Heb “Jaare-Oregim,” but the second word, which means “weavers,” is probably accidentally included. It appears at the end of the verse. The term is omitted in the parallel account in 1 Chr 20:5 , which has simply “Jair.”


Heb “a man of stature.”


Heb “they fell.”


Heb “his servants.”


Heb “spoke.”


Heb “in the day,” or “at the time.”


Heb “hand.”


Heb “and from the hand of Saul.”


Traditionally “is my rock”; CEV “mighty rock”; TEV “is my protector.” This metaphor pictures God as a rocky, relatively inaccessible summit, where one would be able to find protection from enemies. See 1 Sam 23:25, 28 .


Traditionally “my fortress”; TEV “my strong fortress”; NCV “my protection.” sn My stronghold. David often found safety in such strongholds. See 1 Sam 22:4-5; 24:22 ; 2 Sam 5:9, 17; 23:14 .


The translation (along with many English versions, e.g., NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT) follows the LXX in reading אֱלֹהִי (’ elohi , “my God”) rather than MT’s אֱלֹהֵי (’ elohe , “the God of”). See Ps 18:2 .


Or “in whom.”


Heb “the horn of my salvation,” or “my saving horn.” sn Though some see “horn” as referring to a horn-shaped peak of a hill, or to the “horns” of an altar where one could find refuge, it is more likely that the horn of an ox underlies the metaphor (see Deut 33:17 ; 1 Kgs 22:11 ; Ps 92:10 ). The horn of the wild ox is frequently a metaphor for military strength; the idiom “exalt the horn” signifies military victory (see 1 Sam 2:10 ; Pss 89:17, 24; 92:10 ; Lam 2:17 ). In the ancient Near East powerful warrior-kings would sometimes compare themselves to a goring bull that uses its horns to kill its enemies. For examples, see P. Miller, “El the Warrior,” HTR 60 (1967): 422-25, and R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of /” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 135-36. 2 Sam 22:3 uses the metaphor of the horn in a slightly different manner. Here the Lord himself is compared to a horn. He is to the psalmist what the horn is to the ox, a source of defense and victory.


The parallel version of the song in does not include this last line.


In this song of thanksgiving, where David recalls how the Lord delivered him, the prefixed verbal form is best understood as a preterite indicating past tense (cf. CEV “I prayed”), not an imperfect (as in many English versions).


Heb “worthy of praise, I cried out [to] the Lord .” Some take מְהֻלָּל ( mÿhullal , “worthy of praise”) with what precedes and translate, “the praiseworthy one,” or “praiseworthy.” However, the various epithets in vv. 1-2 have the first person pronominal suffix, unlike מְהֻלָּל . If one follows the traditional verse division and takes מְהֻלָּל with what follows, it is best understood as substantival and as appositional to יְהוָה ( yÿhvah , “Yahweh”), resulting in “[to the] praiseworthy one I cried out, [to the] Lord .”


The noun נַחַל ( nakhal ) usually refers to a river or stream, but in this context the plural form likely refers to the currents of the sea (see vv. 15-16 ).


The noun בְלִיַּעַל ( bÿliyya ’ al ) is used here as an epithet for death. Elsewhere it is a common noun meaning “wickedness, uselessness” (see HALOT 133-34 s.v. בְּלִיַּעַל ). It is often associated with rebellion against authority and other crimes that result in societal disorder and anarchy. The phrase “man/son of wickedness” refers to one who opposes God and the order he has established. The term becomes an appropriate title for death, which, through human forces, launches an attack against God’s chosen servant.


In this poetic narrative context the prefixed verbal form is best understood as a preterite indicating past tense, not an imperfect. (Note the perfect verbal form in the parallel/preceding line.) The verb בָּעַת ( ba ’ at ) sometimes by metonymy carries the nuance “frighten,” but the parallelism (note “engulfed” in the preceding line) favors the meaning “overwhelm” here.


“Sheol,” personified here as David’s enemy, is the underworld, place of the dead in primitive Hebrew cosmology.


Heb “surrounded me.”


Heb “confronted me.”


In this poetic narrative the two prefixed verbal forms in v. 7 a are best understood as preterites indicating past tense, not imperfects. Note the use of the vav consecutive with the prefixed verbal form that follows in v. 7 b.


Heb “from his temple.” Verse 10 , which pictures God descending from the sky, indicates that the heavenly, not earthly, temple is in view.


Heb “and my cry for help [entered] his ears.”


The earth heaved and shook. The imagery pictures an earthquake, in which the earth’s surface rises and falls. The earthquake motif is common in Old Testament theophanies of God as warrior and in ancient Near eastern literary descriptions of warring gods and kings. See R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of /” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 160-62.


Ps 18:7 reads “the roots of the mountains.”


In this poetic narrative context the prefixed verbal form is best understood as a preterite indicating past tense, not an imperfect. Note the three prefixed verbal forms with vav consecutive in the verse.


Heb “within” or “[from] within.” For a discussion of the use of the preposition בְּ ( bet ) here, see R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of /” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 163-64.


Or “in his anger.” The noun אַף (’ af ) can carry the abstract meaning “anger,” but the parallelism (note “from his mouth”) suggests the more concrete meaning “nose” here (most English versions, “nostrils”). See also v. 16 , “the powerful breath of your nose.”


Heb “fire from his mouth devoured.” In this poetic narrative the prefixed verbal form is best understood as a preterite indicating past tense, not an imperfect. Note the two perfect verbal forms in the verse. sn For other examples of fire as a weapon in Old Testament theophanies and ancient Near Eastern portrayals of warring gods and kings, see R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of /” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 165-67.


Heb “coals burned from him.” Perhaps the psalmist pictures God’s fiery breath igniting coals (see Job 41:21 ), which he then hurls as weapons (see Ps 120:4 ).


The verb נָטָה ( natah ) can carry the sense “[to cause to] bend; [to cause to] bow down” (see HALOT 693 s.v. נָטָה ). For example, Gen 49:15 pictures Issachar as a donkey that “bends” its shoulder or back under a burden (cf. KJV, NASB, NRSV “He bowed the heavens”; NAB “He inclined the heavens”). Here the Lord causes the sky, pictured as a dome or vault, to bend or sink down as he descends in the storm.


Or “rode upon.”


Heb “a cherub” (so KJV, NAB, NRSV); NIV “the cherubim” (plural); TEV “his winged creature”; CEV “flying creatures.” sn A winged angel. Cherubs, as depicted in the Old Testament, possess both human and animal (lion, ox, and eagle) characteristics (see Ezek 1:10; 10:14, 21; 41:18 ). They are pictured as winged creatures ( Exod 25:20; 37:9 ; 1 Kgs 6:24-27 ; Ezek 10:8, 19 ) and serve as the very throne of God when the ark of the covenant is in view ( Pss 80:1; 99:1 ; see Num 7:89 ; 1 Sam 4:4 ; 2 Sam 6:2 ; 2 Kgs 19:15 ). The picture of the Lord seated on the cherubs suggests they might be used by him as a vehicle, a function they carry out in Ezek 1:22-28 (the “living creatures” mentioned here are identified as cherubs in Ezek 10:20 ). In Ps 18:10 the image of a cherub serves to personify the wind (see the next line).


The translation follows very many medieval Hebrew mss in reading וַיֵּדֶא ( vayyÿde ’, “and he glided”; cf. NIV “soared”; NCV “raced”) rather than MT וַיֵּרָא ( vayyera ’, “and he appeared,” so NASB, CEV). See as well the Syriac Peshitta, Targum, Vulgate, and the parallel version in Ps 18:10 , which preserves the original reading (see the note there).


Heb “he made darkness around him coverings.” The parallel text in Ps 18:11 reads “he made darkness his hiding place around him, his covering.” 2 Sam 22:12 omits “his hiding place” and pluralizes “covering.” Ps 18:11 may include a conflation of synonyms (“his hiding place” and “his covering” ) or 2 Sam 22:12 may be the result of haplography/homoioarcton. Note that three successive words in Ps 18:11 begin with the letter ס ( samek ): סִתְרוֹ סְבִיבוֹתָיו סֻכָּתוֹ ( sitro sÿvyvotav sukkato ).


Heb “a sieve of water, clouds of clouds.” The form חַשְׁרַת ( khashrat ) is a construct of חַשְׁרָה ( khashrah , “sieve”), which occurs only here in the OT. A cognate Ugaritic noun means “sieve,” and a related verb חשׁר (“to sift”) is attested in postbiblical Hebrew and Aramaic (see HALOT 363 s.v. * חשׁר ). The phrase חַשְׁרַת־מַיִם ( khashrat-mayim ) means literally “a sieve of water.” It pictures the rain clouds as a sieve through which the rain falls to the ground. (See F. M. Cross and D. N. Freedman, Studies in Ancient Yahwistic Poetry , 146, note 33.)


The parallel text in Ps 18:12 reads “from the brightness in front of him his clouds came, hail and coals of fire.” The Lucianic family of texts within the Greek tradition of 2 Sam 22:13 seems to assume the underlying Hebrew text: מִנֹּגַהּ נֶגְדּוֹ עָבְרוּ בָּרָד וְגַחֲלֵי אֵשׁ ( minnogah negdo ’ avru barad vÿgakhale ’ esh , “from the brightness in front of him came hail and coals of fire”) which is the basis for the present translation. The textual situation is perplexing and the identity of the original text uncertain. The verbs עָבְרוּ (’ avÿru ; Ps 18:12 ) and בָּעֲרוּ ( ba ’ aru , 2 Sam 22:13 ) appear to be variants involving a transposition of the first two letters. The noun עָבָיו (’ avav , “his clouds”; Ps 18:12 ) may be virtually dittographic (note the following עָבְרוּ ), or it could have accidentally dropped from the text of 2 Sam 22:13 by virtual haplography (note the preceding בָּעֲרוּ [ ba ’ aru ], which might have originally read עָבְרוּ ). The term בָּרָד ( barad , “hail”; Ps 18:12 ) may be virtually dittographic (note the preceding עָבְרוּ ), or it could have dropped from 2 Sam 22:13 by virtual haplography (note the preceding בָּעֲרוּ , which might have originally read עָבְרוּ ). For a fuller discussion of the text, see R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of /” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 74-76.


The shortened theme vowel indicates that the prefixed verbal form is a preterite.


Heb “the Most High.” This divine title ( עֶלְיוֹן , ’ elyon) pictures God as the exalted ruler of the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked. See especially Ps 47:2 .


Heb “offered his voice.” In this poetic narrative context the prefixed verbal form is best understood as a preterite indicating past tense, not an imperfect. Note the preterite form in the preceding line. The text of Ps 18:13 adds at this point, “hail and coals of fire.” These words are probably accidentally added from v. 12 b; they do not appear in 2 Sam 22:14 . sn Thunder is a common motif in Old Testament theophanies and in ancient Near Eastern portrayals of the storm god and warring kings. See R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of /” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 179-83.


Heb “sent.”


The pronominal suffixes on the verbs “scattered” and “routed” (see the next line) refer to David’s enemies. Some argue that the suffixes refer to the arrows, in which case one might translate “shot them far and wide” and “made them move noisily,” respectively. They argue that the enemies have not been mentioned since v. 4 and are not again mentioned until v. 17 . However, usage of the verbs פוּץ ( puts , “scatter”) and הָמַם ( hamam , “rout”) elsewhere in Holy War accounts suggests the suffixes refer to enemies. Enemies are frequently pictured in such texts as scattered and/or routed (see Exod 14:24; 23:27 ; Num 10:35 ; Josh 10:10 ; Judg 4:15 ; 1 Sam 7:10; 11:11 ; Ps 68:1 ).


Or “channels.”


Or “foundations.”


The noun is derived from the verb גָעַר ( nag ’ ar ) which is often understood to mean “rebuke.” In some cases it is apparent that scolding or threatening is in view (see Gen 37:10 ; Ruth 2:16 ; Zech 3:2 ). However, in militaristic contexts this translation is inadequate, for the verb refers in this setting to the warrior’s battle cry, which terrifies and paralyzes the enemy. See A. Caquot, TDOT 3:53, and note the use of the verb in Pss 68:30; 106:9 ; and Nah 1:4 , as well as the related noun in Job 26:11 ; Pss 9:5; 76:6; 104:7 ; Isa 50:2; 51:20; 66:15 .


Heb “blast of the breath” (literally, “breath of breath”) employs an appositional genitive. Synonyms are joined in a construct relationship to emphasize the single idea. For a detailed discussion of the grammatical point with numerous examples, see Y. Avishur, “Pairs of Synonymous Words in the Construct State (and in Appositional Hendiadys) in Biblical Hebrew,” Semitics 2 (1971): 17-81.


Heb “stretched.” Perhaps “his hand” should be supplied by ellipsis (see Ps 144:7 ). In this poetic narrative context the three prefixed verbal forms in this verse are best understood as preterites indicating past tense, not imperfects.


Heb “mighty waters.” The waters of the sea symbolize the psalmist’s powerful enemies, as well as the realm of death they represent (see v. 5 and Ps 144:7 ).


The singular refers either to personified death or collectively to the psalmist’s enemies. The following line, which refers to “those [plural] who hate me,” favors the latter.


The same verb is translated “trapped” in v. 6 . In this poetic narrative context the prefixed verbal form is best understood as a preterite indicating past tense, not imperfect. Cf. NAB, NCV, TEV, NLT “attacked.”


Heb “became my support.”


Or “delighted in me” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV).


In this poetic narrative context the prefixed verbal form is best understood as a preterite indicating past tense, not imperfect.


Heb “according to my righteousness.” As vv. 22-25 make clear, David refers here to his unwavering obedience to God’s commands. He explains that the Lord was pleased with him and willing to deliver him because he had been loyal to God and obedient to his commandments. Ancient Near Eastern literature contains numerous parallels. A superior (a god or king) would typically reward a subject (a king or the servant of a king, respectively) for loyalty and obedience. See R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of /” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 211-13.


The unreduced Hiphil prefixed verbal form appears to be an imperfect, in which case the psalmist would be generalizing. However, both the preceding and following contexts (see especially v. 25 ) suggest he is narrating his experience. Despite its unreduced form, the verb is better taken as a preterite. For other examples of unreduced Hiphil preterites, see Pss 55:14 a; 68:9 a, 10b; 80:8 a; 89:43 a; 107:38 b; 116:6 b.


Heb “according to the purity of my hands he repaid to me.” Hands suggest activity and behavior.


Heb “for I have kept the ways of the Lord .” The phrase “ways of the Lord ” refers here to the “conduct required” by the Lord (see HALOT 232 s.v. דֶרֶךְ ). In the Lord ’s “ways” are associated with his covenantal demands (see vv. 4, 9-10 ). See also Ps 119:3 (cf. vv. 1, 4 ), as well as Deut 8:6; 10:12; 11:22; 19:9; 26:17; 28:9; 30:16 .


Heb “I have not acted wickedly from my God.” The statement is elliptical, the idea being, “I have not acted wickedly and, in so doing, departed from my God.”


Heb “for all his regulations are before me.” The term מִשְׁפָּטָו ( mishpatav , “his regulations”) refers to God’s covenantal requirements, especially those which the king is responsible to follow (cf Deut 17:18-20 ). See also Pss 19:9 (cf vv. 7-8 ); 89:30; 147:20 (cf v. 19 ), as well as the numerous uses of the term in .


Heb “and his rules, I do not turn aside from it.” Ps 18:22 reads, “and his rules I do not turn aside from me.” The prefixed verbal form is probably an imperfect; David here generalizes about his loyalty to God’s commands. The Lord ’s “rules” are the stipulations of the covenant which the king was responsible to obey (see Ps 89:31 ; cf v. 30 and Deut 17:18-20 ).


Heb “from my sin,” that is, from making it my own in any way. Leading a “blameless” life meant that the king would be loyal to God’s covenant, purge the government and society of evil and unjust officials, and reward loyalty to the Lord (see ).


Heb “according to my righteousness.” See v. 21 .


Heb “according to my purity before his eyes.”


The imperfect verbal forms in vv. 26-30 draw attention to God’s characteristic actions. Based on his experience, the psalmist generalizes about God’s just dealings with people (vv. 26-28 ) and about the way in which God typically empowers him on the battlefield (vv. 29-30 ). The Hitpael stem is used in vv. 26-27 in a reflexive resultative (or causative) sense. God makes himself loyal, etc. in the sense that he conducts or reveals himself as such. On this use of the Hitpael stem, see GKC 149-50 §54. e .


Or “to a faithful follower.” A חָסִיד ( khasid , “faithful follower”) is one who does what is right in God’s eyes and remains faithful to God (see Pss 4:3; 12:1; 16:10; 31:23; 37:28; 86:2; 97:10 ).


Or “innocent.”


Heb “a warrior of innocence.” The parallel text in Ps 18:25 reads, probably correctly, גֶּבֶר ( gever , “man”) instead of גִּבּוֹר ( gibor , “warrior”).


Or “blameless.”


The translation follows two medieval Hebrew mss in reading תִּתְפַּתָּל ( titpattal , from the root פתל , “to twist”) rather than the MT תִּתַּפָּל ( tittappal , from the root תפל , “to be tasteless,” “behave silly”; cf. KJV “unsavoury”). See as well the parallel passage in Ps 18:26 . The verb פָתַל ( patal ) is used in only three other texts. In Gen 30:8 it means literally “to wrestle,” or “to twist.” In Job 5:13 it refers to devious individuals, and in Prov 8:8 to deceptive words. Cf. NAB, NASB “astute”; NIV “shrewd”; NRSV “perverse”; TEV, NLT “hostile.”


The adjective עִקֵּשׁ (’ iqqesh ) has the basic nuance “twisted; crooked,” and by extension refers to someone or something that is morally perverse. It appears frequently in Proverbs, where it is used of evil people ( 22:5 ), speech ( 8:8; 19:1 ), thoughts ( 11:20; 17:20 ) and life styles ( 2:15; 28:6 ). A righteous king opposes such people ( Ps 101:4 ). Verses 26-27 affirm God’s justice. He responds to people in accordance with their moral character. His response mirrors their actions. The faithful and blameless find God to be loyal and reliable in his dealings with them. But deceivers discover he is able and willing to use deceit to destroy them. For a more extensive discussion of the theme of divine deception in the OT, see R. B. Chisholm, “Does God Deceive?” BSac 155 (1998): 11-28.


Or perhaps “humble” (so NIV, NRSV, NLT; note the contrast with those who are proud).


Heb “but your eyes are upon the proud, you bring low.” Ps 18:27 reads “but proud eyes you bring low.”


Or “for.” The translation assumes that כִּי ( ki ) is asseverative here.


Many medieval Hebrew mss , some LXX mss , and the Syriac Peshitta support reading תָּאִיר ( ta ’ ir , “you cause to shine”) before the words “my lamp.” See Ps 18:28 . The metaphor, which likens the Lord to a lamp or light, pictures him as the psalmist’s source of life. For other examples of “lamp” used in this way, see Job 18:6; 21:17 ; Prov 13:9; 20:20; 24:20 . For other examples of “light” as a symbol for life, see Job 3:20; 33:30 ; Ps 56:13 .


The Lucianic Greek recension and Vulgate understand this verb to be second person rather than third person as in the MT. But this is probably the result of reading the preceding word “ Lord ” as a vocative under the influence of the vocative in the first part of the verse.


Heb “my darkness.”


Heb “by you.”


Heb “I will run.” The imperfect verbal forms in v. 30 indicate the subject’s potential or capacity to perform an action. Though one might expect a preposition to follow the verb here, this need not be the case with the verb רוּץ ( ruts ; see 1 Sam 17:22 ). Some emend the Qal to a Hiphil form of the verb and translate, “I put to flight [literally, “cause to run”] an army.”


More specifically, the noun refers to a raiding party or to a contingent of troops (see HALOT 177 s.v. II גְדוּד ). The picture of a divinely empowered warrior charging against an army in almost superhuman fashion appears elsewhere in ancient Near Eastern literature. See R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of /” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 228.


Heb “by my God.”


David uses hyperbole to emphasize his God-given military superiority.


Heb “[As for] the God, his way is blameless.” The term הָאֵל ( ha ’ el , “the God”) stands as a nominative (or genitive) absolute in apposition to the resumptive pronominal suffix on “way.” The prefixed article emphasizes his distinctiveness as the one true God (see BDB 42 s.v. II אֵל 6; Deut 33:26 ). God’s “way” in this context refers to his protective and salvific acts in fulfillment of his promise (see also Deut 32:4 ; Pss 67:2; 77:13 [note vv. 11-12, 14 ]; 103:7; 138:5; 145:17 ).


Heb “the word of the Lord is purified.” The Lord ’s “word” probably refers here to his oracle(s) of victory delivered to the psalmist before the battle(s) described in the following context. See also Pss 12:5-7 and 138:2-3 . David frequently received such oracles before going into battle (see 1 Sam 23:2, 4-5, 10-12; 30:8 ; 2 Sam 5:19 ). The Lord ’s word of promise is absolutely reliable; it is compared to metal that has been refined in fire and cleansed of impurities. See Ps 12:6 . In the ancient Near East kings would typically seek and receive oracles from their god(s) prior to battle. For examples, see R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of /” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 241-42.


Heb “rocky cliff,” which is a metaphor of protection.


The rhetorical questions anticipate the answer, “No one.” In this way the psalmist indicates that the Lord is the only true God and reliable source of protection. See also Deut 32:39 , where the Lord affirms that he is the only true God. Note as well the emphasis on his role as protector ( צוּר , tsur , “rocky cliff”) in Deut 32:4, 15, 17-18, 30 .


Heb “the God.” See the note at v. 31 .


has מְאַזְּרֵנִי ( mÿ ’ azzÿreni , “the one girding me with strength”) rather than the MT מָעוּזִּי ( ma ’ uzzi , “my refuge”). See as well Ps 18:32 .


The prefixed verbal form with vav consecutive here carries along the generalizing tone of the preceding line.


Heb “and he sets free (from the verb נָתַר , natar ) [the] blameless, his [ Kethib ; “my” ( Qere )] way.” The translation follows Ps 18:32 in reading “he made my path smooth.” The term תָּמִים ( tamim , “smooth”) usually carries a moral or ethical connotation, “blameless, innocent.” However, in Ps 18:33 it refers to a pathway free of obstacles. The reality underlying the metaphor is the psalmist’s ability to charge into battle without tripping (see vv. 33, 36 ).


Heb “[the one who] makes his feet like [those of] a deer.” The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss in reading רַגְלַי ( raglai , “my feet”) rather than the MT רַגְלָיו ( raglav , “his feet”). See as well Ps 18:33 .


Heb “and on my high places he makes me walk.” The imperfect verbal form emphasizes God’s characteristic provision. The psalmist compares his agility in battle to the ability of a deer to negotiate rugged, high terrain without falling or being injured. Habakkuk uses similar language to describe his faith during difficult times. See Hab 3:19 .


Heb “teaches.”


The psalmist attributes his skill with weapons to divine enabling. Egyptian reliefs picture gods teaching the king how to shoot a bow. See O. Keel, Symbolism of the Biblical World , 265.


Heb “and a bow of bronze is bent by my arms.” The verb נָחֵת ( nakhet ) apparently means “to pull back; to bend” here (see HALOT 692 s.v. נחת ). The bronze bow referred to here was probably laminated with bronze strips, or a purely ceremonial or decorative bow made entirely from bronze. In the latter case the language is hyperbolic, for such a weapon would not be functional in battle.


Another option is to translate the prefixed verb with vav consecutive with a past tense, “you gave me.” Several prefixed verbal forms with vav consecutive also appear in vv. 38-44 . The present translation understands this section as a description of what generally happened when the author charged into battle, but another option is to understand the section as narrative and translate accordingly.


Ps 18:35 contains an additional line following this one, which reads “your right hand supports me.” It may be omitted here due to homoioarcton. See the note at Ps 18:35 . tn Heb “and you give me the shield of your deliverance”; KJV, ASV “the shield of thy (your NRSV, NLT) salvation”; NIV “your shield of victory.” Ancient Near Eastern literature often refers to a god giving a king special weapons. See R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of /” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 260-61.


Heb “your answer makes me great.” David refers to God’s willingness to answer his prayer.


Heb “step.” “Step” probably refers metonymically to the path upon which the psalmist walks. Another option is to translate, “you widen my stride.” This would suggest that God gives him the capacity to run quickly.


Heb “lower legs.” On the meaning of the Hebrew noun, which occurs only here, see H. R. Cohen, Biblical Hapax Legomena (SBLDS), 112. A cognate Akkadian noun means “lower leg.”


Heb “you clothed me with strength for battle.”


Heb “you make those who rise against me kneel beneath me.”


Heb “and [as for] my enemies, you give to me [the] back [or “neck” ].” The idiom “give [the] back” means “to cause [one] to turn the back and run away.” See Exod 23:27 and HALOT 888 s.v. II ערף .


The translation follows one medieval Hebrew ms and the ancient versions in reading the Piel יְשַׁוְּעוּ ( yÿshavvÿ ’ u , “they cry for help”) rather than the Qal of the MT יִשְׁעוּ ( yish ’ u , “they look about for help”). See Ps 18:41 as well.


Heb “but there is no deliverer.”


The words “they cry out” are not in the Hebrew text. This reference to the psalmists’ enemies crying out for help to the Lord suggests that the psalmist refers here to enemies within the covenant community, rather than foreigners. However, the militaristic context suggests foreign enemies are in view. Ancient Near Eastern literature indicates that defeated enemies would sometimes cry out for mercy to the god(s) of their conqueror. See R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of /” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 271.


Or “mud” (so NAB, NIV, CEV). See HALOT 374 s.v. טִיט .


Heb “from the strivings of my people.” In this context רִיב ( riv , “striving”) probably has a militaristic sense (as in Judg 12:2 ; Isa 41:11 ), and עַם (’ am , “people”) probably refers more specifically to an army (for other examples, see the verses listed in BDB 766 s.v. עַם 2.d). The suffix “my” suggests David is referring to attacks by his own countrymen, the “people” being Israel. However, the parallel text in Ps 18:43 omits the suffix.


Heb “a people whom I did not know serve me.” In this context the verb “know” ( יָדַע , yada ’) probably refers to formal recognition by treaty. People who were once not under the psalmist’s authority now willingly submit to his rulership to avoid being conquered militarily (see vv. 45-46 ). The language may recall the events recorded in 2 Sam 8:9-10 and 10:19 .


For the meaning “to be weak; to be powerless” for the verb כָּחַשׁ ( kakhash ), see Ps 109:24 . Verse 46 , which also mentions foreigners, favors this interpretation. Another option is to translate “cower in fear” (see Deut 33:29 ; Pss 66:3; 81:15 ).


Heb “at a report of an ear they submit to me.” The report of David’s exploits is so impressive that those who hear it submit to his rulership without putting up a fight.


Heb “wither, wear out.”


The translation assumes a reading וְיַחְרְגוּ ( vÿyakhrÿgu , “and they quaked”) rather than the MT וְיַחְגְּרוּ ( vÿyakhgÿru , “and they girded themselves”). See the note at Ps 18:45 .


Heb “from.”


Heb “prisons.” Their besieged cities are compared to prisons.


Elsewhere the construction חַי־יְהוָה ( khay-yÿhvah ) as used exclusively as an oath formula, but this is not the case here, for no oath follows. Here the statement is an affirmation of the Lord ’s active presence and intervention. In contrast to pagan deities, he demonstrates that he is the living God by rescuing and empowering the psalmist.


Heb “my rocky cliff,” which is a metaphor for protection.


Or “blessed [i.e., praised] be.”


Heb “the God of the rock of my deliverance.” The term צוּר ( tsur , “rock”) is probably accidentally repeated from the previous line. The parallel version in Ps 18:46 has simply “the God of my deliverance.”


The words “as king” are supplied in the translation for clarification. In the Psalms the verb רוּם ( rum , “be exalted”) when used of God, refers to his exalted position as king ( Pss 99:2; 113:4; 138:6 ) and/or his self-revelation as king through his mighty deeds of deliverance ( Pss 21:13; 46:10; 57:5, 11 ).


Heb “The God is the one who grants vengeance to me.” The plural form of the noun “vengeance” indicates degree here, suggesting complete vengeance or vindication. In the ancient Near East military victory was sometimes viewed as a sign that one’s God had judged in favor of the victor, avenging and/or vindicating him. See, for example, Judg 11:27, 32-33, 36 .


Heb “and [is the one who] brings down nations beneath me.”


Heb “and [the one who] brings me out from my enemies.”


Heb “you lift me up.” In light of the preceding and following references to deliverance, the verb רוּם ( rum ) probably here refers to being rescued from danger (see Ps 9:13 ). However, it could mean “exalt; elevate” here, indicating that the Lord has given him victory over his enemies and forced them to acknowledge the psalmist’s superiority.


Heb “from those who rise against me.”


Heb “to your name.” God’s “name” refers metonymically to his divine characteristics as suggested by his name, in this case “ Lord ,” the primary name of Israel’s covenant God which suggests his active presence with his people (see Exod 3:12-15 ).


The translation follows the Kethib and the ancient versions in reading מַגְדִּיל ( magdil , “he magnifies”) rather than the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss of the MT which read מִגְדּוֹל ( migdol , “tower”). See Ps 18:50 .


Heb “[the one who] does loyalty to his anointed one.”


Heb “the anointed one of the God of Jacob.”


Or “pleasant.”


Heb “rock,” used as a metaphor of divine protection.


Heb “For not thus [is] my house with God?”


Heb “for all my deliverance and every desire, surely does he not make [it] grow?”


Heb “and with fire they are completely burned up in [the place where they] remain.” The infinitive absolute is used before the finite verb to emphasize that they are completely consumed by the fire.


The Hebrew word is sometimes rendered as “the three,” but BDB is probably correct in taking it to refer to military officers (BDB 1026 s.v. שְׁלִישִׁי ). In that case the etymological connection of this word to the Hebrew numerical adjective for “three” can be explained as originating with a designation for the third warrior in a chariot.


The translation follows some LXX mss (see 1 Chr 11:11 as well) in reading הוּא עוֹרֵר אֶת־חֲנִיתוֹ ( hu ’ ’ orer ’ et khanito , “he raised up his spear”) rather than the MT’s הוּא עֲדִינוֹ הָעֶצְנִי ( hu ’ ’ adino ha ’ etsni [ Kethib = הָעֶצְנוֹ , ha ’ etsno ]; “Adino the Ezenite”). The emended text reads literally “he was wielding his spear against eight hundred, [who were] slain at one time.”


Heb “after him.”


This follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss in reading דֹּדוֹ ( dodo ) rather than the Kethib of the MT דֹּדַי ( dodai ; cf. ASV, NIV, NLT). But see 1 Chr 27:4 .


Heb “went up.”


Heb “arose.”


Heb “his hand.”


The Hebrew text is difficult here. The MT reads לַחַיָּה ( lachayyah ), which implies a rare use of the word חַיָּה ( chayyah ). The word normally refers to an animal, but if the MT is accepted it would here have the sense of a troop or community of people. BDB 312 s.v. II. חַיָּה , for example, understands the similar reference in v. 13 to be to “a group of allied families, making a raid together.” But this works better in v. 13 than it does in v. 11 , where the context seems to suggest a particular staging location for a military operation. (See 1 Chr 11:15 .) It therefore seems best to understand the word in v. 11 as a place name with ה ( he) directive. In that case the Masoretes mistook the word for the common term for an animal and then tried to make sense of it in this context.


Heb “delivered.”


The meaning of Hebrew אֶל־קָצִיר (’ el qatsir ) seems here to be “at the time of harvest,” although this is an unusual use of the phrase. As S. R. Driver points out, this preposition does not normally have the temporal sense of “in” or “during” (S. R. Driver, Notes on the Hebrew Text and the Topography of the Books of Samuel , 366).


The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss in reading שְׁלֹשָׁה ( shÿloshah , “three”) rather than the Kethib of the MT שְׁלֹשִׁים ( shÿloshim , “thirty”). “Thirty” is due to dittography of the following word and makes no sense in the context.


Heb “went down…and approached.”


For location see Map5-B1 ; Map7-E2 ; Map8-E2 ; Map10-B4 .


Heb “Far be it to me, O Lord , from doing this.”


Heb “[Is it not] the blood of the men who were going with their lives?”


Heb “These things the three warriors did.”


The translation follows the Qere , many medieval Hebrew mss , the LXX, and Vulgate in reading הַשְּׁלֹשָׁה ( hashÿlosa , “the three”) rather than the Kethib of the MT הַשָּׁלִשִׁי ( hashalisi , “the third,” or “adjutant”). Two medieval Hebrew mss and the Syriac Peshitta have “thirty.”


Heb “and he was wielding his spear against three hundred, [who were] slain, and to him there was a name among the three.”


Or “more than.”


The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss in reading חַיִל ( khayil , “valor”) rather than the Kethib of the MT, חַי ( khay , “life”).


Heb “the two of Ariel, Moab.” The precise meaning of אריאל is uncertain; some read “warrior.” The present translation assumes that the word is a proper name and that בני , “sons of,” has accidentally dropped from the text by homoioarcton (note the preceding שׁני ).


The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss in reading אִישׁ (’ ish , “man”) rather than the Kethib of the MT, אֲשֶׁר (’ asher , “who”).


Heb “and he went down to.”


The translation follows many medieval Hebrew mss in reading חֵלֶד ( kheled ; cf. NAB, NIV, NLT) rather than the MT חֵלֶב ( khelev ).


The Hebrew text does not have “the son of.”


The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss in reading חֶצְרַי ( khetsrai ; cf. KJV, NAB) rather than the Kethib of the MT, חֶצְרוֹ ( khetsro ).


The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss in reading the singular rather than the plural of the Kethib of the MT.


Heb “and the word of the king was stronger than.”


Heb “in the middle of.”


For location see Map1-A1 ; JP3-F3 ; JP4-F3 .


For location see Map1-A2 ; Map2-G2 ; Map4-A1 ; JP3-F3 ; JP4-F3 .


For location see Map5-B1 ; Map6-F3 ; Map7-E2 ; Map8-F2 ; Map10-B3 ; JP1-F4 ; JP2-F4 ; JP3-F4 ; JP4-F4 .


Heb “and Joab gave the number of the numbering of the people.”


Heb “and the heart of David struck him.”


The LXX has here “three” rather than “seven,” and is followed by NAB, NIV, NCV, NRSV, TEV, NLT. See 1 Chr 21:12 .


Heb “now know and see.”


Heb “There is great distress to me. Let us fall into the hand of the Lord , for great is his mercy, but into the hand of man let me not fall.”


Heb “messenger.”


Heb “concerning the calamity.”


Heb “Now, drop your hand.”


Heb “let your hand be against me and against the house of my father.”


Heb “Araunah.” The name has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun (“he”) for stylistic reasons.


Heb “nostrils.”


Heb “what is good in his eyes.”


Heb “the equipment of the oxen.”


The Hebrew text is difficult here. The translation reads עֶבֶד אֲדֹנָי (’ eved ’ adoni , “the servant of my lord”) rather than the MT’s אֲרַוְנָה (’ Aravnah ). In normal court etiquette a subject would not use his own name in this way, but would more likely refer to himself in the third person. The MT probably first sustained loss of עֶבֶד (’ eved , “servant”), leading to confusion of the word for “my lord” with the name of the Jebusite referred to here.


Heb “fifty shekels of silver.” This would have been about 20 ounces (568 grams) of silver by weight.


Heb “was old, coming into the days” (i.e., advancing in years).


Or “garments.”


Heb “said to.”


Heb “let them seek for my master, the king, a young girl, a virgin.” The third person plural subject of the verb is indefinite (see GKC 460 §144. f ). The appositional expression, “a young girl, a virgin,” is idiomatic; the second term specifically defines the more general first term (see IBHS 230 §12.3b).


Heb “and she will stand before the king.” The Hebrew phrase “stand before” can mean “to attend; to serve” (BDB 764 s.v. עָמַד ).


Heb “and she will lie down in your bosom.” The expression might imply sexual intimacy (see 2 Sam 12:3 [where the lamb symbolizes Bathsheba] and Mic 7:5 ), though v. 4 b indicates that David did not actually have sex with the young woman.


Heb “and my master, the king, will be warm.”


Heb “through all the territory of Israel.”


Heb “did not know her.”


Heb “son of Haggith,” but since this formula usually designates the father (who in this case was David), the translation specifies that David was Adonijah’s father. sn Haggith was one of David’s wives ( 2 Sam 3:4 ; 2 Chr 3:2 ).


Heb “lifting himself up.”


Heb “saying.”


Or “he acquired for himself.”


Heb “to run ahead of him.”


Or “disciplined.”


Heb “did not correct him from his days.” The phrase “from his days” means “from his earliest days,” or “ever in his life.” See GKC 382 §119. w , n. 2.


Heb “and she gave birth to him after Absalom.” This does not imply they had the same mother; Absalom’s mother was Maacah, not Haggith ( 2 Sam 3:4 ).


Heb “his words were.”


Heb “helped after” (i.e., stood by).


Heb “Adonijah.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“him”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.


Or “bodyguard” ( Heb “mighty men”).


Heb “were not.”


The ancient Greek version omits this appositional phrase.


Heb “Have you not heard?”


Heb “and our master David does not know.”


Heb “now, come.” The imperative of הָלַךְ ( halakh ) is here used as an introductory interjection. See BDB 234 s.v. חָלַךְ .


Or “so that.”


Heb “come, go to.” The imperative of הָלַךְ ( halakh ) is here used as an introductory interjection. See BDB 234 s.v. חָלַךְ .


Or “swear an oath to.”


In the Hebrew text the sentence is introduced by the particle הִנֵּה ( hinneh , “look”), which here draws attention to Nathan’s concluding word of assurance and support. For this use of the word, see HALOT 252 s.v. הִנֵּה .


The Hebrew text reads, “I will come after you.”


Heb “fill up [i.e., confirm] your words.”


Or “bedroom.”


Heb “bowed low and bowed down to.”


Instead of עַתָּה (’ attah , “now”) many Hebrew mss , along with the Old Greek, Syriac Peshitta, and Latin Vulgate, have the similar sounding independent pronoun אַתָּה (’ attah , “you”). This reading is followed in the present translation.


Heb “you do not know [about it].”


Many Hebrew mss have עַתָּה (’ attah , “now”) rather than the similar sounding independent pronoun אַתָּה (’ attah , “you”).


Heb “the eyes of all Israel are upon you to declare to them who will sit on the throne of my master the king after him.”


The words “if a decision is not made” are added for clarification.


Heb “lies down with his fathers.”


Heb “I and my son Solomon.” The order has been reversed in the translation for stylistic reasons.


Heb “will be guilty”; NASB “considered offenders”; TEV “treated as traitors.”


Heb “look.” The particle הִנֵּה ( hinneh ) here draws attention to Nathan’s arrival and invites the audience to view the scene through the eyes of the participants.


Heb “ground.” Since this was indoors, “floor” is more appropriate than “ground.”


Heb “look.”


Heb “eating and drinking.”


Heb “let the king, Adonijah, live!”


Many Hebrew mss and ancient textual witnesses agree with the Qere in reading this as singular, “your servant.”


Heb “From my master the king is this thing done, and you did not make known to your servants who will sit on the throne of my master the king after him?”


Heb “answered and said.”


Heb “she came before the king and stood before the king.”


Or “ransomed my life.”


Or “carry out, perform.”


Heb “bowed low, face [to] the ground, and bowed down to the king.”


Heb “the king.”


The plural form is used in the Hebrew text to indicate honor and authority.


Heb “mount Solomon my son on the mule that belongs to me and take him down to Gihon.”


Or “designate” (i.e., by anointing with oil).


Or “commanded.”


Or “Amen.”


Heb “So may the Lord God of my master the king say.”


Heb “and may he make his throne greater than the throne of my master King David.”


Heb “the horn of oil.” This has been specified as olive oil in the translation for clarity. sn A horn filled with oil . An animal’s horn was used as an oil flask in the anointing ceremony.


Or “anointed.”


Heb “and all the people went up after him, and the people were playing flutes and rejoicing with great joy and the ground split open at the sound of them.” The verb בָּקַע ( baqa ’, “to split open”), which elsewhere describes the effects of an earthquake, is obviously here an exaggeration for the sake of emphasis.


Heb “And Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard, now they had finished eating.”


Heb “Why is the city’s sound noisy?”


The Hebrew text has “look” at this point. The particle הִנֵּה ( hinneh ), “look draws attention to Jonathan’s arrival and invites the audience to view the scene through the eyes of the participants.


Or “surely.”


Heb “you are a man of strength [or “ability”] and you bring a message [that is] good.” Another option is to understand the phrase אִישׁ חַיִל (’ ish khayil ) in the sense of “a worthy man,” that is “loyal.” See also 1 Kgs 1:52 and HALOT 311 s.v. חַיִל .


Heb “answered and said.”


For a similar use of אֲבָל (’ aval ), see Gen 17:19 , where God rejects Abraham’s proposal and offers an alternative.


I.e., designated by anointing with oil.


Heb “And also Solomon sits on the throne of the kingdom.”


Heb “to bless.”


Many Hebrew mss agree with the Qere in reading simply “God.”


Heb “make the name of Solomon better than your name, and make his throne greater than your throne.” The term שֵׁם ( shem , “name”) is used here of one’s fame and reputation.


Or “bowed down; worshiped.”


The Hebrew text reads, “and the king said.”


Or “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who….” In this blessing formula אֲשֶׁר (’ asher , “who; because”) introduces the reason why the one being blessed deserves the honor.


Heb “and my eyes are seeing.”


Or “were afraid, trembled.”


Heb “King Solomon.” The name and title have been replaced by the pronoun (“you”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.


Or “swear an oath to.”


Heb “if he is a man of strength [or ability].” In this context, where Adonijah calls himself a “servant,” implying allegiance to the new king, the phrase אִישׁ חַיִל (’ ish khayil ) probably carries the sense of “a worthy man,” that is, “loyal” (see HALOT 311 s.v. חַיִל ).


Heb “but if evil is found in him.”


Heb “sent and they brought him down.”


Heb “Go to your house.”


Heb “and the days of David approached to die.”


Or “commanded.”


Heb “going the way of all the earth.”


Heb “keep the charge of the Lord your God.”


Heb “by walking in his ways.”


Or “keeping.”


Heb “then you will cause to succeed all which you do and all which you turn there.”


Heb “then the Lord will establish his word which he spoke to me, saying.”


Heb “guard their way.”


Heb “by walking before me in faithfulness.”


Or “soul.”


Heb “saying.”


Heb “there will not be cut off from you a man from upon the throne of Israel.”


Heb “what he did to the two commanders…and he killed them.”


Heb “he shed the blood of battle in peace.”


Heb “and he shed the blood of battle when he killed which is on his waist and on his sandal[s] which are on his feet.” That is, he covered himself with guilt and his guilt was obvious to all who saw him.


Heb “according to your wisdom.”


Heb “and do not bring down his grey hair in peace [to] Sheol.”


Heb “do loyalty with”; or “act faithfully toward.”


Heb “and let them be among the ones who eat [at] your table.”


Heb “drew near to.”


Heb “Look, with you is Shimei….”


Heb “and he cursed me with a horrible curse on the day I went to Mahanaim.”


Or “swore an oath to.”


Heb “kill you.”


The Lucianic recension of the Old Greek and the Vulgate have here “you” rather than “now.” The two words are homonyms in Hebrew.


Heb “what you should do to him.”


Heb “bring his grey hair down in blood [to] Sheol.”


Heb “and David lay down with his fathers.”


For location see Map5-B1 ; Map6-F3 ; Map7-E2 ; Map8-F2 ; Map10-B3 ; JP1-F4 ; JP2-F4 ; JP3-F4 ; JP4-F4 .


Or “kingship.”


Heb “[in] peace.”


Heb “and he said.”


Heb “set their face to me to be king.”


Heb “and the kingdom turned about and became my brother’s, for from the Lord it became his.”


Heb “Do not turn back my face.”


Heb “She said, ‘Speak!’”


Heb “Say to Solomon the king, for he will not turn back your face, that he might give to me Abishag the Shunammite for a wife.”


Heb “[It is] good!”


Or “meet.”


Heb “he set up a throne for the mother of the king.”


Or “I’d like to make just one request of you.”


Heb “and the king said to her.”


Heb “for Adonijah.”


Heb “So may God do to me, and so may he add.”


Heb “if with his life Adonijah has not spoken this word.”


Heb “house.”


The Hebrew text adds, “by the hand of.”


Heb “and he struck him and he died.”


Or “field.”


Heb “you are a man of death.”


Heb “and because you suffered through all which my father suffered.”


Heb “turned after” (also later in this verse).


Heb “Joab.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.


Heb “and it was related to King Solomon.”


Heb “so Solomon sent Benaiah son of Jehoiada, saying.”


Heb “saying, “In this way Joab spoke and in this way he answered me.”


Heb “take away the undeserved bloodshed which Joab spilled from upon me and from upon the house of my father.”


Heb “The Lord will cause his blood to return upon his head.”


Heb “because he struck down two men more innocent and better than he and he killed them with the sword, and my father David did not know.”


Heb “his throne.”


Heb “struck him and killed him.” The referent (Joab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.


Heb “over.”


The Old Greek translation includes after v. 35 some fourteen verses that are absent from the MT.


Heb “sent and summoned.”


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Heb “and you may not go out from there here or there.”


Heb “your blood will be upon your head.”


Heb “Good is the word, as my master the king has spoken.”


Heb “so your servant will do.”


Heb “many days.”


Heb “Is it not [true]…?” In the Hebrew text the statement is interrogative; the rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course it is.”


Heb “here or there.”


Heb “good is the word; I have heard.”


Heb “Why have you not kept the oath [to] the Lord and the commandment I commanded you?”


Heb “You know all the evil, for your heart knows, which you did to David my father.”


Heb “The Lord will cause your evil to return upon your head.”


Or “blessed.”


Heb “throne.”


“The king commanded Benaiah son of Jehoiada and he went out and struck him down and he died.”


“And the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.”


Heb “for the name of the Lord. ” The word “name” sometimes refers to one’s reputation or honor (thus the translation here, “to honor the Lord” ). The “name” of the Lord sometimes designates the Lord himself, being indistinguishable from the proper name.


Heb “Solomon loved the Lord by walking in.”


Or “policies, rules.”


Heb “for it was the great high place.”


The verb form is an imperfect, which is probably used here in a customary sense to indicate continued or repeated action in past time. See GKC 314 §107. b .


Or “revealed himself.”


Heb “ask.”


Heb “did.”


Heb “walked before.”


Heb “in faithfulness and in innocence and in uprightness of heart with you.”


Heb “and you have kept to him this great loyalty and you gave to him a son [who] sits on his throne as this day.”


Heb “and I do not know going out or coming in.”


There is no verb expressed in the Hebrew text; “stands” is supplied in the translation for clarification.


Heb “your people whom you have chosen.”


Heb “a hearing heart.” (The Hebrew term translated “heart” often refers to the mental faculties.)


Heb “to judge.”


Heb “to understand between good and evil.”


Heb “for”; the word “otherwise” is used to reflect the logical sense of the statement.


Heb “who is able?” The rhetorical question anticipates the answer, “no one.”


Heb “your numerous people.”


The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here and in v.15 is אֲדֹנָי (’ adonay ).


Heb “And the thing was good in the eyes of the Lord, for Solomon asked for this thing.”


Heb “because you asked for this thing, and did not ask for yourself many days and did not ask for yourself riches and did not ask for the life of your enemies, but you asked for yourself understanding to hear judgment.”


This statement is introduced in the Hebrew text by the particle הִנֵּה ( hinneh , “look”) which draws attention to and emphasizes what follows.


Heb “I am doing according to your words.” The perfect tense is sometimes used of actions occurring at the same time a statement is made.


This statement is introduced by the particle הִנֵּה ( hinneh , “look”) which draws attention to and emphasizes what follows. The translation assumes that the perfect tense here indicates that the action occurs as the statement is made (i.e., “right now I give you”).


Heb “heart.” (The Hebrew term translated “heart” often refers to the mental faculties.)


Heb “so that there has not been one like you prior to you, and after you one will not arise like you.”


The translation assumes that the perfect tense here indicates that the action occurs as the statement is made.


Heb “so that there is not one among the kings like you all your days.” The LXX lacks the words “all your days.”


Heb “walk in my ways.”


Or “keeping.”


Heb “walked.”


Heb “I will lengthen your days.”


Heb “and look, a dream.”


Or “tokens of peace”; NIV, TEV “fellowship offerings.”


Heb “died.”


Heb “lay, slept.”


Heb “look.”


Heb “look, it was not my son to whom I had given birth.”


Heb “they spoke before the king.” Another option is to translate, “they argued before the king.”


Heb “the woman whose son was alive.”


Heb “for her compassions grew warm for her son.”


The infinitive absolute before the negated jussive emphasizes the main verb.


Heb “feared,” perhaps in the sense, “stood in awe of.”


Heb “saw.”


Heb “the wisdom of God within him.”


Heb “were scribes”; NASB, NIV, NRSV “secretaries”; TEV, NLT “court secretaries.”


Heb “was over.”


Heb “close associate of”; KJV, ASV, NASB “the king’s friend” (a title for an adviser, not just an acquaintance).


Heb “over the house.”


For location see Map1-D4 ; Map2-C1 ; Map4-C2 ; Map5-F2 ; Map7-B1 .


Heb “the River” (also in v. 24 ). This is the standard designation for the Euphrates River in biblical Hebrew.


Heb “[They] were bringing tribute and were serving Solomon all the days of his life.”


Heb “the food of Solomon for each day was.”


As a unit of dry measure a cor was roughly equivalent to six bushels.


The words “in the stall” are added for clarification; note the immediately following reference to cattle from the pasture.


Heb “because.” The words “his royal court was so large” are added to facilitate the logical connection with the preceding verse.


Heb “for he was ruling over all [the region] beyond the River, from Tiphsah to Gaza, over all the kingdoms beyond the River, and he had peace on every side all around.”


Heb “Judah and Israel lived securely, each one under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan to Beer Sheba, all the days of Solomon.”


The Hebrew text has “40,000,” but this is probably an inflated number (nevertheless it is followed by KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV, TEV, CEV). Some Greek mss of the OT and the parallel in 2 Chr 9:25 read “4,000” (cf. NAB, NIV, NCV, NLT).


Heb “everyone who drew near to the table of King Solomon.”


Heb “barley and straw for the horses and the steeds they brought to the place which was there, each according to his measure.”


Heb “heart,” i.e., mind. (The Hebrew term translated “heart” often refers to the mental faculties.)


Heb “the wisdom of Solomon was greater than the wisdom of all the sons of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt.”


Heb “his name was in all the surrounding nations.”


Heb “spoke.”


Heb “he spoke about plants.”


Heb “he spoke about.”


Heb “the wisdom of Solomon.”


For location see Map1-A2 ; Map2-G2 ; Map4-A1 ; JP3-F3 ; JP4-F3 .


Heb “his servants.”


Heb “a house for the name of the Lord. ” The word “name” sometimes refers to one’s reputation or honor. The “name” of the Lord sometimes designates the Lord himself, being indistinguishable from the proper name.


Heb “because of the battles which surrounded him until the Lord placed them under the soles of his feet.”


Heb “Look, I am saying.”


Heb “a house for my name.” The word “name” sometimes refers to one’s reputation or honor. The “name” of the Lord sometimes designates the Lord himself, being indistinguishable from the proper name.


Or “Blessed be the Lord today, who….”


Heb “heard.”


Heb “I will satisfy all your desire with respect to cedar wood and with respect to the wood of evergreens.”


Heb “I will place them [on? as?] rafts in the sea to the place where you designate to me.” This may mean he would send them by raft, or that he would tie them in raft-like bundles, and have ships tow them down to an Israelite port.


Heb “smash them,” i.e., untie the bundles.


Heb “as for you, you will satisfy my desire by giving food for my house.”


Heb “and Hiram gave to Solomon cedar wood and the wood of evergreens, all his desire.”


Heb “his house.”


The Hebrew text has “twenty cors,” but the ancient Greek version and the parallel text in 2 Chr 2:10 read “twenty thousand baths.” sn A bath was a liquid measure equivalent to almost six gallons.


Or “pressed.”


Heb “and Solomon supplied Hiram with twenty thousand cors of wheat…pure olive oil. So Solomon would give to Hiram year by year.”


Heb “a covenant,” referring to a formal peace treaty or alliance.


Heb “raised up.”


Heb “was over.”


Heb “carriers of loads.”


Heb “cutters” (probably of stones).


Some Greek mss of the OT read “3,600”; cf. 2 Chr 2:2, 18 and NLT.


Heb “besides thirty-three hundred from the officials of Solomon’s governors who were over the work, the ones ruling over the people, the ones doing the work.”


Heb “and the king commanded.”


Heb “builders.”


Heb “the Gebalites.” The reading is problematic and some emend to a verb form meaning, “set the borders.”


The LXX includes the words “for three years.”


Heb “sixty cubits.” A cubit was a unit of measure roughly equivalent to 18 inches or 45 cm. Measurements in vv. 2-10 have been converted to feet in the translation for clarity.


Heb “twenty cubits.”


Heb “thirty cubits.”


Heb “ten cubits.”


Heb “and he built on the wall of the temple an extension all around, the walls of the temple all around, for the main hall and for the holy place, and he made side rooms all around.”


Heb “five cubits.”


Heb “six cubits.”


Heb “seven cubits.”


Or “offsets” (ASV, NAB, NASB, NRSV); NIV “offset ledges.”


Heb “so that [the beams] would not have a hold in the walls of the temple.”


Heb “finished stone of the quarry,” i.e., stones chiseled and shaped at the time they were taken out of the quarry.


The Hebrew text has “middle,” but the remainder of the verse suggests this is an error.


Heb “by stairs they went up.” The word translated “stairs” occurs only here. Other options are “trapdoors” or “ladders.”


The translation reads with a few medieval Hebrew mss , the Syriac Peshitta, and Vulgate הַשְּׁלִשִׁית ( hashÿlishit , “the third”) rather than MT הַשְּׁלִשִׁים ( hashÿlishim , “the thirty”).


Heb “ built the house and completed it.”


Heb “the house.”


The word occurs only here; the precise meaning is uncertain.


Heb “and rows with cedar wood.”


Heb “five cubits.” This must refer to the height of each floor or room.


The LXX lacks vv. 11-14 .


Heb “walk in.”


Heb “do.”


Heb “and keep all my commandments by walking in them.”


Heb “I will establish my word with you which I spoke to David your father.”


The MT reads קִירוֹת ( qirot , “walls”), but this should be emended to קוֹרוֹת ( qorot , “rafters”). See BDB 900 s.v. קוֹרָה .


Heb “He built twenty cubits from the rear areas of the temple with cedar planks from the floor to the walls, and he built it on the inside for an inner sanctuary, for a holy place of holy places.”


The MT has קְלָעִים ( qÿla ’ im , “curtains”), but this should be emended to קוֹרוֹת ( qorot , “rafters”). See BDB 900 s.v. קוֹרָה .


Heb “and the house was forty cubits, that is, the main hall before it.”


Heb “Cedar was inside the temple, carvings of gourds (i.e., gourd-shaped ornaments) and opened flowers; the whole was cedar, no stone was seen.”


Heb “twenty cubits” (this measurement occurs three times in this verse).


Heb “with plated gold” (or perhaps, “with pure gold”).


Heb “he plated [the] altar of cedar.”


Heb “it.”


Heb “all the temple he plated with gold until all the temple was finished; and the whole altar which was in the inner sanctuary he plated with gold.”


Heb “ten cubits” (a cubit was a unit of measure roughly equivalent to 18 inches or 45 cm).


Heb “The first wing of the [one] cherub was five cubits, and the second wing of the cherub was five cubits, ten cubits from the tips of his wings to the tips of his wings.”


Heb “and the second cherub was ten cubits, the two cherubs had one measurement and one shape.”


Heb “the height of the first cherub was ten cubits; and so was the second cherub.”


Heb “in the midst of the inner house,” i.e., in the inner sanctuary.


Heb “and their wings were in the middle of the room, touching wing to wing.”


Heb “carved engravings of carvings.”


Heb “the pillar, doorposts, a fifth part” (the precise meaning of this description is uncertain).


Heb “carved carvings of.”


Heb “he plated [with] gold” (the precise object is not stated).


Heb “and he hammered out the gold on the cherubs and the palm trees.”


Heb “and so he did at the entrance of the main hall, doorposts of olive wood, from a fourth.”


The words “he also made” are added for stylistic reasons.


Heb “two of the leaves of the first door were folding, and two of the leaves of the second door were folding.” In the second half of the description, the MT has קְלָעִים ( qÿla ’ im , “curtains”), but this is surely a corruption of צְלָעִים ( tsÿla ’ im , “leaves”) which appears in the first half of the statement.


The words “of Solomon’s reign” are added for clarification. See v. 1 .


Heb “he built it in seven years.”


Heb “His house Solomon built in thirteen years and he completed all his house.”


Heb “he built.”


Heb “one hundred cubits.”


Heb “fifty cubits.”


Heb “thirty cubits.”


Heb “and framed [windows in] three rows, and opening to opening three times.” The precise meaning of this description is uncertain. Another option might be, “overhung [in] three rows.” This might mean they were positioned high on the walls.


Heb “all of the doors and doorposts.”


Heb “and all the entrances and the doorposts [had] four frames, and in front of opening to opening three times” (the precise meaning of the description is uncertain).


Heb “a porch of pillars.”


Heb “and a porch was in front of them (i.e., the aforementioned pillars) and pillars and a roof in front of them (i.e., the aforementioned pillars and porch).” The precise meaning of the term translated “roof” is uncertain; it occurs only here and in Ezek 41:25-26 .


Heb “and a porch for the throne, where he was making judicial decisions, the Porch of Judgment, he made.”


The Hebrew text reads, “from the floor to the floor.” The second occurrence of the term הַקַּרְקָע ( haqqarqa ’, “the floor”) is probably an error; one should emend to הַקּוֹרוֹת ( haqqorot , “the rafters”). See 6:16 .


Heb “and his house where he lived, the other court [i.e., as opposed to the great court], separated from the house belonging to the hall, was like this work [i.e., this style of architecture].”


Heb “and a house he was making for the daughter of Pharaoh, whom Solomon had taken, like this porch.”


Or “valuable” (see 5:17 ).


Heb “according to the measurement of chiseled [stone].”


Heb “inside and out.”


The precise meaning of the Hebrew word טְפָחוֹת ( tÿfakhot ) is uncertain, but it is clear that the referent stands in opposition to the foundation.


Heb “stones of ten cubits and stones of eight cubits” (it is unclear exactly what dimension is being measured). If both numbers refer to the length of the stones (cf. NCV, CEV, NLT), then perhaps stones of two different sizes were used in some alternating pattern.


Heb “on top,” or “above.”


Or “the porch of the temple.”


Heb “King Solomon sent and took Hiram from Tyre.” In 2 Chr 2:13 (MT v. 12 ) and 4:11, 16 his name is spelled “Huram.”


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2 Chr 2:14 (13 HT) says “from the daughters of Dan.”


Heb “he was filled with the skill, understanding, and knowledge.”


Heb “eighteen cubits.”


Heb “twelve cubits.”


Heb “two capitals he made to place on the tops of the pillars, cast in bronze; five cubits was the height of the first capital, and five cubits was the height of the second capital.”


Heb “there were seven for the first capital, and seven for the second capital.”


Heb “he made the pillars, and two rows surrounding one latticework to cover the capitals which were on top of the pomegranates, and so he did for the second latticework.” The translation supplies “pomegranates” after “two rows,” and understands “pillars,” rather than “pomegranates,” to be the correct reading after “on top of.” The latter change finds support from many Hebrew mss and the ancient Greek version.


Heb “the capitals which were on the top of the pillars were the work of lilies, in the porch, four cubits.” It is unclear exactly what dimension is being measured.


Heb “and the capitals on the two pillars, also above, close beside the bulge which was beside the latticework, two hundred pomegranates in rows around, on the second capital.” The precise meaning of the word translated “bulge” is uncertain.


Or “south.”


Or “north.”


Heb “He made the sea, cast.” sn This large basin that was mounted on twelve bronze bulls and contained water for the priests to bathe themselves ( 2 Chr 4:6 ; cf. Exod 30:17-21 ).


Heb “ten cubits.”


Heb “five cubits.”


Heb “and a measuring line went around it thirty cubits all around.”


Heb “The Sea.” The proper noun has been replaced by the pronoun (“it”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.


Or “gourd-shaped ornaments.”


Heb “ten cubits surrounding the sea all around.” The precise meaning of this description is uncertain.


Heb “all their hindquarters were toward the inside.”


Heb “two thousand baths” (a bath was a liquid measure roughly equivalent to six gallons).


Heb “four cubits.”


Heb “three cubits.”


The precise meaning of these final words is uncertain. A possible literal translation would be, “wreaths, the work of descent.”


The precise meaning of this last word, translated “wreaths,” is uncertain.


Heb “And its opening from the inside to the top and upwards [was] a cubit, and its opening was round, the work of a stand, a cubit-and-a-half.” The precise meaning of this description is uncertain.


Heb “also over its opening were carvings and their frames [were] squared, not round.”


Heb “a cubit-and-a-half” (a cubit was a unit of measure roughly equivalent to 18 inches or 45 cm).


Heb “four shoulders to the four sides of each stand, from the stand its shoulders.” The precise meaning of the description is uncertain.


Heb “and on top of the stand, a half cubit [in] height, round all around” (the meaning of this description is uncertain).


Heb “according to the space of each.”


Heb “forty baths” (a bath was a liquid measure roughly equivalent to six gallons).


Heb “four cubits, each basin.” It is unclear which dimension is being measured.


Heb “Hiram.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.


Heb “Hiram finished doing all the work which he did for King Solomon [on] the house of the Lord. ”


The words “he made” are added for stylistic reasons.


Heb “underneath ‘The Sea.’”


Heb “which Hiram made for King Solomon [for] the house of the Lord. ”


Or perhaps, “molds.”


Heb “Solomon left all the items, due to their very great abundance; the weight of the bronze was not sought.”


Heb “the bread of the face [or presence].” Many recent English versions employ “the bread of the Presence,” although this does not convey much to the modern reader. sn This bread was viewed as a perpetual offering to God and was regarded as holy. See Lev 24:5-9 .


Heb “Solomon.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.


The Old Greek translation includes the following words at the beginning of ch. : “It so happened that when Solomon finished building the Lord’s temple and his own house, after twenty years.”


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Heb “Then Solomon convened the elders of Israel, the heads of the tribes, the chiefs of the fathers belonging to the sons of Israel to King Solomon [in] Jerusalem to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord from the city of David (it is Zion).”


Heb “the tent of assembly.” sn The tent of meeting . See Exod 33:7-11 .


Heb “and they carried the ark of the Lord …. The priests and the Levites carried them.”


Heb “And King Solomon and all the assembly of Israel, those who had been gathered to him, [were] before the ark, sacrificing sheep and cattle which could not be counted or numbered because of the abundance.”


The word “assigned” is supplied in the translation for clarification.


Heb “they could not be seen outside.”


Heb “in Horeb where.”


Heb “were not able to stand to serve.”


Heb “the house of the Lord .”


The words “O Lord ” do not appear in the original text, but they are supplied for clarification; Solomon addresses the Lord in prayer at this point.


Heb “turned his face.”


Heb “and he blessed all the assembly of Israel, and all the assembly of Israel was standing.”


The Hebrew text reads, “by his hand.”


The Hebrew text reads, “by his mouth.”


Heb “saying.”


Heb “to build a house for my name to be there.” sn To build a temple in which to live ( Heb “to build a house for my name to be there”). In the OT, the word “name” sometimes refers to one’s reputation or honor. The “name” of the Lord sometimes designates the Lord himself, being indistinguishable from the proper name.


Heb “and it was with the heart of David my father.”


Heb “to build a house for the name of the Lord God of Israel.” The word “name” in the OT sometimes refers to one’s reputation or honor. The “name” of the Lord sometimes designates the Lord himself, being indistinguishable from the proper name.


Heb “Because it was with your heart to build a house for my name, you did well that it was with your heart.”


Heb “your son, the one who came out of your body, he will build the temple for my name.”


Heb “his word that he spoke.”


Heb “name.”


Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 34, 40, 48, 53, 57, 58 ).


Or “heaven.”


Heb “said.”


Heb “one who keeps the covenant and the loyal love.” The expression is a hendiadys.


Heb “who walk before you with all their heart.”


Heb “[you] who kept to your servant David my father that which you spoke to him.”


Heb “you spoke by your mouth and by your hand you fulfilled, as this day.”


Heb “there will not be cut off from you a man from before me sitting on the throne of Israel.”


Heb “guard their way by walking before me as you have walked before me.”


Heb “the words that you spoke.”


Or “prove to be reliable.”


Heb “Indeed, can God really live on the earth?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course not,” the force of which the translation above seeks to reflect.


Heb “turn to.”


Heb “by listening to.”


Heb “the loud cry and the prayer.”


Heb “praying before you.”


Heb “so your eyes might be open toward this house night and day, toward the place about which you said, ‘My name will be there.’”


Heb “by listening to the prayer which your servant is praying concerning this place.”


Heb “listen to the request of your servant and your people Israel which they are praying concerning this place.”


Heb “and you, hear inside your dwelling place, inside heaven.” The precise nuance of the preposition אֶל (’ el ), used here with the verb “hear,” is unclear. One expects the preposition “from,” which appears in the parallel text in 2 Chr 6:21 . The nuance “inside; among” is attested for אֶל (see Gen 23:19 ; 1 Sam 10:22 ; Jer 4:3 ), but in each case a verb of motion is employed with the preposition, unlike 1 Kgs 8:30 . The translation above (“from inside”) is based on the demands of the immediate context rather than attested usage elsewhere.


Heb “hear and forgive.”


Heb “and forgive the man who sins against his neighbor when one takes up against him a curse to curse him and the curse comes before your altar in this house.” In the Hebrew text the words “and forgive” conclude v. 30 , but the accusative sign at the beginning of v. 31 suggests the verb actually goes with what follows in v. 31 . The parallel text in 2 Chr 6:22 begins with “and if,” rather than the accusative sign. In this case “forgive” must be taken with what precedes, and v. 31 must be taken as the protasis (“if” clause) of a conditional sentence, with v. 32 being the apodosis (“then” clause) that completes the sentence. sn Be willing to forgive the accused if the accusation is false . At first it appears that Solomon is asking God to forgive the guilty party. But in v. 32 Solomon asks the Lord to discern who is guilty and innocent, so v. 31 must refer to a situation where an accusation has been made, but not yet proven. The very periphrastic translation reflects this interpretation.


Heb “and you, hear [from] heaven and act and judge your servants by declaring the guilty to be guilty, to give his way on his head, and to declare the innocent to be innocent, to give to him according to his innocence.”


Heb “when.” In the Hebrew text vv. 33-34 actually contain one lengthy conditional sentence, which the translation has divided into two sentences for stylistic reasons.


Or “are struck down before an enemy.”


Heb “confess [or perhaps, “praise”] your name.”


Heb “and they pray and ask for help.”


Heb “when.” In the Hebrew text vv. 35-36 a actually contain one lengthy conditional sentence, which the translation has divided into two sentences for stylistic reasons.


Heb “they”; the referent (your people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.


The Hebrew text has “because you answer them,” as if the verb is from עָנָה (’ anah , “to answer”). However, this reference to a divine answer is premature, since the next verse asks for God to intervene in mercy. It is better to revocalize the consonantal text as תְעַנֵּם ( tÿ ’ annem , “you afflict them”), a Piel verb form from the homonym עָנָה (“to afflict”).


The translation understands כִּי ( ki ) in an emphatic or asseverative sense.


Heb “the good way in which they should walk.”


Or “for an inheritance.”


Actually two Hebrew terms appear here, both of which are usually taken as referring to locusts. Perhaps different stages of growth or different varieties are in view.


Heb “in the land, his gates.”


Heb “every prayer, every request for help which will be to all the people, to all your people Israel.”


Heb “which they know, each the pain of his heart.”


The words “their sin” are added for clarification.


Heb “and act and give to each one according to all his ways because you know his heart.” In the Hebrew text vv. 37-39 a actually contain one lengthy conditional sentence, which the translation has divided up for stylistic reasons.


Heb “Indeed you know, you alone, the heart of all the sons of mankind.”


Heb “fear.”


Heb “all the days [in] which.”


Heb “your name.” In the OT the word “name” sometimes refers to one’s reputation or honor. The “name” of the Lord sometimes designates the Lord himself, being indistinguishable from the proper name.


Heb “your great name.” See the note on the word “reputation” in the previous verse.


Heb “and your strong hand and your outstretched arm.”


Heb “and do all which the foreigner calls to [i.e., “requests of”] you.”


Heb “your name.” See the note on the word “reputation” in v. 41 .


Heb “that your name is called over this house which I built.” The Hebrew idiom “to call the name over” indicates ownership. See 2 Sam 12:28 .


Heb “When your people go out for battle against their enemies in the way which you send them.”


Or perhaps “to you, O Lord .” See 2 Chr 6:34 .


Heb “their prayer and their request for help.”


Heb “and accomplish their justice.”


Heb “they”; the referent (your people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.


Heb “the land of the enemy.”


Or “stop and reflect”; Heb “bring back to their heart.”


Or “done wrong.”


Or “soul.”


Heb “in the land of their enemies.”


Heb “and forgive your people who have sinned against you, [forgive] all their rebellious acts by which they rebelled against you, and grant them mercy before their captors so they will show them mercy.”


Or “for.”


Heb “inheritance.”


The Hebrew term כּוּר ( kur , “furnace,” cf. Akkadian ku„ru ) is a metaphor for the intense heat of purification. A כּוּר was not a source of heat but a crucible (“iron-smelting furnace”) in which precious metals were melted down and their impurities burned away (see I. Cornelius, NIDOTTE 2:618-19). Thus Egypt served not as a place of punishment for the Israelites, but as a place of refinement to bring Israel to a place of submission to divine sovereignty. sn From the middle of the iron-smelting furnace . The metaphor of a furnace suggests fire and heat and is an apt image to remind the people of the suffering they endured while slaves in Egypt.


Heb “May your eyes be open.”


Heb “to listen to them in all their calling out to you.”


Or “For.”


Heb “your inheritance.”


Or “toward heaven.”


Heb “he has given a resting place to his people Israel.”


Heb “not one word from his entire good word he spoke by Moses his servant has fallen.”


Heb “to bend our hearts toward him.” The infinitive is subordinate to the initial prayer, “may the Lord our God be with us.” The Hebrew term לֵבָב ( levav , “heart”) here refers to the people’s volition and will.


Heb “to walk in all his ways.”


Heb “keep.”


Heb “May these words of mine, which I have requested before the Lord , be near the Lord our God day and night.”


Heb “accomplish the justice of.”


Heb “so that.”


Heb “the Lord , he is the God, there is no other.”


Heb “may your hearts be complete with the Lord our God.”


Heb “walking in.”


Heb “keeping.”


Heb “as this day.”


Or “tokens of peace”; NIV, TEV “fellowship offerings.”


Heb “to hold the burnt sacrifices, grain offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings.”


Or “the Wadi of Egypt” (NAB, NIV, NRSV); CEV “the Egyptian Gorge.”


Heb “Solomon held at that time the festival, and all Israel was with him, a great assembly from Lebo Hamath to the Brook of Egypt, before the Lord our God for seven days and seven days, fourteen days.”


Heb “on the eighth day” (that is, the day after the second seven-day sequence).


Heb “they blessed the king.”


Heb “good of heart.”


Heb “and all the desire of Solomon which he wanted to do.”


Heb “I have heard.”


Heb “by placing my name there perpetually” (or perhaps, “forever”).


Heb “and my eyes and my heart will be there all the days.”


Heb “As for you, if you walk before me, as David your father walked, in integrity of heart and in uprightness, by doing all which I commanded you, [and] you keep my rules and my regulations.” Verse 4 is actually a lengthy protasis (“if” section) of a conditional sentence, the apodosis (“then” section) of which appears in v. 5 .


Heb “I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever.”


Heb “there will not be cut off from you a man from upon the throne of Israel.”


Heb “which I placed before you.”


Heb “and walk and serve other gods and bow down to them.”


Heb “I will cut off Israel from upon the surface of the land.”


Heb “and the temple which I consecrated for my name I will send away from before my face.” sn Instead of “I will send away,” the parallel text in 2 Chr 7:20 has “I will throw away.” The two verbs sound very similar in Hebrew, so the discrepancy is likely due to an oral transmissional error.


Heb “will become a proverb and a taunt,” that is, a proverbial example of destruction and an object of reproach.


Heb “and this house will be high [or elevated].” The statement makes little sense in this context, which predicts the desolation that judgment will bring. Some treat the clause as concessive, “Even though this temple is lofty [now].” Others, following the lead of several ancient versions, emend the text to, “this temple will become a heap of ruins.”


Heb “hiss,” or perhaps “whistle.” This refers to a derisive sound one would make when taunting an object of ridicule.


Heb “and they will say.”


Heb “fathers.”


Heb “and they took hold of other gods and bowed down to them and served them.”


Heb “the two houses, the house of the Lord and the house of the king.”


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Heb “they were not agreeable in his eyes.”


Heb “and he said.”


Heb “my brother.” Kings allied through a parity treaty would sometimes address each other as “my brother.” See 1 Kgs 20:32-33 .


Heb “he called them the land of Cabul to this day.” The significance of the name is unclear, though it appears to be disparaging. The name may be derived from a root, attested in Akkadian and Arabic, meaning “bound” or “restricted.” Some propose a wordplay, pointing out that the name “Cabul” sounds like a Hebrew phrase meaning, “like not,” or “as good as nothing.”


The Hebrew term כִּכָּר ( kikkar , “circle”) refers generally to something that is round. When used of metals it can refer to a disk-shaped weight made of the metal or to a standard unit of weight, generally regarded as a talent. Since the accepted weight for a talent of metal is about 75 pounds, this would have amounted to about 9,000 pounds of gold (cf. NCV, NLT); CEV “five tons”; TEV “4,000 kilogrammes.”


Heb “raised up.”


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The words “the cities of” are supplied in the translation for clarification.


For location see Map1-D2 ; Map2-D3 ; Map3-A2 ; Map4-C1 .


For location see Map1-D4 ; Map2-C1 ; Map4-C2 ; Map5-F2 ; Map7-B1 .


The Hebrew text has “in the wilderness, in the land.”


Heb “to Solomon.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“him”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.


Heb “the cities of the chariots and the cities of the horses.”


Heb “and the desire of Solomon which he desired to build in Jerusalem and in Lebanon and in all the land of his kingdom.”


Heb “all the people who were left from the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, who were not from the sons of Israel.”


Heb “their sons who were left after them in the land, whom the sons of Israel were unable to wipe out, and Solomon raised them up for a crew of labor to this day.”


Heb “officers of his chariots and his horses.”


Heb “these [were] the officials of the governors who were over the work belonging to Solomon, five hundred fifty, the ones ruling over the people, the ones doing the work.”


Heb “As soon as Pharaoh’s daughter went up from the city of David to her house which he built for her, then he built the terrace.”


Or “tokens of peace”; NIV, TEV “fellowship offerings.”


Heb “and he made complete the house.”


Or “a fleet” (in which case “ships” would be implied).


Heb “and Hiram sent with the fleet his servants, men of ships, [who] know the sea, [to be] with the servants of Solomon.”


Heb “went.”


The Hebrew term כִּכָּר ( kikkar , “circle”) refers generally to something that is round. When used of metals it can refer to a disk-shaped weight made of the metal or to a standard unit of weight, generally regarded as a talent. Since the accepted weight for a talent of metal is about 75 pounds, this would have amounted to about 31,500 pounds of gold (cf. NCV); CEV, NLT “sixteen tons”; TEV “more than 14,000 kilogrammes.”


Heb “the report about Solomon.” The Hebrew text also has, “to the name of the Lord ,” which fits very awkwardly in the sentence. If retained, perhaps it should be translated, “because of the reputation of the Lord .” The phrase, which is omitted in the parallel passage in 2 Chr 9:1 , may be an addition based on the queen’s declaration of praise to the Lord in v. 9 .


Or “test.”


Or “riddles.”


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Heb “with very great strength.” The Hebrew term חַיִל ( khayil , “strength”) may refer here to the size of her retinue (cf. NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV) or to the great wealth she brought with her.


Or “balsam oil.”


Heb “Solomon declared to her all her words; there was not a word hidden from the king which he did not declare to her.” If riddles are specifically in view (see v. 1 ), then one might translate, “Solomon explained to her all her riddles; there was no riddle too complex for the king.”


Heb “all the wisdom of Solomon.”


Heb “house.”


Heb “the food on his table.”


Heb “the seating of his servants and the standing of his attendants.”


Heb “there was no breath still in her.”


Heb “about your words [or perhaps, “deeds”] and your wisdom.”


Heb “the half was not told to me.”


Heb “good.”


Heb “How happy are your men! How happy are these servants of yours, who stand before you continually, who hear your wisdom!”


Or “delighted in.”


Heb “to do justice and righteousness.”


The Hebrew term כִּכָּר ( kikkar , “circle”) refers generally to something that is round. When used of metals it can refer to a disk-shaped weight made of the metal or to a standard unit of weight, generally regarded as a talent. Since the accepted weight for a talent of metal is about 75 pounds, this would have amounted to about 9,000 pounds of gold (cf. NCV, NLT); CEV “five tons”; TEV “4,000 kilogrammes.”


Heb “there has not come like those spices yet for quantity which the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.”


This Hebrew architectural term occurs only here. The meaning is uncertain; some have suggested “banisters” or “parapets”; cf. TEV, NLT “railings.” The parallel passage in 2 Chr 9:11 has a different word, meaning “tracks,” or perhaps “steps.”


Two types of stringed instruments are specifically mentioned, the כִּנּוֹר ( kinnor , “zither” [?]), and נֶבֶל ( nevel , “harp”).


Heb “there has not come thus, the fine timber, and there has not been seen to this day.”


Heb “besides what he had given her according to the hand of King Solomon.”


Heb “turned and went.”


The Hebrew term כִּכָּר ( kikkar , “circle”) refers generally to something that is round. When used of metals it can refer to a disk-shaped weight made of the metal or to a standard unit of weight, generally regarded as a talent. Since the accepted weight for a talent of metal is about 75 pounds, this would have amounted to about 50,000 pounds of gold (cf. NCV); CEV, NLT “twenty-five tons”; TEV “almost 23,000 kilogrammes.”


Heb “the weight of the gold which came to Solomon in one year was 666 talents of gold.”


Heb “traveling men.”


The Hebrew text has simply “six hundred,” with no unit of measure given.


Heb “[There were] armrests on each side of the place of the seat, and two lions standing beside the armrests.”


Heb “nothing like it had been made for all the kingdoms.”


Heb “there was no silver, it was not regarded as anything in the days of Solomon.”


Heb “a fleet of Tarshish [ships].” This probably refers to large ships either made in or capable of traveling to the distant western port of Tarshish.


Heb “the fleet of Tarshish [ships].”


Heb “came carrying.”


The meaning of this word is unclear. Some suggest “baboons.”


Heb “King Solomon was greater than all the kings of the earth with respect to wealth and with respect to wisdom.”


The Old Greek translation and Syriac Peshitta have “all the kings of the earth.” See 2 Chr 9:23 .


Heb “and all the earth was seeking the face of Solomon to hear his wisdom which God had placed in his heart.”


Heb “and they were bringing each one his gift, items of silver…and mules, the matter of a year in a year.”


Or “gathered.”


Heb “he placed them in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.” map For location see Map5-B1 ; Map6-F3 ; Map7-E2 ; Map8-F2 ; Map10-B3 ; JP1-F4 ; JP2-F4 ; JP3-F4 ; JP4-F4 .


The words “as plentiful” are added for clarification.


Heb “he made.”


Heb “as the sycamore fig trees which are in the Shephelah.”


Heb “and a chariot went up and came out of Egypt for six hundred silver [pieces], and a horse for one hundred fifty, and in the same way to all the kings of the Hittites and to the kings of Aram by their hand they brought out.”


Heb “you must not go into them, and they must not go into you.”


Heb “Surely they will bend your heart after their gods.” The words “if you do” are supplied in the translation for clarification.


Heb “Solomon clung to them for love.” The pronominal suffix, translated “them,” is masculine here, even though it appears the foreign women are in view. Perhaps this is due to attraction to the masculine forms used of the nations earlier in the verse.


Heb “wives, princesses.”


Heb “his wives bent his heart.”


Heb “bent his heart after.”


Heb “his heart was not complete with the Lord his God, like the heart of David his father.”


Heb “walked after.”


Heb “Milcom, the detestable thing of the Ammonites.”


Heb “in the eyes of the Lord .”


The idiomatic statement reads in Hebrew, “he did not fill up after.”


Heb “then.”


Heb “Chemosh, the detestable thing of Moab.”


The MT reads “Molech,” but Milcom must be intended (see vv. 5, 33 ).


Heb “and the same thing he did for all his foreign wives, [who] were burning incense and sacrificing to their gods.”


Heb “bent his heart.”


Heb “and had commanded him concerning this thing not to walk after other gods.”


Or “keep.”


Heb “Because this is with you, and you have not kept my covenant and my rules which I commanded you.”


Heb “give.”


Or “raised up.”


Heb “when David was [fighting (?)] with Edom.”


Heb “and all Israel.”


Heb “until he had cut off every male in Edom.”


The MT reads “Adad,” an alternate form of the name Hadad.


Heb “and Adad fled, he and Edomite men from the servants of his father, to go to Egypt, and Hadad was a small boy.”


Heb “and they arose from Midian and went to Paran and they took men with them from Paran and went to Egypt to Pharaoh king of Egypt and he gave to him a house and food and he said to him, and a land he gave to him.” Something seems to be accidentally omitted after “and he said to him.”


Heb “and Hadad found great favor in the eyes of Pharaoh.”


Heb “and he gave to him a wife, the sister of his wife, the sister of Tahpenes the queen.”


Heb “bore him Genubath his son.”


The Hebrew text reads וַתִּגְמְלֵהוּ ( vattigmÿlehu , “weaned him”) but a slight alteration of the consonantal text yields וַתִּגְדְלֵהוּ ( vattigdÿlehu , “raised him”), which seems to make better sense.


Heb “lay down with his fathers.”


Heb “send me away.”


Heb “Indeed what do you lack with me, that now you are seeking to go to your land?”


Heb “and he said.”


Heb “him”; the referent (Solomon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.


Heb “and he was the officer of a raiding band.”


The Hebrew text reads “when David killed them.” This phrase is traditionally joined with what precedes. The ancient Greek version does not reflect the phrase and some suggest that it has been misplaced from the end of v. 23 .


The construction (Qal of קוּץ + בְּ [ quts + bet ] preposition) is rare, but not without parallel (see Lev 20:23 ).


Heb “raised a hand against.”


Heb “Ephrathite,” which here refers to an Ephraimite (see HALOT 81 s.v. אֶפְרַיִם ).


Heb “this is the matter concerning which he raised a hand against the king.”


Heb “man of strength.”


Heb “house.”


The Hebrew text has simply “he,” making it a bit unclear whether Jeroboam or Ahijah is the subject, but in the Hebrew word order Ahijah is the nearer antecedent, and this is followed by the present translation.


Heb “and Ahijah grabbed the new robe that was on him.”


The words “I am taking the kingdom from him” are supplied in the translation for clarification.


This is the reading of the MT; the LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate read “he has.”


Heb “walked in my ways.”


Heb “by doing what is right in my eyes, my rules and my regulations, like David his father.”


Heb “and I will give it to you, ten tribes.”


Heb “give.”


Heb “so there might be a lamp for David my servant all the days before me in Jerusalem.” The metaphorical “lamp” symbolizes the Davidic dynasty. Because this imagery is unfamiliar to the modern reader, the translation “so my servant David’s dynasty may continue to serve me” has been used.


Heb “so there might be a lamp for David my servant all the days before me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen for myself to put my name there.”


Heb “take.”


Heb “If you obey.” In the Hebrew text v. 38 is actually one long conditional sentence, which has been broken into two parts in the translation for stylistic purposes.


Heb “walk in my ways.”


Heb “do what is right in my eyes.”


Heb “I will build for you a permanent house, like I built for David.”


Heb “but not all the days.”


Heb “but Jeroboam arose and ran away to Egypt, to Shishak king of Egypt.”


Heb “As for the rest of the events of Solomon, and all which he did, and his wisdom, are they not written on the scroll of the events of Solomon?”


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Heb “lay down with his fathers.”


Before this sentence the Old Greek translation includes the following words: “And it so happened that when Jeroboam son of Nebat heard – now he was in Egypt where he had fled from before Solomon and was residing in Egypt – he came straight to his city in the land of Sarira which is on mount Ephraim. And king Solomon slept with his fathers.”


Heb “come [to].”


Heb “him”; the referent (Rehoboam) has been specified in the translation for clarity.


Verse 2 is not included in the Old Greek translation. See the note on 11:43 .


Heb “and Jeroboam lived in Egypt.” The parallel text in 2 Chr 10:2 reads, “and Jeroboam returned from Egypt.” In a purely consonantal text the forms “and he lived” and “and he returned” are identical ( וישׁב ).


Heb “They sent and called for him.”


Heb “made our yoke burdensome.”


Heb “but you, now, lighten the burdensome work of your father and the heavy yoke which he placed on us, and we will serve you.” In the Hebrew text the prefixed verbal form with vav ( וְנַעַבְדֶךָ , [ vÿna ’ avdekha ] “and we will serve you”) following the imperative ( הָקֵל [ haqel ], “lighten”) indicates purpose (or result). The conditional sentence used in the translation above is an attempt to bring out the logical relationship between these forms.


Heb “stood before.”


Heb “saying.”


Heb “If today you are a servant to these people and you serve them and answer them and speak to them good words, they will be your servants all the days.”


Heb “He rejected the advice of the elders which they advised and he consulted the young men with whom he had grown up, who stood before him.” The referent (Rehoboam) of the initial pronoun (“he”) has been specified in the translation for clarity.


In the Hebrew text the verb “we will respond” is plural, although it can be understood as an editorial “we.” The ancient versions have the singular here.


Heb “Lighten the yoke which your father placed on us.”


Heb “he”; the referent (Rehoboam) has been specified in the translation for clarity.


Heb “Your father made our yoke heavy, but make it lighter upon us.”


Heb “My little one is thicker than my father’s hips.” The referent of “my little one” is not clear. The traditional view is that it refers to the little finger. As the following statement makes clear, Rehoboam’s point is that he is more harsh and demanding than his father.


Heb “and now my father placed upon you a heavy yoke, but I will add to your yoke.”


Heb “My father punished you with whips, but I will punish you with scorpions.” “Scorpions” might allude to some type of torture using poisonous insects, but more likely it refers to a type of whip that inflicts an especially biting, painful wound. Cf. CEV “whips with pieces of sharp metal.”


Heb “came.”


Heb “and spoke to them according to.”


Heb “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke.”


Heb “My father punished you with whips, but I will punish you with scorpions.” See the note on the same phrase in v. 11 .


Heb “because this turn of events was from the Lord. ”


Heb “so that he might bring to pass his word which the Lord spoke.”


Heb “to your tents, Israel.” The word “return” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.


Heb “Now see your house, David.”


Heb “went to their tents.”


The MT has “Adoram” here, but the Old Greek translation and Syriac Peshitta have “Adoniram.” Cf. 1 Kgs 4:6 .


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Heb “there was no one [following] after the house of David except the tribe of Judah, it alone.”


Heb “he summoned all the house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin, one hundred eighty thousand chosen men, accomplished in war.”


Heb “and the word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying.”


The Old Greek translation has here a lengthy section consisting of twenty-three verses that are not found in the MT.


Heb “said in his heart.”


Heb “Now the kingdom could return to the house of David.” The imperfect verbal form translated “could return” is understood as having a potential force here. Perhaps this is not strong enough; another option is “will return.”


Heb “the heart of these people could return to their master.”


The words “with his advisers” are supplied in the translation for clarification.


Heb “to them,” although this may be a corruption of “to the people.” Cf. the Old Greek translation.


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Heb “and this thing became a sin.”


The MT reads “and the people went before the one to Dan.” It is likely that some words have been accidentally omitted and that the text originally said, “and the people went before the one at Bethel and before the one at Dan.”


The Hebrew text has the singular, but the plural is preferable here (see 1 Kgs 13:32 ). The Old Greek translation and the Vulgate have the plural.


Heb “and he offered up [sacrifices] on the altar; he did this in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves which he had made.”


Heb “which he had chosen by himself.”


Heb “he”; the referent (Jeroboam) has been specified in the translation for clarity.


Heb “Look.” The Hebrew particle הִנֵּה ( hinneh ) is a rhetorical device by which the author invites the reader to visualize the scene for dramatic effect.


Heb “the man of God.”


Heb “came by the word of the Lord to Bethel.”


Heb “by the word of the Lord. ”


Heb “gave.”


Heb “Jeroboam extended his hand from the altar.”


Heb “the fat.” Reference is made to burnt wood mixed with fat. See HALOT 234 s.v. דשׁן .


Heb “The king answered and said to.”


Heb “the man of God” (a second time later in this verse, and once in v. 7 and v. 8 ).


Heb “house.”


Heb “and his son came and told him.” The MT has the singular here, but several other textual witnesses have the plural, which is more consistent with the second half of the verse and with vv. 12-13 .


Heb “all the actions which the man of God performed that day in Bethel, the words which he spoke to the king, and they told them to their father.”


The Hebrew text has “and his sons saw” ( וַיִּרְאוּ [ vayyir ’ u ], Qal from רָאָה [ ra ’ ah ]). In this case the verbal construction ( vav consecutive + prefixed verbal form) would have to be understood as pluperfect, “his sons had seen.” Such uses of this construction are rare at best. Consequently many, following the lead of the ancient versions, prefer to emend the verbal form to a Hiphil with pronominal suffix ( וַיַּרְאֻהוּ [ vayyar ’ uhu ], “and they showed him”).


Heb “I am unable to return with you or to go with you.”


Heb “and he said to him.”


Heb “and he returned with him and ate food in his house and drank water.”


The Hebrew text has “because” at the beginning of the sentence. In the Hebrew text vv. 21-22 are one long sentence comprised of a causal clause giving the reason for divine punishment (vv. 21-22 a) and the main clause announcing the punishment (v. 22 b). The translation divides this lengthy sentence for stylistic reasons.


Heb “the mouth [i.e., command] of the Lord. ”


Heb “and you returned and ate food and drank water in the place about which he said to you, ‘do not eat food and do not drink water.’”


“Therefore” is added for stylistic reasons. See the note at 1 Kgs 13:21 pertaining to the grammatical structure of vv. 21-22 .


Heb “and after he had eaten food and after he had drunk.”


Heb “and he saddled for him the donkey, for the prophet whom he had brought back.”


Heb “Look, men were passing by.”


Heb “and the prophet who had brought him back from the road heard.”


Heb “the man of God.”


Heb “the mouth of the Lord .”


Heb “broke him,” or “crushed him.”


Heb “the corpse.” The noun has been replaced by the pronoun (“it”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.


Heb “the prophet.” The word “old” has been supplied in the translation to distinguish this individual from the other prophet.