1 Kings 5:15

15 And Solomon had seventy thousand to carry burdens, and eighty thousand to hew stones in the mountain:

1 Kings 5:15 Meaning and Commentary

1 Kings 5:15

And Solomon had threescore and ten thousand that bare burdens,
&c.] Seventy thousand to carry the stones from the mountains out of which they were dug, and which were near Jerusalem, to the city; these were strangers in Israel, as were those that follow:

and fourscore thousand hewers in the mountains:
eighty thousand that dug the stones out of the quarries, and squared them; these, with the others, made 150,000, see ( 2 Chronicles 2:17 ) ; according to Jacob Leon ^F7, the number of workmen at the temple for seven years was 163,600, and some make them more.

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FOOTNOTES:

F7 Relation of Memorable Things in the Temple, ch. 3. p. 14.

1 Kings 5:15 In-Context

13 And king Solomon chose workmen out of all Israel, and the levy was of thirty thousand men.

14 And he sent them to Libanus, ten thousand every month, by turns, so that two months they were at home: and Adoniram was over this levy.

15 And Solomon had seventy thousand to carry burdens, and eighty thousand to hew stones in the mountain:

16 Besides the overseers who were over every work, in number three thousand and three hundred, that ruled over the people, and them that did the work.

17 And the king commanded that they should bring great stones, costly stones, for the foundation of the temple, and should square them: