The Meaning of 1 Kings 4:26 Explained

1 Kings 4:26

KJV: And Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen.

YLT: And Solomon hath forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen.

Darby: And Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen.

ASV: And Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And Solomon  had forty  thousand  stalls  of horses  for his chariots,  and twelve  thousand  horsemen. 

What does 1 Kings 4:26 Mean?

Context Summary

1 Kings 4:1-34 - Breaking Three Commandments
From a worldly point of view Naboth might have done a good stroke of business by selling his estate to. Ahab. A royal price and assured favor might have been his-but he had a conscience! Above the persuasive tones of the monarch's offer sounded the voice of God: "The land shall not be sold for ever, for the land is mine." See Leviticus 25:23; Numbers 36:7; Ezekiel 46:18.
Ahab knew perfectly well that Jezebel could not give him the property of another except by foul means, but he took pains not to inquire. Though the direct orders for Naboth's death did not come from him, yet, by his silence, he was an accomplice and an accessory; and divine justice penetrates all such specious excuses. God holds us responsible for wrongs which we do not arrest, though we have the power. The crime was blacker because of the pretext of religion, as suggested by a fast. See also 2 Kings 9:26. The blood of murdered innocence cries to God, and his requital, though delayed, is inevitable. See Revelation 6:9-10. [source]

Chapter Summary: 1 Kings 4

1  Solomon's princes
7  His twelve officers for provision
20  The peace and largeness of his kingdom
22  His daily provision
26  His stable
29  His wisdom

What do the individual words in 1 Kings 4:26 mean?

And had Solomon forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots and two [and] ten horsemen
וַיְהִ֣י לִשְׁלֹמֹ֗ה אַרְבָּעִ֥ים אֶ֛לֶף אֻרְוֺ֥ת סוּסִ֖ים לְמֶרְכָּב֑וֹ וּשְׁנֵים־ עָשָׂ֥ר פָּרָשִֽׁים

וַיְהִ֣י  And  had 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
לִשְׁלֹמֹ֗ה  Solomon 
Parse: Preposition-l, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: שְׁלֹמֹה  
Sense: son of David by Bathsheba and 3rd king of Israel; author of Proverbs and Song of Songs.
אַרְבָּעִ֥ים  forty 
Parse: Number, common plural
Root: אַרְבָּעִים  
Sense: forty.
אֶ֛לֶף  thousand 
Parse: Number, masculine singular
Root: אֶלֶף 
Sense: a thousand.
אֻרְוֺ֥ת  stalls 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct
Root: אֻרְוָה 
Sense: manger, crib, stall (for animals).
סוּסִ֖ים  of  horses 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: סוּס 
Sense: swallow, swift.
לְמֶרְכָּב֑וֹ  for  his  chariots 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: מֶרְכָּב  
Sense: chariot, place to ride, riding seat.
וּשְׁנֵים־  and  two 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Number, md
Root: שְׁנַיִם  
Sense: two.
עָשָׂ֥ר  [and]  ten 
Parse: Number, masculine singular
Root: עָשָׂר 
Sense: ten, -teen (in combination with other numbers).
פָּרָשִֽׁים  horsemen 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: פָּרָשׁ 
Sense: horse, steed, warhorse.