1 Kings 9:21

21 Solomon conscripted the descendants of all these peoples remaining in the land—whom the Israelites could not exterminate^[a] —to serve as slave labor, as it is to this day.

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1 Kings 9:21 in Other Translations

KJV

21 Their children that were left after them in the land, whom the children of Israel also were not able utterly to destroy, upon those did Solomon levy a tribute of bondservice unto this day.

ESV

21 their descendants who were left after them in the land, whom the people of Israel were unable to devote to destruction--these Solomon drafted to be slaves, and so they are to this day.

NLT

21 These were descendants of the nations whom the people of Israel had not completely destroyed. So Solomon conscripted them as slaves, and they serve as forced laborers to this day.

MSG

21 survivors of the holy wars, were rounded up by Solomon for his gangs of slave labor, a policy still in effect.

CSB

21 their descendants who remained in the land after them, those whom the Israelites were unable to annihilate-Solomon imposed forced labor on them; [it is this way] until today.

1 Kings 9:21 Meaning and Commentary

1 Kings 9:21

Their children that were left after them in the land
The posterity of those left unsubdued in the times of Joshua:

whom the children of Israel also were not able utterly to destroy;
in later times, though now it is thought by some it was not for want of power, but because they had made a covenant with them, as the Gibeonites did, and therefore they could not, because it would have been a breach of covenant to have destroyed them; see ( 2 Chronicles 8:8 ) ,

upon these did Solomon levy a tribute of bond service unto this day;
not a tribute of money, which being poor they were not able to pay, but of service, and which being once laid on was continued, and even to the time of the writing of this book.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

1 Kings 9:21 In-Context

19 as well as all his store cities and the towns for his chariots and for his horses —whatever he desired to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon and throughout all the territory he ruled.

20 There were still people left from the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites (these peoples were not Israelites).

21 Solomon conscripted the descendants of all these peoples remaining in the land—whom the Israelites could not exterminate —to serve as slave labor, as it is to this day.

22 But Solomon did not make slaves of any of the Israelites; they were his fighting men, his government officials, his officers, his captains, and the commanders of his chariots and charioteers.

23 They were also the chief officials in charge of Solomon’s projects—550 officials supervising those who did the work.

Cross References 3

1. S Genesis 9:25-26
2. S Joshua 15:63; Joshua 17:12; Jdg 1:21,27,29
3. S Genesis 49:15; S Exodus 1:11; S Deuteronomy 20:11; Ezra 2:55,58

Footnotes 1

[a]. The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.