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Texts -- 1 Kings 4:1-28 (NET)

Context
Solomon’s Royal Court and Administrators
4:1 King Solomon ruled over all Israel . 4:2 These were his officials : Azariah son of Zadok was the priest . 4:3 Elihoreph and Ahijah , the sons of Shisha , wrote down what happened. Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was in charge of the records. 4:4 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was commander of the army . Zadok and Abiathar were priests . 4:5 Azariah son of Nathan was supervisor of the district governors. Zabud son of Nathan was a priest and adviser to the king . 4:6 Ahishar was supervisor of the palace . Adoniram son of Abda was supervisor of the work crews . 4:7 Solomon had twelve district governors appointed throughout Israel who acquired supplies for the king and his palace . Each was responsible for one month in the year . 4:8 These were their names : Ben-Hur was in charge of the hill country of Ephraim . 4:9 Ben-Deker was in charge of Makaz , Shaalbim , Beth Shemesh , and Elon Beth Hanan . 4:10 Ben-Hesed was in charge of Arubboth ; he controlled Socoh and all the territory of Hepher . 4:11 Ben-Abinadab was in charge of Naphath Dor . (He was married to Solomon’s daughter Taphath .) 4:12 Baana son of Ahilud was in charge of Taanach and Megiddo , as well as all of Beth Shan next to Zarethan below Jezreel , from Beth Shan to Abel Meholah and on past Jokmeam . 4:13 Ben-Geber was in charge of Ramoth Gilead ; he controlled the tent villages of Jair son of Manasseh in Gilead , as well as the region of Argob in Bashan , including sixty large walled cities with bronze bars locking their gates. 4:14 Ahinadab son of Iddo was in charge of Mahanaim . 4:15 Ahimaaz was in charge of Naphtali . (He married Solomon’s daughter Basemath .) 4:16 Baana son of Hushai was in charge of Asher and Aloth . 4:17 Jehoshaphat son of Paruah was in charge of Issachar . 4:18 Shimei son of Ela was in charge of Benjamin . 4:19 Geber son of Uri was in charge of the land of Gilead (the territory which had once belonged to King Sihon of the Amorites and to King Og of Bashan ). He was sole governor of the area .
Solomon’s Wealth and Fame
4:20 The people of Judah and Israel were as innumerable as the sand on the seashore ; they had plenty to eat and drink and were happy . 4:21 Solomon ruled all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines , as far as the border of Egypt . These kingdoms paid tribute as Solomon’s subjects throughout his lifetime . 4:22 Each day Solomon’s royal court consumed thirty cors of finely milled flour , sixty cors of cereal , 4:23 ten calves fattened in the stall, twenty calves from the pasture , and a hundred sheep , not to mention rams , gazelles , deer , and well-fed birds . 4:24 His royal court was so large because he ruled over all the kingdoms west of the Euphrates River from Tiphsah to Gaza ; he was at peace with all his neighbors . 4:25 All the people of Judah and Israel had security ; everyone from Dan to Beer Sheba enjoyed the produce of their vines and fig trees throughout Solomon’s lifetime . 4:26 Solomon had 4,000 stalls for his chariot horses and 12,000 horses . 4:27 The district governors acquired supplies for King Solomon and all who ate in his royal palace . Each was responsible for one month in the year; they made sure nothing was lacking . 4:28 Each one also brought to the assigned location his quota of barley and straw for the various horses .

Pericope

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Bible Dictionary

  • Tax

    [nave] TAX Poll, Ex. 30:11-16; 38:26; Neh. 10:32; Luke 2:1. Jesus pays, Matt. 17:24-27. Land, Gen. 41:34, 48; 2 Kin. 23:35. Land mortgaged for, Neh. 5:3, 4. Priests exempted from, Gen. 47:26; Ezra 7:24. Paid in grain, Amos 5:1...

  • TAX; TAXING

    [isbe] TAX; TAXING - taks, taks'-ing: I. INTRODUCTION 1. General Considerations 2. Limits of the Discussion II. TAXES IN ISRAEL UNDER SELF-GOVERNMENT 1. In the Earliest Period 2. Under the Theocracy; in the Period of the Judges 3. ...

  • Solomon

    [ebd] peaceful, (Heb. Shelomoh), David's second son by Bathsheba, i.e., the first after their legal marriage (2 Sam. 12). He was probably born about B.C. 1035 (1 Chr. 22:5; 29:1). He succeeded his father on the throne in early man...
    [isbe] SOLOMON - sol'-o-mun (shelomoh; New Testament Solomon): I. EARLY LIFE 1. Name and Meaning 2. Sources 3. Birth and Upbringing 4. His Accession 5. Closing Days of David II. REIGN OF SOLOMON 1. His Vision 2. His Policy 3. Its R...
    [smith] (peaceful). I. Early life and occasion to the throne . --Solomon was the child of David?s old age, the last born of all his sons. (1 Chronicles 3:5) The yearnings of the "man of war" led him to give to the new-horn infant ...
    [nave] SOLOMON Son of David by Bathsheba, 2 Sam. 12:24; 1 Kin. 1:13, 17, 21. Named Jedidiah, by Nathan the prophet, 2 Sam. 12:24, 25. Ancestor of Joseph, Matt. 1:6. Succeeds David to the throne of Israel, 1 Kin. 1:11-48; 2:12; 1...

  • Rulers

    [nave] RULERS Appointed and removed by God. See: Government, God in. Chastised, Dan. 4. See: Nation. Monarchical, See: Kings. Patriarchal, Gen. 27:29, 37. Instances of Nimrod, Gen. 10:8-10. Abraham, Gen. 14:13-24; 17:6; 21:2...

  • Palestine

    [ebd] originally denoted only the sea-coast of the land of Canaan inhabited by the Philistines (Ex. 15:14; Isa. 14:29, 31; Joel 3:4), and in this sense exclusively the Hebrew name Pelesheth (rendered "Philistia" in Ps. 60:8; 83:7;...

  • PALESTINE, 3

    [isbe] PALESTINE, 3 - IV. Palestine in the Poetic Books of the Old Testament. 1. Book of Job: In Job the scene is distinctively Edomite. Uz (Job 1:1; compare Gen 22:21 the English Revised Version; Jer 25:20; Lam 4:21) and Buz (Job ...

  • PALESTINE, 2

    [isbe] PALESTINE, 2 - III. Palestine in the Historic Books of the Old Testament. 1. Book of Joshua: Joshua is the great geographical book of the Old Testament; and the large majority of the 600 names of places, rivers and mountains...

  • Officer

    [isbe] OFFICER - of'-i-ser: In the King James Version the term is employed to render different words denoting various officials, domestic, civil and military, such as caric, "eunuch," "minister of state" (Gen 37:36); paqidh, "perso...
    [nave] OFFICER. Civil Chosen by the people, Deut. 1:13-16; appointed by kings, 2 Sam. 8:16-18; 20:23-26; 1 Kin. 4:1-19; 9:22; Ezra 7:25. See: Government; Judge; Ruler; Serjeant. Ecclesiastical See: Priest; Levite; Apostle; Eld...

  • Micah, Book of

    [ebd] the sixth in order of the so-called minor prophets. The superscription to this book states that the prophet exercised his office in the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. If we reckon from the beginning of Jotham's reign ...

  • King

    [ebd] is in Scripture very generally used to denote one invested with authority, whether extensive or limited. There were thirty-one kings in Canaan (Josh. 12:9, 24), whom Joshua subdued. Adonibezek subdued seventy kings (Judg. 1:...
    [nave] KING Called King of kings, Ezra 7:12; Ezek. 26:7; Dan. 2:37. Divinely authorized, Deut. 17:15; 1 Sam. 9:16, 17; 16:12; 1 Chr. 22:10; 2 Chr. 2:11, 12; Prov. 8:15; Dan. 2:21, 37; 4:17; 5:20; Hos. 8:4; 13:11. How chosen: By d...

  • KING; KINGDOM

    [isbe] KING; KINGDOM - king'-dum: I. KING 1. Etymology and Definition 2. Earliest Kings 3. Biblical Signification of the Title II. KINGDOM 1. Israel's Theocracy 2. Period of Judges 3. Establishment of the Monarchy 4. Appointment of...

  • HAMATH

    [smith] (fortress), the principal city of upper Syria, was situated in the valley of the Orontes, which it commanded from the low screen of hills which forms the water-shed between the source of the Orontes and Antioch. The Hamathite...

  • GOVERNMENT

    [isbe] GOVERNMENT - guv'-ern-ment: The government of the Hebrews varied at different periods, of which we may distinguish seven: (1) the nomadic period, from the Exodus to the entrance into Palestine; (2) the period of transition f...

  • GENEALOGY, 1-7

    [isbe] GENEALOGY, 1-7 - je-na-al'-o-ji, jen-a-al'-o-ji: 1. Definition 2. Biblical References 3. Importance of Genealogies 4. Their Historical Value 5. Principles of Interpretation 6. Principles of Compilation 7. Sources 8. Principa...

  • FOOD

    [isbe] FOOD - food: I. VEGETABLE FOODS 1. Primitive Habits 2. Cereals 3. Leguminous Plants 4. Food of Trees II. ANIMAL FOOD LITERATURE In a previous article (see BREAD) it has been shown that in the Bible "bread" usually stands for...

  • Commissary

    [nave] COMMISSARY For armies, cattle driven with, 2 Kin. 3:9. See: Armies. For royal households, 1 Kin. 4:7-19, 27, 28.

  • Canaan

    [nave] CANAAN 1. Son of Ham, Gen. 9:18, 22, 25-27. Descendants of, Gen. 10:6, 15; 1 Chr. 1:8, 13. 2. Land of (The history of this region is involved in that of the Israelites. The student is therefore referred to Israel, History ...

  • Bar

    [ebd] used to denote the means by which a door is bolted (Neh. 3:3); a rock in the sea (Jonah 2:6); the shore of the sea (Job 38:10); strong fortifications and powerful impediments, etc. (Isa. 45:2; Amos 1:5); defences of a city (...

  • Army

    [ebd] The Israelites marched out of Egypt in military order (Ex. 13:18, "harnessed;" marg., "five in a rank"). Each tribe formed a battalion, with its own banner and leader (Num. 2:2; 10:14). In war the army was divided into thous...

  • Adam, the city of

    [ebd] is referred to in Josh. 3:16. It stood "beside Zarethan," on the west bank of Jordan (1 Kings 4:12). At this city the flow of the water was arrested and rose up "upon an heap" at the time of the Israelites' passing over (Jos...

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Resources/Books

Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • The Book of Samuel covers the period of Israel's history bracketed by Samuel's conception and the end of David's reign. David turned the kingdom over to Solomon in 971 B.C.3David reigned for 40 and one-half years (2 Sam. 2:11...
  • These verses summarize Samuel's continuing ministry as a prophet in Israel. Samuel qualified for this privilege by his faithful obedience to God's will as he knew it. God sovereignly chose Samuel for this ministry, but his di...
  • I. The reign of Solomon chs. 1-11A. Solomon's succession to David's throne 1:1-2:121. David's declining health 1:1-42. Adonijah's attempt to seize the throne 1:5-533. David's charge to Solomon 2:1-94. David's death 2:10-12B. ...
  • The Holy Spirit led the writer of Kings to give an interpretation of history, not just a chronologically sequential record of events. This is true of all the writers of the Old Testament historical books. Some of the events i...
  • The flowing narrative of chapters 1-2 now gives way to reports and lists that catalogue facts about Solomon's reign.The writer constructed the Solomon narrative (chs. 3-11), like so many others in the Old Testament, to draw a...
  • Delegation of authority is a mark of wisdom. Azariah (v. 2) was apparently Zadok's grandson (1 Chron. 6:8-9). "The priest"is a common designation for the high priest. Secretaries (v. 3) prepared official documents and records...
  • These men were responsible for providing for the needs of Solomon's large household, including his courtiers, and for his thousands of horses (v. 28). Two were Solomon's sons-in-law (vv. 11, 15). The district arrangement seem...
  • We can explain the writer's unusual reference to Judah and Israel at this time, before the division of the kingdom. When he wrote Kings the nation had split, so probably the writer was using the designation that was common in...
  • The writer of Kings referred to other ancient records (v. 41; cf. 14:19, 29). The Acts of Solomon was the first of these.120It is no longer extant.Solomon's long reign of 40 years (971-931 B.C.) ended with the king in decline...
  • Aharoni, Yohanan. "The Building Activities of David and Solomon."Israel Exploration Journal24:1(1974):13-16.Aharoni, Yohanan, and Michael Avi-Yonahl. The Macmillan Bible Atlas. Revised ed., New York: Macmillan Publishing Co.,...
  • Numbers in Chronicles That Disagree With Their Old Testament Parallels89HigherSameLowerParallel PassageEvaluation of ChroniclesA.1 Chron. 11:11300 slain by Jashobeam, not 8002 Sam. 23:8Scribal errorB.1 Chron. 18:4Hadadezer's ...
  • The Chronicler's main interest in David's reign, as we have seen, focused on the Davidic Covenant with its promises to David and his descendants. In recounting the events of Solomon's reign he proceeded to emphasize the templ...
  • Solomon had unique resources for investigating life. He was the king of Israel (v. 12), and he possessed superlative wisdom (v. 13; cf. v. 16; 1 Kings 4:26-34). He says he made a comprehensive study of all kinds of human acti...
  • It seemed to Isaiah's audience that the promises in chapter 60 could hardly come to pass since the Babylonian exile was still ahead of them. The Lord assured them that He would surely fulfill these promises."Much of this chap...
  • 40:1 Ezekiel dated the vision that comprises the final portion of the book as coming to him in 573 B.C., more than 12 years after his immediately preceding messages (cf. 33:21-22).512He located it in time using two points of ...
  • 1:3 The expression "for three transgressions [Heb. pesha'im, rebellions, i.e., against the universal Sovereign; cf. Gen. 9:5-17] and for four"is one of Amos' trademarks (cf. vv. 6, 9, 11, 13; 2:1, 4, 6). It means for numerous...
  • 4:1 Reference to "the last days"often points to the eschatological future in the Prophets, and it does here (e.g., Deut. 4:30; Ezek. 38:16; Dan. 2:28; 10:14; Hos. 3:5). This phrase usually refers to the Tribulation and or the...
  • 3:6-7 Then the angel of the Lord admonished Joshua. He promised, in the name of sovereign Yahweh, that if Joshua obeyed the Lord and served Him, Joshua would govern the temple, have charge of the temple courts, and enjoy free...
  • The name of the writer is the title of this book."Malachi"means "my messenger."We know nothing of the prophet's parentage, ancestral or tribal roots, geographical origin, or other vocation. All we know is that he received and...
  • The disciples of John were not the only men who began following Jesus. Andrew continued to bring other friends to Jesus. This incident preceded Jesus' formal appointment of the Twelve, but it shows Him preparing those who wou...

Expositions Of Holy Scripture (Maclaren)

  • The remainder of the vision is the address of the Angel of the Lord to Joshua, developing the blessings now made sure to him and his people by this renewed consecration and cleansing. First (Zechariah 3:7) is the promise of c...
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