2 Chronicles 9:13-31
The Wealth of Solomon
13The weight of gold that came to Solomon each year was 666 talents,
14not including the revenue from the merchants and traders. And all the Arabian kings and governors of the land also brought gold and silver to Solomon.
15King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred shekels of hammered gold went into each shield.
16He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold; three hundred shekels of gold went into each shield. And the king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon.
17Additionally, the king made a great throne of ivory and overlaid it with pure gold.
18The throne had six steps, and a footstool of gold was attached to it. There were armrests on both sides of the seat, with a lion standing beside each armrest.
19Twelve lions stood on the six steps, one at either end of each step. Nothing like this had ever been made for any kingdom.
20All King Solomon’s drinking cups were gold, and all the utensils of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. There was no silver, because it was accounted as nothing in the days of Solomon.
21For the king had the ships of Tarshish that went with Hiram’s servants, and once every three years the ships of Tarshish would arrive bearing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.
22So King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.
23All the kings of the earth sought an audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom that God had put in his heart.
24Year after year, each visitor would bring his tribute: articles of silver and gold, clothing, weapons, spices, horses, and mules.
25Solomon had 4,000 stalls for horses and chariots, and 12,000 horses, which he stationed in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem.
26He reigned over all the kings from the Euphrates to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt.
27The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as abundant as sycamore in the foothills.
28Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and from all the lands.
29As for the rest of the acts of Solomon, from beginning to end, are they not written in the Records of Nathan the Prophet, in the Prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the Visions of Iddo the Seer concerning Jeroboam son of Nebat?
30Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years.
31And Solomon rested with his fathers and was buried in the city of his father David. And his son Rehoboam reigned in his place.
Berean Standard Bible
The chapter counts the gold arriving each year and describes shields, a throne, drinking cups, ivory, lions, and the House of the Forest of Lebanon. Silver is considered as nothing in Jerusalem, while cedar becomes as common as sycamore.
Solomon's ships bring gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks every three years. Kings seek an audience with him and bring tribute—clothing, weapons, spices, horses, and mules. He reigns over a wide area, and the text presents him as surpassing the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.
The abundance is not automatically a moral verdict. The Law had warned Israel's kings not to multiply horses, wives, or silver and gold. The reader knows that impressive wealth can become a test of obedience rather than proof of it.
Solomon reigns forty years, rests with his fathers, and is buried in the city of David. His son Rehoboam succeeds him. The chapter closes the reign with honor and splendor, but the next generation will show whether that prosperity has produced wisdom in the household that inherits it.
Questions
1 What does Solomon's throne contain?
AnswerThe throne is made of ivory, overlaid with pure gold, and surrounded by lions on its steps and armrests.
2 What do the ships bring?
AnswerThe ships bring gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks after traveling with Hiram's servants.
3 What do visiting kings bring?
AnswerVisiting kings bring silver, gold, clothing, weapons, spices, horses, and mules as tribute.
4 Who succeeds Solomon?
AnswerSolomon's son Rehoboam succeeds him after Solomon reigns in Jerusalem for forty years and dies.
What This Means for Us
Chronicles records Solomon's splendor while leaving the law's warning in the background. The presence of wealth tells us what the king possessed, not whether possession made him wise.
Teach your household to evaluate abundance by stewardship, limits, and generosity. A full storehouse can hide spiritual danger when it makes correction feel unnecessary or turns possessions into security.
Prayer
God of wisdom, keep abundance from becoming our master. Give us contentment, generous hands, and the courage to measure success by faithfulness rather than by possessions, status, or the admiration of others. Amen.