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Chapter 4

Solomon’s Riches: Domestic Affairs.[a] Solomon was king over all Israel, and these were the officials he had in his service:

Azariah, son of Zadok, the priest;

Elihoreph and Ahijah, sons of Shisha, scribes;

Jehoshaphat, son of Ahilud, the chancellor;

Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, in charge of the army;

Zadok and Abiathar, priests;

Azariah, son of Nathan, in charge of the governors;

Zabud, son of Nathan, priest and companion to the king;

Ahishar, master of the palace; and

Adoniram, son of Abda, in charge of the forced labor.

[b]Solomon had twelve governors over all Israel who supplied food for the king and his household, each having to provide for one month in the year. Their names were:[c]

the son of Hur in the hill country of Ephraim;

the son of Deker in Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth-shemesh, and Elon Beth-hanan;

10 the son of Hesed in Arubboth, as well as in Socoh and the whole region of Hepher;

11 the son of Abinadab, in all Naphath-dor; he was married to Taphath, Solomon’s daughter;

12 Baana, son of Ahilud, in Taanach and Megiddo and all Beth-shean near Zarethan below Jezreel, from Beth-shean to Abel-meholah to beyond Jokmeam;

13 the son of Geber in Ramoth-gilead, having charge of the villages of Jair, son of Manasseh, in Gilead; and of the district of Argob in Bashan—sixty large walled cities with gates barred with bronze;

14 Ahinadab, son of Iddo, in Mahanaim;

15 Ahimaaz, in Naphtali; he was married to Basemath, another daughter of Solomon;

16 Baana, son of Hushai, in Asher and Aloth;

17 Jehoshaphat, son of Paruah, in Issachar;

18 Shimei, son of Ela, in Benjamin;

19 Geber, son of Uri, in the land of Gilead, the land of Sihon, king of the Amorites, and of Og, king of Bashan.

There was one governor besides, in the land of Judah.[d] 20 (A)Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sands by the sea; they ate and drank and rejoiced.

Footnotes

  1. 4:1–5:8 The sub-unit on Solomon’s riches is organized around domestic affairs (4:1–20) and international affairs (5:1–5), with a short appendix on Solomon’s horses and chariots (5:6–8). Compare 9:26–10:29, where comparable elements reappear.
  2. 4:7–19 The administration of the kingdom thus initiated by Solomon continued in its main features for the duration of the monarchy in Israel and Judah. Note the use of “all Israel” to mean only the northern tribes (see also 5:27). Solomon’s exactions did not fall evenly on the whole people, but favored his own southern tribe of Judah. Eventually this inequity would lead to the dissolution of the union of Israel and Judah (12:1–19).
  3. 4:8–19 Several of the governors are identified only by their fathers’ names.
  4. 4:19 One governor…land of Judah: the royal territory of Judah had its own peculiar administration different from that of the twelve northern districts, each of which had to supply the king and his household with a month’s provisions of food each year (v. 7).

Solomon's Officials

Solomon was king of all Israel, and these were his high officials:

The priest: Azariah son of Zadok
The court secretaries: Elihoreph and Ahijah, sons of Shisha
In charge of the records: Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud
Commander of the army: Benaiah son of Jehoiada
Priests: Zadok and Abiathar
Chief of the district governors: Azariah son of Nathan
Royal Adviser: the priest Zabud son of Nathan
In charge of the palace servants: Ahishar
In charge of the forced labor: Adoniram son of Abda

Solomon appointed twelve men as district governors in Israel. They were to provide food from their districts for the king and his household, each man being responsible for one month out of the year. The following are the names of these twelve officers and the districts they were in charge of:

Benhur: the hill country of Ephraim
Bendeker: the cities of Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth Shemesh, Elon, and Beth Hanan
10 Benhesed: the cities of Arubboth and Socoh and all the territory of Hepher
11 Benabinadab, who was married to Solomon's daughter Taphath: the whole region of Dor
12 Baana son of Ahilud: the cities of Taanach, Megiddo, and all the region near Beth Shan, near the town of Zarethan, south of the town of Jezreel, as far as the city of Abel Meholah and the city of Jokmeam
13 Bengeber: the city of Ramoth in Gilead, and the villages in Gilead belonging to the clan of Jair, a descendant of Manasseh, and the region of Argob in Bashan, sixty large towns in all, fortified with walls and with bronze bars on the gates
14 Ahinadab son of Iddo: the district of Mahanaim
15 Ahimaaz, who was married to Basemath, another of Solomon's daughters: the territory of Naphtali
16 Baana son of Hushai: the region of Asher and the town of Bealoth
17 Jehoshaphat son of Paruah: the territory of Issachar
18 Shimei son of Ela: the territory of Benjamin
19 Geber son of Uri: the region of Gilead, which had been ruled by King Sihon of the Amorites and King Og of Bashan

Besides these twelve, there was one governor over the whole land.

Solomon's Prosperous Reign

20 The people of Judah and Israel were as numerous as the grains of sand on the seashore; they ate and drank, and were happy. 21 (A)Solomon's kingdom included all the nations from the Euphrates River to Philistia and the Egyptian border. They paid him taxes and were subject to him all his life.

22 The supplies Solomon needed each day were 150 bushels of fine flour and 300 bushels of meal; 23 10 stall-fed cattle, 20 pasture-fed cattle, and 100 sheep, besides deer, gazelles, roebucks, and poultry.

24 Solomon ruled over all the land west of the Euphrates River, from Tiphsah on the Euphrates as far west as the city of Gaza. All the kings west of the Euphrates were subject to him, and he was at peace with all the neighboring countries. 25 As long as he lived, the people throughout Judah and Israel lived in safety, each family with its own grapevines and fig trees.

26 (B)Solomon had forty thousand stalls for his chariot horses and twelve thousand cavalry horses. 27 His twelve governors, each one in the month assigned to him, supplied the food King Solomon needed for himself and for all who ate in the palace; they always supplied everything needed. 28 Each governor also supplied his share of barley and straw, where it was needed,[a] for the chariot horses and the work animals.

29 God gave Solomon unusual wisdom and insight, and knowledge too great to be measured. 30 Solomon was wiser than the wise men of the East or the wise men of Egypt. 31 (C)He was the wisest of all men: wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol, and his fame spread throughout all the neighboring countries. 32 (D)He composed three thousand proverbs and more than a thousand songs. 33 He spoke of trees and plants, from the Lebanon cedars to the hyssop that grows on walls; he talked about animals, birds, reptiles, and fish. 34 Kings all over the world heard of his wisdom and sent people to listen to him.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 4:28 where it was needed; or wherever King Solomon was.

Solomon’s Administrative Officers

King Solomon was king over all Israel, and these were his high officials: Azariah son of Zadok was the priest; Elihoreph and Ahijah sons of Shisha were secretaries; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was recorder; Benaiah son of Jehoiada was in command of the army; Zadok and Abiathar were priests; Azariah son of Nathan was over the officials; Zabud son of Nathan was priest and king’s friend; Ahishar was in charge of the palace; and Adoniram son of Abda was in charge of the forced labor.

Solomon had twelve officials over all Israel, who provided food for the king and his household; each one had to make provision for one month in the year. These were their names: Ben-hur, in the hill country of Ephraim; Ben-deker, in Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth-shemesh, and Elon-beth-hanan; 10 Ben-hesed, in Arubboth (to him belonged Socoh and all the land of Hepher); 11 Ben-abinadab, in all Naphath-dor (he had Taphath, Solomon’s daughter, as his wife); 12 Baana son of Ahilud, in Taanach, Megiddo, and all Beth-shean, which is beside Zarethan below Jezreel, and from Beth-shean to Abel-meholah, as far as the other side of Jokmeam; 13 Ben-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); 14 Ahinadab son of Iddo, in Mahanaim; 15 Ahimaaz, in Naphtali (he had taken Basemath, Solomon’s daughter, as his wife); 16 Baana son of Hushai, in Asher and Bealoth; 17 Jehoshaphat son of Paruah, in Issachar; 18 Shimei son of Ela, in Benjamin; 19 Geber son of Uri, in the land of Gilead, the country of King Sihon of the Amorites and of King Og of Bashan. And there was one official in the land of Judah.

Magnificence of Solomon’s Rule

20 Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand by the sea; they ate and drank and were happy. 21 [a] Solomon was sovereign over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates to the land of the Philistines, even to the border of Egypt; they brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.

22 Solomon’s provision for one day was thirty cors of choice flour, and sixty cors of meal, 23 ten fat oxen, and twenty pasture-fed cattle, one hundred sheep, besides deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fatted fowl. 24 For he had dominion over all the region west of the Euphrates from Tiphsah to Gaza, over all the kings west of the Euphrates; and he had peace on all sides. 25 During Solomon’s lifetime Judah and Israel lived in safety, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, all of them under their vines and fig trees. 26 Solomon also had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen. 27 Those officials 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. 28 They also brought to the required place barley and straw for the horses and swift steeds, each according to his charge.

Fame of Solomon’s Wisdom

29 God gave Solomon very great wisdom, discernment, and breadth of understanding as vast as the sand on the seashore, 30 so that Solomon’s wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the people of the east, and all the wisdom of Egypt. 31 He was wiser than anyone else, wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Calcol, and Darda, children of Mahol; his fame spread throughout all the surrounding nations. 32 He composed three thousand proverbs, and his songs numbered a thousand and five. 33 He would speak of trees, from the cedar that is in the Lebanon to the hyssop that grows in the wall; he would speak of animals, and birds, and reptiles, and fish. 34 People came from all the nations to hear the wisdom of Solomon; they came from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 4:21 Ch 5.1 in Heb

Solomon’s Officials

Now King Solomon was king over all Israel. These were his officials: Azariah the son of Zadok was (A)the priest; Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha were scribes; (B)Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was the secretary; and (C)Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the army; and Zadok and (D)Abiathar were priests; and Azariah the son of Nathan was over (E)the deputies; and Zabud the son of Nathan, a priest, was the king’s confidant; and Ahishar was over the household; and Adoniram the son of Abda was over the forced labor.

Solomon had twelve deputies over all Israel, who provided food for the king and his household; each deputy had to provide food for a month in the year. And these were their names: Ben-hur, in the (F)hill country of Ephraim; Ben-deker in Makaz and (G)Shaalbim, and (H)Beth-shemesh, and Elonbeth-hanan; 10 Ben-hesed in Arubboth ((I)Socoh was his and all the land of (J)Hepher); 11 Ben-abinadab in all [a]the (K)hills of Dor (Taphath the daughter of Solomon was his wife); 12 Baana the son of Ahilud in (L)Taanach and Megiddo, and all (M)Beth-shean which is beside (N)Zarethan below Jezreel, from Beth-shean to (O)Abel-meholah as far as the other side of (P)Jokmeam; 13 Ben-geber in (Q)Ramoth-gilead ((R)the villages of Jair, the son of Manasseh, which are in Gilead were his: (S)the region of Argob, which is in Bashan, sixty great cities with walls and bronze bars were his); 14 Ahinadab the son of Iddo in (T)Mahanaim; 15 (U)Ahimaaz in Naphtali (he also married Basemath the daughter of Solomon); 16 Baana the son of (V)Hushai in Asher and [b]Bealoth; 17 Jehoshaphat the son of Paruah in Issachar; 18 (W)Shimei the son of Ela in Benjamin; 19 Geber the son of Uri in the land of Gilead, (X)the country of Sihon king of the Amorites and of Og king of Bashan; and he was the only deputy who was in the land.

Solomon’s Power, Wealth, and Wisdom

20 (Y)Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand that is on the [c]seashore in abundance; they were eating, drinking, and rejoicing.

21 [d](Z)Now Solomon was ruling over all the kingdoms (AA)from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt; (AB)they brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.

22 Solomon’s [e]provision for one day was [f]thirty kors of fine flour and [g]sixty kors of meal, 23 ten fat oxen, twenty [h]pasture-fed oxen, and a hundred sheep, besides deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fattened geese. 24 For he was ruling over everything [i]west of the Euphrates River, from Tiphsah even to (AC)Gaza, (AD)over all the kings [j]west of the River; and (AE)he had peace on all sides surrounding him. 25 (AF)So Judah and Israel lived securely, everyone under his vine and his fig tree, (AG)from Dan even to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon. 26 (AH)Solomon had [k]forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen. 27 And those deputies provided food for King Solomon and all who came to King Solomon’s table, each in his month; they allowed nothing to be lacking. 28 They also brought barley and straw for the war horses and (AI)baggage horses to the place where it was required, each deputy according to his duty.

29 Now (AJ)God gave Solomon wisdom and very great discernment and breadth of [l]mind, (AK)like the sand that is on the seashore. 30 Solomon’s wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all (AL)the [m]people of the east and (AM)all the wisdom of Egypt. 31 For (AN)he was wiser than all other people, more than (AO)Ethan the Ezrahite, Heman, (AP)Calcol, and [n]Darda, the sons of Mahol; and his [o]fame was known in all the surrounding nations. 32 (AQ)He also told three thousand proverbs, and his songs numbered 1,005. 33 He told of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon even to the hyssop that grows on the wall; he told also of animals, birds, crawling things, and fish. 34 People (AR)came from all the [p]nations to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 4:11 Or Naphoth-dor
  2. 1 Kings 4:16 Or in Aloth
  3. 1 Kings 4:20 Lit sea
  4. 1 Kings 4:21 Ch 5:1 in Heb
  5. 1 Kings 4:22 Lit bread
  6. 1 Kings 4:22 About 231 cubic feet or 6.5 cubic meters
  7. 1 Kings 4:22 About 462 cubic feet or 13 cubic meters
  8. 1 Kings 4:23 Lit oxen of the pasture
  9. 1 Kings 4:24 Lit beyond
  10. 1 Kings 4:24 Lit beyond
  11. 1 Kings 4:26 One LXX ms reads 4,000, cf. 2 Chr 9:25
  12. 1 Kings 4:29 Lit heart
  13. 1 Kings 4:30 Lit sons
  14. 1 Kings 4:31 In 1 Chr 2:6, Dara
  15. 1 Kings 4:31 Lit name
  16. 1 Kings 4:34 Lit peoples

Solomon’s Officials and Governors

So King Solomon ruled over all Israel. And these were his chief officials:(A)

Azariah(B) son of Zadok—the priest;

Elihoreph and Ahijah, sons of Shisha—secretaries;(C)

Jehoshaphat(D) son of Ahilud—recorder;

Benaiah(E) son of Jehoiada—commander in chief;

Zadok(F) and Abiathar—priests;

Azariah son of Nathan—in charge of the district governors;

Zabud son of Nathan—a priest and adviser to the king;

Ahishar—palace administrator;(G)

Adoniram(H) son of Abda—in charge of forced labor.(I)

Solomon had twelve district governors(J) over all Israel, who supplied provisions for the king and the royal household. Each one had to provide supplies for one month in the year. These are their names:

Ben-Hur—in the hill country(K) of Ephraim;

Ben-Deker—in Makaz, Shaalbim,(L) Beth Shemesh(M) and Elon Bethhanan;

10 Ben-Hesed—in Arubboth (Sokoh(N) and all the land of Hepher(O) were his);

11 Ben-Abinadab—in Naphoth Dor(P) (he was married to Taphath daughter of Solomon);

12 Baana son of Ahilud—in Taanach and Megiddo, and in all of Beth Shan(Q) next to Zarethan(R) below Jezreel, from Beth Shan to Abel Meholah(S) across to Jokmeam;(T)

13 Ben-Geber—in Ramoth Gilead (the settlements of Jair(U) son of Manasseh in Gilead(V) were his, as well as the region of Argob in Bashan and its sixty large walled cities(W) with bronze gate bars);

14 Ahinadab son of Iddo—in Mahanaim;(X)

15 Ahimaaz(Y)—in Naphtali (he had married Basemath daughter of Solomon);

16 Baana son of Hushai(Z)—in Asher and in Aloth;

17 Jehoshaphat son of Paruah—in Issachar;

18 Shimei(AA) son of Ela—in Benjamin;

19 Geber son of Uri—in Gilead (the country of Sihon(AB) king of the Amorites and the country of Og(AC) king of Bashan). He was the only governor over the district.

Solomon’s Daily Provisions

20 The people of Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand(AD) on the seashore; they ate, they drank and they were happy.(AE) 21 And Solomon ruled(AF) over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River(AG) to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt.(AH) These countries brought tribute(AI) and were Solomon’s subjects all his life.

22 Solomon’s daily provisions(AJ) were thirty cors[a] of the finest flour and sixty cors[b] of meal, 23 ten head of stall-fed cattle, twenty of pasture-fed cattle and a hundred sheep and goats, as well as deer, gazelles, roebucks and choice fowl.(AK) 24 For he ruled over all the kingdoms west of the Euphrates River, from Tiphsah(AL) to Gaza, and had peace(AM) on all sides. 25 During Solomon’s lifetime Judah and Israel, from Dan to Beersheba,(AN) lived in safety,(AO) everyone under their own vine and under their own fig tree.(AP)

26 Solomon had four[c] thousand stalls for chariot horses,(AQ) and twelve thousand horses.[d]

27 The district governors,(AR) each in his month, supplied provisions for King Solomon and all who came to the king’s table. They saw to it that nothing was lacking. 28 They also brought to the proper place their quotas of barley and straw for the chariot horses and the other horses.

Solomon’s Wisdom

29 God gave Solomon wisdom(AS) and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand(AT) on the seashore. 30 Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the people of the East,(AU) and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt.(AV) 31 He was wiser(AW) than anyone else, including Ethan the Ezrahite—wiser than Heman, Kalkol and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And his fame spread to all the surrounding nations. 32 He spoke three thousand proverbs(AX) and his songs(AY) numbered a thousand and five. 33 He spoke about plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop(AZ) that grows out of walls. He also spoke about animals and birds, reptiles and fish. 34 From all nations people came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, sent by all the kings(BA) of the world, who had heard of his wisdom.[e]

Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 4:22 That is, probably about 5 1/2 tons or about 5 metric tons
  2. 1 Kings 4:22 That is, probably about 11 tons or about 10 metric tons
  3. 1 Kings 4:26 Some Septuagint manuscripts (see also 2 Chron. 9:25); Hebrew forty
  4. 1 Kings 4:26 Or charioteers
  5. 1 Kings 4:34 In Hebrew texts 4:21-34 is numbered 5:1-14.