rele,tive ve,lue which the precious metals valents of these weights are very uncertain. bore to the commodities of life, than the Both the silver e.nd the gold talent have estimate made by Dr. Prideaux of the been very variously calculated in this treasures left by David, amounting to eight relation. Some of the best authorities put hundred millions. ne.arly the capital of our the silver tRlent at £342 3s. 9d., and the national debt." It must be noted, however, gold at £547_5. This wo_uld make the money that Milmsn himself proceeds, when speak- value described by this verse nearly nine ing of " the sou,·ces of the vast wealth which hundred millions of our money. Other Solomon undoubtedly possessed," to bring estimates are considerably in excess of this very enormous sums (whether somewhat sum, and but few fall below it. Vast as the less or even somewhat more than the nbove sum is, we may be helped in some degree to estimate of Dr. Prideaux) more within the accept it by the statement of Pliny, who range of the possible, to our imagination. (' Nat. Hist.,' xxxii. 15) tells us that Cyrus, He justly remarks, for instance, that it is in his subjugation of Asia, took half as many to be remembered that "the treasures of talents of silver as are here mentioned, e.nd David were accumulated rather by conquest thirty-four thousand pounds of gold /see than traffic, that some of the nations he articles in Smith's • Bible Dictionary/ on subdued, particularly the Edomites, were "Muney," and on" Weights e.nd Measures"). very wealthy. All the tribes seem to have Among the most valuable works on these worn a great deal of gold and silver, both in subjects are De Saulcy's 'Numismatique their ornaments and in their armour; their Judaique,' and F. Me.dden's • Jewish idols were often of gold ; and the trea.sunes Coinage.' of their temples, perhaps, contained con- Ver. 15.-So too eh. :x:xviii. 21: 2 Chron. siderable wealth. But during the reign of ii. 7, 17, 18; as well as vers. 2-4 of the Solomon, almost the tehole commerce of the present chapter. world passed into his territories." After Ver. 16.-Arise . .. e.nd be doing. The substantiating by details these and similar first and last words of Ezra. x. 4 are found positions (pp. 267-271), he sums up, "It here, and note may be me.de of the similarity was from these various sources of wee.Ith of the expression. that the precious metals and all other Vers. 17-19.-These verses conto.in ,·aluable co=odities were in such abun- David's command, accompanied by urgent dance that, m the figurative language of argument, to the princes of Israel, to render the sacred historian, 'silver was in Jeru• their hearty assistance. salem as stones, and cedar trees as sycamores.'" Ver. 17.-All the princes; i.e. those who Since the date ofMilme.n's words just quoted, held positions of authority as commo.nders, howernr, investigation of ancient weights leaders, elders, heads of tribes, and chiefs of and measures, and of those of Scripture, the fathers (eh. :x:xvii. 22 ; x:xiii. 2; xxviii. I). has me.de some advance, yet not sufficient Ver. 18.-The whole of this verse ahould to enable llB to arrive at any certainty as to have been suggestive of memories thrilling those of our present passage. Assuming with interest. What David says here is that the text of our present verse is not cor- equivalent to the declaration of the perfect rupt, and that the figures which it gives are fulfilment of the promises of nine hundred correct, the weight and the value of the gold years ago. By faith of those very promi8es and silver mentioned are very great, what- how many generation11 had lived I What ever the talent in question. This assump- journeyings, suspense, punishment, and tion, however, cannot be relied upon, and it struggle, the intervening centuries had seems ece.rcely legitimate to interpret the wit.uessed 1 .And now at le.at it is given to talent as any than the Hebrew talent, con- the lip of the aged David to pronounce sidering the silence observed as regards any the termino.tion of e. nation's prolonged con- other. It need not be said here that the flict, its entrance into peo.ce, and the fulfil- exchanges of money value were estimated in ment of the most impassioned wishes, ima- these times by so much weight of gold or ginings, and prayers of the patriarchs, of silver. Further, "the shekel of the sanc- Moses, and of a long line of the faithful. tuary" (Exod. :x:xx. 13; Lev. :x:xvii. 3), pos- It was well for David that he could not sibly the same with "the shekel after the foresee and did not know how near the cul- king's weight" (2 Sam. xvi. 26), and which minating of a nation's glory and prosperity was kept in the tabernacle, and afterwards might be to its woeful foll and prolongecl in the temple--we.s presumably the ste.n<lard. decay. The analogy that obtains in this 'fhe gold talent was double the weight of respect between the history of nn individual the silver talent. It weighed 1,320,000 and of e. nation is as rrmo.rlmble as it should grains, instead of 6G0,000. The silver talent be instructive and turned to the uses of contained 50 manehs, of GO shekels each; warning. but tl,e ~old talent contained I 00 1nanehH, of Ver. 19.-To bring the ark of the covenant 100 shekels each. 'l'he modern mon1•.y cr1ui- of the Lord, and the holy vessels of God. To ce. xxn. 1-19.] THE FIRST BOOK OF THE CHMlUCLES. 357
settle these in a fixed home had now been ::9?f1, here translated "that is to be built," of a long time the consmnin" desire of is to be noticed. The meanin.,. of David David's heart (so eh. xv. I; 2° Chron. v. wo_uld be better met probably th~: "Arise, 2-4). Into the house that is to be built. bmld, the sanctna.ry . . . to bring the ark !l'he preposition r, instead of 1;,~, before " the ... mto the house (then) builded to the house," is to be noticed here (eh. xxv. 26; Name of the Lord." Neh. L 35). Also the Niphal participle,