Bible contradiction: The number of stalls for horses that Solomon has.

[Multicolored Lemur]

Bible Gateway passage: 2 Chronicles 9 - English Standard Version

The Queen of Sheba - Now when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to Jerusalem to test him with hard questions, having a very great retinue and camels bearing spices and very much gold and precious stones. And when she came to Solomon, she told him all that was on her mind...

www.biblegateway.com

2 Chronicles 9:25:

“And Solomon had 4,000 stalls for horses and chariots, and 12,000 horsemen, whom he stationed in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.”

[ESV, or English Standard Version]

 

[Multicolored Lemur]

Bible Gateway passage: 1 Kings 4 - English Standard Version

Solomon's Officials - King Solomon was king over all Israel, and these were his high officials: Azariah the son of Zadok was the priest; Elihoreph and Ahijah the sons of Shisha were secretaries; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder; Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was in command of the army...

www.biblegateway.com

1 Kings 4:26:

“Solomon also had 40,000[e] stalls of horses for his chariots, and 12,000 horsemen.”

[e] Hebrew; one Hebrew manuscript (see 2 Chronicles 9:25 and Septuagint of 1 Kings 10:26) 4,000

[ESV]

 

[Multicolored Lemur]

Bible Gateway passage: 1 Kings 4 - New International Version

Solomon’s Officials and Governors - So King Solomon ruled over all Israel. And these were his chief officials: Azariah son of Zadok—the priest; Elihoreph and Ahijah, sons of Shisha—secretaries; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud—recorder; Benaiah son of Jehoiada—commander in chief; Zadok and...

www.biblegateway.com

However, in the NIV, or New International Version . . .

1 Kings 4:26:

“Solomon had four[c] thousand stalls for chariot horses, and twelve thousand horses.[d]”

[c] Some Septuagint manuscripts (see also 2 Chron. 9:25); Hebrew forty

[My emphasis added.]

[d] Or charioteers

Yes, the NIV places the issue in a footnote, and the NIV is one of the most popular versions of the Bible.

And in truth, maybe a footnote is about all this issue is worth.

 

[Multicolored Lemur]

“ . . anytime you find what looks like a contradiction, that’s just an opportunity to dig deeper for something. .”

“ . . he had 40,000 individual stalls of horses, arranged in groups of 10. . ”

“ . . had 4,000 stalls for horses and chariots. . ”

* emphasis by this speaker

 

[AgnosticBoy]

Hey there Lemur.

We have a clear discrepancy with one account stating that Solomon had 4,000 horse stalls and another stating 40,000. I checked some popular apologetics site, like Carm.org. Contrary to what a lot of people might expect, plenty Christian apologists are willing to accept that the Bible has some errors. Here's a response on Carm.org site:

How many stalls of horses did Solomon have, 4,000 or 40,000? 1 Kings 4:26 and 2 Chronicles 9:25 have different amounts. Which is true?

There are two possible explanations for this discrepancy. 1) A copyist error. 2) The difference is due to time; that is, one account is at the beginning of Solomon’s reign (1 Kings 4:26), and the other at the end (2 Chron. 9:25). I believe the most probable is a copyist error since we can see that Chronicles does have copyist errors in other areas. Therefore, it is probable that the same thing occurred here.

Yes, the NIV places the issue in a footnote, and the NIV is one of the most popular versions of the Bible.

And in truth, maybe a footnote is about all this issue is worth.

As a non-believer, I don't view this discrepancy as a big issue. Some Christians might even say that it's the original manuscripts that are inerrant, and we don't have those. A contradiction that would be a big deal is one that occurs on a theological matter, like one source saying that Jesus never allowed divorce and another source saying he did. So it really depends on what the contradiction is about or the type of information that's in question.

 

[Multicolored Lemur]

Okay, as a teenager, I was an evangelical Christian. And I believed it was important to “save” as many people as I could.

I started having doubts right at age 15, and that was a lot of personal turmoil for about six months. I basically then quit the church, although I still kept physically going because of my father [decided this was a battle not worth fighting].

So, it’s important to me to talk about some of the problems with the Bible.

The Bible is a lot like Beowulf. It’s an ancient writing which has survived many, many generations. And the Bible deserves respect on that count, but no more than Beowulf.

 

[Multicolored Lemur]

Websters Dictionary 1828 - Webster's Dictionary 1828 - Stall

Websters Dictionary 1828 - Webster's Dictionary 1828 - Stall

webstersdictionary1828.com

STALL, noun [G., to set, that is, to throw down, to thrust down. See Still.]

1. Primarily, a stand; a station; a fixed spot; hence, the stand or place where a horse or an ox is kept and fed; the division of a stable, or the apartment for one horse or ox. The stable contains eight or ten stalls.

2. A stable; a place for cattle.

At last he found a stall where oxen stood.

3. In 1 Kings 4:26 stall is used for horse. Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots. In 2 Chronicles 9:25, stall means stable. Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots. These passages are reconciled by the definition given above; Solomon had four thousand stables, each containing ten stalls; forty thousand stalls.

4. A bench, form or frame of shelves in the open air, where any thing is exposed to sale. . .

5. . .

6. . .


STALL, verb transitive
.
.


STALL, verb intransitive
.
.



=========

Ah, the plot thickens.

Now, this website is also promoting their link to the King James Version, and the King James 1611. So, a little grain of salt please. Yes, when people think things dovetail nicely together, sometimes they can end up trying just a little too hard.

But all the same, another possible explanation.

 

[Multicolored Lemur]

Noah Webster's 1828 Dictionary

Our KJV Bible store is the premier online source for King James Version Bibles, Christian books, and other church supplies. Buy Bibles online today.

www.thekjvstore.com

And this is a King James Bible site promoting Webster’s 1828 dictionary.

 

[AgnosticBoy]

Noah Webster's 1828 Dictionary

Our KJV Bible store is the premier online source for King James Version Bibles, Christian books, and other church supplies. Buy Bibles online today.

www.thekjvstore.com

And this is a King James Bible site promoting Webster’s 1828 dictionary.

Didn't know what to make of that at first. It looks like it has some of the old English words that the KJV uses. The problem is that there is probably more manuscript evidence to aid in translations after the KJV was done. I personally wouldn't be promoting that dictionary nor the KJV.

 

[Multicolored Lemur]

Please understand, I’m not promoting the King James Version.

I’m saying fundamentalist Christians, or pretty much any other type of Christians, are making a mistake if they go down a rabbit hole and put this much weight on a single verse.