1 Chronicles 29:4

1Ch 29:4 [Even] three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver, to overlay the walls of the houses [withal]:

Ver. 4. To overlay the walls.] Ad in crastandos parietes. The walls of the temple were overlaid with gold, and the walls of the other buildings adjoining to the temple, with silver.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

He showeth what he had of his own store for the Lord’s house.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

(4) Three thousand talents of gold.—Comp. 1Ch_22:14. The sum would be about £18,000,000 sterling.

Gold of Ophir.—Indian gold, from Abhîra, at the mouth of the Indus.

Seven thousand talents of refined silver.—About £2,800,000 sterling.

To overlay.—Strictly, to besmear (Isa_44:18).

The houses.—The chambers (1Ch_28:11; see 2Ch_3:4-9). The Syriac and Arabic have “a thousand thousand talents of gold,” and “twice a thousand thousand talents of silver.”

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

4. gold of Ophir] Solomon brought much gold from Ophir. (2Ch_8:18; 2Ch_9:10 = 1Ki_9:28; 1Ki_10:11), which is probably to be identified with some part of the south-east coast of Arabia. LXX. gives Σουφεὶρ, i.e. perhaps India. For the amount see note on 1Ch_22:14.

to overlay] Cp. 2Ch_3:4-8.

the houses] i.e. the porch, the greater house, and the most holy house; 2Ch_3:4-5; 2Ch_3:8.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Even three thousand talents of gold,.... Which, according to Scheuchzer (c), amount to 36,660,000 ducats of gold; and, according to Brerewood (d), to 13,500,000 pounds of our money:

of the gold of Ophir; which was reckoned the best gold; not Ophir in India, which was not known till Solomon's time, but in Arabia, as Bochart (e) has shown; so Eupolemus (f), an Heathen writer, says, that David having built ships at Achan, a city of Arabia, sent miners to Urphe (supposed to be the same with Ophir) in the island of the Red sea, abounding with gold, and from thence fetched it; see Gill on 1Ki 9:28, and that he was able to give so great a sum out of his own substance, Dr. Prideaux (g) thinks, can only be accounted for by his great returns from this traffic; since these 3000 talents, according to him, amounted to 21,600,000 pounds sterling:

and seven thousand talents of refined silver; amounting, according to Scheuchzer (h), to 31,500,000 imperials, or rix dollars; and, according to Brerewood (i), to 2,625,000 pounds of our money:

to overlay the walls of the houses withal; the gold was to overlay the walls of the holy and most holy place, the silver to overlay the walls of the chambers built around the temple.

(c) Physica Sacra, vol. 4. p. 631. (d) De Ponder. & Pret. Vet. Num. c. 5. (e) Phaleg. l. 2. c. 27. col. 140. (f) Apud Euseb. Evangel. Praepar. l. 9. c. 30. p. 447. (g) Connection, par. 1. p. 5, 6. (h) Ut supra. (Physica Sacra, vol. 4. p. 631.) (i) Ut supra. (De Ponder. & Pret. Vet. Num. c. 5.)

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

The numbers here have also suffered to some extent from the carelessness of copyists (compare the 1Ch 22:14 note). The amount of silver is not indeed improbable, since its value would not exceed three millions of our money; but as the gold would probably exceed in value thirty millions, we may suspect an error in the words “three thousand.”

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

The gold of Ophir was accounted the best and purest gold; of which see Job 22:24; 28:16; Isa 13:12; by which it appears that those hundred thousand talents mentioned before, 1Ch 22:14, were a coarser and impurer sort of gold.

To overlay the walls of the houses withal; the walls of the temple with gold, and of the rooms adjoining to it with silver beaten out into plates, and put upon the other materials here and there as it was thought fit.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

4. Ophir — See the note on 1Ki_9:28. Here it appears that “the gold of Ophir” was brought (probably by Arabian merchants) to Israel in the days of David.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Respecting the uncertainty of the amounts here denoted, even if the numbers of the present text be accepted as correct, see note on 1Ch_22:14. Bertheau and Keil make three thousand talents of gold the equivalent of thirteen millions and a half of our money, and seven thousand talents of silver the equivalent of two and a half millions of our money or, if the royal shekel instead of the sacred be supposed to be the standard, they make them the half of those two amounts respectively. Others calculate the value of the gold to reach thirty millions, and of the silver three millions of our money (see Conder"s "Bible Handbook," 2nd edit., pp. 63-65, 81). The situation of Ophir is still considered undetermined. The other occasions on which it is mentioned are as follows:

Gen_10:29; (1Ch_1:23) 1Ki_9:28 1Ki_10:11; 2Ch_8:18 2Ch_9:10; Job_22:24 Job_28:16; Psa_45:10; Isa_13:12. It must be understood also that it is to it that allusion ismade inv 1Ki_10:22, where we read that silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks, beside the gold, were imported into Judaea from it. The "almug" tree is also said to have been brought in the same ships which brought the gold of Ophir. The Septuagint always translates by some form of the word Soufi (except in, Gen_10:29) which word comes very near the Coptic name for India. There is also a place in India, mentioned by Ptolemy, Ammianus, and Abulfeda, the site of the present emporium of Goa, called Soupara, and which would explain Both the Hebrew and the Septuagint words. An Indian site for Ophir would also well suit the mention of the ivory and the particular wood which the ships brought. On the other hand, the first occasion of this name Ophir finds it placed among the tribes of Joktan"s descendants, who occupied South Arabia. It is there (Gen_10:29; 1Ch_1:23) placed between Sheba and Havilah, beth abounding in gold. There are other considerations that favour Arabia. Many other places have been suggested, and some of them supported by respectable authorities, such as Eastern Africa, South America and Peru, Phrygia, etc. If there be a real question about it, to the prejudice of Arabia, it would be to India we must look. That some of the commodities brought belonged more especially to India, though even in that case the majority belonged undoubtedly to Arabia, is very true. This circumstance throws great probability into the suggestion that whether Ophir were in Arabia or India, it was a great emporium, and not simply an exporter of its own particular produce (see Gesenius, "Lexicon," sub voce; Smith"s "Bible Dictionary"). The last sentence of this verse certainly says that the destined use of the refined silver, as well as of the gold of Ophir, was to overlay the walls of the houses. We know that gold was used for this purpose. (2Ch_3:5-10) But we do not read of the silver being used for overlaying purposes. We also read that none of the drinking-vessels of Solomon were of silver, as "it was nothing accounted of in the days of Solomon" (1Ki_10:21; 2Ch_9:20) It is possible, the order of the-sentences notwithstanding, that the mention of the refined silver is only to pro-pare the way for the contents of ver. 5, and that it mast not be applied to the last sentence of our present verse.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Of Ophir - The best and purest gold. The walls - The walls of the temple with God, and of the rooms adjoining to it, with silver beaten out into plates.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

Even three thousand talents of gold,.... Which, according to Scheuchzer (c), amount to 36,660,000 ducats of gold; and, according to Brerewood (d), to 13,500,000 pounds of our money:

of the gold of Ophir; which was reckoned the best gold; not Ophir in India, which was not known till Solomon's time, but in Arabia, as Bochart (e) has shown; so Eupolemus (f), an Heathen writer, says, that David having built ships at Achan, a city of Arabia, sent miners to Urphe (supposed to be the same with Ophir) in the island of the Red sea, abounding with gold, and from thence fetched it; see Gill on 1Ki 9:28, and that he was able to give so great a sum out of his own substance, Dr. Prideaux (g) thinks, can only be accounted for by his great returns from this traffic; since these 3000 talents, according to him, amounted to 21,600,000 pounds sterling:

and seven thousand talents of refined silver; amounting, according to Scheuchzer (h), to 31,500,000 imperials, or rix dollars; and, according to Brerewood (i), to 2,625,000 pounds of our money:

to overlay the walls of the houses withal; the gold was to overlay the walls of the holy and most holy place, the silver to overlay the walls of the chambers built around the temple.

(c) Physica Sacra, vol. 4. p. 631. (d) De Ponder. & Pret. Vet. Num. c. 5. (e) Phaleg. l. 2. c. 27. col. 140. (f) Apud Euseb. Evangel. Praepar. l. 9. c. 30. p. 447. (g) Connection, par. 1. p. 5, 6. (h) Ut supra. (Physica Sacra, vol. 4. p. 631.) (i) Ut supra. (De Ponder. & Pret. Vet. Num. c. 5.)

Keil & Delitzsch — Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1861–1891) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API. (Old Testament only.)

refined very white.

to overlay the walls of the houses and no one can overlay anything, either with silver or with gold, unless it is refined.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.