1 Kings 5:15

15 And so seventy thousand of them, that bare burdens, were to Solomon, and fourscore thousand of masons in the hill(s), (And so working for Solomon were seventy thousand men who carried loads, and fourscore thousand stonemasons in the hills,)

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 sum was thirty thousand of men.

14 And Solomon sent them into the Lebanon, ten thousand by each month by whiles, so that in two months by whiles they were in their houses; and Adoniram was on such a sum. (And Solomon sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand each month by turn, and then for two months by turn, they went back to their own houses; and Adoniram was in charge of them all.)

15 And so seventy thousand of them, that bare burdens, were to Solomon, and fourscore thousand of masons in the hill(s), (And so working for Solomon were seventy thousand men who carried loads, and fourscore thousand stonemasons in the hills,)

16 without the sovereigns, that were masters of all the works, by the number of three thousand and three hundred, commanding to the people, and to them that made work. (besides the sovereigns, or the foremen, who were masters over all the work, three thousand and three hundred in number, commanding the people who did the work.)

17 And the king commanded, that they should take great stones, and precious stones/heavy stones, into the foundament of the temple, (And the king commanded, that they should cut great fine stones/great heavy stones, for the foundation of the Temple,)