3 Kings 10:18
King Solomon also made a great throne of ivory: and overlaid it with the finest gold.
Open 3 Kings 10:18 in the Motif Searcher, word by word across all five texts →Show on the spiral →The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- Fecit etiam rex Salomon thronum de ebore grandem : et vestivit eum auro fulvo nimis,
- Septuagint (Swete)
- καὶ ἐποίησεν ὁ βασιλεὺς θρόνον ἐλεφάντινον μέγαν, καὶ περιεχρύσωσεν αὐτὸν χρυσίῳ δοκίμῳ.
- Hebrew (WLC)
- וַיַּ֧עַשׂ הַמֶּ֛לֶךְ כִּסֵּא שֵׁ֖ן גָּד֑וֹל וַיְצַפֵּ֖הוּ זָהָ֥ב מוּפָֽז
Haydock's commentary
Ivory. Hebrew, "of the tooth" (or horn) of elephants: people do not agree of which the ivory is formed. See Pliny ([Natural History?] viii. 3.) for the former sentiment, and for the latter, Varro vi. Ezechiel (xxvii. 15.) seems to unite both sentiments, calling it, "horns of the tooth." (Haydock)
Ivory may, in effect, be wrought like horn.
Finest. Hebrew, "gold of Uphas." This was the country whence it was brought; (Jeremias x. 9.) probably Colchis, where the river Phasis, or Phison, flows, Genesis ii. 11. (Calmet)
The Chaldean calls Uphas, (in Jeremias) Ophir; and Huet supposes that Paz and Parvaim designate the same place, chap. ix. 28., and Job xxviii. 17. (Du Hamel)
In Paralipomenon, we only read, pure gold, which would suffer the ivory to appear in some places. (Calmet)
From Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary, 1859, in the transcription made by Todd Easton and kept online by John Paul Wohlschied at johnblood.gitlab.io/haydock.
The Fathers on this verse
St John Chrysostom The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on Philippians, Colossians, and Thessalonians, 1 Thessalonians 3:5-8
What then is one to say? That the Saints knew not all things. And this one might learn from many instances, both of the early ones, and of those who came after them, as Elisha knew not concerning the woman ( 2 Kings iv. 27 .); as Elijah said to God, “I only am left, and they seek my life.” Wherefore he heard from God, “I have left me seven thousand men.” ( 1 Kings xix. 10 and 18 .) Samuel again, when he was sent to anoint David; “The Lord said to him, Look not on his countenance, nor on the height of his stature; because I have rejected him: for God seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but God looketh on the heart.” ( 1 Sam. xvi. 7 .)