account or the youth of Solomon (repee.ted The simplest idea or the word is "heavy," from eh. xxii. 5) evidently pressed hee.vily thence precious, clear, rare (2 Sam. xii. 30 : on him. The e.dditional expression here is 1 King~ v. 31; vii. 9; x. 2; ell. xx. 2; i to be noticed, whom a.lone God he.th chosen. Chron. iii. 6; ix. 1 ; Joh xxvi(•. 16; xxxi. By this plea., full of truth e.s it was, we may 26; Prov. i. 13; iii. 1:'i; Isa. xxviii. Hi; suppose the.t David would shelter himself Ezek. xxviii. 13; Dan. xi. 38). 6. Marble from any possible blame or reflection on the stones; 1::,p, the elementary idea of wl,ich is po.rt of the people, from the diarge or whiteness. This word is fnun,\ only here; pe.rtiality on the part of hie elder children, Septuagint e.nd Vulg;ite, "Pu,·iun marble." and any unjust alight to them, an,l also A word akin (lit), meaning also "white from any self-reproach, in that he was marble" is found in Esth. i. 6; Cant. v. 16. devolving such a responsible task on so Tile further treatment of these stones will young and tender a man. Palace. This be founcl on 2 Chron. iii. 6. word (;i-;i•:;:;:i), by which the temple is dcsig- Ver.3.-Translate, And, moreover, beoause natecl here and in ver. 19, seems to be very of my delight in the house of my God, what probably a word or Persian derivation. 1t I have 118 mine own tre11Sure of gold and of is found in Neh. i. 1; in Dan. viii. 2; but silver I have given to the house of my (iod, very frequently in Esther, where it is used over and above all I have prepe.red for the not only of "Shushan the palace" (Esth. i. 2; ii. 3; iii. 15), as the royal abode, but also holy hoDBe. The word ;i\,Jo, on the seven of the special part of the city adjoining the other occnsions of its us~·-. (Exocl. xix. 5 ; palace proper (Esth. i. 5; ii. 5; viii. 14; Deut. vii. 6; xiv. 2; xxvi. 18; Ps. cxxxv. 11. 6). The word is found also in Neh. ii. 4; Eccles. ii. 8; J\fol. iii 17), is founcl in the, 8 ; but there it carries the signification of Authorized Version as "peculiar treasure"or the fortress of the temple. There may be "special treusure" e.nd once" jewels," but in some specie.I e.pproprie.teness in its use here, every inste.nce it is evident that the special- in consideration of the circumstance of the ness denoted is at one with tl,e idea of tho fortifice.tions e.nd wall, which flanked the e.ffection that is borne by a person to his owu temple. ' pos&ession e.nd property. Ver. 2.-The six designations of stones in Ver. 4.-Respeoting the uncertfLinty of the this verse are as follows :-1. Onyx stones ; amounts here denoted, even if the numbers c;ii!/ (Gen. ii. 12; Exod. xxv. 7: xxviii. of the present text be accepted e.s correct, 9; xxxv. 9; xxxix. 6; Job xxviii. 16; Ezek, see note on eh. xxii. 14. Bertlle11u and Keil make three thousand talents of gold xxviii. 13). 2. Stones to be set c•i::1\,z:;i or c•~~z:i the equivalent of tllirteen millions and a (Exod. xxv. 7; xxxv. 9;27; the feminine forin half of our money, and sevijn thousand of the same word is found in Exod. xxviii. 17, talents of silver the equiv11lent of two un,l 20; xxxix. 13). The other meonings of this a he.lf millions of our money-or, if tl1e royol word are inauguration to the priest's office shekel instee.d of the sacred be supposed to (Lev. viii. 33), ancl the sacrifice of inaugura- be the standard, they me.ke tllem the hulf tion (Lev. vii. 37). 3. Glistering stones; of those two amounts respectivdy. Otllers 111e. Geseuius snys this is the same root c11lcul11te tho value of the gold to reuch with cj>iiKor, sonweed. From this seaweed an thirty millions, 11nd of the silver three alkaline pigment W118 prepared, which came millions of our money (see Conder's 'Bible to be called by the same word. This Hnndbook,' 2nd edit., pp. 63-65, 81). Hebrew word also meant a "dye " made The situation of Ophir is slill considero,l from ati'bium, the Lntin name of antimony undetermined. The other occnsionson which (Septue.gint, <TT1µ.µ.l: Vulge.t~, stibiur~), witll it is mentioned e.re as follows :-Gen. x. 29 which Helirew women stnrned their eye- (eh. i. 23); 1 Kings ix. 28; x. 11; xxii. l11shes (see e.lso 2 Kings ix. 30; !Mn. liv. 11; 49; 2 Chron. viii. 18; ix. 10; Job xxii. :/.4: Jer. iv. 30). Gesenius would translate here xxviii. 16; Ps. xiv. 10; Isa. xiii. 12. It " stones of pigment," and understands them must be understood nlso thot it is to it thnt to mee.n possibly mnrble for covering, as allu~ion ia made in 1 Kings x. 22, where we though with a solid paint, the walls. 4. rc11d that silver, ivory, 11pes, and pencocks, Stones of divers ooloura; ;irf?"l· This word, beside tile gold, were imported into Judam whioh mee.ns "ve.riege.ted," is only in this from it. 'fho " almug " tree is ulso snid to p 11 ssaae e.pplied to stones. It is applied have been brought in the snme sl,ips which once to the fe11thers of the eagle (Ezek. !Jrought the gold of Ophir. 'l'he Scptu11gint 0
xvii. 3); but almost alw11ys to neecllework al ways translates by some form of the word or ge.rments, oft~n being tre._nslnte~, in the ::l1ou11>ir (except in Gen. x. 29), whicll wonl Authorizecl Yers1on as ·• bro1dered (Judg. cornea very nenr the Coptio name for luuia. v. 30; Ps. xl v. 15; Exek. xvi. 10, 13, 18; There ia also a place in India, monlioncd liy xxvi.16; xxvii. 7, 16, 24). 5. All m11nnerof Ptolemy, Ammi11uus, nud AlrnHc,h1, tlld preoio111 etonee. The feminine form, ;i-;if:',, site of tho preacut e,uporillm of Goa, c(llle,l 436 THE FIRST BOOK OF 'l'HE CHRONICLES. [on. :uxx. 1---30.