"Faith is ... the certainty of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1)
livingwithfaith.org
  • HOME
  • ARTICLES
  • E-BOOKS
  • BLOG
  • ABOUT

King Solomon's Stables

9/10/2014

 
Picture
SCRIPTURE IN QUESTION:  1 Kings 4:26  and 2 Chronicles 9:25  
 
“Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen” (1 Kings 4:26).
“Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen” (2 Chronicles 9:25).

Some translations of the Bible, such as the NIV, actually change the text of I Kings 4:26 to read “four thousand” so as to avoid an apparent contradiction with 2 Chronicles 9:25, presuming the Book of Kings to have introduced a scribal error by writing “forty thousand” instead of “four thousand.”  But this is an unnecessary supposition, and there need be no contradiction between the two accounts.  The two scriptural passages may simply describe different kind of stalls:

– In Kings the forty thousand stalls are for chariot horses (nothing is said about the chariots themselves).
– In Chronicles, four thousand stalls are mentioned that were for horses and chariots.

It would be natural for there to be fewer stalls for chariots, and the large “chariot stalls” may have been stables with individual stalls for each of the horses in the chariot’s team as well as a holding area for the chariot itself. In other words, the four thousand stalls may have contained many more smaller stalls for the horses.

Another verse sheds additional light on this.  In 2 Chronicles 1:14 we see that Solomon had “fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand horses,” so all accounts agree on the number of horses/horsemen, but Kings and Chronicles probably look at different types of stalls. 

Why would there be more chariot stalls (four thousand) than there were chariots (fourteen hundred)?  Historically we must realize that Solomon’s standing army was probably garrisoned in specific areas, but stables may well have been built in other fortified areas and outposts to house chariots and horses for units that might need to be moved to them temporarily, depending on defensive needs.

So there is not necessarily any contradiction between the Books of Kings and Chronicles and, fortunately, most recent English Bible translations such as the ESV and HCSB preserve the text of these different verses as they were written.


Comments are closed.

    BLOG

    Follow @livingbelief

    RSS Feed

    For a smart browser-bookmark showing new blog postings, click on the RSS Feed icon.  

    Author :

    Unless otherwise stated, blog posts are written by R. Herbert, Ph.D.,  who writes for a number of Christian venues – including our sister site: TacticalChristianity.org
    ​
    For more about us, see our About Page.

    Categories :

    All
    Behind The Stories
    Bible Study
    Biblical Concepts
    Books Of The Bible
    Christianity & Culture
    Christian Living
    Dealing With Doubt
    Discipleship
    Encouragement
    Faith Hall Of Fame
    Faith & Trust
    Faith & Works
    Family
    Fellowship
    Forgiveness
    Giving
    God
    Gratitude
    History & The Bible
    Hope
    Knowledge & Wisdom
    Love
    Persecution
    Prayer
    Relationships
    Scripture In Question
    Spiritual Growth
    The Christian Calling
    The Christian Faith
    The Life Of Jesus
    Truth
    Works Of Faith

    Archives :

    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014

    Community :

    Picture
    - Charter Member -
© 2014 – 2022 LivingWithFaith.org