2 Chronicles 9 · Verse 21

2 Chronicles 9:21

For the king’s ships went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram: every three years once came the ships of Tarshish bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks.
2 Chronicles 9:21, King James Version

2 Chronicles 9:21 in other translations

BSBFor the king had the ships of Tarshish that went with Hiram’s servants, and once every three years the ships of Tarshish would arrive bearing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.
WEBFor the king had ships that went to Tarshish with Huram’s servants. Once every three years, the ships of Tarshish came bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.
ASVFor the king had ships that went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram; once every three years came the ships of Tarshish, bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks.
YLTfor ships of the king are going to Tarshish, with servants of Huram: once in three years come do the ships of Tarshish bearing gold, and silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.
DARBYFor the king's ships went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram: once in three years came the ships of Tarshish, bringing gold and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks.
BBEFor the king had Tarshish-ships sailing with the servants of Huram: once every three years the Tarshish-ships came back with gold and silver, ivory and monkeys and peacocks.
WebsterFor the king's ships went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram: once every three years came the ships of Tarshish bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks.

What does 2 Chronicles 9:21 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
21. the king's ships went to Tarshish--rather, "the king's ships of Tarshish went" with the servants of Huram. ships of Tarshish--that is, in burden and construction like the large vessels built for or used at Tarshish [Calmet, Fragments].

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 21 The king's ships went to Tarshish - "Went to Africa." - Targum.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 2 Chronicles 9:13-31

The imports here mentioned, would show that prosperity drew the minds of Solomon and his subjects to the love of things curious and uncommon, though useless in themselves. True wisdom and happiness are always united together; but no such alliance exists between wealth and the enjoyment of the things of this life. Let us then acquaint ourselves with the Saviour, that we may find rest for our souls. Here is Solomon…

Read the full comment on 2 Chronicles 9:13-31 →

2 Chronicles 9:21 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

כִּֽי\־ki-forH3588
אֳנִיּ֤וֹת'o.ni.YotshipsH591
לַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙la.Me.lekhof the kingH4428
הֹלְכ֣וֹתho.le.Khot[were] goingH1980
תַּרְשִׁ֔ישׁtar.ShishTarshishH8659
עִ֖ם'imwithH5973
עַבְדֵ֣י'av.Dei[the] servants ofH5650
חוּרָ֑םchu.RamHuramH2361
אַחַת֩'a.Chatone [time]H259
לְשָׁל֨וֹשׁle.sha.Lo.oshto threeH7969
שָׁנִ֜יםsha.NimyearsH8141
תָּב֣וֹאנָה\׀ta.Vo.nahthey cameH935
אֳנִיּ֣וֹת'o.ni.Yotships ofH591
תַּרְשִׁ֗ישׁtar.ShishTarshishH8659
נֹֽשְׂאוֹת֙no.se.'OtcarryingH5375
זָהָ֣בza.HavgoldH2091
וָכֶ֔סֶףva.Khe.sefand silverH3701
שֶׁנְהַבִּ֥יםshen.ha.Bimivori<es>H8143
וְקוֹפִ֖יםve.ko.Fimand monkeysH6971
וְתוּכִּיִּֽים\׃\ \פve.tu.ki.Yimand apesH8500

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for 2 Chronicles 9:21

  • 1 Kings 10:22

    For the king had at sea a navy of Tharshish with the navy of Hiram: once in three years came the navy of Tharshish, bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks.

  • 2 Chronicles 20:36-37

    And he joined himself with him to make ships to go to Tarshish: and they made the ships in Ezion–geber. Then Eliezer the son of Dodavah of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, Because thou hast joined thyself with Ahaziah, the Lord hath broken thy works. And the ships were broken, that they were not able to go to Tarshish.

  • Job 39:13

    Gavest thou the goodly wings unto the peacocks? or wings and feathers unto the ostrich?

  • 1 Kings 22:48

    Jehoshaphat made ships of Tharshish to go to Ophir for gold: but they went not; for the ships were broken at Ezion–geber.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Tarshish.Bochart thinks this Tarshish was probably the promontory Cory, on the north of the island of Ceylon, which, according to him, was the land of Ophir. That it was name of a place in the East Indies, seems probable from the articles brought thence, and also from the ships sent thither being built at Ezion-geber, on the Red Sea; though Michaelis supposes that the fleet coasted along the shore of Africa, doubling the Cape of Good Hope, and came to Tartessus, in Spain, and thence back again the same way; that this accounts for their three years' voyage out and home; and that Spain and the coasts of Africa furnish all the commodities which they brought back.
See on
1Ki 10:22; 22:48
Tharshish. ivory. or, elephants' teeth. peacocks.{Tukkeeyim} is rendered {taysin} in the Targum, [taonon,] in the Alexandrian MS. of the LXX., and {pavos,} "peacocks," in the Vulgate; with which the Syriac, Arabic, and Rabbins agree. This derives confirmation from the fact, that the peacock is called in Malabaric, {Togei.}
Job 39:13

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • 2 Chronicles 9:20

    And all the drinking vessels of king Solomon were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold: none were of silver; it was not any thing accounted of in the days of Solomon.

  • 2 Chronicles 9:21

    For the king’s ships went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram: every three years once came the ships of Tarshish bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks.

  • 2 Chronicles 9:22

    And king Solomon passed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.

Read all of 2 Chronicles 9

2 Chronicles 9:21 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Porque la flota del rey iba á Tharsis con los siervos de Hiram, y cada tres años solían venir las naves de Tharsis, y traían oro, plata, marfil, simios, y pavos.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Car les navires du roi allaient à Tarsis avec les serviteurs de Hiram: une fois tous les trois ans les navires de Tarsis venaient, apportant de l’or et de l’argent, de l’ivoire, et des singes et des paons.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Denn die Schiffe des Königs fuhren nach Tarsis mit den Knechten Hurams; einmal in drei Jahren kamen Tarsisschiffe, beladen mit Gold und Silber, Elfenbein und Affen und Pfauen.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Siquidem naves regis ibant in Tharsis cum servis Hiram, semel in annis tribus: et deferebant inde aurum, et argentum, et ebur, et simias, et pavos.