Poole on 1 Kings 4:27, 28: The Provisions for Solomon's House

Verse 27:[1]  And (1 Kings 4:7) those officers provided victual for king Solomon, and for all that came unto king Solomon’s table, every man in his month:  they lacked nothing.

Those officers; named above, 1 Kings 4:7, etc.

[With great care they were furnishing, ‎לֹ֥א יְעַדְּר֖וּ דָּבָֽר׃]  They were not allowing to be wanting (or to fail [Montanus], to be lacking [Pagnine, Vatablus]) anything (Syriac, Junius and Tremellius, Pagnine, Vatablus).  Others:  Nothing was lacking to them (certain interpreters in Vatablus).

They lacked nothing; or rather, they suffered nothing to be lacking to any man that came thither, but plentifully provided all things necessary.

Verse 28:[2]  Barley also and straw for the horses and dromedaries (or, mules, or, swift beasts;[3] Esth. 8:14;[4] Mic. 1:13[5]) brought they unto the place where the officers were, every man according to his charge.

[And the straw of the horses and mules, ‎לַסּוּסִ֖ים וְלָרָ֑כֶשׁ]  [The former all translate as horses.  Concerning the latter they vary:]  A רֶכֶשׁ/rechesh is an incredibly swift animal, apt for conveyance and for cavalry.  Thus Forster,[6] Buxtorf, and Mercerus[7] in Malvenda translate it, and for the Dromedaries (Montanus, Elias in Bochart’s A Sacred Catalogue of Animals, Vatablus), or and for the camels (Vatablus); and for the mules (Munster, Pagnine).  In the place of רֶכֶשׁ is put פְרָדִים/mules, 2 Chronicles 9:24[8] (Mercerus in Malvenda).  And for the mares (Syriac, Arabic); and for the beasts of burden (Tigurinus); and for the post horses, that is, swift horses.  See Esther 8:10,[9] 14 (Piscator out of Junius).  We interpret it as horse, or a species of swift horses.  1.  In the Syrian paraphrase Richsa is thus taken a hundred times.  2.  The רֹכְבֵ֤י הָרֶ֙כֶשׁ֙ in Esther 8:14 the Greeks render ἱππεῖς/ horsemen.  3.  Thus Kimchi, Rabbi Levi, and many other Hebrews take it in this way.  Objection:  But Kimchi gathers that it is a different animal, because it is said, for the horses and for the רֶכֶשׁ/rechesh.  Response:  רֶכֶשׁ/rechesh is removed from the common sort of horses, as the most excellent species of horse.  Thus in Psalm 18, from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul.  And in Acts 1:14, with the women, and Mary.  Thus in Esther 8:10, by the hand of posts on horses, of riders of רֶכֶשׁ/rechesh.  Which appears to be added ἐπεξηγητικῶς/ epexegetically, so that it might signify that those were carried by the swiftest horses.  Wherefore in verse 14 the word הַסּוּסִים, the horses, is omitted; and ‎הָרֶכֶשׁ supplies both.  רֶכֶשׁ is not found elsewhere in Scripture in the place of horse.  רָכַשׁ is to acquire, whence רְכוּשׁ is possession, and רֶכֶשׁ, which was at first cattle, or whatever beast of burden, as in Greek, κτῆνος ἀπὸ τῆς κτήσεως, beast is from possession, thence the most noble of the beasts of burden, the horse (Bochart’s A Sacred Catalogue of Animals 1:2:6:100, etc.). 

Dromedaries, or mules, by comparing this with 2 Chronicles 9:24; or post horses, which are particularly mentioned and distinguished from the other horses, because they took a more exact and particular care about them.  Howsoever, it is agreed that these were swift beasts, which is evident from Esther 8:10, 14; Micah 1:13.

[They were conveying, ‎יָבִאוּ]  They were bringing, that is, they were wont to bring.  The future is put for the preterite imperfect (Vatablus).

[Unto the place where the King was (thus the Septuagint in Mariana, Tigurinus, Vatablus)]  They aptly supply the word King (Mariana).  But it is not to be referred to the King, concerning whom there is no word in that place; but to the closest antecedent, לָרָכֶשׁ, for the dromedaries, which is a singular noun in the place of a plural (Bochart’s A Sacred Catalogue of Animals 1:2:9:158:51).  ‎אֶל־הַמָּקוֹם֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר יִֽהְיֶה־שָּׁ֔ם, to the place in which it was there (Montanus).  There is redundant (Vatablus), in which (where [Syriac]) it was (Pagnine); unto the place in which Solomon was happening to be (Arabic); unto the place that was appointed for each (Munster); unto the place where it was (Junius and Tremellius); in whatever of the places they were, understanding, the horses, whether the King was present or absent (Bochart’s A Sacred Catalogue of Animals 1:2:9:158:51).  [Perhaps, unto the place in which it was there:  that is, where that fodder of the horses had to be stored and kept.]

[According to their appointment (thus Pagnine, Vatablus)]  Aptly; provided that it be referred to measure and to time, and also to place (Mariana). אִ֖ישׁ כְּמִשְׁפָּטֽוֹ׃, a man, or each, according to his manner (Vatablus, similarly Jonathan), according to his service (Syriac), according to his reckoning (Junius and Tremellius), according to his duty, that is, the duty prescribed to him (Piscator).  As they were obliged (Vatablus).  As they were commanded (Arabic); according to his measure (Munster); according to his order (Septuagint).

[1] Hebrew: ‎וְכִלְכְּלוּ֩ הַנִּצָּבִ֙ים הָאֵ֜לֶּה אֶת־הַמֶּ֣לֶךְ שְׁלֹמֹ֗ה וְאֵ֧ת כָּל־הַקָּרֵ֛ב אֶל־שֻׁלְחַ֥ן הַמֶּֽלֶךְ־שְׁלֹמֹ֖ה אִ֣ישׁ חָדְשׁ֑וֹ לֹ֥א יְעַדְּר֖וּ דָּבָֽר׃

[2] Hebrew:  ‎וְהַשְּׂעֹרִ֣ים וְהַתֶּ֔בֶן לַסּוּסִ֖ים וְלָרָ֑כֶשׁ יָבִ֗אוּ אֶל־הַמָּקוֹם֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר יִֽהְיֶה־שָּׁ֔ם אִ֖ישׁ כְּמִשְׁפָּטֽוֹ׃ ס

[3] Hebrew:  ‎וְלָרָכֶשׁ.

[4] Esther 8:14:  “And he wrote in the king Ahasuerus’ name, and sealed it with the king’s ring, and sent letters by posts on horseback, and riders on mules (‎רֹכְבֵ֤י הָרֶ֙כֶשׁ֙), camels, and young dromedaries…”

[5] Micah 1:13:  “O thou inhabitant of Lachish, bind the chariot to the swift beast (‎לָרֶכֶשׁ):  she is the beginning of the sin to the daughter of Zion:  for the transgressions of Israel were found in thee.”

[6] Johannes Forster (1576-1613) was a German Lutheran Theologian and Churchman, author of commentaries on Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Lamentations.  He served as Professor of Theology at Wittenberg (1607-1613).

[7] John Mercerus (c. 1510-1572) was a French Catholic Hebraist, successor to Francis Vatablus as Professor of Hebrew and Chaldean at the Hebrew College, Paris (1549), a scholar and lecturer of great reputation in his day.  He was suspected of having Calvinistic sympathies.  He wrote In Genesin, primum Mosis librum, sic a Graecis appellatum, commentarium, and Commentarios in Iobum, et Salomonis Proverbia, Ecclesiasten, Canticum Canticorum.

[8] 2 Chronicles 9:24:  “And they brought every man his present, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and raiment, harness, and spices, horses, and mules (‎וּפְרָדִים), a rate year by year.”

[9] Esther 8:10:  “And he wrote in the king Ahasuerus’ name, and sealed it with the king’s ring, and sent letters by posts on horseback, and riders on mules (בְּיַד֩ הָרָצִ֙ים בַּסּוּסִ֜ים רֹכְבֵ֤י הָרֶ֙כֶשׁ֙), camels, and young dromedaries…”