And Solomon gathered chariots and horsemen: and he had a thousand and four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, which he placed in the chariot cities, and with the king at Jerusalem.
Solomon gathered chariots and horsemen. His passion for horses was greater than that of any Israelite monarch before or after him. His stud comprised 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horses. This was a prohibited indulgence, whether as an instrument of luxury or power. But it was not merely for his own use that he imported the horses of Egypt. The immense equestrian establishment he erected was not for show merely, but also for profit. The Egyptian breed of horses was highly valued; and being as fine as Arabians, but larger and more powerful, as clearly appears from the monuments, they were well fitted for being yoked in chariots. These were light but compact and solid vehicles, without springs. From the price stated (2 Chronicles 1:17) as given for a chariot and a horse, it appears that the chariot cost four times the value of a horse. A horse brought 150 shekels, which, estimating the shekel at 2 shillings 3d. or 2 shillings 6d., amount to 17 pounds, 2 shillings or 18 pounds, 15 shillings, while a chariot brought 600 shekels-equal to 68 pounds, 9 shillings or 75 pounds; and as an Egyptian chariot was usually drawn by two horses, a chariot and pair would cost 112 pounds sterling. Since the Syrians, who were fond of the Egyptian breed of horses, could import them into their own country only through Judea, Solomon early perceived the commercial advantages to be derived from this trade, and established a monopoly. His factors or agents purchased them in the markets or fairs of Egypt, and brought them to the "chariot cities" - the depots and stables he had erected on the frontiers of his kingdom, such as Beth-marcaboth, 'the house of chariots,' and Hazor-susah, 'the village of horses' (Joshua 19:5; 1 Kings 10:28).