1 Kings 4:28

1Ki 4:28 Barley also and straw for the horses and dromedaries brought they unto the place where [the officers] were, every man according to his charge.

Ver. 28. And dromedaries.] Which are animalia citissima, vecturae apta et equitatui, very swift creatures. It is therefore by antiphrasis that we call slow people dromedaries.

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.

Barley . . . and straw--Straw is not used for litter, but barley mixed with chopped straw is the usual fodder of horses.

dromedaries--one-humped camels, distinguished for their great fleetness.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 28. And dromedaries] The word רכש rechesh, which we translate thus, is rendered beasts, or beasts of burden, by the Vulgate; mares by the Syriac and Arabic; chariots by the Septuagint; and race-horses by the Chaldee. The original word seems to signify a very swift kind of horse, and race-horse or post-horse is probably its true meaning. To communicate with so many distant provinces, Solomon had need of many animals of this kind.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(28) Dromedaries—properly (see Margin), swift beasts; probably the horses of the royal messengers, as distinguished from the war horses.

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

28. unto the place where the officers were] As shewn by the italics of A. V. there is no word in the original for ‘the officers.’ The verb moreover is in the singular. It is better therefore to render with the margin of R.V. ‘where he (i.e. the king) was’ or ‘where it should be.’

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.

For he was wiser than all men,.... Not only that lived in his time, but in ages past since the fall of Adam, and in times to come, especially in natural wisdom and knowledge, in all the branches of it; for though some men excel in some part of knowledge, yet not in all, as Solomon did:

than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol; men of the same names are said to be sons of Zerah, grandson of Judah, Ch1 2:6; wherefore these are either other men, or their father had two names; or Mahol here may be an appellative, and describe the character of these then, and point at what they were famous for, as that they were sons of music, piping, and dancing, as Mahol may signify; the Jews have a tradition (o), that Ethan is Abraham, and Heman Moses, and Chalcol Joseph:

and his fame was in all nations round about; not for his riches and grandeur only, but chiefly for his wisdom.

(o) Hieron. Trad. Heb. in 2 Reg. fol. 80. 1.

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

Barley is to this day in the East the common food of horses.

Dromedaries - Coursers. The animal intended is neither a camel nor a mule, but a swift horse.

The place where the officers were - Rather, “places where the horses and coursers were,” i. e., to the different cities where they were lodged.

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

Beasts. Racesh denotes horses of extraordinary swiftness, (Bochart) or dromedaries, &c. Junius translates, "post-horses." --- King: so also the Septuagint. Protestants, "the officers were, every man according to his charge." The twelve governors employed others to bring all necessary provisions, (Haydock) to the places where the king was travelling; (Calmet) or they took care not only of the king’s table, but they had also the general inspection over his stables. (Haydock) --- Few oats are grown in the East. They feed their horses on barley and straw. (Calmet)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Dromedaries, or mules, by comparing this with 2Ch 9:24; or post horses, which are particularly mentioned and distinguished from the other horses, because they took a more exact and particular care about them. Howsoever, it is agreed that these were swift beasts, which is evident from Est 8:10,14; Mic 1:13.

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

28. Dromedaries — The dromedary differs from the camel in being of a finer and more elegant form, having one hump on the back instead of two, and in being trained for greater speed. But the Hebrew word רכשׁmeans a swift-courser, or race-horse, and in Mic_1:13, is rendered swift-beast, one that was used with the chariot, and so could hardly be the dromedary. In Est_8:10; Est_8:14, it is rendered mule, but swift-courser would be better.

Where the officers were — The Septuagint and Vulgate read, where the king was. But it is still better simply to supply they, referring to the horses and coursers. The barley and straw were brought where the horses were kept by those who had this matter in charge, every man according to his charge — כמשׁפשׂו, literally, according to his judgment; that is, according to the amount which it was decided each should bring.

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

Barley also the food of horses at the present day in the East, where oats are not grown. (Cf. Hom. II 5:196) and straw for the horses and dromedaries marg. mules or swift beasts. Coursers, or fleet horses of superior breed are intended. vkr= Germ. Renner. These coursers were for the use of the king"s messengers or posts. (See Est_8:10, Est_8:14) brought they unto the place where the officers were "officers" is not in the Hebrew. The LXX and Vulg. supply "king "(the verb is singular, "was"). But the true meaning is to be gathered from chap. 10:26. There we learn that the horses were distributed in different towns throughout the land. To these different depots, therefore, the purveyors must forward the provender, "unto the place where it should be" (hyhyi), not, as Rawlinson, "where the horses were." every man according to his charge.

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