Albert Barnes
Beside that which she had brought unto the king - It is difficult to assign any sense to these words as they now stand in the Hebrew text. A slight alteration will give the meaning: “Beside that which the king had brought for her;” which is in conformity with 1 Kings 10:13.
Comparing 1 Kings 10:16-17, it follows from the two passages together that the “pound of gold” was equal to 100 shekels.
The footstool (not mentioned in Kings) was an essential appendage to an Oriental throne; it appears everywhere in the Egyptian, Assyrian, and Persian sculptures.
All the kings of the earth - Rather, “all the kings of the land:” all the monarchs, that is, whose dominions were included in So omon’s empire (see 1 Kings 4:21).
And out of all lands - An addition to the words in Kings. The principal countries would no doubt be Arabia and Armenia - the former always famous for its excellent breed; the latter mentioned in Ezekiel Ezekiel 27:14 as trading with horses in the fairs of Tyre.
The book of Nathan ... - On the “books” here mentioned, see the introduction to Chronicles, the second note.
We hear nothing of Iddo in Kings: but he is mentioned below twice 2Ch 12:15; 2 Chronicles 13:22. In the latter of these passages he is called not “the seer,” but “the prophet.” He seems to have been the author of three works:
(1) Visions against Jeroboam;
(2) A book of genealogies; and
(3) A commentary or history.
According to some, he was identical with Oded, the father of Azariah, who prophesied in the reign of Asa (see the 2 Chronicles 15:1 note).