Matthew Poole and continuators on 1 Kings 4:26

26 ¶ And Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his charets , and twelve thousand horsemen .

In 2 Chron. 9. 25. it is but four thousand. Ans. First, Some acknowledge an error of the Transcriber, writing arbal[illegible: 1+ letters]m, forty, for arbah, four, which was an easie mistake. And such mistakes in some Copies, in these lesser matters, God might permit, for the trial and exercise of our Faith, without any prejudice to the Authority of the Sacred Scriptures in the great Doctrines of Faith and good life. Secondly, It is not exactly the same Hebrew word which is here and there, though we Translate both stalls; and therefore there may well be allowed some difference in the signification, the one signifying properly stables, of which there were 4000, the other stalls or partitions for each Horse, which were 40000. Which great number seems directly forbidden, Deut. 17. 16. except Solomon had some particular dispensation from God, which might be, though it be not Recorded.

Both for his Military Charets, which seem to be those 1400, 1 King. 10. 26. and for divers other uses, as about his great and various Buildings, and Merchandises, and other occasions, which might require some thousands of other Charets.

Appointed partly for the defence and preservation of his People in peace; and partly, for attendance upon his Person, and for the Splendor of his Government. Compare chap. 10. 26. But the words may be otherwise rendred, and 12000 horses, for Parash manifestly signifies both an horse and horsemen. And these might be a better [illegible: 1+ letters]ort of Horses than most of those which were designed for the Charets. Or thus, and for (which Particle is easily understood and bortowed from the foregoing clause) 12000 horsemen: and so he means that the 40000 Horses were in part appointed for his Charets, and in part for his 12000 Horsemen.

Marginal references: [illegible: 1+ letters] Chr. 9. 25.