1 Kings 4
4
Solomon’s Kingdom
1King Solomon ruled over all Israel. 2These are the names of his leading officials:
Azariah son of Zadok was the priest;
3Elihoreph and Ahijah, sons of Shisha, had the job of writing notes about what happened in the courts;
Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud wrote notes about the history of the people;
4Benaiah son of Jehoiada was the commander of the army;
Zadok and Abiathar were priests;
5Azariah son of Nathan was in charge of the district governors;
Zabud son of Nathan was a priest and an advisor to King Solomon;
6Ahishar was responsible for everything in the king’s palace;
Adoniram son of Abda was in charge of the slaves.
7Israel was divided into twelve districts. Solomon chose governors to rule over each district. These governors were ordered to gather food from their districts and give it to the king and his family. Each of the twelve governors was responsible for giving food to the king one month each year. 8These are the names of the twelve governors:
Ben Hur was governor of the hill country of Ephraim.
9Ben Deker was governor of Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth Shemesh, and Elon Bethhanan.
10Ben Hesed was governor of Arubboth, Socoh, and Hepher.
11Ben Abinadab was governor of Naphoth Dor. He was married to Taphath, daughter of Solomon.
12Baana son of Ahilud was governor of Taanach and Megiddo and all of Beth Shean next to Zarethan. This was below Jezreel, from Beth Shean to Abel Meholah across from Jokmeam.
13Ben Geber was governor of Ramoth Gilead. He was governor of all the towns and villages of Jair son of Manasseh in Gilead. He was also governor of the district of Argob in Bashan. In this area there were 60 cities with big walls around them. These cities also had bronze bars on the gates.
14Ahinadab son of Iddo was governor of Mahanaim.
15Ahimaaz was governor of Naphtali. He was married to Basemath the daughter of Solomon.
16Baana son of Hushai was governor of Asher and Aloth.
17Jehoshaphat son of Paruah was governor of Issachar.
18Shimei son of Ela was governor of Benjamin.
19Geber son of Uri was governor of Gilead. There had been two kings in this area, King Sihon of the Amorites and King Og of Bashan, but Solomon appointed only one governor for that district.
20In Judah and Israel there were as many people as sand on the seashore. The people were happy and had plenty to eat and drink.
21Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines. His kingdom went as far as the border of Egypt. These countries sent gifts to Solomon, and they obeyed him all of his life.#4:21 sent gifts … life This showed that these countries had made peace agreements with Solomon because of his great power.
22-23This is the amount of food that Solomon needed each day for himself and for everyone who ate at his table: 150 bushels#4:22-23 150 bushels Literally, “30 cors” (6600 l). of fine flour, 300 bushels#4:22-23 300 bushels Literally, “60 cors” (13,200 l). of flour, 10 cattle that were fed grain, 20 cattle that were raised in the fields, 100 sheep, wild animals such as deer, gazelles, roebucks,#4:22-23 deer, gazelles, roebucks Different kinds of wild deer. and game birds.
24Solomon ruled over all the countries west of the Euphrates River, from Tiphsah to Gaza. And Solomon had peace along all the borders of his kingdom. 25During Solomon’s life everyone in Judah and Israel, all the way from Dan to Beersheba, lived in peace and security. The people were at peace sitting under their own fig trees and grapevines.
26Solomon had places to keep 4000#4:26 4000 This is found in some copies of the ancient Greek version. The standard Hebrew text has 40,000, but see 2 Chron. 9:25. horses for his chariots and he had 12,000 horse soldiers. 27And each month one of the twelve district governors gave King Solomon everything he needed for all the people who ate at the king’s table. 28The district governors also gave the king enough straw and barley for the chariot horses and the riding horses. Everyone brought this grain to the necessary places.
Solomon’s Wisdom
29God made Solomon very wise. Solomon could understand more than you can imagine. 30He was wiser than anyone in the East#4:30 East The area between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers as far east as the Persian Gulf. or in Egypt. 31He was wiser than anyone on earth, even Ethan the Ezrahite and the sons of Mahol—Heman, Calcol, and Darda. King Solomon became famous in all the surrounding countries. 32By the end of his life, he had written#4:32 written Literally, “spoken.” 3000 proverbs and 1005 songs.
33Solomon also knew very much about nature. He taught about many different kinds of plants—everything from the great cedar trees of Lebanon to the little vines that grow out of the walls. He also taught about animals, birds, and snakes.#4:33 snakes Literally, “creeping things.” These can be anything: insects, lizards, snakes, or fish. 34People from every nation came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom. Kings all over the world sent their people to listen to him.
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© 1987, 2004 Bible League International
1 Kings 4
4
Solomon’s Officials
1King Solomon was king over all [the people of] Israel. 2These were his [chief] officials: Azariah the #4:2 Here as in other passages, the Hebrew word son may refer to a grandson or more distant descendant, just as father is also used of grandfathers and other ancestors.son of Zadok was the high priest; 3Elihoreph and Ahijah the sons of Shisha, were scribes; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was the recorder [of important events]; 4Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was in command of the army; Zadok and Abiathar were priests; 5Azariah the son of Nathan was in charge of the deputies; Zabud the son of Nathan was priest and was the king’s friend [and trusted advisor]; 6Ahishar was in charge of the household (palace); and Adoniram the son of Abda was in charge of the forced labor.
7Solomon had twelve deputies over all Israel, who #4:7 Lit provided.secured provisions for the king and his household; each man had to provide for a month in the year. 8These were their names: Ben-hur, in the hill country of [the tribe of] Ephraim; 9Ben-deker in Makaz and Shaalbim and Beth-shemesh and Elon-beth-hanan; 10Ben-hesed, in Arubboth (to him belonged Socoh and all the land of Hepher); 11Ben-abinadab, in all the hills of Dor (Taphath, Solomon’s daughter, was his wife); 12Baana the son of Ahilud, in Taanach, Megiddo, and all Beth-shean which is beside Zarethan below Jezreel, from Beth-shean to Abel-meholah as far as beyond Jokmeam; 13Ben-geber, in Ramoth-gilead (the villages of Jair the son of Manasseh, which are in Gilead belonged to him, also the region of Argob, which is in Bashan, sixty great cities with walls and bronze bars); 14Ahinadab the son of Iddo, in Mahanaim; 15Ahimaaz, in [the tribe of] Naphtali (he also married Basemath, Solomon’s daughter); 16Baana the son of Hushai, in [the tribe of] Asher and Bealoth; 17Jehoshaphat the son of Paruah, in [the tribe of] Issachar; 18Shimei the son of Ela, in [the tribe of] Benjamin; 19Geber the son of Uri, in the land of Gilead, the country of Sihon king of the Amorites and of Og king of Bashan; and he was the only officer who was in the land.
Solomon’s Power, Wealth and Wisdom
20[The people of] Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand that is in abundance by the sea; they were eating and drinking and rejoicing.
21 # 4:21 In the Hebrew text ch 5 begins with this verse. Now Solomon reigned over all the kingdoms from the [Euphrates] River to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt; they brought tribute (money) and served Solomon all the days of his life.
22Solomon’s food [for the royal household] for one day was thirty #4:22 This was the largest unit of volume, but the actual amount varied because it was based on the volume of an egg, the basic Jewish standard of volume. The kor was equivalent to the homer and was supposed to equal 4,320 eggs. Modern estimates of the volume range between seven and twelve bushels.kors of finely milled flour, sixty kors of wheat flour, 23ten fat oxen, twenty pasture-fed oxen, a hundred sheep not counting fallow deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fattened fowl. 24For he was ruling over everything west of the [Euphrates] River, from Tiphsah to Gaza, over all the kings west of the [Euphrates] River; and he had peace on all sides around him. 25Judah and Israel lived in security, every man under his vine and fig tree [in peace and prosperity], from Dan [in the north] to Beersheba [in the south], during all the days of Solomon. [Mic 4:3, 4] 26Solomon also had #4:26 One ms reads 4,000; cf 2 Chr 9:25.40,000 stalls of horses for his chariots, and 12,000 horsemen. 27Those deputies provided food for King Solomon and for all [the staff] who came to King Solomon’s table, each in his month; they let nothing be lacking. 28They also brought the barley and straw for the horses and swift steeds (warhorses, chargers) to the place where it was needed, each man according to his assignment.
29Now God gave Solomon [exceptional] wisdom and very great discernment and breadth of mind, like the sand of the seashore. 30Solomon’s wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the sons of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt. 31For he was wiser #4:31 “Wiser than all [other] men,” until Christ came. Jesus said, “Someone more and greater than Solomon is here” (Matt 12:42).than all [other] men, [wiser] than #4:31 Together with Zimri (1 Chr 2:6), these men were reputed to be the wisest in the world.Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol. His fame was known in all the surrounding nations. 32He also spoke 3,000 proverbs, and his songs were 1,005. 33He spoke of trees, from the cedar which is in Lebanon to the hyssop [vine] that grows on the wall; he spoke also of animals, of birds, of creeping things, and fish. 34People came from all the peoples (nations) to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom.
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