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.
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Other translations
New International Version
And Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. These countries brought tribute and were Solomon’s subjects all his life.
New Living Translation
Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River in the north to the land of the Philistines and the border of Egypt in the south. The conquered peoples of those lands sent tribute money to Solomon and continued to serve him throughout his lifetime.
English Standard Version
Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt. They brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.
Berean Study Bible
And Solomon reigned over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. These kingdoms offered tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.
New King James Version
So Solomon reigned over all kingdoms from the River to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. [They] brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.
New American Standard Bible
Now Solomon was ruling over all the kingdoms from the [Euphrates] River to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt; [they] brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.
NASB 1977 and 1995
Now Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the River to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt; they brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.
Amplified Bible
Now Solomon reigned over all the kingdoms from the [Euphrates] River to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt; they brought tribute (money) and served Solomon all the days of his life.
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Solomon reigned over all kingdoms from the river
All the petty kingdoms between the Euphrates and the Mediterranean were tributary to him. Similar is the statement in 1 Kings 4:24.
And Solomon reigned.
His dominion is described as extending
▪︎ on the south to the land of the Philistines and the border of Egypt, including what we call Arabia (see Psalms 72:10, and compare 1 Kings 10:15);
▪︎ on the east to “the river” Euphrates, as far north as Tiphsah (the Greek Thapsacus);
▪︎ on the west it would, of course, be bounded by the sea;
▪︎ and on the north it extended far beyond Damascus, probably up to the borders of the Assyrian Empire.
It seems also clear that the Syrian Kingdoms (like the kingdom of Tyre), were allies on a footing of some dependence, though not exactly tributaries.
This extension of dominion was the fruit of the warlike energy of the two preceding reigns.
As in all ancient Eastern empires, 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).
Such an empire would rise rapidly, and as rapidly fall to pieces; and in Solomon’s case it was sustained less by military power than by the peaceful forces of wealth and policy, and was largely dependent on his own personal ascendancy.
From the river
Euphrates; for so far David, having conquered the Syrians, extended his empire, which Solomon also maintained in that extent.
And so God’s promise concerning the giving the whole land, as far as Euphrates, to the Israelites, was fulfilled.
And if the Israelites had multiplied so much that the land of Canaan would not have sufficed them, having God’s grant of all the land as far as Euphrates, they might have seized upon it whensoever occasion required.
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), 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.
The land of the Philistines
Which is to be understood inclusively; for the Philistines were within Solomon’s dominion.
The border of Egypt
That is unto the river Sihor, which was the border between Egypt and Canaan, (Joshua 13:3; Compare Genesis 15:18).
And served
Served Solomon, by tribute, or other ways, as he needed and required.
Hebrew
And Solomon ☆ וּשְׁלֹמֹ֗ה (ū·šə·lō·mōh) ☆ Conjunctive waw | Noun – proper – masculine singular ☆
Solomon = ‘peace’
Son of David by Bathsheba and 3rd king of Israel; author of Proverbs and Song of Songs
Was ☆ הָיָ֤ה (hā·yāh) ☆ Verb – Qal – Perfect – third person masculine singular ☆
1) to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out
1a) (Qal)
1a1) —–
1a1a) to happen, fall out, occur, take place, come about, come to pass 1a1b) to come about, come to pass
1a2) to come into being, become
1a2a) to arise, appear, come
1a2b) to become
1a2b1) to become
1a2b2) to become like
1a2b3) to be instituted, be established
1a3) to be
1a3a) to exist, be in existence
1a3b) to abide, remain, continue (with word of place or time)
1a3c) to stand, lie, be in, be at, be situated (with word of locality)
1a3d) to accompany, be with
1b) (Niphal)
1b1) to occur, come to pass, be done, be brought about
1b2) to be done, be finished, be gone
Reigned ☆ מוֹשֵׁל֙ (mō·wō·šêl) ☆ Verb – Qal – Participle – masculine singular ☆
Strong’s Hebrew 4910: 1) to rule, have dominion, reign 1a) (Qal) to rule, have dominion 1b) (Hiphil) 1b1) to cause to rule 1b2) to exercise dominion
Over all ☆ בְּכָל־ (bə·ḵāl) ☆ Preposition-b | Noun – masculine singular construct ☆
1) all, the whole
1a) all, the whole of
1b) any, each, every, anything
1c) totality, everything
The kingdoms ☆ הַמַּמְלָכ֔וֹת (ham·mam·lā·ḵō·wṯ) ☆ Article | Noun – feminine plural ☆
1) kingdom, dominion, reign, sovereignty
1a) kingdom, realm
1b) sovereignty, dominion
1c) reign
from ☆ מִן־ (min-) ☆ Preposition ☆
1) from, out of, on account of, off, on the side of, since, above, than, so that not, more than
1a) from (expressing separation), off, on the side of
1b) out of
1b1) (with verbs of proceeding, removing, expelling)
1b2) (of material from which something is made)
1b3) (of source or origin)
1c) out of, some of, from (partitively)
1d) from, since, after (of time)
1e) than, more than (in comparison)
1f) from…even to, both…and, either…or
1g) than, more than, too much for (in comparisons)
1h) from, on account of, through, because (with infinitive) conj
2) that
The [Euphrates] ☆ הַנָּהָר֙ (han·nā·hār) ☆ Article | Noun – masculine singular ☆
1) stream, river
1a) stream, river
1b) (underground) streams
To the land ☆ אֶ֣רֶץ (’e·reṣ) ☆ Noun – feminine singular construct ☆
1) land, earth
1a) earth
1a1) whole earth (as opposed to a part)
1a2) earth (as opposed to heaven)
1a3) earth (inhabitants)
1b) land
1b1) country, territory
1b2) district, region
1b3) tribal territory
1b4) piece of ground
1b5) land of Canaan, Israel
1b6) inhabitants of land
1b7) Sheol, land without return, (under) world
1b8) city (-state)
1c) ground, surface of the earth
1c1) ground
1c2) soil
1d) (in phrases)
1d1) people of the land
1d2) space or distance of country (in measurements of distance)
1d3) level or plain country
1d4) land of the living
1d5) end(s) of the earth
1e) (almost wholly late in usage)
1e1) lands, countries
1e1a) often in contrast to Canaan
Of the Philistines ☆ פְּלִשְׁתִּ֔ים (pə·liš·tîm) ☆ Noun – proper – masculine plural ☆
Philistine = ‘immigrants’
1) an inhabitant of Philistia; descendants of Mizraim who immigrated from Caphtor (Crete?) to the western seacoast of Canaan
As far as ☆ וְעַ֖ד (wə·‘aḏ) ☆ Conjunctive waw | Preposition
1) as far as, even to, until, up to, while, as far as
1a) of space
1a1) as far as, up to, even to
1b) in combination
1b1) from…as far as, both…and (with ‘min’ -from)
1c) of time
1c1) even to, until, unto, till, during, end
1d) of degree
1d1) even to, to the degree of, even like
2) until, while, to the point that, so that even
the border ☆ גְּב֣וּל (gə·ḇūl) ☆ Noun – masculine singular construct ☆
1) border, territory
1a) border
1b) territory (enclosed within boundary)
1c) region, territory (of darkness) (fig.)
Of Egypt ☆ מִצְרָ֑יִם (miṣ·rā·yim) ☆ Noun – proper – feminine singular ☆
Egypt = ‘land of the Copts’
1) a country at the northeastern section of Africa, adjacent to Palestine, and through which the Nile flows Egyptians = ‘double straits’
2) the inhabitants or natives of Egypt
[These kingdoms] offered ☆ מַגִּשִׁ֥ים (mag·gi·šîm) ☆ Verb – Hifil – Participle – masculine plural ☆
1) to draw near, approach
1a) (Qal) to draw or come near
1a1) of humans
1a1a) of sexual intercourse
1a2) of inanimate subject
1a2a) to approach one another
1b) (Niphal) to draw near
1c) (Hiphil) to cause to approach, bring near, bring
1d) (Hophal) to be brought near
1e) (Hithpael) to draw near
Tribute ☆ מִנְחָ֛ה (min·ḥāh) ☆ Noun – feminine singular ☆
1) gift, tribute, offering, present, oblation, sacrifice, meat offering
1a) gift, present
1b) tribute
1c) offering (to God)
1d) grain offering
And served ☆ וְעֹבְדִ֥ים (wə·‘ō·ḇə·ḏîm) ☆ Conjunctive waw | Verb – Qal – Participle – masculine plural ☆
1) to work, serve
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to labour, work, do work
1a2) to work for another, serve another by labour
1a3) to serve as subjects
1a4) to serve (God)
1a5) to serve (with Levitical service)
1b) (Niphal)
1b1) to be worked, be tilled (of land)
1b2) to make oneself a servant
1c) (Pual) to be worked
1d) (Hiphil)
1d1) to compel to labour or work, cause to labour, cause to serve
1d2) to cause to serve as subjects
1e) (Hophal) to be led or enticed to serve
Et ☆ אֶת־ (’eṯ-) ☆ Direct object marker ☆
1) sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative
Solomon ☆ שְׁלֹמֹ֖ה (šə·lō·mōh) ☆ Noun – proper – masculine singular ☆
Solomon = ‘peace’
Son of David by Bathsheba and 3rd king of Israel; author of Proverbs and Song of Songs
All ☆ כָּל־ (kāl-) ☆ Noun – masculine singular construct ☆
1) all, the whole
1a) all, the whole of
1b) any, each, every, anything
1c) totality, everything
The days ☆ יְמֵ֥י (yə·mê) ☆ Noun – masculine plural construct ☆
1) day, time, year
1a) day (as opposed to night)
1b) day (24 hour period)
1b1) as defined by evening and morning in Genesis 1
1b2) as a division of time
1b2a) a working day, a day’s journey
1c) days, lifetime (pl.)
1d) time, period (general)
1e) year
1f) temporal references
1f1) today
1f2) yesterday
1f3) tomorrow
Of his life ☆ חַיָּֽיו׃ (ḥay·yāw) ☆ Noun – masculine plural construct | third person masculine singular ☆
1) living, alive
1a) green (of vegetation)
1b) flowing, fresh (of water)
1c) lively, active (of man)
1d) reviving (of the springtime)
2) relatives
3) life (abstract emphatic)
3a) life
3b) sustenance, maintenance
4) living thing, animal
4a) animal
4b) life
4c) appetite
4d) revival, renewal
5) community.
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