Page:The Books of Chronicles (1916).djvu/269

Rh all the kings of Arabia and the governors of the country brought gold and silver to Solomon. And king Solomon made two hundred targets of beaten gold: six hundred shekels of beaten gold went to one target. And he made three hundred shields of beaten gold; three hundred shekels of gold went to one shield: and the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon. Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with pure gold. And there were six steps to the throne, with a footstool of gold, which were fastened to the throne, and stays on either side by the place of the seat, and two lions standing beside the stays. And twelve lions stood there on the one side and on the other upon the six steps: there was not the like made in any kingdom. And all king Solomon's drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold: silver was nothing accounted of in the days of Solomon. For the king had ships that went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram: once every

"to chaffer" and the German "Kaufmann." The Heb. word means lit. "those who go about" as merchants.

governors] Heb. paḥoth (plural of peḥah; cp. "Pasha"), a word applied specially to governors of provinces of the Assyrian, Babylonian, and Persian empires. Presumably governors outside the land of Israel are here meant.

15. targets] Heb. ṣinnah, a word meaning a large shield; cp. 1 Sam. xvii. 7. On the other hand in ver. 16 (Heb. māgēn) small shields are meant. The English renderings should be transposed so as to read "shields" in ver. 15 and "targets" in ver. 16.

six hundred shekels] About 21 lbs. avoirdupois.

went to one target] Render (also in ver. 16) were spread upon one target.

16. shields] See note on ver. 15.

the house of the forest of Lebanon] So called probably because it was built of cedar of Lebanon (1 Kin. vii. 2). It was in Jerusalem and seems to have existed as late as the time of Isaiah (Is. xxii. 8) when it was in use as an armoury.

18. with a footstool of gold, which were fastened to the throne] A quite different detail takes the place of this in 1 Kin. x. 19, and the top of the throne was round behind. Perhaps both details were found in the original text of Kings.

21. For the king had ships that went to Tarshish] Here the