II Chronicles 1:16 · Bible study
2 Chronicles 1:16 Commentary: From Egypt and Kue
Hebrew · 7 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Did Solomon violate Deuteronomy's ban on importing horses from Egypt?
Research Summary
- Meaning: Solomon imported horses from Egypt and Kue through royal traders, illustrating the wealth God promised him.
- Key words: ḥors (horses), miqve (droves or place name Kue), soḥare (traders), meḥir (price).
- Main debate: Did Solomon violate Deuteronomy 17:16 by importing horses from Egypt? Or does the Chronicler intend this as a neutral fulfillment of blessing?
- Theological theme: God's faithfulness to His promises, even when human response is imperfect; the ambiguity of wealth and power.
- Best use: A case study in reading Old Testament narrative, noticing what the author emphasizes (blessing) and what he does not (condemnation), while letting the whole canon inform our moral understanding.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and Kue; the royal merchants purchased them from Kue.
WEB World English Bible 2000
The horses which Solomon had were brought out of Egypt and from Kue. The king’s merchants purchased them from Kue.
KJV King James Version 1769
And Solomon had horses brought out of Egypt, and linen yarn: the king’s merchants received the linen yarn at a price.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
And the horses which Solomon had were brought out of Egypt; the king’s merchants received them in droves, each drove at a price.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
And the source of the horses that are to Solomon is from Egypt and from Keva; merchants of the king from Keva take at a price,
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And the exportation of horses that Solomon had was from Egypt: a caravan of the king's merchants fetched a drove [of horses], at a price.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
And there were horses brought him from Egypt, and from Coa by the king's merchants, who went, and bought at a price,
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Y sacaban caballos y lienzos finos de Egipto para Salomón; pues por contrato tomaban allí los mercaderes del rey caballos y lienzos.
E traziam cavalos do Egito e de Coa para Salomão; pois os mercadores do rei os compravam de Coa por um certo preço.
C’ était de l’ Égypte que Salomon tirait ses chevaux; une caravane de marchands du roi allait les chercher par troupes à un prix fixe;
Und man brachte Salomo Rosse aus Ägypten und allerlei Ware; und die Kaufleute des Königs kauften die Ware
En het uitbrengen der paarden was hetgeen Salomo uit Egypte had; en aangaande het linnengaren, de kooplieden des konings namen het linnengaren voor den prijs.
I cavalli che Salomone aveva, gli venian menati dall’Egitto; le carovane di mercanti del re li andavano a prendere a mandre, per un prezzo convenuto;
I przywodzono konie Salomonowi z Egiptu, i rozliczne towary; bo kupcy królewscy brali towary rozliczne za pewne pieniądze.
Коней Соломону приводили из Египта и из Кувы; купцы царские из Кувы получали их за деньги.
所羅門 的 馬 是從埃及 帶來的，是王的 商人 一群 一群 按著定價 買來的。
And Solomon's horses came out of Egypt; the king's traders got them from Kue at a price.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · II Chronicles 1:16
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that II Chronicles 1:16 describes Solomon's importation of horses from Egypt and from a region called Kue. Keil & Delitzsch note that the Chronicler includes this short statement to show how God fulfilled His promise of riches and possessions. The verse is nearly identical to 1 Kings 10:28, though the Chronicler places it earlier in his narrative. There is broad agreement that the KJV rendering 'linen yarn' is a mistranslation; the Hebrew word miqve likely means 'droves' or, as the Cambridge Bible argues, may conceal a proper name Ku'i (Cilicia). Matthew Henry explicitly cites Deuteronomy 17:16's prohibition against multiplying horses and says Solomon is not to be praised for this. The consensus, then, is that the verse shows Solomon's wealth and extensive trade, but at least some interpreters see a tension between that blessing and the king's obedience to Torah.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Violation view: Deuteronomy 17:16 explicitly prohibits multiplying horses from Egypt; Matthew Henry and others see this as direct disobedience regardless of the Chronicler's silence.
- Benign fulfillment view: The Chronicler presents this as proof of God's promise in 1:12, without any critical comment, suggesting he does not intend a moral condemnation here.
- Historical/trade view: The focus is on the geographical and economic realities: Egypt was a market, not a source, and the horses came via Kue (Cilicia) from further east, so the Deuteronomy prohibition may not apply strictly.
What is clear: Solomon engaged in extensive horse trading with Egypt and points north, amassing great wealth, and this episode is placed by the Chronicler as evidence that God gave Solomon the riches He promised.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Solomon's violation of Deuteronomy 17:16 | All agree that the law forbids a king from multiplying horses and returning to Egypt. The verse describes precisely such an activity. | Matthew Henry and some traditions see clear disobedience. Others argue the Chronicler omits any criticism, focusing instead on God's promise, and that the trade may have been indirect (Egypt as a market, not the source). |
| Translation of 'miqve' | The word likely refers to either a drove (of horses) or a place name (Kue/Cilicia). | The KJV and Geneva Bible read 'linen yarn'; the Cambridge Bible notes three views: yarn, drove, or Cilicia. Most modern scholarly translations prefer the place name Kue. |
| Purpose in the Chronicler's narrative | The passage illustrates Solomon's God-given wealth and shows the fulfillment of the promise in 1:12. | Some see an implicit warning (the mention of Egypt triggers Deuteronomy). Others see only a positive demonstration of blessing, with moral evaluation left to the reader who knows the rest of the story. |
| Historicity of the large numbers | Solomon had a substantial horse trade and chariot force (1,400 chariots, 12,000 horsemen). | The exact numbers may be stylized or rounded; critical scholarship sometimes questions whether the scale is exaggerated, while conservative readings accept the figures as reliable. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Egypt was not a horse-breeding country. The Cambridge Bible observes that Egypt lacks broad plains suitable for rearing large numbers of horses, so it likely functioned only as a market. The horses probably originated further east, from Armenia or Anatolia, and were traded through intermediaries. Kue is widely identified with Cilicia, a region in southeastern Asia Minor, though Cilicia itself also was not a horse-breeding center. The mention of Kue suggests Solomon's trade network extended deep into Asia Minor, connecting him to the major land routes of the ancient Near East.
Verse 17 adds context: chariots came from Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for one hundred fifty. Solomon was not only a consumer but also a supplier, he exported chariots and horses to Hittite and Syrian kings. This international trade made him both wealthy and strategically powerful.
Deuteronomy 17:16 explicitly warned Israel's king not to 'multiply horses to himself' nor 'cause the people to return to Egypt.' Solomon's actions directly raised this concern. Matthew Henry pressed it: 'The king was forbidden to multiply horses, Deut. xvii. 16.' The Chronicler, however, does not add any moral commentary. His purpose, as Keil & Delitzsch explain, was to demonstrate that God had given Solomon 'riches and possessions' in response to his prayer for wisdom. The historical setting thus forces readers to weigh God's blessing against the king's apparent disregard for a specific commandment.
Textual Notes
The Hebrew word miqve (מִקְוֵא) appears only here and in the parallel 1 Kings 10:28. Its meaning has been disputed. The KJV, following the Vulgate and ancient Jewish tradition, rendered it as 'linen yarn.' The Cambridge Bible surveys three possibilities: (1) 'yarn' from an Arabic cognate; (2) 'drove' from the root meaning to collect; (3) a place name, Ku'i or Kue = Cilicia, known from Assyrian inscriptions. Most modern translations (WEB, BSB, ASV) adopt either 'droves' or the place name 'Kue.' No significant manuscript variants exist for the Hebrew text; the difference lies in how the word is understood lexically.
Reception History
This verse has seldom been a focal point for major theological controversy. During the Reformation, Matthew Henry used it to illustrate the danger of royal prosperity when it conflicts with explicit scriptural commands, a theme that resonated in debates about the moral duties of rulers. The Chronicler's free adaptation of material from 1 Kings drew attention from source critics like Keil & Delitzsch, who noted how the Chronicler arranged the same facts to highlight God's faithfulness rather than Solomon's failings. In liturgical reading, this verse typically appears as part of the larger Solomon narrative, where preachers have often paused to ask whether earthly success can coexist with fidelity to God's law. It remains a text that forces careful readers to hold blessing and obedience together.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- God keeps His promises. Solomon asked for wisdom; God added wealth, including a vast horse trade. The Chronicler uses this to show God's faithfulness.
- Blessing can come with moral ambiguity. The same horses that display Solomon's prosperity also run up against the law in Deuteronomy. Prosperity is not always a sign of perfect obedience.
- The heart matters more than the scale. Solomon's resources were enormous, but the Chronicler's narrative does not stop here, later chapters show how these very assets became a snare.
Five-point outline
- The source of the horses: Egypt and Kue (v.16).
- The agents: the king's merchants trading at a price (v.16).
- The scale: a fully developed import-export business (v.17).
- The tension: Deuteronomy 17:16 hovers over the account.
- The Chronicler's purpose: not judgment, but evidence that God gave what He promised.
Illustration hooks
- The successful entrepreneur whose business thrives but who quietly bends ethical rules to keep up. The growth itself is God's gift, but the shortcuts raise hard questions about faithfulness.
- A church building project funded by donors whose business practices conflict with Christian teaching. Leaders rejoice in the provision even as they wrestle with the source.
- Ancient trade routes as a picture of globalization: a king uses the best of the world's resources, but the Bible asks whether he is using them God's way.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Did Solomon sin by importing horses from Egypt, and if so, why does the Chronicler not condemn it?
- How do I tell the difference between a blessing from God and a decision that actually disobeys Him?
- Is it possible to receive good things from God even when I am making questionable choices?
Leading a Discussion
This verse sits right after Solomon's prayer at Gibeon and God's promise of riches. The Chronicler quickly shows how that promise was fulfilled. But the mention of horses from Egypt echoes Deuteronomy's warning against a king 'multiplying horses' and 'returning to Egypt' (Deut. 17:16). As your group reads, hold these two realities together: God's generous gift and the king's potentially dangerous choice.
Discussion questions
- What do you observe about the scale of Solomon's horse trade from vv.14, 17? List the numbers, places, and people involved.
- Why do you think the Chronicler places this description immediately after the Gibeon story of God's promise?
- Matthew Henry says we should not praise Solomon for this because of Deuteronomy's ban. Others point out the Chronicler does not criticize. How do you weigh those two readings?
- What does the word 'export' (Hebrew motza) tell you about Solomon's role? Was he only a buyer or also a seller?
- How might Solomon's success in trade have actually led him away from trusting God? Is prosperity ever dangerous for faith?
- Think of a time when you received something good from God that later became a temptation. How did you handle that tension?
- If you were the Chronicler, what would you want readers to learn from this verse about God and about human leadership?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| I Kings 10:28 | The horses which Solomon had were brought out of Egypt. The king’s merchants received them in droves, each drove at a price. |
| I Kings 10:29 | A chariot was imported from Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for one hundred fifty shekels; and so they exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and to the kings of Syria. |
| II Chronicles 9:28 | They brought horses for Solomon out of Egypt and out of all lands. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
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What the Commentators Say
6 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke's comment on this verse is limited to identifying "linen yarn" and pointing to his fuller treatment of the subject in his note on 1 Kings 10:28. He offers no further explanation or interpretation here beyond that cross-reference.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
This passage is very nearly identical with 1 Ki 10:26-29 .
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The Cambridge Bible Schools commentary argues that "linen yarn" is a mistranslation; the Hebrew word probably means "drove" or refers to Cilicia. The verse describes Solomon's horse trading from Egypt and likely from Cilicia, with merchants receiving them at a price. Egypt may even be a scribal error for Musri.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Bible notes highlight that Solomon’s
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange observes that the Chronicler presents Solomon's sacrifice at Gibeon with the full assembly of Israel’s leaders, a detail not in Kings. He emphasizes that the Chronicler omits Solomon’s peace offerings and the wise judgment between the two women, focusing instead on the brilliant and magnificent features that introduce the temple-building account.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry notes that Solomon's gathering of chariots and horsemen is not praiseworthy, since the king was forbidden to multiply horses from Egypt. He contrasts Solomon's grandeur with David's humility, who never rode in a chariot or on horseback but mounted only a mule. Henry urges excelling in goodness rather than in grandeur.