1 Kings 4:33

1 Kings 4:33 in Multiple Translations

Berean Standard Bible BSB

He spoke of trees, from the cedar in Lebanon to the hyssop growing in the wall, and he taught about animals, birds, reptiles, and fish.

King James Version KJV

And he spake of trees, from the cedar tree that is in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall: he spake also of beasts, and of fowl, and of creeping things, and of fishes.

American Standard Version ASV

And he spake of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall; he spake also of beasts, and of birds, and of creeping things, and of fishes.

Bible in Basic English BBE

He made sayings about all plants, from the cedar in Lebanon to the hyssop hanging on the wall; and about all beasts and birds and fishes and the small things of the earth.

Free Bible Version FBV

He was able to discuss knowledge of trees, from the cedar in Lebanon to the hyssop that grows in the wall. He taught about animals, birds, reptiles, and fish.

Geneva Bible 1599 GNV

And he spake of trees, from the cedar tree that is in Lebanon, euen vnto the hyssope that springeth out of the wall: he spake also of beasts, and of foules, and of creeping thinges, and of fishes.

Young's Literal Translation YLT

and he speaketh concerning the trees, from the cedar that [is] in Lebanon, even unto the hyssop that is coming out in the wall, and he speaketh concerning the cattle, and concerning the fowl, and concerning the creeping things, and concerning the fishes,

World English Bible WEB

He spoke of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon even to the hyssop that grows out of the wall; he also spoke of animals, of birds, of creeping things, and of fish.

Noah Webster Bible WBS

And he spoke of trees, from the cedar tree that is in Lebanon even to the hyssop that springeth out of the wall: he spoke also of beasts, and of fowls, and of creeping animals, and of fishes.

Douay-Rheims 1899 DRV

And he treated about trees from the cedar that is in Libanus, unto the hyssop that cometh out of the wall: and he discoursed of beasts, and of fowls, and of creeping things, and of fishes.

Translation for Translators T4T

He talked about various kinds of plants, from the huge cedar trees in Lebanon to the tiny hyssop plants that grow in cracks in walls. He also talked about wild animals and birds and reptiles and fish.

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Berean Amplified Bible — 1 Kings 4:33

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Study Notes — 1 Kings 4:33

Show Verse Quote Highlights

Context
Cross References
1 Kings 4:33 Summary
Frequently Asked Questions
Reflection Questions
Gill's Exposition on 1 Kings 4:33
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Kings 4:33
Matthew Poole's Commentary on 1 Kings 4:33
Trapp's Commentary on 1 Kings 4:33
Ellicott's Commentary on 1 Kings 4:33
Adam Clarke's Commentary on 1 Kings 4:33
Cambridge Bible on 1 Kings 4:33
Barnes' Notes on 1 Kings 4:33
Whedon's Commentary on 1 Kings 4:33
Sermons on 1 Kings 4:33

Context — Solomon’s Wisdom

31He was wiser than all men—wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, and wiser than Heman, Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And his fame spread throughout the surrounding nations. 32Solomon composed three thousand proverbs, and his songs numbered a thousand and five.

33He spoke of trees, from the cedar in Lebanon to the hyssop growing in the wall, and he taught about animals, birds, reptiles, and fish.

34So men of all nations came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, sent by all the kings of the earth, who had heard of his wisdom.

Cross References

	Reference	Text (BSB)
1	2 Kings 19:23	Through your servants you have taunted the Lord, and you have said: “With my many chariots I have ascended to the heights of the mountains, to the remote peaks of Lebanon. I have cut down its tallest cedars, the finest of its cypresses. I have reached its farthest outposts, the densest of its forests.
2	Psalms 51:7	Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
3	Psalms 92:12	The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
4	Hebrews 9:19	For when Moses had proclaimed every commandment of the law to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, along with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll and all the people,
5	Exodus 12:22	Take a cluster of hyssop, dip it into the blood in the basin, and brush the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe. None of you shall go out the door of his house until morning.
6	Genesis 1:20–25	And God said, “Let the waters teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the sky.” So God created the great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters teemed according to their kinds, and every bird of flight after its kind. And God saw that it was good. Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters of the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day. And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, land crawlers, and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that crawls upon the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
7	Numbers 24:6	They spread out like palm groves, like gardens beside a stream, like aloes the LORD has planted, like cedars beside the waters.
8	Numbers 19:18	Then a man who is ceremonially clean is to take some hyssop, dip it in the water, and sprinkle the tent, all the furnishings, and the people who were there. He is also to sprinkle the one who touched a bone, a grave, or a person who has died or been slain.

1 Kings 4:33 Summary

[Solomon was very wise and knowledgeable about God's creation, from the tallest trees to the smallest creatures. He wanted to understand and teach about the amazing things God had made, just like we can learn from and appreciate the beauty of nature. As it says in Psalms 19:1, 'The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.' Solomon's example encourages us to seek wisdom from God and to use our knowledge to honor Him.]

Frequently Asked Questions

What kind of trees did Solomon speak about?

Solomon spoke about trees, from the cedar in Lebanon to the hyssop growing in the wall, as mentioned in 1 Kings 4:33, showing his vast knowledge of God's creation, similar to the way God describes the trees in the Garden of Eden in Genesis 2:9.

Why did Solomon teach about animals, birds, reptiles, and fish?

Solomon taught about these creatures to demonstrate his understanding of God's wisdom and design in creation, as seen in Psalms 104:1-35, which describes God's care for all creatures.

How does Solomon's wisdom relate to our lives today?

Solomon's wisdom, as seen in 1 Kings 4:33, reminds us to appreciate and respect God's creation, and to seek wisdom from Him, as encouraged in Proverbs 1:7 and Jeremiah 9:24.

What can we learn from Solomon's example of studying and teaching about creation?

We can learn the importance of being good stewards of God's creation, as taught in Genesis 1:28, and of using our knowledge to glorify God and benefit others, as seen in 1 Corinthians 10:31.

Reflection Questions

How can I, like Solomon, appreciate and learn from the natural world around me?
What are some ways I can use my knowledge and skills to glorify God and benefit others?
In what ways can I seek wisdom from God, as Solomon did, to navigate the complexities of life?
How can I balance my pursuit of knowledge with a deepening relationship with God, as seen in Matthew 22:37-40?

Gill's Exposition on 1 Kings 4:33

And he spake of trees,.... Of all trees, herbs, and plants, of the nature, virtues, and use them: from the cedar tree that [is] in Lebanon: a mountain on the northern border of Judea, famous for

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Kings 4:33

And he spake of trees, from the cedar tree that is in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall: he spake also of beasts, and of fowl, and of creeping things, and of fishes.

Matthew Poole's Commentary on 1 Kings 4:33

Of trees, i.e. of all plants, of their nature and qualities; all which discourses are lost, without any impeachment of the perfection of the Holy Scriptures; which were not inspired and written to teach men philosophy or physic, but only to make men wise to salvation. See ,17. From the cedar tree unto the hyssop, i.e. from the greatest to the least.

Trapp's Commentary on 1 Kings 4:33

1 Kings 4:33 And he spake of trees, from the cedar tree that [is] in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall: he spake also of beasts, and of fowl, and of creeping things, and of fishes.Ver. 33. For he spake of trees.] This was a discourse, doubtless, of singular use; and of it we may say as one doth of Origen’ s "Oetapla," now lost, Huius operis iacturam deplorare possumus, compensure non possumus, the lack of this book we may bewail, but cannot make good. When preferment was offered to Thomas Aquinas, he was wont to sigh and say, I had rather have Chrysostom’ s comment upon Matthew. That springeth out of the wall.] Herbs parietina, wall-wort, as Trajan the emperor was called, for his desire of vain glory. He spake also of the beasts, &c.] A worthy work doubtless, and such as whereof it might better be said, than was of Pliny’ s Natural History, by Erasmus, that it hath as much variety as nature itself hath, and is not so much a treatise as a treasury, yea, a whole world full of things most worthy to be noted and noticed. Ulysses, Aldrovandus, Conradus, Gesner, Gulielmus Rondeletius, Julius Scaliger, and other writers, both ancient and modern, have written largely and learnedly on the same subject, but nothing comparable to this work of Solomon: which some say was burnt by the Chaldees, together with the temple. Eusebius thinketh it was abolished by Hezekiah, because the people idolised it, as they did the brazen serpent.

Ellicott's Commentary on 1 Kings 4:33

(33) He spake of trees.—Of this verse there have been many interpretations. Josephus (Ant. viii. c.2, § 5) supposes Solomon’s utterances on these natural products to have been allegorical and symbolic, although he declares that he described them and their properties “like a philosopher.” Rabbinical and Oriental legends, eagerly accepted in mediaeval times, ascribed to him mystic knowledge and magical use of their occult properties. Modern writers have seen in this utterance the first dawn of a scientific natural history and idyllic poetry. In all these suppositions there is some truth, though each in its literal meaning evidently interprets the work of Solomon by the ideas of its own time. An examination of the Song of Songs, and even of the Book of Proverbs—to say nothing of Ecclesiastes and several of the Psalms, and of the Book of Job, which has been thought to belong to the age of Solomon—shows in them repeated exemplifications of a deep sense of the wonder and the beauty of Nature, and also a keen observation of Natural history in detail But it also shows, as might have been expected, a constant contemplation of God in and over Nature (much as in Psalms 104), a desire to know the secret of His dispensation therein, a conception of a unity in His law over all being, and as a necessary consequence of this, a tendency to mystic interpretation and parable. If in the works here referred to, and now lost to us, there were (as Ewald supposes) “the rudiments of a complete natural history,” it would be an anachronism to doubt that they were marked by these leading characteristics.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on 1 Kings 4:33

Verse 33. He spake of trees - beasts - fowl - creeping things, and of fishes.] This is a complete system of natural history, as far as relates to the animal and vegetable kingdoms, and the first intimation we have of any thing of the kind: Solomon was probably the first natural historian in the world. O, how must the heart of Tournefort, Ray, Linne, Buffon, Cuvier, Swammerdam, Blosch, and other naturalists, be wrung, to know that these works of Solomon are all and for ever lost! What light should we have thrown on the animal and vegetable kingdoms, had these works been preserved! But the providence of God has not thought fit to preserve them, and succeeding naturalists are left to invent the system which he probably left perfect. If there be any remains of his wisdom, they must be sought among the orientals, among whom his character is well known, and rates as high as it does with either Jews or Christians. I shall give some extracts from their works relative to Solomon when I come to consider his character at the end of 1Kg 11:43.

Cambridge Bible on 1 Kings 4:33

33. And he spake] i.e. He gave descriptions of the whole vegetable world, and discussed the virtues of the various plants. For it has been always of their medicinal properties that the earliest works on plants have treated. They were the remedies for all diseases, and a knowledge of ‘simples,’ as they were called in England in old times, was counted for the highest wisdom. the cedar] The tree of greatest glory in Palestine is named as one extreme of the vegetable world, and the hyssop on the wall as the other. of beasts] Similarly, under the names of beasts, fowls, creeping things and fishes, the whole animal world is specified after the division of those times. The same classes are mentioned in the account of the creation. Josephus (Ant. viii. 2, 5) enlarges on the simple narrative of the text, telling how the king’s knowledge of the peculiarities of these various creatures was of the most thorough character. He then goes on to tell that he was endowed with power against demons, and could cure men who were possessed with evil spirits. He is also said to have left forms of incantation and exorcism, of which, Josephus says, some knowledge had come down to his own time, and he gives a story of a Jew who wrought such a cure as he describes in the presence of the emperor Vespasian.

Barnes' Notes on 1 Kings 4:33

Trees ... - A keen appreciation of the beauties of nature, and a habit of minute observation, are apparent in the writings of Solomon that remain to us.

Whedon's Commentary on 1 Kings 4:33

33. He spake of trees… beasts… fowl… creeping things… fishes — He enjoyed rare opportunities for becoming familiar with the various species of both the animal and vegetable creation.

Sermons on 1 Kings 4:33

	Sermon	Description
	Bible Reading - Part 1 by J.C. Ryle	J.C. Ryle emphasizes the critical importance of Bible reading in the life of a believer, asserting that it is essential for understanding salvation and living a life aligned with G
	After We Fail What Then by Charles Stanley	In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the importance of learning from our failures and sins. He encourages listeners not to waste their sins but to use them as opportunities for
	How to Apply the Blood by Derek Prince	This sermon delves into the profound significance of the blood of Jesus shed on the cross, emphasizing the various provisions and effects of His sacrifice. It covers themes of rede
	My Sin Is Ever Before Me by Leonard Ravenhill	In this sermon, the speaker emphasizes the importance of prioritizing prayer and putting faith into action. He uses examples from the Bible, such as David's downfall after his affa
	Dead Words by A.W. Tozer	In this sermon, the preacher begins by expressing his admiration for a group of individuals, stating that he does not aspire to be with anyone better. He then shares a verse from t
	Epistle to the Romans by A.W. Tozer	In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the importance of preaching the word of God to a defeated and bound audience. He uses the example of a young man who realized the ineffectiv
	Ephraim Is a Cake Not Turned by Aaron Hurst	In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the importance of surrendering everything to God and not holding back. He urges the audience to examine their lives and identify any "stuff"