag
Metzudat David
Metzudat Zion
Malbim