King Solomon established a vast economic and military monopoly, acting as the exclusive middleman in the ancient arms trade between Egypt and the northern kingdoms. By controlling the export of horses from Egypt, his sophisticated commercial network became a source of immense wealth for Israel.
The trade operated on a strict, fixed pricing system. A chariot brought up from Egypt into the Land of Israel [מצודת דוד] cost six hundred silver shekels, while a single horse was priced at one hundred and fifty shekels. Based on these figures, commentators unanimously agree that a standard chariot at the time was drawn by four horses. These exact same rates applied when selling to the northern kingdoms [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. The kings of the Hittites and Aram desperately needed these horses for their armies. However, because Solomon held complete control over the Egyptian market, they had no choice but to purchase them through his merchants [מלבי״ם, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Operating as the ultimate broker, the Israelite network collected these sums either as a tax or a set price [רלב״ג]. Even though these foreign kingdoms were geographically close to Egypt, they remained entirely bound to Solomon's tariffs [מצודת דוד].
Regarding how these exports were physically managed, the primary approach among commentators is that the entire operation remained under the direct authority and control of Solomon's merchants, who orchestrated the logistics from Egypt to the final destinations [רש״י, רד״ק, רלב״ג]. A complementary view suggests that Solomon purchased the horses in Egypt, bred and cared for them, and then simply sold them to the foreign kings who paid him directly [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Conversely, an alternative perspective proposes that the Egyptians themselves transported the horses to the buyers. Another possibility within this alternative view is that the foreign kings were forced to extract the horses from Egypt on their own, as they lacked the vast logistical and commercial infrastructure that Solomon possessed [מצודת דוד].