1 Kings 10:17-22 Meaning: Why Solomon Made 300 Gold Shields
17He made three hundred shields of beaten gold; three minas of gold went to one shield; and the king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon.
18Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with the finest gold.
19There were six steps to the throne, and the top of the throne was round behind; and there were armrests on either side by the place of the seat, and two lions standing beside the armrests.
20Twelve lions stood there on the one side and on the other on the six steps. Nothing like it was made in any kingdom.
21All King Solomon’s drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were of pure gold. None were of silver, because it was considered of little value in the days of Solomon.
22For the king had a fleet of ships of Tarshish at sea with Hiram’s fleet. Once every three years the fleet of Tarshish came bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.
17And he made three hundred shields of beaten gold; three pound of gold went to one shield: and the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon.
18Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with the best gold.
19The throne had six steps, and the top of the throne was round behind: and there were stays on either side on the place of the seat, and two lions stood beside the stays.
20And twelve lions stood there on the one side and on the other upon the six steps: there was not the like made in any kingdom.
21And all king Solomon’s drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold; none were of silver: it was nothing accounted of in the days of Solomon.
22For the king had at sea a navy of Tharshish with the navy of Hiram: once in three years came the navy of Tharshish, bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks.
17And he made three hundred shields of beaten gold; three pounds of gold went to one shield: and the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon.
18Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with the finest gold.
19There were six steps to the throne, and the top of the throne was round behind; and there were stays on either side by the place of the seat, and two lions standing beside the stays.
20And twelve lions stood there on the one side and on the other upon the six steps: there was not the like made in any kingdom.
21And all king Solomon’s drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold: none were of silver; it was nothing accounted of in the days of Solomon.
22For the king had at sea a navy of Tarshish with the navy of Hiram: once every three years came the navy of Tarshish, bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks.
17and three hundred shields of alloyed gold--three pounds of gold go up on the one shield; and the king putteth them in the house of the forest of Lebanon.
18And the king maketh a great throne of ivory, and overlayeth it with refined gold;
19six steps hath the throne, and a round top is to the throne behind it, and hands are on this side and on that, unto the place of the sitting, and two lions are standing near the hands,
20and twelve lions are standing there on the six steps, on this side and on that; it hath not been made so for any kingdom.
21And all the drinking vessels of king Solomon are of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon are of refined gold--there are none of silver; it was not reckoned in the days of Solomon for anything,
22for a navy of Tarshish hath the king at sea with a navy of Hiram; once in three years cometh the navy of Tarshish, bearing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks.
17and three hundred shields of beaten gold, — he applied three minas of gold to one shield; and the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon.
18And the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with refined gold:
19the throne had six steps, and the top of the throne was rounded behind; and there were arms on each side at the place of the seat, and two lions stood beside the arms;
20and twelve lions stood there on the one side and on the other upon the six steps: there was not the like made in any kingdom.
21And all king Solomon's drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of precious gold: none were of silver, [which] was not of the least account in the days of Solomon.
22For the king had on the sea a Tarshish-fleet, with the fleet of Hiram: once in three years came the Tarshish-fleet, bringing gold and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks.
Meaning in one sentence
Solomon’s 300 gold shields were likely ceremonial, not for battle.
Context
This passage sits at the peak of Solomon’s reign. The queen of Sheba has just come and gone, impressed by everything she saw. Now the writer shows us the splendour that surrounded the king day after day. Three hundred gold shields hang in a special building called the House of the Forest of Lebanon. A great throne of ivory and gold, with lions on every step, stands as a symbol of his power. Drinking vessels and all the palace utensils are pure gold. Silver is so common it is hardly thought of. Solomon’s trade fleet, sailing with Hiram’s ships, brought gold, silver, ivory, apes and peacocks from faraway lands every three years. It is a picture of wealth unlike anything Israel had seen before, or would see again.
Key Words
The Hebrew word for these shields, magen, is different from the larger tsinnah used for the two hundred bucklers in verse 16. These are smaller, hand-held shields. The gold was “beaten” (shachut), hammered thin so it could be moulded over a wooden or basket-work frame. They were not meant for battle. The shields hung in the House of the Forest of Lebanon like ornaments or ceremonial displays, catching the light and announcing the king’s wealth to every visitor.
Two other words carry weight in this passage. The throne was “overlaid” (tzapah) with gold, a word meaning to plate or cover, not to make it solid. The gold veneer covered ivory, a costly material in its own right. And the drinking vessels and utensils were of “pure” gold (sagur), a word that comes from a root meaning “shut up” or “refined.” This suggests gold of the highest quality, what we might call “locked-up” treasure. Meanwhile, the verb used for silver, “it was not accounted” (nechshav), means it was not even counted or thought about. The abundance was so great that what once seemed precious became ordinary.
How Christians Read This Verse
Christians have read this passage in two main ways. Some see it as a straightforward celebration of God’s blessing. The wealth and wisdom Solomon received were gifts from the Lord, and the descriptions invite readers to marvel at God’s generosity. Matthew Henry, for instance, notes that this display fulfilled the promise made to Solomon and showed the glory of his kingdom.
Others hear a warning tone beneath the shine. Gill points to the lions and ivory as symbols of royal power and justice, but also notes how easily such abundance can turn the heart. The fact that silver was “nothing accounted of” hints at a dangerous familiarity with blessing. Keil and Delitzsch quietly observe that the ships of Tarshish brought not just gold but also exotic creatures, the kind of luxury that can distract a king from his calling. Most readers across traditions agree: this is a moment of glory, but it is fragile.
A common misunderstanding
Some readers think the verse means silver had literally no value in Solomon’s day. They imagine people tossing silver coins aside like pebbles. In fact, the phrase “it was nothing accounted of” means that compared to the flood of gold, silver was no longer considered precious enough for royal utensils or drinking cups. It was still valuable, just no longer special. The mistake misses the point: an overabundance of one good thing can make us blind to the worth of other good things.
Living This Out
This week, take a quiet look at what you treat as ordinary. Maybe it is a steady paycheck, a reliable car, or enough food in the cupboard. Those are gifts, not guarantees. Solomon had so much gold that silver seemed like nothing, and later, his heart drifted. You don’t have to be rich for that to happen. The danger is not the gold. It is forgetting that every good thing comes from a hand that also asks for your trust. This week, name one blessing you have started to take for granted. Thank God for it out loud. That simple habit can keep the shine from blinding you.
Main takeaway: Great wealth can be a gift from God, but it can also make us treat what was once precious as nothing at all.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
King Solomon had 300 gold shields hanging in his palace. They were big and shiny. He also had a fancy chair with lions on the steps! But God gave him all those things so he would be a good king.
For ages 9, 12
Solomon was so rich that silver seemed like nothing special. When you have a lot of something, it is easy to stop valuing it. That can happen with friends, parents, or even your faith. The passage asks us to notice what we are taking for granted. God’s blessings deserve our attention, not our boredom.
Questions People Ask
Were Solomon’s 300 gold shields used in battle?
Almost certainly not. The Hebrew word magen refers to smaller hand-shields, and they were made of beaten gold over wood or basketwork. Gold is too soft to stop a real weapon. They were ceremonial or ornamental, probably hung in the House of the Forest of Lebanon to display the king’s wealth and glory.
What was the House of the Forest of Lebanon?
It was a large building in Jerusalem named for its many cedar pillars, which came from the forests of Lebanon. It served as an armory and a hall for royal ceremonies. The gold shields were stored there, and later King Shishak of Egypt took them away (1 Kings 14:26).
Did Solomon actually consider silver worthless?
No. The text says silver “was nothing accounted of”, meaning it was not considered special enough for the king’s own drinking cups and palace utensils. It still had value as currency and metal, but gold was so abundant that silver lost its sense of rarity in the royal household.
What happened to these gold shields later?
After Solomon’s death, the kingdom split. In the fifth year of King Rehoboam, Pharaoh Shishak of Egypt attacked Jerusalem and carried away all the gold shields (1 Kings 14:25-26). Rehoboam replaced them with bronze shields. The glory did not last.
Is the Bible warning us about wealth in this passage?
Many Christians see both a record of blessing and a quiet warning. The book of Kings will go on to show how Solomon’s foreign wives and love of luxury turned his heart from God. The passage does not condemn wealth itself, but it shows how easily abundance can become a distraction from wholehearted devotion.
For pastors & researchers
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