SEV Biblia, Chapter 10:28
Y sacaban caballos y lienzos a Salomón de Egipto; porque la compañía de los mercaderes del rey compraban caballos y lienzos.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - 1 Kings 10:28
Verse 28. Horses brought out of Egypt] It is thought that the first people who used horses in war were the Egyptians; and it is well known that the nations who knew the use of this creature in battle had greatly the advantage of those who did not. God had absolutely prohibited horses to be imported or used; but in many things Solomon paid little attention to the Divine command. And linen yarn] The original word, hwqm mikveh, is hard to be understood, if it be not indeed a corruption.
The versions are all puzzled with it: the Vulgate and Septuagint make it a proper name: "And Solomon had horses brought out of Egypt, and from Coa, or Tekoa." Some think it signifies a tribute, thus Bochart: "They brought horses to Solomon out of Egypt; and as to the tribute, the farmers of this prince received it at a price." They farmed the tribute, gave so much annually for it, taking the different kinds to themselves, and giving a round sum for the whole.
Some suppose that MIKVEH signifies the string or cord by which one horse's head is tied to the tail of another; and that the meaning is, Solomon brought droves of horses, thus tied, out of Egypt.
Rabbi Solomon Jarchi, in his comment on the parallel place, 2 Chron. i. 14, says that hwqm mikveh signifies a collection or drove of horses, or what the Germans call stutte, a stud. He observes on that place, "That he has heard that there was a company of merchants in Egypt, who bought horses from the Egyptians at a certain price, on condition that no person should be permitted to bring a horse out of Egypt but through them." Houbigant supposes the place to be corrupt, and that for hwqm mikveh we should read hbkrm mercabah, chariots: "And Solomon had horses brought out of Egypt, and chariots; and the king's merchants received the chariots at a price: and a chariot came up and went out of Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver," &c. This makes a very good and consistent sense; but none of the versions acknowledged it, nor is there any various reading here in any of the MSS. yet collated.
If we understand it of thread, it may refer to the byssus or fine flax for which Egypt was famous; but I do not see on what authority we translate it linen thread. Bochart's opinion appears to me the most probable, as the text now stands; but the charge contended for by Houbigant makes the text far more simple and intelligible.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 28. And Solomon had horses brought out of Egypt , etc.] To mount his horsemen with, and draw his chariots; which seems contrary to the command in ( Deuteronomy 17:16) and linen yarn; the king’s merchants received the linen yarn at a price ; or rather linen itself; or linen garments, as Ben Gersom; linen being the staple commodity of Egypt, (see Isaiah 19:9), but no mention is made of yarn in ( 2 Chronicles 9:28), and the word rendered “linen yarn” signifies a confluence or collection of waters and other things; and the words may be rendered, “as for the collection, the king’s merchants received the collection at a price”; that is, the collection of horses, a large number of them got together for sale; these they took at a price set upon them f284 , which is as follows.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 14-29 - Solomon increased his wealth. Silver was nothing accounted of. Such is the nature of worldly wealth, plenty of it makes it the less valuable much more should the enjoyment of spiritual riches lessen our esteem of all earthly possessions. If gold in abundance makes silver to be despised, shall not wisdom, and grace, and the foretastes of heaven which are far better than gold, make gold to be lightly esteemed? Se in Solomon's greatness the performance of God's promise, and let it encourage us to seek first the righteousness of God's kingdom. This wa he, who, having tasted all earthly enjoyments, wrote a book, to sho the vanity of all worldly things, the vexation of spirit that attend them, and the folly of setting our hearts upon them: and to recommen serious godliness, as that which will do unspeakably more to make u happy, that all the wealth and power he was master of; and, through the grace of God, it is within our reach __________________________________________________________________
Original Hebrew
ומוצא 4161 הסוסים 5483 אשׁר 834 לשׁלמה 8010 ממצרים 4714 ומקוה 4723 סחרי 5503 המלך 4428 יקחו 3947 מקוה 4723 במחיר׃ 4242
