1 Kings 4:1-19

Solomon’s Princes

1 So King Solomon ruled over Israel,

2 and these were his chief officials: Azariah son of Zadok was the priest;

3 Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha, ^[a] were secretaries; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was the recorder;

4 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was in charge of the army; Zadok and Abiathar were priests;

5 Azariah son of Nathan was in charge of the governors; Zabud son of Nathan was a priest and adviser to the king;

6 Ahishar was in charge of the palace; and Adoniram ^[b] son of Abda was in charge of the forced labor.

Solomon’s Twelve Officers

7 Solomon had twelve governors over all Israel to provide food for the king and his household. Each one would arrange provisions for one month of the year,

8 and these were their names: Ben-hur in the hill country of Ephraim;

9 Ben-deker in Makaz, in Shaalbim, in Beth-shemesh, and in Elon-beth-hanan;

10 Ben-hesed in Arubboth (Socoh and all the land of Hepher belonged to him);

11 Ben-abinadab in Naphath-dor ^[c] (Taphath, a daughter of Solomon, was his wife);

12 Baana son of Ahilud in Taanach, in Megiddo, and in all of Beth-shean next to Zarethan below Jezreel, from Beth-shean to Abel-meholah and on past Jokmeam;

13 Ben-geber in Ramoth-gilead (the villages of Jair son of Manasseh in Gilead belonged to him, as well as the region of Argob in Bashan with its sixty great cities with walls and bronze bars);

14 Ahinadab son of Iddo in Mahanaim;

15 Ahimaaz in Naphtali (he had married Basemath, a daughter of Solomon);

16 Baana son of Hushai in Asher and in Aloth;

17 Jehoshaphat son of Paruah in Issachar;

18 Shimei son of Ela in Benjamin;

19 Geber son of Uri in the land of Gilead, including the territories of Sihon king of the Amorites and of Og king of Bashan. There was also one governor in the land of Judah. ^[d]

1 Kings 4:1-19 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO FIRST KINGS 4

As in the preceding chapter we have a proof of the wisdom and understanding which the Lord gave to Solomon, as promised, so in this an account is given of the riches and honour he was possessed of; of him, as king over all Israel, and of his princes, 1Ki 4:1-6; of the providers of food for his household in the several parts of the land, 1Ki 4:7-19; of the largeness and extent of his dominions, and of the peace and prosperity thereof, 1Ki 4:20,21,24,25; of his daily provisions for his household and for his cattle, 1Ki 4:22,23,26-28; and of his superior wisdom and knowledge to all others in all nations, which brought some out of all to hear it, 1Ki 4:29-34.

Footnotes

• [a] Shisha is also called Seraiah, Sheva, and Shavsha; see 2 Samuel 8:17, 2 Samuel 20:25, and 1 Chronicles 18:16.
• [b] Adoniram is a variant of Adoram and Hadoram; see 2 Samuel 20:24 and 2 Chronicles 10:18.
• [c] Or in all the heights of Dor; Naphath-dor is a variant of Naphoth-dor; see Joshua 11:2.
• [d] Some LXX manuscripts; Hebrew And he was the one governor in the land.