1 Kings 4:21

_AND SOLOMON REIGNED OVER ALL KINGDOMS FROM THE RIVER UNTO THE LAND OF THE PHILISTINES, AND UNTO THE BORDER OF EGYPT: THEY BROUGHT PRESENTS, AND SERVED SOLOMON ALL THE DAYS OF HIS LIFE._ Solomon reigned over all kingdoms from the river. All the petty kingdoms between the Euphrates and the Mediterranean, which are always mentioned in the Pentateuch as the extreme limits of the kingdom, were tributary to him. Similar is the statement in 1 Kings 4:24....

20-28 Never did the crown of Israel shine so bright, as when Solomon wore it. He had peace on all sides. Herein, his kingdom was a type of the Messiah's; for to Him it is promised that he shall have the heathen for his inheritance, and that princes shall worship him. The spiritual peace, and joy, and holy security, of all the faithful subjects of the Lord Jesus, were typified by that of Israel. The kingdom of God is not, as Solomon's was, meat and drink, but, what is infinitely better, righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. The vast number of his attendants, and the great resort to him, are shown by the provision daily made. Herein Christ far outdoes Solomon, that he feeds all his subjects, not with the bread that perishes, but with that which endures to eternal life....

Verse 1 Kings 4:21. _SOLOMON REIGNED OVER ALL KINGDOMS_] The meaning of this verse appears to be, that Solomon reigned over all the provinces from the river Euphrates to the land of the Philistines, even to the frontiers of Egypt. The Euphrates was on the _east_ of Solomon's dominions; the Philistines were _westward_ on the Mediterranean sea; and Egypt was on the _south_. Solomon had, therefore, as tributaries, the kingdoms of _Syria, Damascus, Moab_, and _Ammon_, which lay between the Euphrates and the Mediterranean. See _Calmet_. Thus he appears to have possessed all the land that God covenanted with Abraham to give to his posterity....

Solomon’s empire, like all the great empires of Asia down to the time of the Persians, consisted of a congeries of small kingdoms, all ruled by their own kings 1 Kings 4:24, who admitted the suzerainty of the Jewish monarch, and paid him “presents,” i. e., an annual tribute (see 1 Kings 10:25). UNTO THE LAND OF THE PHILISTINES - There is no word corresponding to “unto” in the Hebrew. The construction should be, “Solomon reigned over all the kingdoms from the river (i. e., the Euphrates: see the marginal references), over the land of the Philistines,” etc. The writer draws attention to the fact that the extent of Solomon’s kingdom was in accordance with the promises made to Abraham, Moses, and Joshua....

EXPOSITION SOLOMON'S RULE, STATE, AND WISDOM.—The remainder of this chapter, which de-scribes to us the extent and character of Solomon's sway (1 Kings 4:20, 1 Kings 4:21, 1 Kings 4:24, 1 Kings 4:25), the pomp and provision of his household (1 Kings 4:22, 1 Kings 4:23, 1 Kings 4:26-11),

AND SOLOMON REIGNED OVER ALL KINGDOMS,.... Not only over Judah and Israel, but all people round about him, they standing in fear of him; or who brought him presents, or paid tribute to him, which was an acknowledgment of superiority over them, and doing homage to him: FROM THE RIVER UNTO THE LAND OF THE PHILISTINES, AND UNTO THE BORDER OF EGYPT; that is, from the river Euphrates, as the Targum, which was the border of his proper domains to the east, to Palestine, inhabited by the Philistines, which lay to the west, and as far as the border of Egypt, which was the southern boundary; a like and larger extent of Christ's kingdom is given, Psalms 72:8; AND THEY BROUGHT PRESENTS, AND SERVED SOLOMON ALL THE DAYS OF HIS LIFE; this explains in what sense other kingdoms besides were ruled by Solomon, and subject to him; of Christ his antitype, see...

3. SOLOMON'S PRINCES AND OFFICERS THE PROSPEROUS KINGDOM AND THE KING'S GREAT WISDOM CHAPTER 4 _ 1. The Princes (1 Kings 4:1)_ 2. The Officers (1 Kings 4:7) 3. The prosperous kingdom (1 Kings 4:20) 4. Solomon's great wisdom (1 Kings 4:29) “So King Solomon was king over all Israel.” A list of the princes and the twelve officers is given first. Their names fit in perfectly with the character of the kingdom, foreshadowing the coming and better kingdom of our Lord. We give the names of the princes with their meaning. Azariah, “Jehovah is help”; Elihoreph, “my God is reward”; Ahiah, “Brother of Jeho

1 KINGS 3:1 TO 1 KINGS 4:34. EARLY DAYS, REIGN, AND WISDOM OF SOLOMON. The sources of this section are various, and the arrangement of the narrative in the LXX should be noticed. There are (_a_) a statistical account of Solomon s reign, referred to, apparently in 1 Kings 11:41, as the book of the acts of Solomon; (_b_) a number of narratives about this reign; (_c_) several Deuteronomic additions_ e.g._ 1 Kings 3:6; 1 Kings 3:14, etc.: and (_d_) some very late passages, possibly originally explanatory notes. The history of Solomon's reign

THE RIVER. the Euphrates. Compare Genesis 15:18, &c. UNTO. even unto. Compare 2 Chronicles 9:26. BROUGHT PRESENTS. Compare Psalms 72:10; Psalms 72:11....

Extent of Solomon's Kingdom, the provision for his table, his stud (Not in Chronicles) 21. This verse in the Hebrew is the beginning of Chapter 5, which has therefore 32 verses instead of 18 as in the English division. The LXX. and the Vulgate divide as in the A.V., but the former has a different order of the verses, putting after 1 Kings 4:19, the other verses as follows 27, 28, 22, 23, 24, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34. Of 1 Kings 4:20-21; 1 Kings 4:25-26 the LXX. has no notice, and adds a passage after 34, on which see note there. _over all kingdoms_ The country was governed by a number of petty kings who all owned Solomon as their lord superior. _from the river_ i.e. The River par