1 Kings 4
Modern English Version
The Court of Solomon
4 So King Solomon was king over all Israel. 2 These were the officials in his court:
Azariah the son of Zadok was the priest.
3 Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha, were secretaries.
Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was the recorder;
4 Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the army.
Zadok and Abiathar were priests.
5 Azariah the son of Nathan was over the officers,
and Zabud the son of Nathan was principal officer and the king’s friend.
6 Ahishar was over the household,
and Adoniram the son of Abda was over the forced labor.
7 Solomon had twelve officers over all Israel who made provision for the king and his household. Each man was assigned a month to make provision. 8 These are their names:
the son of Hur in Mount Ephraim;
9 the son of Deker in Makaz and in Shaalbim and Beth Shemesh and Elon Bethhanan;
10 the son of Hesed in Arubboth (to him belonged Sokoh and all the land of Hepher);
11 the son of Abinadab in all the region of Dor (he had Taphath the daughter of Solomon as his wife);
12 Baana the son of Ahilud in Taanach, Megiddo, and all Beth Shan that is by Zarethan beneath Jezreel, and from Beth Shan to Abel Meholah as far as the other side of Jokmeam;
13 the son of Geber in Ramoth Gilead (to him pertained the towns of Jair the son of Manasseh which are in Gilead, and also the region of Argob which is in Bashan, sixty great cities with walls and iron bars);
14 Ahinadab the son of Iddo in Mahanaim;
15 Ahimaaz in Naphtali (he had taken Basemath the daughter of Solomon as his wife);
16 Baana the son of Hushai in Asher and in Aloth;
17 Jehoshaphat the son of Paruah in Issachar;
18 Shimei the son of Ela in Benjamin;
19 Geber the son of Uri in the country of Gilead, the country of Sihon king of the Amorites and of Og king of Bashan. He was the only officer who was in that region.
The Wealth of Solomon
20 Judah and Israel had a large populace, as numerous as the sand by the sea. They ate and drank and were happy. 21 Solomon reigned over all kingdoms from the River[a] to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt. The people brought presents and served Solomon all the days of his life.
22 Solomon’s provision for one day was thirty kors[b] of fine flour and sixty kors[c] of meal, 23 ten fat oxen and twenty pasture-fed cattle, a hundred sheep in addition to deer, roebucks, gazelle, and fatted poultry. 24 For he had dominion over all the region on this side of the River[d] from Tiphsah to Gaza, over all the kings on this side of the River,[e] and he had peace on all borders of his land. 25 Judah and Israel lived safely, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan to Beersheba all the days of Solomon.
26 Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots and twelve thousand horsemen.
27 Those officers made provision for King Solomon and for all who came to King Solomon’s table, every man in his month, and they lacked nothing. 28 Barley also and straw for the horses and dromedaries were brought to the place where the officers were, every man according to his charge.
29 God gave Solomon wisdom and great depth of understanding as well as compassion, as vast as the sand on the seashore. 30 Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the people of the East country and all the wisdom of Egypt. 31 For he was wiser than all other men, wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, Heman, Kalkol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol; his fame spread throughout all the surrounding nations. 32 He spoke three thousand proverbs, and his songs numbered a thousand and five. 33 He spoke of trees, from the cedar tree that is in Lebanon to the hyssop that springs out of the wall. He also spoke of beasts and of fowl and of insects and fish. 34 People from all over came to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all kings of the earth, who had heard of his wisdom.
Footnotes
- 1 Kings 4:21 Euphrates River.
- 1 Kings 4:22 Likely about 5½ tons, or 5 metric tons.
- 1 Kings 4:22 Likely about 11 tons, or 10 metric tons.
- 1 Kings 4:24 Euphrates River.
- 1 Kings 4:24 Euphrates River.
1 Kings 4
New American Standard Bible 1995
Solomon’s Officials
4 Now King Solomon was king over all Israel. 2 These were his officials: Azariah the son of Zadok was (A)the priest; 3 Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha were secretaries; (B)Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was the recorder; 4 and (C)Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the army; and Zadok and (D)Abiathar were priests; 5 and Azariah the son of Nathan was over (E)the deputies; and Zabud the son of Nathan, a priest, was the king’s friend; 6 and Ahishar was over the household; and Adoniram the son of Abda was over the men subject to forced labor.
7 Solomon had twelve deputies over all Israel, who [a]provided for the king and his household; each man had to [b]provide for a month in the year. 8 These are their names: Ben-hur, in the (F)hill country of Ephraim; 9 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 [c]the (K)height 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 towns 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 [d]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 [e]seashore in abundance; they were eating and drinking and rejoicing.
21 [f](Z)Now Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms (AA)from the [g]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 [h]provision for one day was thirty [i]kors of fine flour and sixty [j]kors of meal, 23 ten fat oxen, twenty [k]pasture-fed oxen, a hundred sheep besides deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fattened fowl. 24 For he had dominion over everything [l]west of the [m]River, from Tiphsah even to (AC)Gaza, (AD)over all the kings [n]west of the [o]River; and (AE)he had peace on all sides around about him. 25 (AF)So Judah and Israel lived in safety, every man under his vine and his fig tree, (AG)from Dan even to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon. 26 (AH)Solomon had [p]40,000 stalls of horses for his chariots, and 12,000 horsemen. 27 Those deputies [q]provided for King Solomon and all who came to King Solomon’s table, each in his month; they left nothing lacking. 28 They also brought barley and straw for the horses and (AI)swift steeds to the place where it should be, each according to his charge.
29 Now (AJ)God gave Solomon wisdom and very great discernment and breadth of [r]mind, (AK)like the sand that is on the seashore. 30 Solomon’s wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all (AL)the sons of the east and (AM)all the wisdom of Egypt. 31 For (AN)he was wiser than all men, than (AO)Ethan the Ezrahite, Heman, (AP)Calcol and [s]Darda, the sons of Mahol; and his [t]fame was known in all the surrounding nations. 32 (AQ)He also spoke 3,000 proverbs, and his songs were 1,005. 33 He spoke of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon even to the hyssop that grows on the wall; he spoke also of animals and birds and creeping things and fish. 34 [u]Men (AR)came from all peoples to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom.
Footnotes
- 1 Kings 4:7 Lit nourished
- 1 Kings 4:7 Lit nourish
- 1 Kings 4:11 Or Naphoth-dor
- 1 Kings 4:16 Or in Aloth
- 1 Kings 4:20 Lit sea
- 1 Kings 4:21 Ch 5:1 in Heb
- 1 Kings 4:21 I.e. Euphrates
- 1 Kings 4:22 Lit bread
- 1 Kings 4:22 I.e. One kor equals approx 10 bu
- 1 Kings 4:22 I.e. One kor equals approx 10 bu
- 1 Kings 4:23 Lit oxen of the pasture
- 1 Kings 4:24 Lit beyond
- 1 Kings 4:24 I.e. Euphrates
- 1 Kings 4:24 Lit beyond
- 1 Kings 4:24 I.e. Euphrates
- 1 Kings 4:26 One ms reads 4000, cf 2 Chr 9:25
- 1 Kings 4:27 Or nourished
- 1 Kings 4:29 Lit heart
- 1 Kings 4:31 In 1 Chr 2:6, Dara
- 1 Kings 4:31 Lit name
- 1 Kings 4:34 Lit they
1 Kings 4
King James Version
4 So king Solomon was king over all Israel.
2 And these were the princes which he had; Azariah the son of Zadok the priest,
3 Elihoreph and Ahiah, the sons of Shisha, scribes; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud, the recorder.
4 And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the host: and Zadok and Abiathar were the priests:
5 And Azariah the son of Nathan was over the officers: and Zabud the son of Nathan was principal officer, and the king's friend:
6 And Ahishar was over the household: and Adoniram the son of Abda was over the tribute.
7 And Solomon had twelve officers over all Israel, which provided victuals for the king and his household: each man his month in a year made provision.
8 And these are their names: The son of Hur, in mount Ephraim:
9 The son of Dekar, in Makaz, and in Shaalbim, and Bethshemesh, and Elonbethhanan:
10 The son of Hesed, in Aruboth; to him pertained Sochoh, and all the land of Hepher:
11 The son of Abinadab, in all the region of Dor; which had Taphath the daughter of Solomon to wife:
12 Baana the son of Ahilud; to him pertained Taanach and Megiddo, and all Bethshean, which is by Zartanah beneath Jezreel, from Bethshean to Abelmeholah, even unto the place that is beyond Jokneam:
13 The son of Geber, in Ramothgilead; to him pertained the towns of Jair the son of Manasseh, which are in Gilead; to him also pertained the region of Argob, which is in Bashan, threescore great cities with walls and brasen bars:
14 Ahinadab the son of Iddo had Mahanaim:
15 Ahimaaz was in Naphtali; he also took Basmath the daughter of Solomon to wife:
16 Baanah the son of Hushai was in Asher and in Aloth:
17 Jehoshaphat the son of Paruah, in Issachar:
18 Shimei the son of Elah, in Benjamin:
19 Geber the son of Uri was in the country of Gilead, in the country of Sihon king of the Amorites, and of Og king of Bashan; and he was the only officer which was in the land.
20 Judah and Israel were many, as the sand which is by the sea in multitude, eating and drinking, and making merry.
21 And Solomon reigned over all kingdoms from the river unto the land of the Philistines, and unto the border of Egypt: they brought presents, and served Solomon all the days of his life.
22 And Solomon's provision for one day was thirty measures of fine flour, and threescore measures of meal,
23 Ten fat oxen, and twenty oxen out of the pastures, and an hundred sheep, beside harts, and roebucks, and fallowdeer, and fatted fowl.
24 For he had dominion over all the region on this side the river, from Tiphsah even to Azzah, over all the kings on this side the river: and he had peace on all sides round about him.
25 And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan even to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon.
26 And Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen.
27 And those officers provided victual for king Solomon, and for all that came unto king Solomon's table, every man in his month: they lacked nothing.
28 Barley also and straw for the horses and dromedaries brought they unto the place where the officers were, every man according to his charge.
29 And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore.
30 And Solomon's wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east country, and all the wisdom of Egypt.
31 For he was wiser than all men; than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol: and his fame was in all nations round about.
32 And he spake three thousand proverbs: and his songs were a thousand and five.
33 And he spake of trees, from the cedar tree that is in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall: he spake also of beasts, and of fowl, and of creeping things, and of fishes.
34 And there came of all people to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all kings of the earth, which had heard of his wisdom.
1 Kings 4
New King James Version
Solomon’s Administration
4 So King Solomon was king over all Israel. 2 And these were his officials: Azariah the son of Zadok, the priest; 3 Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha, [a]scribes; (A)Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud, the recorder; 4 (B)Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, over the army; Zadok and (C)Abiathar, the priests; 5 Azariah the son of Nathan, over (D)the officers; Zabud the son of Nathan, (E)a priest and (F)the king’s friend; 6 Ahishar, over the household; and (G)Adoniram the son of Abda, over the labor force.
7 And 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. 8 These are their names: [b]Ben-Hur, in the mountains of Ephraim; 9 [c]Ben-Deker, in Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth Shemesh, and Elon Beth Hanan; 10 [d]Ben-Hesed, in Arubboth; to him belonged Sochoh and all the land of Hepher; 11 [e]Ben-Abinadab, in all the regions of Dor; he had Taphath the daughter of Solomon as wife; 12 Baana 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; 13 [f]Ben-Geber, in Ramoth Gilead; to him belonged (H)the towns of Jair the son of Manasseh, in Gilead; to him also belonged (I)the region of Argob in Bashan—sixty large cities with walls and bronze gate-bars; 14 Ahinadab the son of Iddo, in Mahanaim; 15 (J)Ahimaaz, in Naphtali; he also took Basemath the daughter of Solomon as wife; 16 Baanah the son of (K)Hushai, in Asher and Aloth; 17 Jehoshaphat the son of Paruah, in Issachar; 18 (L)Shimei the son of Elah, in Benjamin; 19 Geber the son of Uri, in the land of Gilead, in (M)the 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
20 Judah and Israel were as numerous (N)as the sand by the sea in multitude, (O)eating and drinking and rejoicing. 21 So (P)Solomon reigned over all kingdoms from (Q)the[g] River to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. (R)They brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.
22 (S)Now Solomon’s [h]provision for one day was thirty [i]kors of fine flour, sixty kors of meal, 23 ten fatted oxen, twenty oxen from the pastures, and one hundred sheep, besides deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fatted fowl.
24 For he had dominion over all the region on this side of [j]the River from Tiphsah even to Gaza, namely over (T)all the kings on this side of the River; and (U)he had peace on every side all around him. 25 And Judah and Israel (V)dwelt[k] safely, (W)each man under his vine and his fig tree, (X)from Dan as far as Beersheba, all the days of Solomon.
26 (Y)Solomon had [l]forty thousand stalls of (Z)horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen. 27 And (AA)these 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. 28 They also brought barley and straw to the proper place, for the horses and steeds, each man according to his charge.
29 And (AB)God gave Solomon wisdom and exceedingly great understanding, and largeness of heart like the sand on the seashore. 30 Thus Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the men (AC)of the East and all (AD)the wisdom of Egypt. 31 For he was (AE)wiser than all men—(AF)than Ethan the Ezrahite, (AG)and Heman, Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol; and his fame was in all the surrounding nations. 32 (AH)He spoke three thousand proverbs, and his (AI)songs were one thousand and five. 33 Also 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. 34 And men of all nations, from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom, (AJ)came to hear the wisdom of Solomon.
Footnotes
- 1 Kings 4:3 secretaries
- 1 Kings 4:8 Lit. Son of Hur
- 1 Kings 4:9 Lit. Son of Deker
- 1 Kings 4:10 Lit. Son of Hesed
- 1 Kings 4:11 Lit. Son of Abinadab
- 1 Kings 4:13 Lit. Son of Geber
- 1 Kings 4:21 The Euphrates
- 1 Kings 4:22 Lit. bread
- 1 Kings 4:22 Each about 5 bushels
- 1 Kings 4:24 The Euphrates
- 1 Kings 4:25 lived in safety
- 1 Kings 4:26 So with MT, most other authorities; some LXX mss. four thousand; cf. 2 Chr. 9:25
The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
