2 Chronicles 1:15

2Ch 1:15 And the king made silver and gold at Jerusalem [as plenteous] as stones, and cedar trees made he as the sycomore trees that [are] in the vale for abundance.

Ver. 15. And the king made.] Heb., Gave. By giving he made it so. This was a golden age indeed.

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 caused so great plenty, that it was no more esteemed than stones.

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

Verse 15. Made silver and gold] See on 1Kg 10:27-28.

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

(15) Silver and gold . . . stones . . . cedar trees.—Each of these words has the definite article in the Hebrew.

And gold.—Not in 1Ki_10:27, with which the rest of the verse coincides; nor in 2Ch_9:27. The Syriac omits it here also, but the other versions have it, and the phrase is a natural heightening of the hyperbole.

The sycomore trees that are in the vale.—(Comp. 1Ch_27:28.) The Syriac reads instead. “As the sand which is on the seashore.”

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

15. at Jerusalem as plenteous as stones] R.V. to be at Jerusalem as stones. In Kings this is asserted of silver only. Jerusalem is one of the stoniest places in the world.

the sycomore trees] LXX. συκαμίνους (but Luk_19:4 συκομορέα). See 1Ch_27:28, note.

vale] R.V. lowland, i.e. the stretch of low hills separating the maritime plain from the hill country of Judah. Cp. G. A. Smith, Hist. Geography, Chap. 10, “The Shephelah.”

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.

Sycamores are trees of small value, and not good for building. (Tirinus)

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).

And gold. The omission of these words in the parallel (1Ki_10:27) is remarkable in the light of what we read in 2Ch_9:20. We find the contents of this verse again in (2Ch_9:27; as also in the parallel, (1Ki_10:27) just quoted with the exception already named. Cedar trees. The meaning is felled trunks of cedar (1Ch_22:4) ( Whether the wood intended is the cedar of Lebanon (Pinus cedrus, or Cedrus conifera), "tall" (Isa_2:13 Isa_37:24; Amo_2:9) "widespreading", (Eze_31:3) odoriferous, with very few knots, and wonderfully resisting decay, is considered by authorities on such subjects still uncertain. Gesenius, in his "Lexicon," sub voc., may be consulted, and the various Bible dictionaries, especially Dr. Smith"s, under "Cedar;" and Dr. Kitto"s "Cyclopaedia," under "Eres." The writer in Dr. Smith"s "Dictionary" suggests that under the one word "cedar," the Pinus cedrus, Pinus deodara, Yew, Taxus baccata, and Pinus sylvestris (Scotch pine) were referred to popularly, and were employed when building purposes are in question. That the said variety was employed is likely enough, but that we are intended to understand this when the word "cedar" is used seems unlikely (see for further indication of this unlikeliness, the instancing of "firs" occasionally with "cedars," (1Ki_5:10 1Ki_9:11; 2Ch_2:8) Sycomore trees ( This word is found always in its present masc. plur. form except once, minov (Psa_78:47) where the plur. fem. form is found. The Greek equivalent in the Septuagint is always suka but in the New Testament, and in the same treatise, i.e. the Gospel according to St. Luke, we find both sukaminov and sukomwrea. (Luk_17:6 and 19:4 respectively) Now, the former of these trees is the well. known mulberry tree. But the latter is what is called the fig-mulberry, or the sycamore-fig; and this is the tree of the Old Testament. Its fruit resembles the fig, grows on sprigs shooting out of the thick stems themselves of the tree, and each fruit needs to be punctured a few days before gathering, if it is to be acceptable eating (Amo_7:14; Isa_9:10) In the vale; i.e. in the lowland country, called the Shefelah. This is the middle one of the three divisions in which Judaea is sometimes described mountain, lowland, and valley. This lowland was really the lowhills, between mountains and plain, near Lydda and Daroma (the "dry," 1.q. Negeb, (Deu_34:1-3) while the valley was the valley of Jordan, from Jericho to Engedi (Conder"s "Handbook to the Bible," pp. 302, 309, 2nd edit.).

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

like stones Because of the abundance of silver and gold that he had, he was not particular about distributing silver and gold throughout the city to make tables and chairs. Our Rabbis said (Ecc. Rabbah 2:3): Like stones of ten or eight cubits: just as he cut stones, so did he cut silver.

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.