2 Chronicles / Chapter 1

2 Chronicles 1

17 verses • Westminster Leningrad Codex

Translator's Introduction

What This Chapter Is About

Solomon son of David secures his throne and goes to the great high place at Gibeon, where the Tent of Meeting and the bronze altar of Bezalel stand. There he offers a thousand burnt offerings. That night God appears to him and says, 'Ask what I should give you.' Solomon asks for wisdom and knowledge to govern this vast people. God, pleased that Solomon did not ask for wealth, long life, or the death of his enemies, grants him both wisdom and unprecedented riches and honor. Solomon returns to Jerusalem and accumulates chariots, horses, silver, and gold on an extraordinary scale, making silver as common as stones and cedars as plentiful as sycamores.

What Makes This Chapter Remarkable

The Chronicler's version of Solomon's accession differs significantly from 1 Kings 3. There is no mention of Solomon's marriage to Pharaoh's daughter, no dream sequence, and no test case of the two mothers. The Chronicler strips away anything that could cast a shadow over Solomon's legitimacy and presents a king whose first act is worship and whose first request is wisdom. The question 'Ask what I should give you' (she'al mah etten lakh) echoes God's blank-check offer to David (2 Samuel 7) and anticipates Jesus's teaching 'Ask and it will be given' (Matthew 7:7). Solomon's answer reveals a king who understands that governing the people of God is a task beyond human capacity — the phrase 'who can govern this people of yours, which is so great?' acknowledges that Israel belongs to God, not to Solomon.

Translation Friction

The Chronicler's silence about Solomon's Egyptian marriage and political consolidation (the executions of Adonijah, Joab, and Shimei in 1 Kings 2) creates a deliberately idealized portrait. This is not accidental omission but theological editing: the Chronicler is constructing Solomon as the ideal Temple-builder, and anything that complicates that portrait is set aside. The horses and chariots from Egypt (v. 16-17) sit in uneasy tension with Deuteronomy 17:16, which forbids the king from multiplying horses or returning the people to Egypt to acquire them. The Chronicler reports this trade without comment.

Connections

Solomon at Gibeon connects to the tabernacle tradition — the Tent of Meeting and Bezalel's bronze altar (Exodus 38:1-2) are still in use, bridging the wilderness period to the Temple age. Solomon's wisdom request parallels Moses's complaint about the burden of leading Israel (Numbers 11:14) but with a different outcome: Moses receives seventy elders to share the load, while Solomon receives divine wisdom to carry it alone. The accumulation of silver and gold anticipates the Temple construction (chapters 2-4) — the wealth is not for Solomon's personal indulgence but for the house he is about to build.

2 Chronicles 1:1

וַיִּתְחַזֵּ֛ק שְׁלֹמֹ֥ה בֶן־דָּוִ֖יד עַל־מַלְכוּת֑וֹ וַיהוָ֤ה אֱלֹהָיו֙ עִמּ֔וֹ וַֽיְגַדְּלֵ֖הוּ לְמָֽעְלָה׃

Solomon son of David established himself firmly over his kingdom. The LORD his God was with him and made him surpassingly great.

KJV And Solomon the son of David was strengthened in his kingdom, and the LORD his God was with him, and magnified him exceedingly.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The verb va-yitchazzeq ('he strengthened himself') is a Hitpael form indicating both self-effort and divine empowerment. The Chronicler immediately pairs Solomon's political consolidation with divine presence — 'the LORD his God was with him' — making the theological point that Solomon's power derives from God's companionship. The adverb lema'lah ('upward, exceedingly') suggests an upward trajectory that will culminate in the Temple.
2 Chronicles 1:2

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר שְׁלֹמֹ֣ה לְכׇל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֡ל לְשָׂרֵי֩ הָאֲלָפִ֨ים וְהַמֵּא֜וֹת וְלַשֹּֽׁפְטִ֗ים וּלְכֹ֛ל נָשִׂ֥יא לְכׇל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל רָאשֵׁ֥י הָאָבֽוֹת׃

Solomon spoke to all Israel — to the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, to the judges, and to every leader throughout Israel, the ancestral heads.

KJV Then Solomon spake unto all Israel, to the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and to the judges, and to every governor in all Israel, the chief of the fathers.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The Chronicler presents Solomon addressing the entire national leadership structure. The list moves from military commanders (sarei ha-alafim ve-ha-me'ot) to judicial officials (shoftim) to tribal leaders (nasi, 'prince, chief') to ancestral heads (rashei ha-avot). This comprehensive assembly signals that what follows is a national act, not a private royal devotion.
2 Chronicles 1:3

וַיֵּלְכ֗וּ שְׁלֹמֹה֙ וְכׇל־הַקָּהָ֣ל עִמּ֔וֹ לַבָּמָ֖ה אֲשֶׁ֣ר בְּגִבְע֑וֹן כִּי־שָׁ֣ם הָיָ֗ה אֹ֤הֶל מוֹעֵד֙ הָֽאֱלֹהִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר עָשָׂ֛ה מֹשֶׁ֥ה עֶֽבֶד־יְהוָ֖ה בַּמִּדְבָּֽר׃

Solomon and the entire assembly went with him to the high place at Gibeon, because the Tent of Meeting of God — which Moses, servant of the LORD, had made in the wilderness — was there.

KJV So Solomon, and all the congregation with him, went to the high place that was at Gibeon; for there was the tabernacle of the congregation of God, which Moses the servant of the LORD had made in the wilderness.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The Chronicler justifies Solomon's worship at the bamah ('high place') by noting that the legitimate Tent of Meeting was located there. This resolves the tension that the Kings account leaves unaddressed (1 Kings 3:2-4): worship at high places was normally suspect, but Gibeon housed the authentic Mosaic tabernacle. The phrase eved YHWH ('servant of the LORD') applied to Moses lends authority to the location.
2 Chronicles 1:4

אֲבָ֗ל אֲר֤וֹן הָאֱלֹהִים֙ הֶעֱלָ֤ה דָוִיד֙ מִקִּרְיַ֣ת יְעָרִ֔ים בַּֽהֵכִ֥ין ל֖וֹ דָּוִ֑יד כִּ֧י נָֽטָה־ל֛וֹ אֹ֖הֶל בִּירוּשָׁלִָֽם׃

However, the ark of God David had brought up from Kiriath-jearim to the place David had prepared for it, for he had pitched a tent for it in Jerusalem.

KJV But the ark of God had David brought up from Kirjathjearim to the place which David had prepared for it: for he had pitched a tent for it at Jerusalem.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The Chronicler carefully distinguishes two sacred locations: the Tent of Meeting with the bronze altar was at Gibeon, while the ark of God was in Jerusalem in the tent David had erected (1 Chronicles 15-16). This separation — tabernacle without ark at Gibeon, ark without tabernacle in Jerusalem — is the liturgical anomaly that Solomon's Temple will resolve by reuniting both in one house.
2 Chronicles 1:5

וּמִזְבַּ֣ח הַנְּחֹ֗שֶׁת אֲשֶׁ֤ר עָשָׂה֙ בְּצַלְאֵ֣ל בֶּן־אוּרִ֣י בֶן־ח֔וּר שָׂ֕ם לִפְנֵ֖י מִשְׁכַּ֣ן יְהוָ֑ה וַיִּדְרְשֵׁ֥הוּ שְׁלֹמֹ֖ה וְהַקָּהָֽל׃

The bronze altar that Bezalel son of Uri son of Hur had made was there before the tabernacle of the LORD, and Solomon and the assembly sought the LORD at it.

KJV Moreover the brasen altar, that Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, had made, he put before the tabernacle of the LORD: and Solomon and the congregation sought unto it.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Bezalel (betsel-El, 'in the shadow of God') was the master craftsman of the original wilderness tabernacle (Exodus 31:1-5). His bronze altar, now centuries old, still functions as a place of sacrifice. The Chronicler names Bezalel's full genealogy — son of Uri, son of Hur — connecting Solomon's worship to the original Sinai-era craftsmanship. The verb va-yidreshehu ('he sought him/it') can mean Solomon sought the LORD or sought the altar; both readings reinforce that Solomon's first royal act is worship.
2 Chronicles 1:6

וַיַּ֨עַל שְׁלֹמֹ֥ה שָׁם֙ עַל־מִזְבַּ֣ח הַנְּחֹ֔שֶׁת לִפְנֵ֥י יְהוָ֖ה אֲשֶׁ֣ר לְאֹ֣הֶל מוֹעֵ֑ד וַיַּ֥עַל עָלָ֛יו עֹל֖וֹת אָֽלֶף׃

Solomon went up there to the bronze altar before the LORD, which belonged to the Tent of Meeting, and offered a thousand burnt offerings on it.

KJV And Solomon went up thither to the brasen altar before the LORD, which was at the tabernacle of the congregation, and offered a thousand burnt offerings upon it.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. A thousand burnt offerings (olot elef) is an extraordinary number — the scale signals that this is not ordinary worship but a royal inauguration of cosmic proportions. Each olah ('burnt offering') was consumed entirely on the altar, ascending as smoke to God. A thousand complete animal sacrifices would have taken considerable time and resources, signaling total devotion and royal extravagance directed toward God rather than toward human display.
2 Chronicles 1:7

בַּלַּ֣יְלָה הַה֔וּא נִרְאָ֥ה אֱלֹהִ֖ים לִשְׁלֹמֹ֑ה וַיֹּ֣אמֶר ל֔וֹ שְׁאַ֖ל מָ֥ה אֶתֶּן־לָֽךְ׃

That night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, "Ask — what should I give you?"

KJV In that night did God appear unto Solomon, and said unto him, Ask what I shall give thee.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Unlike 1 Kings 3:5, which specifies this as a dream (ba-chalom), the Chronicler simply says God appeared (nir'ah). The removal of the dream framework makes the encounter more direct and authoritative. The question is devastatingly open-ended: no conditions, no restrictions, no menu of options. What Solomon asks for will reveal who he is.
2 Chronicles 1:8

וַיֹּ֤אמֶר שְׁלֹמֹה֙ לֵֽאלֹהִ֔ים אַתָּ֗ה עָשִׂ֛יתָ עִם־דָּוִ֥יד אָבִ֖י חֶ֣סֶד גָּד֑וֹל וְהִמְלַכְתַּ֖נִי תַּחְתָּֽיו׃

Solomon said to God, "You showed great faithful love to David my father, and You have made me king in his place.

KJV And Solomon said unto God, Thou hast shewed great mercy unto David my father, and hast made me to reign in his stead.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

חֶסֶד chesed
"faithful love" — faithful love, loyal kindness, covenant loyalty, mercy, devotion, steadfast love

chesed here describes God's covenant fidelity toward David — the love that keeps promises across generations. Solomon identifies his own kingship as an expression of God's chesed to his father, making the Davidic succession itself an act of divine faithfulness.

Translator Notes

  1. Solomon's first word is about God's prior action: attah asita ('You have done'). Before asking anything, Solomon acknowledges that his kingship is a gift rooted in God's chesed toward David. The phrase chesed gadol ('great faithful love') is covenantal language — God's faithful love to David is the foundation on which Solomon's reign rests.
2 Chronicles 1:9

עַתָּה֙ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהִ֔ים יֵֽאָמֵן֙ דְּבָ֣רְךָ֔ עִ֖ם דָּוִ֣יד אָבִ֑י כִּ֤י אַתָּה֙ הִמְלַכְתַּ֔נִי עַל־עַ֕ם רַ֖ב כַּעֲפַ֥ר הָאָֽרֶץ׃

Now, LORD God, let Your word to David my father be confirmed, for You have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth.

KJV Now, O LORD God, let thy promise unto David my father be established: for thou hast made me king over a people like the dust of the earth in multitude.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The simile ke-afar ha-aretz ('like the dust of the earth') echoes the Abrahamic promise (Genesis 13:16, 'I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth'). Solomon recognizes that the people he governs are the fulfillment of that ancient promise. The verb ye'amen ('let it be confirmed, established') is from the root a-m-n, the same root that gives us 'amen' and 'faithfulness.' Solomon asks God to make His word amen — trustworthy, established, real.
2 Chronicles 1:10

תֶּן־לִ֗י חׇכְמָה֙ וּמַדָּ֔ע וְאֵצְאָ֗ה לִפְנֵ֛י הָעָ֥ם הַזֶּ֖ה וְאָב֑וֹאָה כִּֽי־מִ֣י יִשְׁפֹּ֔ט אֶת־עַמְּךָ֥ הַזֶּ֖ה הַגָּדֽוֹל׃

Give me wisdom and knowledge so that I may lead this people, going out and coming in before them — for who can govern this great people of Yours?"

KJV Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people: for who can judge this thy people, that is so great?

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

חׇכְמָה chokmah
"wisdom" — wisdom, skill, discernment, practical intelligence, expertise

chokmah in the Hebrew Bible is not abstract philosophical knowledge but practical, applied intelligence — the ability to navigate complex situations, govern justly, and build well. The same word describes the skill of the tabernacle craftsmen (Exodus 31:3) and will describe Solomon's Temple builders.

Translator Notes

  1. The Chronicler uses chokmah u-madda ('wisdom and knowledge') where 1 Kings 3:9 has lev shomea ('a hearing heart'). Both requests aim at the same capacity — the ability to discern and govern — but the Chronicler's vocabulary is more intellectual and administrative. The rhetorical question 'who can govern?' implies the answer 'no one, without divine help.' Solomon's self-awareness is itself a form of wisdom.
2 Chronicles 1:11

וַיֹּ֨אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֜ים לִשְׁלֹמֹ֗ה יַ֣עַן אֲשֶׁ֣ר הָיְתָ֣ה זֹאת֮ עִם־לְבָבֶ֒ךָ֒ וְלֹֽא־שָׁאַ֡לְתָּ עֹשֶׁר֩ נְכָסִ֨ים וְכָב֤וֹד וְאֵת֙ נֶ֣פֶשׁ שֹׂנְאֶ֔יךָ וְגַם־יָמִ֥ים רַבִּ֖ים לֹ֣א שָׁאָ֑לְתָּ וַתִּֽשְׁאַל־לְךָ֙ חׇכְמָ֣ה וּמַדָּ֔ע אֲשֶׁ֤ר תִּשְׁפּוֹט֙ אֶת־עַמִּ֔י אֲשֶׁ֥ר הִמְלַכְתִּ֖יךָ עָלָֽיו׃

God said to Solomon, "Because this was in your heart — you did not ask for wealth, riches, or honor, or for the lives of those who hate you, and you did not even ask for a long life, but asked for wisdom and knowledge to govern My people over whom I have made you king —

KJV And God said to Solomon, Because this was in thine heart, and thou hast not asked riches, wealth, or honour, nor the life of thine enemies, neither yet hast asked long life; but hast asked wisdom and knowledge for thyself, that thou mayest judge my people, over whom I have made thee king:

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. God's response begins with ya'an asher hayetah zot im levavekha ('because this was with your heart') — the request reveals the heart, and the heart reveals the man. The list of things Solomon did not ask for — wealth (osher), riches (nekhasim), honor (kavod), enemy deaths, long life — represents the standard wish-list of ancient kings. Solomon bypassed all of them for governing capacity. God identifies the people as ammi ('My people'), echoing Solomon's own acknowledgment that Israel belongs to God.
2 Chronicles 1:12

הַֽחׇכְמָ֥ה וְהַמַּדָּ֖ע נָת֣וּן לָ֑ךְ וְעֹ֨שֶׁר וּנְכָסִ֤ים וְכָבוֹד֙ אֶתֶּן־לָ֔ךְ אֲשֶׁ֣ר לֹא־הָ֣יָה כֵ֗ן לַמְּלָכִים֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר לְפָנֶ֔יךָ וְאַחֲרֶ֖יךָ לֹ֥א יִהְיֶה־כֵּֽן׃

wisdom and knowledge are granted to you. And I will also give you wealth, riches, and honor such as no king before you has had, and none after you will have the like."

KJV Wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee; and I will give thee riches, and wealth, and honour, such as none of the kings have had that have been before thee, neither shall there any after thee have the like.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The divine grant exceeds the request. Solomon asked for wisdom; God gives wisdom and everything Solomon did not ask for. The phrase asher lo hayah khen la-melakhim asher lefanekha ('such as no king before you has had') places Solomon in a unique historical category — not merely a wealthy king but the wealthiest ever, past or future. This superlative framing establishes the standard against which all subsequent kings will be measured.
2 Chronicles 1:13

וַיָּבֹ֨א שְׁלֹמֹ֜ה לַבָּמָ֤ה אֲשֶׁר־בְּגִבְעוֹן֙ יְר֣וּשָׁלִַ֔ם מִלִּפְנֵ֖י אֹ֣הֶל מוֹעֵ֑ד וַיִּמְלֹ֖ךְ עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃

Solomon came back to Jerusalem from the high place at Gibeon, from before the Tent of Meeting, and reigned over Israel.

KJV Then Solomon came from his journey to the high place that was at Gibeon to Jerusalem, from before the tabernacle of the congregation, and reigned over Israel.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The transition from Gibeon to Jerusalem marks the beginning of Solomon's effective reign. The Chronicler bookends the Gibeon visit: Solomon went to Gibeon to worship (v. 3) and returned to Jerusalem to reign (v. 13). Worship precedes governance — the king who sought God first is now equipped to rule. The phrase va-yimlokh al Yisrael ('he reigned over Israel') is the formal notice that Solomon's rule has begun in earnest.
2 Chronicles 1:14

וַיֶּאֱסֹ֣ף שְׁלֹמֹה֮ רֶ֣כֶב וּפָרָשִׁים֒ וַיְהִי־ל֗וֹ אֶ֤לֶף וְאַרְבַּע־מֵאוֹת֙ רֶ֔כֶב וּשְׁנֵים־עָשָׂ֥ר אֶ֖לֶף פָּרָשִׁ֑ים וַיַּנִּיחֵם֙ בְּעָרֵ֣י הָרֶ֔כֶב וְעִם־הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ בִּירוּשָׁלִָֽם׃

Solomon amassed chariots and horsemen. He had fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand horsemen, which he stationed in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.

KJV And Solomon gathered chariots and horsemen: and he had a thousand and four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, which he placed in the chariot cities, and with the king at Jerusalem.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The military buildup — 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen — represents an enormous standing force for an Iron Age kingdom. The 'chariot cities' (arei ha-rekhev) were strategically located garrison towns such as Megiddo, Hazor, and Gezer (cf. 1 Kings 9:15-19). This standing chariot force made Israel a regional military power. The numbers match 1 Kings 10:26 exactly.
2 Chronicles 1:15

וַיִּתֵּ֨ן הַמֶּ֜לֶךְ אֶת־הַכֶּ֧סֶף וְאֶת־הַזָּהָ֛ב בִּירוּשָׁלִַ֖ם כָּאֲבָנִ֑ים וְאֵ֣ת הָאֲרָזִ֗ים נָתַ֛ן כַּשִּׁקְמִ֥ים אֲשֶׁר־בַּשְּׁפֵלָ֖ה לָרֹֽב׃

The king made silver and gold as common as stones in Jerusalem, and cedars as plentiful as the sycamore trees in the lowlands.

KJV And the king made silver and gold at Jerusalem as plenteous as stones, and cedar trees made he as the sycomore trees that are in the vale, for abundance.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The hyperbolic comparisons — silver like stones, cedars like sycamores — communicate abundance that defies normal economic categories. The Shephelah ('lowland') between the Judean hills and the coastal plain was thick with sycamore-fig trees, a common and fast-growing species. Cedars of Lebanon, by contrast, were premium imported timber. Solomon's wealth has inverted the natural order of value: the rare has become common.
2 Chronicles 1:16

וּמוֹצָ֧א הַסּוּסִ֛ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר לִשְׁלֹמֹ֖ה מִמִּצְרָ֑יִם וּמִקְוֵ֕א סֹחֲרֵ֣י הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ מִקְוֵ֥א יִקְח֖וּ בִּמְחִֽיר׃

Solomon's horses were imported from Egypt and from Kue; the king's traders acquired them from Kue at the market price.

KJV And Solomon had horses brought out of Egypt, and linen yarn: the king's merchants received the linen yarn at a price.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The term miqveh (rendered 'linen yarn' in the KJV) is now widely understood as a proper noun — Que or Kue, the region of Cilicia in southeastern Anatolia (modern Turkey), a known horse-trading region in the ancient Near East. Solomon operated as a middleman in the international horse and chariot trade, importing from both Egypt and Cilicia.
2 Chronicles 1:17

וַֽיַּעֲל֣וּ וַיּוֹצִיאוּ֩ מִמִּצְרַ֨יִם מֶרְכָּבָ֜ה בְּשֵׁ֧שׁ מֵא֣וֹת כֶּ֗סֶף וְס֛וּס בַּחֲמִשִּׁ֥ים וּמֵאָ֖ה וְכֵ֗ן לְכׇל־מַלְכֵ֧י הַחִתִּ֛ים וּמַלְכֵ֥י אֲרָ֖ם בְּיָדָ֥ם יוֹצִֽיאוּ׃

They imported a chariot from Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver and a horse for a hundred and fifty, and at these rates they exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Aram.

KJV And they fetched up, and brought forth out of Egypt a chariot for six hundred shekels of silver, and an horse for an hundred and fifty: and so brought they out horses for all the kings of the Hittites, and for the kings of Syria, by their means.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The price list — 600 silver shekels per chariot, 150 per horse — reveals the economics of Solomon's arms trade. Israel served as the commercial bridge between Egypt (chariot manufacturer) and the Neo-Hittite and Aramean kingdoms to the north. The 4:1 ratio of chariot-to-horse price reflects the manufacturing cost of the chariot itself. The phrase be-yadam yotzi'u ('by their hand they exported') indicates the king's traders served as brokers, profiting from the spread between purchase and sale price.
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