1 Kings 10:19

Young's Literal Translation

six steps hath the throne, and a round top [is] to the throne behind it, and hands [are] on this [side] and on that, unto the place of the sitting, and two lions are standing near the hands,

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
The throne had six steps; there was a rounded top at the back of the throne, armrests on either side of the seat, and two lions standing beside the armrests.

Hebrew Names Version
There were six steps to the throne, and the top of the throne was round behind; and there were stays on either side by the place of the seat, and two lions standing beside the stays.

King James Version
The throne had six steps, and the top of the throne was round behind: and there were stays on either side on the place of the seat, and two lions stood beside the stays.

English Standard Version
The throne had six steps, and the throne had a round top, and on each side of the seat were armrests and two lions standing beside the armrests,

New Century Version
The throne had six steps on it, and its back was round at the top. There were armrests on both sides of the chair, and each armrest had a lion beside it.

New English Translation
There were six steps leading up to the throne, and the back of it was rounded on top. The throne had two armrests with a statue of a lion standing on each side.

Amplified Bible
The throne had six steps, and a round top was attached to the throne from the back. On either side of the seat were armrests, and two lions stood beside the armrests.

New American Standard Bible
There were six steps to the throne and a round top to the throne at its back, and armrests on each side of the seat, and two lions standing beside the armrests.

Geneva Bible (1587)
And the throne had six steps, and the top of the throne was round behind, and there were stayes on either side on the place of the throne, and two lions standing by the stayes.

Legacy Standard Bible
There were six steps to the throne and a round top to the throne at its rear, and arms on each side of the seat, and two lions standing beside the arms.

Contemporary English Version
The back of the throne was rounded at the top, and it had armrests on each side. There was a statue of a lion on both sides of the throne, and there was a statue of a lion at both ends of each of the six steps leading up to the throne. No other throne in the world was like Solomon's.

Complete Jewish Bible
The throne had six steps, a back with a rounded top, arms on either side of the seat, two lions standing beside the arms,

Darby Translation
the throne had six steps, and the top of the throne was rounded behind; and there were arms on each side at the place of the seat, and two lions stood beside the arms;

Easy-to-Read Version
There were six steps leading up to the throne. The back of the throne was round at the top. There were armrests on both sides of the throne, and there were lions in the sides of the throne under the armrests.

George Lamsa Translation
The throne had six steps, and the top of the throne was round behind; and there were arm rests on either side at the place of the seat, and two lions stood on either side of the seat.

Good News Translation
The throne had six steps leading up to it, with the figure of a lion at each end of every step, a total of twelve lions. At the back of the throne was the figure of a bull's head, and beside each of the two armrests was the figure of a lion. No throne like this had ever existed in any other kingdom.

Lexham English Bible
Six steps led up to the throne, and there was a circular top to the throne behind it, and armrests were on each side of the seat, with two lions standing beside the armrests.

Literal Translation
The throne had six steps, and the top of the throne was round behind; and stays were on either side on the place of the seat, and two lions stood beside the stays;

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And the seate had sixe steppes, and ye heade of the seate was roude behynde. And there were two postes to leane vpo on both the sydes of the seate, and two lyons stode vpon the leanynge postes,

American Standard Version
There were six steps to the throne, and the top of the throne was round behind; and there were stays on either side by the place of the seat, and two lions standing beside the stays.

Bible in Basic English
There were six steps going up to it, and the top of it was round at the back, there were arms on the two sides of the seat, and two lions by the side of the arms;

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And the seate had sixe steppes, and the toppe of the seate was rounde behinde, & there were pommelles on either syde on the place of the seate, and two lions stoode besyde the pommelles.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
There were six steps to the throne, and the top of the throne was round behind; and there were arms on either side by the place of the seat, and two lions standing beside the arms.

King James Version (1611)
The throne had sixe steps, and the top of the throne was round behind: and there were stayes on either side on the place of the seate, and two lyons stood beside the stayes.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
The throne had six steps, and calves in bold relief to the throne behind it, and side-pieces on either hand of the place of the seat, and two lions standing by the side-pieces,

English Revised Version
There were six steps to the throne, and the top of the throne was round behind: and there were stays on either side by the place of the seat, and two lions standing beside the stays.

Berean Standard Bible
The throne had six steps and a rounded top at the back of the throne. There were armrests on both sides of the seat, with a lion standing beside each armrest.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
which trone hadde sixe grees; and the hiynesse of the trone was round in the hynderere part; and tweine hondis on this side and on that side, holdynge the seete, and twei lyouns stoden bisidis ech hond;

Update Bible Version
There were six steps to the throne, and the top of the throne was round behind; and there were stays on either side by the place of the seat, and two lions standing beside the stays.

Webster's Bible Translation
The throne had six steps, and the top of the throne [was] round behind: and [there were] stays on either side on the place of the seat, and two lions stood beside the stays.

World English Bible
There were six steps to the throne, and the top of the throne was round behind; and there were stays on either side by the place of the seat, and two lions standing beside the stays.

New King James Version
The throne had six steps, and the top of the throne was round at the back; there were armrests on either side of the place of the seat, and two lions stood beside the armrests.

New Living Translation
The throne had six steps and a rounded back. There were armrests on both sides of the seat, and the figure of a lion stood on each side of the throne.

New Life Bible
The throne had six steps, and a round top at its back. There were arms on each side of the seat, and two lions standing beside the arms.

New Revised Standard
The throne had six steps. The top of the throne was rounded in the back, and on each side of the seat were arm rests and two lions standing beside the arm rests,

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
There were, six steps, to the throne, and there was, a circular top, to the throne, behind it, and there were supports on this side and on that, unto the place of the seat, - with two lions standing beside the supports;

Douay-Rheims Bible
It had six steps: and the top of the throne was round behind: and there were two hands on either side holding the seat: and two lions stood, one at each hand,

Revised Standard Version
The throne had six steps, and at the back of the throne was a calf's head, and on each side of the seat were arm rests and two lions standing beside the arm rests,

New American Standard Bible (1995)
There were six steps to the throne and a round top to the throne at its rear, and arms on each side of the seat, and two lions standing beside the arms.

Contextual Overview

¹⁴ And the weight of the gold that hath come to Solomon in one year is six hundred sixty and six talents of gold, ¹⁵ apart from [that of] the tourists, and of the traffic of the merchants, and of all the kings of Arabia, and of the governors of the land. ¹⁶ And king Solomon maketh two hundred targets of alloyed gold -- six hundred of gold go up on the one target; ¹⁷ and three hundred shields of alloyed gold -- three pounds of gold go up on the one shield; and the king putteth them [in] the house of the forest of Lebanon. ¹⁸ And the king maketh a great throne of ivory, and overlayeth it with refined gold; ¹⁹ six steps hath the throne, and a round top [is] to the throne behind it, and hands [are] on this [side] and on that, unto the place of the sitting, and two lions are standing near the hands, ²⁰ and twelve lions are standing there on the six steps, on this [side] and on that; it hath not been made so for any kingdom. ²¹ And all the drinking vessels of king Solomon [are] of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon [are] of refined gold -- there are none of silver; it was not reckoned in the days of Solomon for anything, ²² for a navy of Tarshish hath the king at sea with a navy of Hiram; once in three years cometh the navy of Tarshish, bearing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks. ²³ And king Solomon is greater than any of the kings of the earth for riches and for wisdom,

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

behind: Heb. on the hinder part thereof

stays: Heb. hands. 1 Kings 10:19

Reciprocal: Ecclesiastes 2:4 - I builded

Cross-References

Genesis 10:1
And these [are] births of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth; and born to them are sons after the deluge.

Genesis 10:2
`Sons of Japheth [are] Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras.

Genesis 10:7
And sons of Cush [are] Seba, and Havilah, and Sabtah, and Raamah, and Sabtechah; and sons of Raamah [are] Sheba and Dedan.

Genesis 10:8
And Cush hath begotten Nimrod;

Genesis 10:10
And the first part of his kingdom is Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar;

Genesis 10:15
And Canaan hath begotten Sidon his first-born, and Heth,

Genesis 10:17
and the Hivite, and the Arkite, and the Sinite,

Genesis 10:18
and the Arvadite, and the Zemarite, and the Hamathite; and afterwards have the families of the Canaanite been scattered.

Genesis 10:21
As to Shem, father of all sons of Eber, brother of Japheth the elder, he hath also begotten:

Genesis 10:24
And Arphaxad hath begotten Salah, and Salah hath begotten Eber.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

The throne had six steps,.... Up to the footstool of the throne, which was of gold, 2 Chronicles 9:18 and was high, that everyone in court might see him, and the better hear the sentence he gave:

and the top of the throne was round behind; had a semicircle at the top of it, like an alcove:

and there were stays on either side on the place of the seat; or "hands" q, such as the arms of a chair, to lean and rest upon:

and two lions stood beside the stays; which were not only ornamental, and for support of the stays, but expressive of majesty, and of undaunted courage and resolution to do justice, and of the danger such expose themselves to, who oppose magistrates in the discharge of their office; and in which Solomon was a type of Christ, the lion of the tribe of Judah; and for the same reasons were the like portraits on the steps, as follows.

q ידת "manus", V. L. Montanus, &c. αγκωνες "brachiola", Sept. in 2 Chron. ix. 18.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Representations of thrones are frequent in the Egyptian and Assyrian sculptures. They have no steps up to them, but frequently stand upon square bases. The back appears to be flat at the top, not rounded. Assyrian thrones have “stays” or arms on either side, and they stand generally upon lion’s feet. They are always accompanied by a footstool.

Lions stood beside the stays - The arms of Assyrian thrones are occasionally supported by figures of animals. The throne of Rameses II at Medinet Abou has a sphinx at the side and a lion below the sphinx. The figure of the lion is naturally adopted by any imaginative race as an emblem of sovereignty. In the present case its adoption seems to have grown directly out of the poetic imagery of inspired prophets, who, living before the time of Solomon, had compared Israel Numbers 23:24; Numbers 24:9, and more particularly Judah Genesis 49:9, to a lion. The “twelve lions” of 1 Kings 10:20 were probably intended to be emblematic of the twelve tribes. Josephus adds to the description of Solomon’s throne here given, that the seat was supported by a golden ox or bull, with its head turned over its shoulder. As the lion was especially emblematic of Judah, so was the ox or bull of Ephraim. (Hosea 4:16; Hosea 10:11; Jeremiah 31:18, etc.)

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Kings 10:19. The throne was round behind: and there were stays on either side — This description seems to indicate that the throne was in the form of one of our ancient round-topped, two-armed chairs. This throne or chair of state was raised on a platform, the ascent to which consisted of six steps. What we call stays is in the Hebrew ידת yadoth, hands, which serves to confirm the conjecture above.