1 Kings 4:1-19

Expanded Bible

Solomon’s Officers

4 King Solomon ·ruled [was king] over all Israel. ² These are the names of his ·leading officers [chief officials]:

Azariah son of Zadok was the priest;

³ Elihoreph and Ahijah, sons of Shisha, ·recorded what happened in the courts [were court secretaries];

Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud ·recorded the history of the people [was recorder/royal historian];

⁴ Benaiah son of Jehoiada was commander of the army;

Zadok and Abiathar were priests;

⁵ Azariah son of Nathan was in charge of the district governors;

Zabud son of Nathan was a priest and ·adviser [^Lfriend] to the king;

⁶ Ahishar was ·responsible for everything in the palace [manager of the household];

Adoniram son of Abda was in charge of ·the labor force [or forced labor].

⁷ Solomon placed twelve ·governors [deputies; administrators] over the districts of Israel, who gathered ·food from their districts [provisions] for the king and his ·family [household]. Each ·governor [deputy; administrator] was responsible for bringing food to the king one month of each year. ⁸ These are the names of the twelve ·governors [deputies; administrators]:

Ben-Hur was ·governor [deputy; administrator] of the ·mountain [hill] country of Ephraim.

⁹ Ben-Deker was ·governor [deputy; administrator] of Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth Shemesh, and Elon Bethhanan.

¹⁰ Ben-Hesed was ·governor [deputy; administrator] of Arubboth, Socoh, and all the land of Hepher.

¹¹ Ben-Abinadab was ·governor [deputy; administrator] of Naphoth Dor. (He was married to Taphath, Solomon’s daughter.)

¹² Baana son of Ahilud was ·governor [deputy; administrator] of Taanach, Megiddo, and all of Beth Shan next to ·Zarethan. This was below Jezreel [Zarethan below Jezreel, and] from Beth Shan to Abel Meholah ·across from [and over to] Jokmeam.

¹³ Ben-Geber was ·governor [deputy; administrator] of Ramoth in Gilead. (He was ·governor [deputy; administrator] of all the towns of Jair in Gilead. Jair was the son of Manasseh. Ben-Geber was also over the district of Argob in Bashan, which had sixty large, walled cities with bronze bars on their gates.)

¹⁴ Ahinadab son of Iddo was ·governor [deputy; administrator] of Mahanaim.

¹⁵ Ahimaaz was ·governor [deputy; administrator] of Naphtali. (He was married to Basemath, Solomon’s daughter.)

¹⁶ Baana son of Hushai was ·governor [deputy; administrator] of Asher and Aloth.

¹⁷ Jehoshaphat son of Paruah was ·governor [deputy; administrator] of Issachar.

¹⁸ Shimei son of Ela was ·governor [deputy; administrator] of Benjamin.

¹⁹ Geber son of Uri was ·governor [deputy; administrator] of Gilead. Gilead had been the country of Sihon king of the Amorites and Og king of Bashan. ·But Geber was the only governor over this district [In addition, there was one governor/deputy/adminstrator over the land of Judah].