seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
1 Kings 4:20 The people of Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand on the seashore; they ate, they drank and they were happy. 21 And Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. These countries brought tribute and were Solomon’s subjects all his life.
22 Solomon’s daily provisions were thirty cors[a] of the finest flour and sixty cors(b) of meal, 23 ten head of stall-fed cattle, twenty of pasture-fed cattle and a hundred sheep and goats, as well as deer, gazelles, roebucks and choice fowl. 24 For he ruled over all the kingdoms west of the Euphrates River, from Tiphsah to Gaza, and had peace on all sides. 25 During Solomon’s lifetime Judah and Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, lived in safety, everyone under their own vine and under their own fig tree.
26 Solomon had four[c] thousand stalls for chariot horses, and twelve thousand horses.[d]
27 The district governors, each in his month, supplied provisions for King Solomon and all who came to the king’s table. They saw to it that nothing was lacking. 28 They also brought to the proper place their quotas of barley and straw for the chariot horses and the other horses.
22 Solomon’s daily provisions were thirty cors[a] of the finest flour and sixty cors(b) of meal, 23 ten head of stall-fed cattle, twenty of pasture-fed cattle and a hundred sheep and goats, as well as deer, gazelles, roebucks and choice fowl. 24 For he ruled over all the kingdoms west of the Euphrates River, from Tiphsah to Gaza, and had peace on all sides. 25 During Solomon’s lifetime Judah and Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, lived in safety, everyone under their own vine and under their own fig tree.
26 Solomon had four[c] thousand stalls for chariot horses, and twelve thousand horses.[d]
27 The district governors, each in his month, supplied provisions for King Solomon and all who came to the king’s table. They saw to it that nothing was lacking. 28 They also brought to the proper place their quotas of barley and straw for the chariot horses and the other horses.
a. 1 Kings 4:22 That is, probably about 5 1/2 tons or about 5 metric tons
b. 1 Kings 4:22 That is, probably about 11 tons or about 10 metric tons
c. 1 Kings 4:26 Some Septuagint manuscripts (see also 2 Chron. 9:25); Hebrew forty
d. 1 Kings 4:26 Or charioteers
Two commentaries, right off the bat this morning, talk about Solomon's gluttony. Oh Brother!
This is from Bible.org.
Fourth, we are also given an example of the wealth and glory that God promised to give Solomon (4:20-28). We see from these verses that all Israel seemed prosperous and peaceful under Solomon’s leadership. The borders of Israel were at their widest point. At the same time, we are told how well Solomon lived. The consumption of goods by Solomon and his royal court was immense, just as Samuel had warned years before in 1 Samuel 8:11-18. Though stated without any word of indictment, Solomon’s prosperity had crossed the lines that God had drawn for Israel’s kings in Deuteronomy 17. Trouble was ahead, though it was not immediately apparent.
This is from the blueletterbible.org site.
Ten fatted oxen: This was quite a daily meal for one man and shows Solomon clearly had a problem with gluttony (a small Bible commentator joke-we normally avoid these). This provision was for Solomon's entire household and his royal court.
Thirty kors of fine flour: The kor equaled 220 liters or about 55 gallons. We can accurately picture 30 55-gallon drums full of fine flower being delivered for every day.
One hundred sheep, besides deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fatted fowl: This list is not meant to stress the idea of opulence and luxury; the stress is this daily provision as an indicator of the great prosperity of the nation.
Some estimate that this much food every day could feed 15,000 to 36,000 people. It supplied considerably more than Solomon's household, large as it was.
Fatted oxen are pen-fed cattle in contrast to open grazing varieties.
Fatted oxen are pen-fed cattle in contrast to open grazing varieties.
Thirty kors of fine flour: The kor equaled 220 liters or about 55 gallons. We can accurately picture 30 55-gallon drums full of fine flower being delivered for every day.
One hundred sheep, besides deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fatted fowl: This list is not meant to stress the idea of opulence and luxury; the stress is this daily provision as an indicator of the great prosperity of the nation.
And this is from the easy English site.
These verses show Solomon’s wealth and the size of the country that he ruled. Psalm 72 speaks about his rule, especially in verses 8-11. That Psalm is also a prophecy about Jesus’ rule.
Solomon ruled over the entire land that God promised to Abraham. He was the only king to do this. A large number of people lived in his country. Each family had its own home. Everyone had plenty to eat. It was a time of peace. Rulers of the countries near him paid him taxes and they obeyed him. Some people say that the rule of Solomon is a physical image of the spiritual rule of Jesus.
Solomon ruled over the entire land that God promised to Abraham. He was the only king to do this. A large number of people lived in his country. Each family had its own home. Everyone had plenty to eat. It was a time of peace. Rulers of the countries near him paid him taxes and they obeyed him. Some people say that the rule of Solomon is a physical image of the spiritual rule of Jesus.
Oh Brother... I'm beginning to think that one of my commentaries thinks the Bible has to be argued with. The blueletterbible.org site made that "little" joke but people could get the wrong opinion. Solomon didn't eat all this food himself.... this is a listing of the daily shipments to the king. It was all put to use.... everyone was fat and happy... including the beef.... all the beef did was hang around the stall all day making the meat tender... probably better than today's kobe beef. People were happy.... that made paying tribute to the king much less painful. People were happy to bring King Solomon their gifts.
