1 Kings 4:7

7 Forsooth Solomon had twelve prefects, either chief ministers, on all Israel, that gave lifelode to the king, and to his house; soothly by each month by itself in the year, each prefect by himself ministered necessaries. (And Solomon had twelve prefects, or chief ministers, over all Israel, who gave sustenance, or food, to the king, and to his household; and each month of the year, one prefect by himself administered the necessities.)

1 Kings 4:7 Meaning and Commentary

1 Kings 4:7

And Solomon had twelve officers over all Israel
Not with respect to the twelve tribes of Israel, for it does not appear that they had each of them a tribe under them, but some particular places in a tribe; but with respect to the twelve months of the year, in which each took his turn:

which provided victuals for the king and his household: each man his
month in a year made provision;
furnished food of all sorts out of the country in which they presided for the space of one month in a year; by which means there was always a plenty of provisions at court for the king's family, and for all strangers that came and went, and no one part of the land was burdened or drained, nor the price of provisions raised; these seem to be the twelve "phylarchi", or governors of tribes, Eupolemus ^F18, an Heathen writer, speaks of, before whom, and the high priest, David delivered the kingdom to Solomon; though in that he was mistaken, that they were in being then, since these were officers of Solomon's creating.

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FOOTNOTES:

F18 Apud Euseb. Praepar. Evangel. l. 9. c. 30.

1 Kings 4:7 In-Context

5 Azariah, the son of Nathan, was upon them that stood nigh [to] the king (was over those who stood close to the king/was over the regional governors); Zabud, the son of Nathan, was [a] priest, a friend of the king;

6 and Ahishar was steward of the house; and Adoniram, the son of Abda, was upon the tributes (was in charge of the taxes, or the levies/was in charge of the forced labour).

7 Forsooth Solomon had twelve prefects, either chief ministers, on all Israel, that gave lifelode to the king, and to his house; soothly by each month by itself in the year, each prefect by himself ministered necessaries. (And Solomon had twelve prefects, or chief ministers, over all Israel, who gave sustenance, or food, to the king, and to his household; and each month of the year, one prefect by himself administered the necessities.)

8 And these be the names of them; Ben-hur, in the hill (country) of Ephraim;

9 Ben-dekar, in Makaz, and in Shaalbim, and in Bethshemesh, and in Elon, and in Bethhanan (and in Elonbethhanan);