1 Kings 9:28 kjv
And they came to Ophir, and fetched from thence gold, four hundred and twenty talents, and brought it to king Solomon.
1 Kings 9:28 nkjv
And they went to Ophir, and acquired four hundred and twenty talents of gold from there, and brought it to King Solomon.
1 Kings 9:28 niv
They sailed to Ophir and brought back 420 talents of gold, which they delivered to King Solomon.
1 Kings 9:28 esv
And they went to Ophir and brought from there gold, 420 talents, and they brought it to King Solomon.
1 Kings 9:28 nlt
They sailed to Ophir and brought back to Solomon some sixteen tons of gold.
1 Kings 9 28 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Kgs 10:11 | And the navy also of Hiram, that brought gold from Ophir... | More gold from Ophir |
| 1 Kgs 10:14 | Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred threescore and six talents... | Solomon's annual gold income |
| 1 Kgs 10:21 | all king Solomon's drinking vessels were of gold... silver was nothing accounted of in the days of Solomon. | Unparalleled abundance of gold |
| 1 Kgs 10:22 | For the king had at sea a navy of Tarshish with the navy of Hiram... | Solomon's extensive maritime trade |
| 2 Chr 9:10-11 | And the servants also of Hiram, and the servants of Solomon, which brought gold from Ophir... | Parallel account of Ophir gold delivery |
| 2 Chr 9:13 | Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred and threescore and six talents of gold... | Parallel annual gold income |
| 1 Chr 29:4 | three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir... | Gold of Ophir pre-existing Solomon |
| Job 22:24 | Then shalt thou lay up gold as dust, and the gold of Ophir as the stones of the brooks. | Ophir gold as a standard of immense wealth |
| Job 28:16 | It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire. | Wisdom more valuable than Ophir gold |
| Isa 13:12 | I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir. | Human worth greater than gold |
| Ecc 2:8 | I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings... | Solomon's accumulation of wealth |
| Psa 112:3 | Wealth and riches shall be in his house: and his righteousness endureth for ever. | Blessing of material wealth from God |
| Prov 3:9-10 | Honour the Lord with thy substance... so shall thy barns be filled with plenty... | Principle of giving leading to wealth |
| Deut 8:17-18 | ...and thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth. But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God... | God gives power to gain wealth |
| Hag 2:8 | The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine, saith the Lord of hosts. | God's sovereignty over all wealth |
| 1 Kgs 3:13 | And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honour... | God's gift of riches to Solomon |
| Prov 28:22 | He that hasteth to be rich hath an evil eye, and considereth not that poverty shall come upon him. | Warning against pursuit of riches |
| 1 Tim 6:9-10 | But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare... For the love of money is the root of all evil... | Spiritual danger of loving money |
| Matt 6:19-21 | Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth... but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven... | Contrast earthly vs. heavenly treasures |
| Mk 10:23 | How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! | Difficulty of wealth for salvation |
| Rev 18:11-17 | And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her... the merchants of these things, which were made rich by her... | Depiction of earthly riches in fallen world |
| Neh 13:16 | There dwelt men of Tyre also therein, which brought fish, and all manner of ware... | Tyrian trade connections |
| 2 Chr 8:17-18 | Then went Solomon to Eziongeber... And Huram sent him by the hands of his servants ships... | Details on ship expedition |
| Ezr 8:27 | And two vessels of fine copper, precious as gold, for the altar. | Comparative value of materials |
1 Kings 9 verses
1 Kings 9 28 Meaning
The verse states that ships returning from the fabled land of Ophir delivered an extraordinary amount of gold—four hundred and twenty talents—to King Solomon. This act highlights the immense wealth and expansive international trade that characterized Solomon's reign, facilitated by his maritime fleet and strategic alliance with King Hiram of Tyre.
1 Kings 9 28 Context
1 Kings chapter 9 begins with the completion of Solomon's ambitious building projects, including the Temple and his own palace, which took twenty years. Following this, God appears to Solomon for a second time, reaffirming the conditional covenant of his kingship, promising blessings for obedience and warning of desolation for disobedience (1 Kgs 9:1-9). The chapter then shifts to describe Solomon's various administrative and economic endeavors that underpin his kingdom's prosperity. This includes his agreements with Hiram of Tyre (1 Kgs 9:10-14), his forced labor policies (1 Kgs 9:15-23), and the setup of his fortified cities. Verses 26-27 detail the establishment of a navy at Ezion-Geber and Hiram's critical role in providing skilled mariners and ships, setting the immediate stage for the verse's account of the successful expedition to Ophir. This verse marks the successful culmination of his efforts to amass great wealth, a testament to God's promised blessing (1 Kgs 3:13).
1 Kings 9 28 Word analysis
- And they came (וַיָּבֹאוּ - va-ya-vo-u): Plural Hebrew verb, implying continuation of the preceding action. Refers to the collective crews, Solomon's servants and Hiram's skilled sailors, mentioned in 1 Kgs 9:27, underscoring the joint venture.
- to Ophir (אוֹפִירָה - o-phi-rah): A place famous for its high-quality gold. The exact geographical location is highly debated by scholars (theories include the Arabian Peninsula, Northeast Africa, or India), adding to its mystique as a distant, exotic land of immense riches. Its mention highlights the extensive reach of Solomon's trade network.
- and fetched (וַיִּקְחוּ - va-yiq-chu): Hebrew verb meaning 'and they took' or 'and they acquired'. Denotes the act of obtaining the gold, emphasizing an active procurement.
- from thence (מִשָּׁם - mi-sham): From that place, Ophir. Simple directional term.
- gold (זָהָב - za-hav): The precious metal, signifying wealth, luxury, and divine glory in biblical contexts. In Solomon's time, gold was the pinnacle of material value.
- four hundred and twenty talents (אַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת וְעֶשְׂרִים כִּכַּר - ar-ba' me-ot ve-'es-rim kik-kar): A talent (kikkar) was a unit of weight, approximately 75 pounds (34 kilograms). 420 talents translate to roughly 31,500 pounds (or over 14 metric tons) of gold, an astounding quantity for any ancient kingdom. This specific number conveys the enormous scale of Solomon's accumulated wealth, underscoring the unprecedented prosperity of his reign.
- and brought it (וַיָּבִאוּ - va-ya-vi'u): 'And they brought' or 'and they caused to come'. Emphasizes the delivery and completion of the expedition.
- to king Solomon (אֶל הַמֶּלֶךְ שְׁלֹמֹה - el ha-melekh Shelomoh): Highlights the centralization of power and resources under the king. All this vast wealth flowed directly to him, signifying his authority, ultimate beneficiary, and status.
Words-group by words-group analysis:
- "And they came to Ophir, and fetched from thence gold": This phrase encapsulates the successful journey and procurement. The collective "they" signifies the combined efforts of two nations (Israel and Tyre) in an ambitious global trade venture. The destination, "Ophir," signifies the ultimate source of unmatched valuable resources.
- "four hundred and twenty talents, and brought it": This quantifies the immense scale of the acquisition, providing a concrete measure of Solomon's incredible wealth. The action "brought it" underscores the effective completion of the trading expedition, ensuring the amassed riches reached their intended recipient.
- "to king Solomon": This final phrase directs all the immense value to Solomon, confirming his unparalleled wealth and prestige, as well as the successful culmination of his strategic and economic policies.
1 Kings 9 28 Bonus section
The precise amount of gold—420 talents—in 1 Kings 9:28 slightly differs from the parallel account in 2 Chronicles 8:18, which mentions 450 talents. This variation is a minor textual difference common in ancient manuscripts and does not diminish the overall message of Solomon's immense wealth, instead reinforcing the scale. Such large figures indicate an unparalleled flow of precious metals into the kingdom, transforming Israel into a significant economic power on the ancient world stage. The regular success of these expeditions meant that gold became increasingly common in Jerusalem, leading to silver being considered of little value during Solomon's time (1 Kgs 10:21), a stark symbol of his reign's extraordinary affluence.
1 Kings 9 28 Commentary
1 Kings 9:28 is a concise declaration of Solomon's unprecedented economic prosperity, serving as a testament to his divinely blessed reign and astute administrative capabilities. The immense quantity of gold, facilitated by the sophisticated maritime alliance with Hiram, symbolizes the pinnacle of Israel's wealth and global influence under Solomon. This verse also implicitly foreshadows the complex relationship Israel had with its wealth—a blessing from God but also a potential source of deviation when the focus shifted from God to material accumulation, setting the stage for subsequent narratives of excess and spiritual decline within the kingdom.