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1 Kings 9

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1 Kings 9
The pages containing the Books of Kings (1 & 2 Kings) Leningrad Codex (1008 CE).
BookFirst book of Kings
Hebrew Bible partNevi'im
Order in the Hebrew part4
CategoryFormer Prophets
Christian Bible partOld Testament
Order in the Christian part11

1 Kings 9 is the ninth chapter of the Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible or the First Book of Kings in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible.[1][2] The book is a compilation of various annals recording the acts of the kings of Israel and Judah by a Deuteronomic compiler in the seventh century BCE, with a supplement added in the sixth century BCE.[3] This chapter belongs to the section focusing on the reign of Solomon over the unified kingdom of Judah and Israel (1 Kings 1 to 11).[4] The focus of this chapter is Solomon's achievements.[5]

Text

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This chapter was originally written in the Hebrew language and since the 16th century is divided into 28 verses.

Textual witnesses

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Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), Aleppo Codex (10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008).[6]

There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; B; 4th century) and Codex Alexandrinus (A; A; 5th century).[7][a]

Old Testament references

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God's response to Solomon (9:1–9)

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With the completion of the Temple, God did not need to appear to Solomon in Gibeon (verse 2) but in Jerusalem, assuring Solomon of the continuation of his dynasty and the temple, as long as God's laws were kept.[10] The destruction of the Temple and the loss of land are predicted here, as well as the possibility of return, so this section contains two things: 'an explanation for woe and an offer of salvation'.[10]

The tribute to Tyre (9:10–14)

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Several times 1 Kings 9–10 overlaps with 1 Kings 3:14:34, bracketing the construction of the temple.[10] After paying Hiram I of Tyre with agricultural products (1 Kings 5:25), Solomon gave a strip of land in Galilee (at the Bay of Akko), but Hiram was not satisfied with this gift. However, in 2 Chronicles 8:2 it is asserted that Hiram also gave Solomon some cities as a present.[10]

Verse 14

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Then Hiram sent the king one hundred and twenty talents of gold.[11]
  • "120 talents": about 412 tons, or 4 metric tons.[12] One talent was about 75 pounds or 34 kilograms.[13]

Construction of towns and forced labor (9:15–28)

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This section parallels the narrative in 1 Kings 5:13–18, emphasizing that Israelites were not employed as forced labor, but 'only' Canaanites, for the construction of various cities outside Jerusalem.[10] Currently, there are archaeological excavation of the cities in the list, in particular of Gezer, Megiddo, and Hazor.[10] In Jerusalem, Solomon expanded the construction of 'Millo' (verse 15), a term which is probably related to the meaning of 'to fill', referring to a substructure designed to secure the sloping terrain of the palace grounds (cf 2 Samuel 5:9; 1 Kings 11:27; 2 Kings 12:20).[14] Pharaoh's daughter (verse 16) moved to her own palace (verse 24).[14] Solomon's triannual sacrificial feasts at the temple was mentioned in verse 25, followed by a report of Solomon's shipping expedition from Red Sea (or 'Reed Sea, cf. Exodus 14), to Ophir, a place that could be near Aden or on the Horn of Africa.[14]

Verse 15

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Stepped stone structure/millo with the House of Ahiel to the left
And this is the account of the forced labor that King Solomon drafted to build the house of the Lord and his own house and the Millo and the wall of Jerusalem and Hazor and Megiddo and Gezer[15]

See also

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  • Related Bible parts: Leviticus 26, Deuteronomy 28, 2 Samuel 7, 1 Kings 7, 1 Kings 8, 2 Chronicles 7, 2 Chronicles 8
  • Notes

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    1. ^ The whole book of 1 Kings is missing from the extant Codex Sinaiticus.[8]

    References

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    1. ^ Halley 1965, p. 191.
    2. ^ Collins 2014, p. 288.
    3. ^ McKane 1993, p. 324.
    4. ^ Dietrich 2007, p. 234.
    5. ^ Dietrich 2007, pp. 238–239.
    6. ^ Würthwein 1995, pp. 35–37.
    7. ^ Würthwein 1995, pp. 73–74.
    8. ^  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domainHerbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Codex Sinaiticus". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
    9. ^ a b 1 Kings 9, Berean Study Bible
    10. ^ a b c d e f Dietrich 2007, p. 239.
    11. ^ 1 Kings 9:14 NKJV
    12. ^ Note on 1 Kings 9:14 in MEV
    13. ^ Note on 1 Kings 9:14 in ESV
    14. ^ a b c Dietrich 2007, p. 240.
    15. ^ 1 Kings 9:15 ESV
    16. ^ Blank, W., Bible Study – The Millo Archived 2014-02-26 at the Wayback Machine, accessed 9 October 2017
    17. ^ Gauthier, Henri (1927). Dictionnaire des Noms Géographiques Contenus dans les Textes Hiéroglyphiques Vol. 4. p. 24.
    18. ^ Wallis Budge, E. A. (1920). An Egyptian hieroglyphic dictionary: with an index of English words, king list and geological list with indexes, list of hieroglyphic characters, coptic and semitic alphabets, etc. Vol II. John Murray. p. 1021.
    19. ^ John Garstang, History in the Bible, American Journal of Economics and Sociology, vol. 3, no. 3, Essays in Memory of Franz Oppenheimer 1864–1943, pp. 371-385, 1944
    20. ^ The Lester and Sally Entin Faculty of Humanities,Megiddo. in Archaeology & History of the Land of the Bible International MA in Ancient Israel Studies, Tel Aviv University: "...Megiddo has a 6,000-years history of continuous settlement and is repeatedly named in the ancient archives of Egypt and Assyria...a fascinating picture of state-formation and social evolution in the Bronze Age (ca. 3500-1150 B.C.) and Iron Age (ca. 1150-600 B.C.)..."
    21. ^ Lipinski, Edward (2006). On the Skirts of Canaan in the Iron Age (Orientalia Lovaniensia Analecta). Leuven, Belgium: Peeters. pp. 96–97. ISBN 978-90-429-1798-9.

    Sources

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