King James Version

1 Kings 4:32

And he spake three thousand proverbs: and his songs were a thousand and five.

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Hebrew

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In the Hebrew text this line is 1 Kings 5:12.

וַיְדַבֵּ֕רvaydaberand speakדָבַרconjunction, verb, piel, sequential imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “and speak”, the next action in the storyH1696perhaps properly, to arrange; but used figuratively (of words), to speak; rarely (in a destructive sense) to subdueanswer, appoint, bid, command, commune, declare, destroy, give, name, promise, pronounce, rehearse, say, speak, be spokesman, subdue, talk, teach, tell, think, use (entreaties), utter, [idiom] well, [idiom] work.שְׁלֹ֥שֶׁתsheloshetthirdשָׁלוֹשׁadjective, cardinal, masculine, singular, construct — “third”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH7969three; occasionally (ordinal) third, or (multiple) thrice[phrase] fork, [phrase] often(-times), third, thir(-teen, -teenth), three, [phrase] thrice. Compare H7991 (שָׁלִישׁ).אֲלָפִ֖יםalafimthousandאֶלֶףadjective, cardinal, both genders, plural, absolute — “thousand”, the ordinary formH505hence (the ox's head being the first letter of the alphabet, and this eventually used as a numeral) a thousandthousand.מָשָׁ֑לmashalbywordמָשָׁלnoun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “byword”, the ordinary formH4912properly, a pithy maxim, usually of metaphorical nature; hence, a simile (as an adage, poem, discourse)byword, like, parable, proverb.וַיְהִ֥יvayhiand beהָיָהconjunction, verb, qal, sequential imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “and be”, the next action in the storyH1961to exist, i.e. be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)beacon, [idiom] altogether, be(-come), accomplished, committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), do, faint, fall, [phrase] follow, happen, [idiom] have, last, pertain, quit (one-) self, require, [idiom] use.שִׁיר֖וֹshirvosongשִׁירnoun, common, both genders, singular, construct, suffix, pronominal, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “song”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH7892a song; abstractly, singingmusical(-ick), [idiom] sing(-er, -ing), song.חֲמִשָּׁ֥הchamishahfiveחָמֵשׁadjective, cardinal, masculine, singular, absolute — “five”, the ordinary formH2568fivefif(-teen), fifth, five ([idiom] apiece).וָאָֽלֶףvaalefand thousandאֶלֶףconjunction, adjective, cardinal, both genders, singular, absolute — “and thousand”, the ordinary formH505hence (the ox's head being the first letter of the alphabet, and this eventually used as a numeral) a thousandthousand.

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

(5-12) And he spoke three thousand proverbs; and his songs were a thousand and five.

Compare Public-Domain Translations

The King James Version remains the text of this page and the canonical URL.

American Standard Version (1901)

And he spake three thousand proverbs; and his songs were a thousand and five.

Young’s Literal Translation

And he speaketh three thousand similes, and his songs [are] five, and the chief one;

World English Bible

He spoke three thousand proverbs, and his songs numbered one thousand five.

Darby Translation

And he spoke three thousand proverbs; and his songs were a thousand and five.

Douay-Rheims

Solomon also spoke three thousand parables: and his poems were a thousand and five.

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

(5-12) And he spoke three thousand proverbs; and his songs were a thousand and five.

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

And Solomon spoke three thousand proverbs, and his songs were five thousand.

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

Καὶ ἐλάλησε Σαλωμὼν τρισχιλίας παραβολὰς, καὶ ἦσαν ᾠδαι αὐτοῦ πεντακισχίλιαι.