1 Kings 4
4
Solomon’s Officials
1King Solomon was king over all Israel, 2and these were his high officials: Azariah the son of Zadok was #1 Chr. 6:10the priest; 3Elihoreph and Ahijah the sons of Shisha were secretaries; #2 Sam. 8:16; 20:24Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder; 4#ch. 2:35 Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was in command of the army; #2 Sam. 20:25; [ch. 2:27, 35]Zadok and Abiathar were priests; 5Azariah the son of Nathan was over #ver. 7 the officers; Zabud the son of Nathan was priest and #[2 Sam. 15:37; 16:16; 1 Chr. 27:33]king’s friend; 6Ahishar was in charge of the palace; and #ch. 5:14; [ch. 12:18; 2 Sam. 20:24; 2 Chr. 10:18] Adoniram the son of Abda was in charge of #[ch. 9:15]the forced labor.
7Solomon had twelve officers over all Israel, who provided food for the king and his household. Each man had to make provision for one month in the year. 8These were their names: Ben-hur, in #See Josh. 24:33the hill country of Ephraim; 9Ben-deker, in Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth-shemesh, and Elonbeth-hanan; 10Ben-hesed, in Arubboth (to him belonged Socoh and all the land of Hepher); 11Ben-abinadab, in all #Josh. 11:2Naphath-dor (he had Taphath the daughter of Solomon as his wife); 12Baana the son of Ahilud, in #[Josh. 17:11]Taanach, Megiddo, and all #[Josh. 17:11]Beth-shean that is beside Zarethan below Jezreel, and from Beth-shean to Abel-meholah, as far as the other side of Jokmeam; 13Ben-geber, #[ch. 22:3] in Ramoth-gilead (he had #Num. 32:41 the villages of Jair the son of Manasseh, which are in Gilead, and he had #Deut. 3:4the region of Argob, which is in Bashan, sixty great cities with walls and bronze bars); 14Ahinadab the son of Iddo, in Mahanaim; 15Ahimaaz, in Naphtali (he had taken Basemath the daughter of Solomon as his wife); 16Baana the son of Hushai, in Asher and Bealoth; 17Jehoshaphat the son of Paruah, in Issachar; 18#ch. 1:8Shimei the son of Ela, in Benjamin; 19Geber the son of Uri, in the land of Gilead, #Deut. 3:8-10the country of Sihon king of the Amorites and of Og king of Bashan. And there was one governor who was over the land.
Solomon’s Wealth and Wisdom
20Judah and Israel were as many #Gen. 22:17; [ch. 3:8; 2 Chr. 1:9]as the sand by the sea. They ate and drank and were happy. 21#4:21 Ch 5:1 in Hebrew #2 Chr. 9:26 Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the #Gen. 15:18; Ex. 23:31; Josh. 1:4; Ps. 72:8 Euphrates#4:21 Hebrew the River to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt. #Ps. 68:29; 72:10, 11They brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.
22Solomon’s provision for one day was thirty cors#4:22 A cor was about 6 bushels or 220 liters of fine flour and sixty cors of meal, 23ten fat oxen, and twenty pasture-fed cattle, a hundred sheep, besides deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fattened fowl. 24For he had dominion over all the region west of the Euphrates#4:24 Hebrew the River; twice in this verse from Tiphsah to #Gen. 10:19 Gaza, over all the kings west of the Euphrates. #1 Chr. 22:9And he had peace on all sides around him. 25And Judah and Israel #Jer. 23:6; 32:37; Ezek. 28:26 lived in safety, #See 2 Sam. 3:10 from Dan even to Beersheba, #Mic. 4:4; Zech. 3:10; [2 Kgs. 18:31; Isa. 36:16]every man under his vine and under his fig tree, all the days of Solomon. 26#[ch. 10:26; 2 Chr. 1:14; 9:25]Solomon also had 40,000#4:26 Hebrew; one Hebrew manuscript (see 2 Chronicles 9:25 and Septuagint of 1 Kings 10:26) 4,000 stalls of horses for his chariots, and 12,000 horsemen. 27And those officers supplied provisions for King Solomon, and for all who came to King Solomon’s table, each one in his month. They let nothing be lacking. 28Barley also and straw for the horses and #Esth. 8:10, 14; Mic. 1:13swift steeds they brought to the place where it was required, each according to his duty.
29 # ch. 3:12 And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding beyond measure, and breadth of mind #[ver. 20]like the sand on the seashore, 30so that Solomon’s wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all #Judg. 6:3 the people of the east #Acts 7:22; [Isa. 19:11]and all the wisdom of Egypt. 31For he was #[See ver. 29 above]wiser than all other men, wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol, and his fame was in all the surrounding nations. 32#Prov. 1:1; Eccles. 12:9 He also spoke 3,000 proverbs, #Song 1:1and his songs were 1,005. 33He spoke of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of the wall. He spoke also of beasts, and of birds, and of reptiles, and of fish. 34And people of all nations came to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and from #2 Chr. 9:23; [ch. 10:1]all the kings of the earth, who had heard of his wisdom.
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1 Kings 4
4
Solomon’s Officials
1King Solomon reigned over all Israel,#2Sm 5:5; 8:15 2and these were his officials:#1Kg 12:6
Azariah son of Zadok, priest;
3Elihoreph and Ahijah the sons of Shisha, secretaries;
Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud, court historian;
4Benaiah son of Jehoiada, in charge of the army;
Zadok and Abiathar, priests;
5Azariah son of Nathan, in charge of the deputies;
Zabud son of Nathan, a priest and adviser to the king;
6Ahishar, in charge of the palace;
and Adoniram son of Abda, in charge of forced labor.
7Solomon had twelve deputies for all Israel. They provided food for the king and his household; each one made provision for one month out of the year.#1Kg 4:27 8These were their names:
Ben-hur, in the hill country of Ephraim;
9Ben-deker, in Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth-shemesh, and Elon-beth-hanan;
10Ben-hesed, in Arubboth (he had Socoh and the whole land of Hepher);
11Ben-abinadab, in all Naphath-dor (Taphath daughter of Solomon was his wife);
12Baana 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 the other side of Jokmeam;
13Ben-geber, in Ramoth-gilead (he had the villages of Jair son of Manasseh, which are in Gilead, and he had the region of Argob, which is in Bashan, sixty great cities with walls and bronze bars);
14Ahinadab son of Iddo, in Mahanaim;
15Ahimaaz, in Naphtali (he also had married a daughter of Solomon — Basemath);
16Baana son of Hushai, in Asher and Bealoth;
17Jehoshaphat son of Paruah, in Issachar;
18Shimei son of Ela, in Benjamin;
19Geber son of Uri, in the land of Gilead, the country of King Sihon of the Amorites and of King Og of Bashan.
There was one deputy in the land of Judah.#4:19 LXX; MT omits of Judah
Solomon’s Provisions
20Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand by the sea;#Gn 22:17; 1Kg 3:8 they were eating, drinking, and rejoicing. 21Solomon ruled all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines and as far as the border of Egypt.#Gn 15:18; 2Ch 9:26 They offered tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.#2Sm 8:2,6
22Solomon’s provisions for one day were 180 bushels#4:22 Lit 30 cors of fine flour and 360 bushels#4:22 Lit 60 cors of meal, 23ten fattened cattle, twenty range cattle, and a hundred sheep and goats, besides deer, gazelles, roebucks, and pen-fed poultry,#4:23 Hb obscure#1Kg 10:5; Neh 5:18 24for he had dominion over everything west of the Euphrates from Tiphsah to Gaza and over all the kings west of the Euphrates. He had peace on all his surrounding borders. 25Throughout Solomon’s reign, Judah and Israel lived in safety from Dan to Beer-sheba,#Jdg 20:1; 1Sm 3:20 each person under his own vine and his own fig tree.#Mc 4:3–4; Zch 3:10 26Solomon had forty thousand#4:26 2Ch 9:25 reads 4,000 stalls stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen.#Dt 17:16; 1Kg 10:26; 2Ch 1:14 27Each of those deputies for a month in turn provided food for King Solomon and for everyone who came to King Solomon’s table. They neglected nothing. 28Each man brought the barley and the straw for the chariot teams and the other horses#Est 8:10,14 to the required place according to his assignment.#4:28 Lit judgment
Solomon’s Wisdom and Literary Gifts
29God gave Solomon wisdom, very great insight, and understanding#1Kg 3:12 as vast as the sand on the seashore. 30Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the people of the East,#Gn 29:1 greater than all the wisdom of Egypt.#Is 19:11; Ac 7:22 31He was wiser than anyone#1Kg 3:12 — wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite,#1Ch 15:19; Ps 88–89 and Heman, Calcol, and Darda, sons of Mahol.#1Ch 2:6 His reputation extended to all the surrounding nations.#1Kg 10:1,6
32Solomon spoke 3,000 proverbs,#Pr 1:1; Ec 9:12 and his songs numbered 1,005.#Sg 1:1 33He spoke about trees, from the cedar in Lebanon to the hyssop growing out of the wall. He also spoke about animals, birds, reptiles, and fish. 34Emissaries of all peoples, sent by every king on earth who had heard of his wisdom, came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom.#1Kg 10:1,6
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