1 Kings 4
4
1King Solomon ruled over all of Israel. 2These were his officials: Azariah, son of Zadok, was the priest; 3Elihoreph and Ahijah, sons of Shisha, were the king's secretaries. Jehoshaphat, son of Ahilud, kept the royal records. 4Benaiah son of Jehoiada was the army commander. Zadok and Abiathar were priests. 5Azariah, son of Nathan, was in charge of the governors. Zabud, son of Nathan, was a priest and the king's counselor. 6Ahishar was the palace manager. Adoniram, son of Abda, was in charge of those forced to work for the king.
7Solomon had twelve area governors whose responsibilities covered the whole of Israel, providing food for the king and his household. Each one in turn arranged supplies for one month of the year.
8Their names were: Ben-hur, in the hill country of Ephraim;
9Ben-deker in Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth-shemesh and Elon-beth-hanan;
10Ben-hesed in Arubboth (Socoh and all the land of Hepher was his);
11Ben-abinadab, in the whole of Naphath-dor (Taphath, the daughter of Solomon, was his wife);
12Baana, son of Ahilud, in Taanach and Megiddo, the whole of Beth-shan near Zarethan below Jezreel, and from Beth-shan to Abel-meholah and across to Jokmeam;
13Ben-geber, in Ramoth-gilead (the towns of Jair, son of Manasseh, in Gilead belonged to him, as well as the region of Argob in Bashan, with sixty great cities having walls and bronze bars);
14Ahinadab, son of Iddo, in Mahanaim;
15Ahimaaz, in Naphtali (he had married Basemath the daughter of Solomon);
16Baana, son of Hushai, in Asher and in Aloth;
17Jehoshaphat, son of Paruah, in Issachar;
18Shimei, son of Ela, in Benjamin;
19Geber son of Uri in the land of Gilead (the former country of Sihon, king of the Amorites, and of Og, king of Bashan. There was also a governor who was over the land of Judah).#4:19. The Hebrew text is unclear. The Septuagint reading is followed here, indicating that there was also a governor over Judah. Some however take this to refer to the previous governor mentioned who was the sole governor during this reign.
20Judah and Israel had become as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They ate, they drank, they were happy. 21Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines, right up to the border of Egypt. They presented tribute to Solomon and served him during his lifetime. 22The food required every day for Solomon's court was thirty cors of the best flour and sixty cors of meal; 23ten fattened cattle, twenty range cattle, one hundred sheep, as well as deer, gazelles, roe deer, and fattened poultry. 24For Solomon ruled over the whole region west of the Euphrates, from Tiphsah to Gaza—over all the kingdoms west of the Euphrates. And he had peace on all sides around him. He had peace on every border. 25During Solomon's lifetime, everyone in Judah and Israel lived in safety, from Dan to Beersheba. Each one had their own vine and fig tree. 26Solomon had 40,000 stalls for his chariot horses, and 12,000 charioteers. 27Every month the area governors provided in turn food for King Solomon and all who ate at his table. They made sure that nothing was missing. 28They also delivered barley and straw where they were needed for the chariot horses and cart horses.
29God gave to Solomon wisdom, very great discernment, and understanding as extensive as the sand on the seashore. 30Solomon's wisdom was greater than that of all the Eastern wise men, greater than all of Egypt's wisdom. 31He was wiser than anyone, wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, wiser than Heman, Calcol, and Darda, sons of Mahol. His reputation spread through the nations around. 32Solomon composed three thousand proverbs and one thousand and five songs. 33He was able to discuss knowledge of trees, from the cedar in Lebanon to the hyssop that grows in the wall. He taught about animals, birds, reptiles, and fish. 34People from all nations came to hear Solomon's wisdom. They were sent by all the kings of the earth, who had heard about his wisdom.
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Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com
I Kings 4
4
Solomon’s Administration
1So King Solomon was king over all Israel. 2And these were his officials: Azariah the son of Zadok, the priest; 3Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha, scribes; #2 Sam. 8:16; 20:24Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud, the recorder; 4#1 Kin. 2:35Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, over the army; Zadok and #1 Kin. 2:27Abiathar, the priests; 5Azariah the son of Nathan, over #1 Kin. 4:7the officers; Zabud the son of Nathan, #2 Sam. 8:18; 20:26a priest and #2 Sam. 15:37; 16:16; 1 Chr. 27:33the king’s friend; 6Ahishar, over the household; and #1 Kin. 5:14Adoniram the son of Abda, over the labor force.
7And Solomon had twelve governors over all Israel, who provided food for the king and his household; each one made provision for one month of the year. 8These are their names: Ben-Hur, in the mountains of Ephraim; 9Ben-Deker, in Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth Shemesh, and Elon Beth Hanan; 10Ben-Hesed, in Arubboth; to him belonged Sochoh and all the land of Hepher; 11Ben-Abinadab, in all the regions of Dor; he had Taphath the daughter of Solomon as wife; 12Baana the son of Ahilud, in Taanach, Megiddo, and all Beth Shean, which is beside Zaretan below Jezreel, from Beth Shean to Abel Meholah, as far as the other side of Jokneam; 13Ben-Geber, in Ramoth Gilead; to him belonged #Num. 32:41; 1 Chr. 2:22the towns of Jair the son of Manasseh, in Gilead; to him also belonged #Deut. 3:4the region of Argob in Bashan—sixty large cities with walls and bronze gate-bars; 14Ahinadab the son of Iddo, in Mahanaim; 15#2 Sam. 15:27Ahimaaz, in Naphtali; he also took Basemath the daughter of Solomon as wife; 16Baanah the son of #2 Sam. 15:32; 1 Chr. 27:33Hushai, in Asher and Aloth; 17Jehoshaphat the son of Paruah, in Issachar; 18#1 Kin. 1:8Shimei the son of Elah, in Benjamin; 19Geber the son of Uri, in the land of Gilead, in #Deut. 3:8–10the country of Sihon king of the Amorites, and of Og king of Bashan. He was the only governor who was in the land.
Prosperity and Wisdom of Solomon’s Reign
20Judah and Israel were as numerous #Gen. 22:17; 32:12; 1 Kin. 3:8; (Prov. 14:28)as the sand by the sea in multitude, #Ps. 72:3, 7; Mic. 4:4eating and drinking and rejoicing. 21So #Ex. 34:24; 2 Chr. 9:26; Ps. 72:8Solomon reigned over all kingdoms from #Gen. 15:18; Josh. 1:4the River to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. #Ps. 68:29They brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.
22#Neh. 5:18Now Solomon’s provision for one day was thirty kors of fine flour, sixty kors of meal, 23ten fatted oxen, twenty oxen from the pastures, and one hundred sheep, besides deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fatted fowl.
24For he had dominion over all the region on this side of the River from Tiphsah even to Gaza, namely over #Ps. 72:11all the kings on this side of the River; and #1 Kin. 5:4; 1 Chr. 22:9he had peace on every side all around him. 25And Judah and Israel #(Jer. 23:6)dwelt safely, #(Mic. 4:4; Zech. 3:10)each man under his vine and his fig tree, #Judg. 20:1from Dan as far as Beersheba, all the days of Solomon.
26#1 Kin. 10:26; 2 Chr. 1:14Solomon had forty thousand stalls of #(Deut. 17:16)horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen. 27And #1 Kin. 4:7these governors, each man in his month, provided food for King Solomon and for all who came to King Solomon’s table. There was no lack in their supply. 28They also brought barley and straw to the proper place, for the horses and steeds, each man according to his charge.
29And #1 Kin. 3:12God gave Solomon wisdom and exceedingly great understanding, and largeness of heart like the sand on the seashore. 30Thus Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the men #Gen. 25:6of the East and all #Is. 19:11, 12; Acts 7:22the wisdom of Egypt. 31For he was #1 Kin. 3:12wiser than all men—#1 Chr. 15:19; Ps. 89:titlethan Ethan the Ezrahite, #1 Chr. 2:6; Ps. 88:titleand Heman, Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol; and his fame was in all the surrounding nations. 32#Prov. 1:1; 10:1; 25:1; Eccl. 12:9He spoke three thousand proverbs, and his #Song 1:1songs were one thousand and five. 33Also he spoke of trees, from the cedar tree of Lebanon even to the hyssop that springs out of the wall; he spoke also of animals, of birds, of creeping things, and of fish. 34And men of all nations, from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom, #1 Kin. 10:1; 2 Chr. 9:1, 23came to hear the wisdom of Solomon.
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The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.