There were also twelve other lions, one standing on each end of the six steps. No other throne in all the world could be compared with it!
Parallel translations
- WEB Twelve lions stood there on the one side and on the other on the six steps. Nothing like it was made in any kingdom.
- KJV And twelve lions stood there on the one side and on the other upon the six steps: there was not the like made in any kingdom.
- BSB Twelve lions stood on the six steps, one at either end of each step. Nothing like this had ever been made for any kingdom.
- NKJV Twelve lions stood there, one on each side of the six steps; nothing like this had been made for any other kingdom.
- NASB Twelve lions were standing there on the six steps on the one side and on the other; nothing like it was made for any other kingdom.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Twelve lions stood on the six steps, a throne unmatched in any kingdom. It emphasizes the unique splendor of Solomon's reign.
Overview
The twelve lions, perhaps echoing the twelve tribes of Israel, framed a throne so magnificent that no other kingdom possessed its equal. This uniqueness highlights the extraordinary blessing God placed on Solomon. Such unrivaled glory was a sign and a shadow, pointing beyond itself to the surpassing and eternal majesty of the kingdom of the Messiah.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Num 24:9He couched, he lay down as a lion, as a lioness; who shall rouse him up? Everyone who blesses you is blessed. Everyone who curses you is cursed.”
- Gen 49:9Judah is a lion’s cub. From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down, he crouched as a lion, as a lioness. Who will rouse him up?
- Rev 5:5One of the elders said to me, “Don’t weep. Behold, the Lion who is of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome; he who opens the book and its seven seals.”
- Num 23:24Behold, the people rises up as a lioness. As a lion he lifts himself up. He shall not lie down until he eats of the prey, and drinks the blood of the slain.”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Solomon's glory, wisdom, and temple where God's presence dwells are a shadow of the greater Son of David — 'one greater than Solomon is here' — and of the true Temple, Christ himself.
How 1 Kings 10:20 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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