## Radak on II Chronicles Chapter 9

###### Radak on II Chronicles 9:4:1
[Radak on II Chronicles 9:4:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Radak%20on%20II%20Chronicles/r/9:4:1)

**ועליתו אשר יעלה בית יי'.** מעלה שעשה לעלות מביתו לבית יי':

**The Commentary of Radak to Chronicles: A Translation with Introduction and Supercommentary, by Yitzhak Berger, Brown University, 2007:**
**And his *‘aliyyah*, upon which [Solomon] ascended to the House of the Lord.** This is a stairway that he made to ascend from his house to the House of the Lord.


###### Radak on II Chronicles 9:10:1
[Radak on II Chronicles 9:10:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Radak%20on%20II%20Chronicles/r/9:10:1)

**אלגומים.** פרשתיו (לעיל ב ב,ז).

**The Commentary of Radak to Chronicles: A Translation with Introduction and Supercommentary, by Yitzhak Berger, Brown University, 2007:**
***Algummim*.** I have explained this (2 Chr 2:7).


###### Radak on II Chronicles 9:11:1
[Radak on II Chronicles 9:11:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Radak%20on%20II%20Chronicles/r/9:11:1)

**מסלות לבית יי'.** ובספר מלכים אומ' "מסעד לבית יי'" (מ"א י,יב); ופי': עמודי סמיכות התקראות:

**The Commentary of Radak to Chronicles: A Translation with Introduction and Supercommentary, by Yitzhak Berger, Brown University, 2007:**
***Mesillot* for the House of the Lord.** In the book of Kings, however, it says, “*mis‘ad* (=support) for the House of the Lord” (1 Kgs 10:12). What this means is the pillars that supported the ceilings.


###### Radak on II Chronicles 9:12:1
[Radak on II Chronicles 9:12:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Radak%20on%20II%20Chronicles/r/9:12:1)

**מלבד אשר הביאה אל המלך.** ובספר מלכים: "מלבד אשר נתן לה כיד המלך שלמה" (מ"א י,יג). ופי' הפסוק כן הוא: והמלך שלמה נתן למלכת שבא את כל חפצה אשר שאלה, מלבד אשר נתן לה מעצמו כנגד אשר הביאה לו היא; שהיה צריך הוא גם כן לתת לה דברי חמודות מעצמו, כי היא הביאה לו הרבה. והוא נתן לה; כנגד מה שהביאה לו, נתן לה גם הוא – כיד המלך – מהנמצא בארץ ישראל שלא היה נמצא בארצה. ויתכן לפרש: נתן למלכת שבא את כל חפצה אשר שאלה מחידות ומדברי חכמות:

**The Commentary of Radak to Chronicles: A Translation with Introduction and Supercommentary, by Yitzhak Berger, Brown University, 2007:**
**In addition to what she had brought to the king.** But in the book of Kings [it says], “in addition to what *Solomon gave her* in amounts befitting his royal affluence” (1 Kgs 10:13). What the verse means, then, is the following: King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba everything for which she expressed a desire, in addition to *what he gave her on his own to reciprocate for* what she had brought him. After all, he had to give her precious items on his own also, because she had brought him a large amount. So he did so: in amounts befitting his royal affluence, he reciprocated for what she had brought him, with items available in the land of Israel that were not available in her land. It is possible to explain, however, that what he gave the queen of Sheba was everything for which she had expressed an interest that pertained to [the resolution of] difficult questions and to matters of wisdom.


###### Radak on II Chronicles 9:12:2
[Radak on II Chronicles 9:12:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Radak%20on%20II%20Chronicles/r/9:12:2)

**ותהפך ותלך לארצה.** כמו "ותפן ותלך לארצה" הכת' במלכים (מ"א י,יג); ופי': הפכה פניה ללכת. וכן "הפך איש מעל מרכבתו לקראתך" (מ"ב ה,כו):

**The Commentary of Radak to Chronicles: A Translation with Introduction and Supercommentary, by Yitzhak Berger, Brown University, 2007:**
***Vattahafokh* (=and she turned around) and went back to her land.** This is akin to “and she turned and went back to her land” in Kings (1 10:13): it means that she turned her face around to go. The same is true for: “a man *hafakh* (=turned around) to meet you, descending from his chariot” (2 Kgs 5:26).


###### Radak on II Chronicles 9:14:1
[Radak on II Chronicles 9:14:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Radak%20on%20II%20Chronicles/r/9:14:1)

**לבד מאנשי התרים והסחרים.** ה"תרים" הם הסוחרים הקטנים מעטי הסחורות והעסקים, והם מחפשים הרבה על המקח ועל ממכר לפי שעסקם מועט; לפיכך נקראו "תרים". וה"סוחרים" הם הסוחרים הגדולים:

**The Commentary of Radak to Chronicles: A Translation with Introduction and Supercommentary, by Yitzhak Berger, Brown University, 2007:**
**Besides that which the *tarim* and *soḥarim*.** *Tarim* are small-scale merchants, who have little merchandise or business. Because they have little business, they seek large profits when buying and selling.That is why they are called *tarim* (=seekers). *Soḥarim* are large-scale merchants.


###### Radak on II Chronicles 9:16:1
[Radak on II Chronicles 9:16:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Radak%20on%20II%20Chronicles/r/9:16:1)

**שלש מאות זהב.** ובספר מלכים: "שלשת מנים" (מ"א י,יז), כי המנה מאה זהב:

**The Commentary of Radak to Chronicles: A Translation with Introduction and Supercommentary, by Yitzhak Berger, Brown University, 2007:**
**Three hundred [shekels of] gold.** In the book of Kings [it says] “three *mina*s” (1 Kgs 10:17), because a *mina* is one hundred [shekels] of gold.


###### Radak on II Chronicles 9:18:1
[Radak on II Chronicles 9:18:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Radak%20on%20II%20Chronicles/r/9:18:1)

**לכסא מאחזים.** פי': המעלות היו מאחזים לכסא ודבוקים בו, והכבש היה לפני המעלות, והיה בזהב. ופי' "כבש" כמו מעלה; אבל אינו עשוי כמעלות האבנים והעצים שהם זה על זה, אלא מעלה אחת לבד הוא, ומשופע הוא, והולך ועולה מקרקע עד המקום שעולין בו אליו. לפיכך היו עושין למזבח כבש – שעולין בו אליו, כמו שאמ' במשנה "עלה בכבש" (זב' ה,ד), והיה אסור לעשות לו מעלות, כמו שכת' "לא תעלה במעלות" (שמ' כ,כג):

**The Commentary of Radak to Chronicles: A Translation with Introduction and Supercommentary, by Yitzhak Berger, Brown University, 2007:**
**Attached to the throne.** This means: The stairs were attached to the throne and flush up against it, and the *kevesh* (=ramp), which was of gold, was in front of the stairs. *Kevesh* is to be understood as something like a stair. But it is not built like stairs of stones or of wooden beams placed one above another. Rather, it is just one stair, which is on an incline, ascending continually from the ground until the place up to which it leads. That is why they made a *kevesh* for the altar: it was for the purpose of ascending to it—as it says in the Mishnah “He would ascend the *kevesh*” (Zevaḥim 5:4)—and it was forbidden to make stairs for it, as the text says, “Do not ascend by stairs” (Exod 20:23).


###### Radak on II Chronicles 9:21:1
[Radak on II Chronicles 9:21:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Radak%20on%20II%20Chronicles/r/9:21:1)

**שנהבים וקופים ותוכיים.** תרגם יונתן בספר מלכים (מ"א י,כב): "שן דפיל וקופין וטוסין":

**The Commentary of Radak to Chronicles: A Translation with Introduction and Supercommentary, by Yitzhak Berger, Brown University, 2007:**
***Shenhabbim ve-qofim ve-tukkiyyim*.** On [the parallel verse in] the book of Kings (1 10:22), Targum Jonathan renders: “elephant tooth, apes, and peacocks.”


###### Radak on II Chronicles 9:25:1
[Radak on II Chronicles 9:25:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Radak%20on%20II%20Chronicles/r/9:25:1)

**ארבעת אלפים אריות סוסים.** ובמלכים: "ארבעים אלף ארות סוסים" (מ"א ה,ו)! פרשו רבותי' ז"ל (ספרי במ' מב): ארבעים אלף אצטבליות היו ובכל אחת ארבעת אלפים סוסים, או ארבעת אלפים אצטבליות היו ובכל אחת ואחת ארבעים אלף סוסים:

**The Commentary of Radak to Chronicles: A Translation with Introduction and Supercommentary, by Yitzhak Berger, Brown University, 2007:**
**Four thousand stalls of horses.** But in Kings [it says] “*forty* thousand stalls of horses” (1 Kgs 5:6)! Our Sages, of blessed memory (b. Sanhedrin 21b), explain that there were forty thousand stalls, each with four thousand horses; or there were four thousand stalls, each with forty thousand horses.


###### Radak on II Chronicles 9:30:1
[Radak on II Chronicles 9:30:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Radak%20on%20II%20Chronicles/r/9:30:1)

**על כל ישראל ארבעים שנה.** לפי שדוד לא מלך על כל ישראל ארבעים שנה, כי בחברון לבדה מלך שבע שנים – על יהודה (ש"ב ב,יא), לפיכך אמ' כי שלמה מלך על כל ישראל ארבעים שנה:

**The Commentary of Radak to Chronicles: A Translation with Introduction and Supercommentary, by Yitzhak Berger, Brown University, 2007:**
**Over all Israel for forty years.** Because David did not reign over *all Israel* for forty years—after all, for seven years he reigned in Hebron only, over Judah (2 Sam 2:11)—the text says that Solomon did reign over all Israel for forty years.