1 Kings 10:12

WEB

The king made of the almug trees pillars for the house of the Lord, and for the king's house, harps also and stringed instruments for the singers: there came no such almug trees, nor were seen, to this day.

KJV

And the king made of the almug trees pillars for the house of the LORD, and for the king’s house, harps also and psalteries for singers: there came no such almug trees, nor were seen unto this day.

Commentary

And the king made of the almug trees pillars for the house of the Lord, and for the king's house,.... Or terraces, as in Ch2 9:11 , causeways; and means the ascent or causeway he made from his own house to the temple; the pavement of which, as Jarchi interprets the word here, was made of the wood of these trees; or the supports of it, or rather the rails on each side, on which men might stay themselves as they passed along, as Ben Gersom; and since this ascent was admired by the queen of Sheba, it is particularly observed what wood it was made of, and from whence it came: harps also, and psalteries for singers; these musical instruments were made of the same wood; Josephus (i) says of amber, and that their number was 400,000: there came no such almug trees, nor were seen unto this day; not in the land of Israel, neither before nor since, see Ch2 9:11 . (i) Antiqu. l. 8. c. 3. sect. 8.