294 Solomon's Glory. So she turned and went to her own country, she and her servants. 14. Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred threescore and six talents of gold, 15. Beside that he had of the merchantmen, and of the traffick of the spice merchants, and of all the kings of Arabia, and of the governors of the country. 16. And king Solomon made two hundred targets of beaten gold: six hundred shekels of gold went to one target. 17. And he made three hundred shields of beaten gold; three pound of gold went to one shield: and the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon, 18. Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with the best gold. 19. The throne had six steps, and the top of the throne was round behind: and there were stays on either side on the place of the seat, and two lions stood beside the stays. 20. And twelve lions stood there on the one side 'terraces,' or raised walk from the palace to the Temple (2 Chron. ix. II). Psalteries were stringed instruments, like a lyre or guitar. 14, 15. The computations of this revenue of Solomon's vary from nearly £4,000,000 to over £7,000,000; in addition to the customs on certain imports, and the tribute exacted from the border tribes, and from the princes or satraps of subject kingdoms b. 16, 17. These 'targets' were large shields, which protected the whole body; the others were smaller shields or 'bucklers.' Such shields were hung on the walls of buildings for ornament. Ezekiel (xxvii. 10, 11) speaks of the shields hung round the walls of Tyre, 'making her beauty perfect i.' These, with the 500 shields of gold taken by David from Hadadezer, king of Syria (2 Sam. viii. 7), were probably so hung round the tower of 'the house of the forest of Lebanon.' In Song of Sol. iv. the bride's neck, decked with golden coins, is compared to 'the tower of David builded for an armoury, whereon there hang a thousand bucklers, all shields of mighty men.' They seem also to have been carried in procession. The brazen shields, which were substituted, when these had been taken by Shishak, king of Egypt, were so borne by Rehoboam's guard, when they escorted him from the palace to the Temple (2 Chron. xii. 11). 18-20. This throne, like Ahab's ivory house (1 Kings xxii. 39), was probably inlaid with ivory. In Ps. xlv. 9, which appears to belong to this period, we read of ' ivory palaces.' The lion was the emblem of sovereignty. It was also the special badge of the tribe of Judah (Gen. xlix. 9). 22. Some, with Josephus (Ant. i. 6. § 1), identify Tharshish h This was an enormous revenue. Herodotus (iii. 95) estimates that of the vast Persian empire in the time of Darius at about £3,500,000. So at Athens shields were hung round the Parthenon, and at Rome round the Temple of Bellona (Stanley, J. C. ii. 195, note). 296 Solomon's Glory-His Decline. and on the other upon the six steps: there was not the like made in any kingdom. 21. 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; none were of silver: it was nothing accounted of in the days of Solomon. 22. For the king had at sea a navy of Tharshish with the navy of Hiram: once in three years came the navy of Tharshish, bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks. 23. So king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth for riches and for wisdom. 24. And all the earth sought to Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart. 31. THE DECLINE OF SOLOMON-JEROBOAM. I KINGS X. 25-xi. The court thus paid to Solomon, the enormous wealth which comes in to him, and the luxury and extravagance which follow, have a most injurious effect on his character and administration 1. He now copies the pomp and the vices of the worst Eastern despots. In defiance of the Divine command (Deut. xvii. 16), he imports a large force of horses and chariots from Egypt. He brings to Jerusalem, as his wives and with Tarsus in Cilicia, St. Paul's birthplace; but it is commonly regarded as the same with Tartessus in Spain, which was a famous seaport. In other passages it is mentioned in connexion with Western nations (Ps. lxxii. 10; Isa. xxiii. I and lx. 9; Ezek. xxvii. 12). Jonah sails from Joppa in a ship 'going to Tarshish' (Jonah i. 3). The imports, however, mentioned here seem rather to point to trade with India k 23. The two great kingdoms of Assyria and Egypt had both now declined in wealth and power. The following explanations have been suggested : i. That large merchant ships generally were called 'ships of Tarshish.' The expression is apparently so used in Ps. xlviii. 7 (Bible version), Isa. ii. 17, &c. ii. That this fleet sailed round Africa, touching also at ports in India. iii. That the imports mentioned here, though most plentiful in India, may also have been produced in North Africa. Of these imports Dean Stanley says: 'Imagine the arrival of these strange plants and animals enlivening the monotony of Israelitish life; the brilliant metals, the fragrant woods, the gorgeous peacock, the chattering ape; to that inland people rare as the first products of America to the inhabitants of Europe' (J. C. ii. 186). 31. THE DECLINE OF SOLOMON-JEROBOAM. I KINGS X. 25-xi. 1 Dean Stanley (J. C. ii. 249-253) assigns four main causes of this corruption : (a) Polygamy. This was not an innovation. Gideon 'had many wives' (Judges viii. 30). David had been guilty of it. 'But Solomon carried it out to a degree unparalleled before or since.' (b) Polytheism. Solomon himself probably continued his formal acts of worship to the Lord (ch. ix. 25). But there was a system of toleration,' sanctioning foreign rites for his wives 298 Solomon's Apostasy—Jeroboam. concubines, many strange women; some belonging to the kindred tribes of Moabites, Ammonites, and Edomites; others to the Canaanitish races of the Zidonians and Hittites. These import with them their national idolatries, and 'turn Solomon's heart from the Lord God.' 6 High places' are built for these false gods 'in the hill that is before Jerusalem 2. For this apostasy the Lord is 'angry with him,' and declares that, though the kingdom shall not be rent in his lifetime, his son shall succeed to one tribe only. The adversaries, whose first opposition must have belonged to the earlier part of Solomon's reign, now renew their attacks. One of these is Hadad the Edomite, who had fled into Egypt, when Idumaea was subdued in David's time (2 Sam. viii. 14). He had there married the sister of Tahpenes the queen; and, on Solomon's accession, had asked leave to return to his own country. The other is Rezon, who had revolted from Hadadezer, king of Zobah, and seized Damascus. Together with this renewal of external troubles, disaffection appears among the native subjects. Jeroboam, an 'Ephrathite' (or 'Ephraimite,' R. V.) 1, 'lifts his hand against the king,' heading probably an insurrection of the oppressed workmen, over whom he had been placed, when employed in repairing Millo and the walls of Jerusalem. Jeroboam is told by the prophet Ahijah of the coming disruption of the kingdom, at which he is to receive ten tribes. This is symbolized by the prophet tearing his robe into twelve pieces, and giving ten of these to Jeroboam 5. God's favour is promised him, if he will hearken unto all that is commanded him. Solomon, learning of Jeroboam's disloyalty, seeks to kill him, and he flies for refuge to Shishak, king of Egypt, where he remains till Solomon's death. We have no 'last words' of Solomon, or account of his end. He is buried in the city of David.' The 'rest of his acts... and his wisdom' are said to be written in 'the book of the acts of Solomon.' |