Attributed commentary excerpt
John Gill's Exposition on 1 Kings 4:28
A historical reference excerpt for this verse. Read it alongside the biblical text and other available sources.
Exposition of the Old and New Testament
John Gill (1697–1771) · 18th-century historical commentary
Source: BibleWord.ai's local reference edition of this named work.
Barley also, and straw for the horses and dromedaries, etc.] Or rather mules, by comparing the passage with (<140924>2 Chronicles 9:24); the particular kind of creatures meant is not agreed on; though all take them to be a swifter sort of creatures than horses; or the swifter of horses, as race horses or posts horses: barley was for their provender, that being the common food of horses in those times and countries, and in others, as Bochart f59 has shown from various writers; and in the Misnah f60 it is called the food of beasts; and Solomon is said to have every day his own horses two hundred thousand Neapolitan measures of called “tomboli” f61; so the Roman soldiers, the horse were allowed a certain quantity of barley for their horses every morning, and sometimes they had money instead of it, which they therefore called “hordiarium” f62 and the “straw” was for the litter of them: these brought they unto the place; where the officers were; not where the king was, as the Vulgate Latin version; where Solomon was, as the Arabic version, that is, in Jerusalem; nor where [the officers] were; in their respective jurisdictions, as our version supplies it, which would be bringing them to themselves; but to the place where the beasts were, whether in Jerusalem, or in any, other parts of the kingdom: every man according to his charge: which he was monthly to perform.
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