Why does 1 Kings 4:26 mention 40,000 stalls when other translations mention 4,000? Setting the Question 1 Kings 4:26 : “Solomon had 40,000 stalls of horses for his chariots and 12,000 horsemen.” 2 Chronicles 9:25 : “Solomon had 4,000 stalls for horses and chariots and 12,000 horsemen…” Why the difference: 40,000 vs. 4,000? Primary Hebrew and Ancient Version Evidence • Masoretic Text (MT): All complete MT codices (Aleppo, Leningrad) read אַרְבָּעִים אֶלֶף, “forty thousand,” in 1 Kings 4:26. • Septuagint (LXX): Old Greek manuscripts (Vaticanus, Alexandrinus) read τέσσαρες χιλιάδες, “four thousand,” in 3 Kings 4:26 (LXX numbering). • Syriac Peshitta, Latin Vulgate, and Targum: follow MT in 1 Kings (“40,000”). • 2 Chronicles 9:25: every Hebrew, Greek, Syriac, and Latin witness reads “4,000.” • Dead Sea Scrolls: 4QKings does not cover this verse; no DSS data. The Hebrew Numeral Mechanics Hebrew wrote numbers with words. “Forty thousand” is two words: 1. אַרְבָּעִים (’arbāʿîm) = forty 2. אֶלֶף (’elef) = thousand “Four thousand” is likewise two words: 1. אַרְבַּע (’arbaʿ) = four 2. אֲלָפִים (’ălāpîm) = thousands Only one additional yod (י) separates אַרְבָּע (four) from אַרְבָּעִים (forty). Ancient copyists working from worn manuscript columns could mis-see or mis-skip that microscopic stroke, creating a classic “letter confusion” error. Internal Consistency: The Parallel Chronicles Account Chronicler and Kings often draw from identical court-record sources (cf. 1 Kings 14:19; 2 Chron 9:29). When parallel passages disagree, the shorter reading normally reflects the autograph (canons of textual criticism: lectio brevior potior; duos locos comparandos). Here the weight of evidence favors 4,000 as the original number in both books, with 40,000 a later transmissional inflation. Historical and Archaeological Plausibility Megiddo, Hazor, and Gezer are the three “Solomonic gate” cities unearthed (Y. Yadin, A. Mazar). Megiddo’s stable complex (Stratum IV) held about 450 stalls. Multiply by a dozen fortified centers and 4,000 total stalls is realistic. Forty thousand would demand roughly one hundred comparable stable-cities, far exceeding the tenth-century BC population and fodder capacity of Israel’s hill country. Horse-and-chariot ratios in Neo-Hittite, Egyptian, and Neo-Assyrian records lie between 1:1 and 1:3. Solomon’s 12,000 horsemen paired with 4,000 chariot teams (a 1:3 ratio) matches that data set precisely. Why Did Many Hebrew Manuscripts Preserve 40,000? 1. Scribes revered text tradition; once a numerical slip entered the line, it was faithfully copied. 2. Forty is a theologically significant biblical number (Genesis 7:17; Exodus 24:18), unconsciously reinforcing the larger figure. 3. Marginal corrections (tiqqunê sopherim) were normally applied to wording, not numbers, leaving numerals particularly vulnerable. Reconciling Inerrancy with the Variant Biblical inerrancy applies to the inspired autographs. Scripture itself attests that copyists can err (Jeremiah 8:8). Textual criticism, by collating manuscripts, brings us asymptotically back to the original wording God breathed (2 Timothy 3:16). The very existence of multiple ancient lines (MT, LXX, Syriac) is providentially designed so the church may detect and correct transmissional slips without impairing doctrine. Alternate Harmonizations Considered • Dual definitions: 40,000 “mangers” vs. 4,000 “stalls.” Hebrew does use ūṙwôt for mangers (2 Kings 11:16) but the present nouns are identical, weakening the theory. • Different dates: 40,000 at the empire’s zenith, 4,000 after administrative re-organization. Nothing in either immediate context marks a time gap; both texts describe the same prosperous period. These proposals remain possible but are less cogent than the simple copyist explanation. What the Variant Does Not Affect • No doctrine—creation, sin, atonement, resurrection—is touched. • Both numbers confirm Solomon’s wealth in fulfillment of God’s promise (1 Kings 3:13). • Either total falls comfortably beneath Deuteronomy 17:16’s horse-import prohibition once allowance is made for geographical growth and regional alliances, maintaining internal ethical coherence. Practical Apologetic Takeaways • Variants are catalogued and transparent; no “hidden” readings exist. • Over 99% of the Hebrew Bible is variant-free at the meaningful level; where differences occur, they are minor and easily addressed. • The reliability of Scripture stands on an unparalleled manuscript base (over 42,000 OT witnesses counting Greek, Hebrew, and ancient versions), dwarfing classical texts. Answer in One Sentence 1 Kings 4:26 reads “40,000” in the later Hebrew manuscript line because a scribe inadvertently lengthened the numeral by a single letter, whereas the parallel source, the Septuagint, and every witness to 2 Chronicles 9:25 preserve the original figure of “4,000,” leaving Scripture’s inerrant autographs internally consistent and historically credible. |
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