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And Solomon's wisdom

that is on the sea shore. excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east country, and all the wisdom of Egypt: for he was wiser than all men.—And there came of all people to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all kings of the earth, which had heard of his wisdom."

Q. How did Solomon materially promote the commerce and prosperity of his people?

A. By forming an alliance with Hiram king of Tyre. Q. Who were the principal officers of Solomon's court? A. Azariah, Elihoreph and Ahiah, were scribes; Jehoshaphat, recorder; Benaiah, captain of the host; Zadok, high-priest; Adoram was over the tribute; Ahishar, over the household; and Żabud, son of Nathan, was the principal officer, and the friend of the king. Besides these there were "twelve officers over all Israel, who provided victuals for the king and his household: each man his month in a year made provision.'

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Q. What was the daily provision for his household? A. "Thirty measures of fine flour, and threescore measures of meal, ten fat oxen, and twenty oxen out of the pastures, and an hundred sheep, besides harts, and roe-bucks, and fallow deer, and fatted fowl."

Q. Whence arose the revenues of Solomon ?

A. From the royal demesnes which had been enjoyed by his father;† from tribute, imposed upon the Canaanites and the neighbouring states; from rich presents

1 Kings iv. 1-19. The Persian princes acted upon a very similar plan.-See ROLLIN'S Anc. Hist. vol. ii. book 4. † 1 Chron. xxvii. 25-31. Eccles. ii. 4-8.

which were brought him annually; from imposts; and from commerce.*

Q. Over what kingdoms did he reign?

1 Kings iv. 21. ix. 26-28. x. 15, 24, 25. 2 Chron. viii. 8. ix. 10, 14, 21, 23, 24.

Presents, from which Solomon, Saul, 1 Sam. xvi. 20. and David, 2 Sam. viii. 2, 6, 10. derived part of their revenues, were obtained from two sources-from subjects, and from conquered nations. To offer a present, appears, among the orientals, to have been at all times, an indication of inferiority, submission, and respect, Genesis xliii. 11. Judges iii. 15. 2 Kings xvii. 3. 4. and from a subject, was considered as a test of allegiance, 1 Sam. x. 27. There was, however, considerable policy in suffering tribute to be tendered in this manner; and the Persian monarchs, Cyrus and Cambyses were so sensible of this, that they willingly accepted from conquered nations such gifts as they spontaneously offered, Solomon's tribute seems to have been paid in a similar manner.

Professor MICHAELIS is of opinion that Solomon's fleet circumnavigated Africa, stopping at various ports during the voyage, to barter commodities, and returning to Palestine by the Mediterranean sea. Mr. BRUCE, on the other hand, supposes, from the time occupied in the voyage, and other circumstances, that the fleet only went as far as Sofala in Africa, where all the articles enumerated 1 Kings x. 22. are to be found. Others again have placed Ophir in India, and contended that the Jews participated in the trade with that country; but this opinion is by no means general, nor so well supported as the preceding. In Solomon's time the Arab tribes seem still to have carried on the intercourse between India and the western countries, 1 Kings x. 15. and even when Tyre was the grand emporium of commerce, the commodities of India, spices, precious stones, ivory, ebony, rich apparel, and broidered work, were carried to her fairs, by the men of Dedan, Sheba, and Raamah, Ezek. xxvii. 15, 22—24.—See note () page 26,

A. He "reigned over all kingdoms from the river unto the land of the Philistines, and unto the border of Egypt."

Q. With what countries did he trade?

A. With Egypt and Ophir : from the former he procured horses and chariots,* which were sold to the princes of Canaan and Syria; and from the latter he imported gold, silver, algum trees, precious stones, ivory, apes and peacocks. The commerce with Ophir was carried on by sea, in a fleet built by him at Eziongeber, and navigated by Phoenician mariners, the servants of Hiram king of Tyre.

Q. How much gold was imported in a voyage?

A. In a voyage, which always lasted three years, there were imported four hundred and twenty talents.

Q. How many chariots and horses did Solomon keep for his own use?

A. "Fourteen hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen,† which he bestowed in the chariot cities, and with the king at Jerusalem."

A. M. 2991. Q. Did Solomon build the house of God B. C. 1013. as David had commanded him?

* Mikveh, linen yarn is also mentioned as one of Solomon's imports from Egypt; but critics are not agreed as to the correctness of the interpretation.

+ Though Solomon's body of cavalry was far inferior in number to that of the Egyptians under Shishak, yet it was considerable for a prince who had to purchase all his horses from foreign countries. It is remarkable, however, that after the introduction of cavalry among them, the Israelites were never so victorious or redoubtable in war as before. See MICHAELIS'S Comment. vol. ii. Append. to Art. 166.

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A. Yes he began to build it " in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel were come out of Egypt," in Zif, the second month, in the fourth year of his reign.

Q. From whom did Solomon receive great aid in carrying on this work?

A. From Hiram king of Tyre, who furnished him with Sidonian workmen,* the most skilful artists of that age; and sent as much cedar, fir, and gold, to Solomon, as he desired.t The Phoenicians conveyed the timber

* The Sidonians, children of Sidon, the first-born of Canaan, Gen. x. 15. possessed a very small territory on the shores of the Levant, and there maintained their ground against the Israelites, Judg. i. 31. Their principal cities were Sidon, the mother city, and Tyre, which was a colony, Isa. xxiii. 2—12. They were sometimes governed by different princes; but appear to have been united under Hiram, the ally and friend of David and of Solomon, though afterwards separated. The Phoenicians, (the name by which the inhabitants of both cities are usually spoken of,) were the most celebrated people of ancient times for enterprise, commerce, and the arts. Thongh a very small people, their maritime force must have been considerable, as they possessed for a long period all the commerce of the east and west, and had planted colonies in almost every part of the world. In the Tyrian markets and fairs, almost every article afforded by both east and west, was offered for sale by the merchants whom the hope of gain had lured thither. They imported the raw materials, and exported their own ingenious manufactures, for which they have been justly celebrated by classic authors since the days of Homer. A very detailed, valuable, and imposing account of the splendour of their fleets and armies, and of the nature and extent of their traffic, is given by Ezek. xxvi.-xxviii.

t Kings v. 6. 9. ix. 11.

in rafts to Joppa,* and there delivered it to the servants of Solomon, by whom it was conveyed to Jerusalem.

Q. How many labourers were employed in preparing the materials for the temple?

A. There were eighty thousand hewers in the mountains, seventy thousand carriers of burdens, and three thousand six hundred overseers. These were all Canaanites, from whom Solomon exacted a tribute of bondservice and besides these, ten thousand Israelites wrought every month in the forest of Lebanon.†

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* Joppa, Japha, or Jaffa, famous for Jonah's embarkation to Tarshish, and the raising of Tabitha to life by St. Peter, was the principal port of Judah. Its foundation has been ascribed to Japhet, son of Noah; and, according to Pliny, it was founded before the deluge. However fabulous these accounts may be, they afford incontestible evidence of the high antiquity of the place.-See Dr. E. D. CLARKE's Travels.

+ Lebanon is a long chain of limestone mountains, extending from the neighbourhood of Sidon on the west, to the vicinity of Damascus eastward, and forming the extreme northern boundary of the holy land. It is divided into two principal ridges, parallel to each other; that on the west is called Libanus, and the opposite or eastern ridge, Anti-Libanus. Both are computed to be about fifteen or sixteen hundred fathoms in height, and offer a grand and magnificent prospect to the beholder. Anti-Libanus, the more lofty range of the two, is covered, at its summit, with perpetual snow, which was carried to the neighbouring towns for the purpose of cooling liquors, Prov. xxv. 13. Jer. xviii. 14. a practice that still remains in the east. The most elevated summit of this ridge was called Hermon, by the Hebrews: Sirion, by the Sidonians; and Shenir, by the Ammonites. Almost all these mountains are well cultivated and well peopled: their summits are, in many parts, level, and form extensive plains. Numerous

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