ABC:1 Kings 4

Verse 26

Infidels and RationalWiki claim this contradicts 2 Chronicles 9:25 because one location says 4,000 stables and the other 40,000.

“ 1 Kings 4:26 And Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen.

2 Chronicles 9:25 And Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen; whom he bestowed in the chariot cities, and with the king at Jerusalem.

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As observed by KJV Today the verses do not contradict because they describe different stalls. Whereas 2 Chronicles 9:25 mentions 4,000 stalls for chariots only, 1 Kings 4:26 says there were were 40,000 for both chariots AND horses. Logically far fewer stalls would be needed for only chariots than for both chariots AND horses.

We are told there were 12,000 horsemen, presumably in addition to the 4,000 chariot crews. So 12,000 stalls for their individual horses, plus 4,000 for chariots. (16,000) This means the chariot horses likely accounted for the bulk of the remaining 24,000 stalls. (40,000-16,000) 6 horses to a chariot is hardly unthinkable (24,000 stalls / 4,000 chariots) although some stalls could be for spare horses. At any rate, the math makes perfect sense between the two passages.