1 Kings 4

Solomon's Officials

1 King Solomon was king over all Israel, 2 and these were his high officials: Azariah the son of Zadok was b the priest; 3 Elihoreph and Ahijah the sons of Shisha were secretaries; c Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder; 4 d Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was in command of the army; e Zadok and Abiathar were priests; 5 Azariah the son of Nathan was over f the officers; Zabud the son of Nathan was priest and g king's friend; 6 Ahishar was in charge of the palace; and h Adoniram the son of Abda was in charge of i the forced labor.

7 Solomon had twelve officers over all Israel, who provided food for the king and his household. Each man had to make provision for one month in the year. 8 These were their names: Ben-hur, in j the hill country of Ephraim; 9 Ben-deker, in Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth-shemesh, and Elonbeth-hanan; 10 Ben-hesed, in Arubboth (to him belonged Socoh and all the land of Hepher); 11 Ben-abinadab, in all k Naphath-dor (he had Taphath the daughter of Solomon as his wife); 12 Baana the son of Ahilud, in l Taanach, Megiddo, and all l Beth-shean that is beside Zarethan below Jezreel, and from Beth-shean to Abel-meholah, as far as the other side of Jokmeam; 13 Ben-geber, m in Ramoth-gilead (he had n the villages of Jair the son of Manasseh, which are in Gilead, and he had o the region of Argob, which is in Bashan, sixty great cities with walls and bronze bars); 14 Ahinadab the son of Iddo, in Mahanaim; 15 Ahimaaz, in Naphtali (he had taken Basemath the daughter of Solomon as his wife); 16 Baana the son of Hushai, in Asher and Bealoth; 17 Jehoshaphat the son of Paruah, in Issachar; 18 p Shimei the son of Ela, in Benjamin; 19 Geber the son of Uri, in the land of Gilead, q the country of Sihon king of the Amorites and of Og king of Bashan. And there was one governor who was over the land.

Solomon's Wealth and Wisdom

20 Judah and Israel were as many r as the sand by the sea. They ate and drank and were happy. 21 1 s Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the t Euphrates to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt. u They brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.

22 Solomon's provision for one day was thirty cors 2 of fine flour and sixty cors of meal, 23 ten fat oxen, and twenty pasture-fed cattle, a hundred sheep, besides deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fattened fowl. 24 For he had dominion over all the region west of the Euphrates from Tiphsah to v Gaza, over all the kings west of the Euphrates. w And he had peace on all sides around him. 25 And Judah and Israel x lived in safety, y from Dan even to Beersheba, z every man under his vine and under his fig tree, all the days of Solomon. 26 a Solomon also had 40,000 stalls of horses for his chariots, and 12,000 horsemen. 27 And those officers supplied provisions for King Solomon, and for all who came to King Solomon's table, each one in his month. They let nothing be lacking. 28 Barley also and straw for the horses and b swift steeds they brought to the place where it was required, each according to his duty.

29 c And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding beyond measure, and breadth of mind d like the sand on the seashore, 30 so that Solomon's wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all e the people of the east f and all the wisdom of Egypt. 31 For he was c wiser than all other men, wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol, and his fame was in all the surrounding nations. 32 g He also spoke 3,000 proverbs, h and his songs were 1,005. 33 He spoke of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of the wall. He spoke also of beasts, and of birds, and of reptiles, and of fish. 34 And people of all nations came to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and from i all the kings of the earth, who had heard of his wisdom.

  1. Cross References
    1 Chronicles 6:10
    And Johanan fathered Azariah ( it was he who served as priest in the house that Solomon built in Jerusalem).
  2. Cross References
    2 Samuel 8:16
    Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the army, and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder.
    2 Samuel 20:24
    And Adoram was in charge of the forced labor; and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was the recorder.
  3. Cross References
    1 Kings 2:35
    The king put Benaiah the son of Jehoiada over the army in place of Joab, and the king put Zadok the priest in the place of Abiathar.
  4. Cross References
    2 Samuel 20:25
    And Sheva was secretary; and Zadok and Abiathar were priests.
    1 Kings 2:27
    So Solomon expelled Abiathar from being priest to the Lord, thus fulfilling the word of the Lord that he had spoken concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh.
    1 Kings 2:35
    The king put Benaiah the son of Jehoiada over the army in place of Joab, and the king put Zadok the priest in the place of Abiathar.
  5. Cross References
    1 Kings 4:7
    Solomon had twelve officers over all Israel, who provided food for the king and his household. Each man had to make provision for one month in the year.
  6. Cross References
    2 Samuel 15:37
    So Hushai, David's friend, came into the city, just as Absalom was entering Jerusalem.
    2 Samuel 16:16
    And when Hushai the Archite, David's friend, came to Absalom, Hushai said to Absalom, "Long live the king! Long live the king!
    1 Chronicles 27:33
    Ahithophel was the king's counselor, and Hushai the Archite was the king's friend.
  7. Cross References
    1 Kings 5:14
    And he sent them to Lebanon, 10,000 a month in shifts. They would be a month in Lebanon and two months at home. Adoniram was in charge of the draft.
    1 Kings 12:18
    Then King Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was taskmaster over the forced labor, and all Israel stoned him to death with stones. And King Rehoboam hurried to mount his chariot to flee to Jerusalem.
    2 Samuel 20:24
    And Adoram was in charge of the forced labor; and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was the recorder.
    2 Chronicles 10:18
    Then King Rehoboam sent Hadoram, who was taskmaster over the forced labor, and the people of Israel stoned him to death with stones. And King Rehoboam quickly mounted his chariot to flee to Jerusalem.
  8. Cross References
    1 Kings 9:15
    And this is the account of the forced labor that King Solomon drafted to build the house of the Lord and his own house and the Millo and the wall of Jerusalem and Hazor and Megiddo and Gezer
  9. Cross References
    Joshua 24:33
    And Eleazar the son of Aaron died, and they buried him at Gibeah, the town of Phinehas his son, which had been given him in the hill country of Ephraim.
  10. Cross References
    Joshua 11:2
    And to the kings who were in the northern hill country, and in the Arabah south of Chinneroth, and in the lowland, and in Naphoth-dor on the west.
  11. Cross References
    Joshua 17:11
    Also in Issachar and in Asher Manasseh had Beth-shean and its villages, and Ibleam and its villages, and the inhabitants of Dor and its villages, and the inhabitants of En-dor and its villages, and the inhabitants of Taanach and its villages, and the inhabitants of Megiddo and its villages; the third is Naphath.
  12. Cross References
    Joshua 17:11
    Also in Issachar and in Asher Manasseh had Beth-shean and its villages, and Ibleam and its villages, and the inhabitants of Dor and its villages, and the inhabitants of En-dor and its villages, and the inhabitants of Taanach and its villages, and the inhabitants of Megiddo and its villages; the third is Naphath.
  13. Cross References
    1 Kings 22:3
    And the king of Israel said to his servants, "Do you know that Ramoth-gilead belongs to us, and we keep quiet and do not take it out of the hand of the king of Syria?
  14. Cross References
    Numbers 32:41
    And Jair the son of Manasseh went and captured their villages, and called them Havvoth-jair.
  15. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 3:4
    And we took all his cities at that time - there was not a city that we did not take from them - sixty cities, the whole region of Argob, the kingdom of Og in Bashan.
  16. Cross References
    1 Kings 1:8
    But Zadok the priest and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada and Nathan the prophet and Shimei and Rei and David's mighty men were not with Adonijah.
  17. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 3:8 - 10
    So we took the land at that time out of the hand of the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, from the Valley of the Arnon to Mount Hermon
  18. Cross References
    Genesis 22:17
    I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies.
    1 Kings 3:8
    And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, too many to be numbered or counted for multitude.
    2 Chronicles 1:9
    O Lord God, let your word to David my father be now fulfilled, for you have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth.
  19. Cross References
    2 Chronicles 9:26
    And he ruled over all the kings from the Euphrates to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt.
  20. Cross References
    Genesis 15:18
    On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, "To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates.
    Exodus 23:31
    And I will set your border from the Red Sea to the Sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the Euphrates, for I will give the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you shall drive them out before you.
    Joshua 1:4
    From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory.
    Psalms 72:8
    May he have dominion from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth!
  21. Cross References
    Psalms 68:29
    Because of your temple at Jerusalem kings shall bear gifts to you.
    Psalms 72:10 - 11
    May the kings of Tarshish and of the coastlands render him tribute; may the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts!
  22. Cross References
    Genesis 10:19
    And the territory of the Canaanites extended from Sidon in the direction of Gerar as far as Gaza, and in the direction of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha.
  23. Cross References
    1 Chronicles 22:9
    Behold, a son shall be born to you who shall be a man of rest. I will give him rest from all his surrounding enemies. For his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quiet to Israel in his days.
  24. Cross References
    Jeremiah 23:6
    In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: 'The Lord is our righteousness.
    Jeremiah 32:37
    Behold, I will gather them from all the countries to which I drove them in my anger and my wrath and in great indignation. I will bring them back to this place, and I will make them dwell in safety.
    Ezekiel 28:26
    And they shall dwell securely in it, and they shall build houses and plant vineyards. They shall dwell securely, when I execute judgments upon all their neighbors who have treated them with contempt. Then they will know that I am the Lord their God.
  25. Cross References
    2 Samuel 3:10
    To transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul and set up the throne of David over Israel and over Judah, from Dan to Beersheba.
  26. Cross References
    Micah 4:4
    But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid, for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken.
    Zechariah 3:10
    In that day, declares the Lord of hosts, every one of you will invite his neighbor to come under his vine and under his fig tree.
    2 Kings 18:31
    Do not listen to Hezekiah, for thus says the king of Assyria: 'Make your peace with me and come out to me. Then each one of you will eat of his own vine, and each one of his own fig tree, and each one of you will drink the water of his own cistern.
    Isaiah 36:16
    Do not listen to Hezekiah. For thus says the king of Assyria: Make your peace with me and come out to me. Then each one of you will eat of his own vine, and each one of his own fig tree, and each one of you will drink the water of his own cistern.
  27. Cross References
    1 Kings 10:26
    And Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen. He had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen, whom he stationed in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.
    2 Chronicles 1:14
    Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen. He had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen, whom he stationed in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.
    2 Chronicles 9:25
    And Solomon had 4,000 stalls for horses and chariots, and 12,000 horsemen, whom he stationed in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.
  28. Cross References
    Esther 8:10
    And he wrote in the name of King Ahasuerus and sealed it with the king's signet ring. Then he sent the letters by mounted couriers riding on swift horses that were used in the king's service, bred from the royal stud.
    Esther 8:14
    So the couriers, mounted on their swift horses that were used in the king's service, rode out hurriedly, urged by the king's command. And the decree was issued in Susa the citadel.
    Micah 1:13
    Harness the steeds to the chariots, inhabitants of Lachish; it was the beginning of sin to the daughter of Zion, for in you were found the transgressions of Israel.
  29. Cross References
    1 Kings 3:12
    Behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you.
  30. Cross References
    1 Kings 4:20
    Judah and Israel were as many as the sand by the sea. They ate and drank and were happy.
  31. Cross References
    Judges 6:3
    For whenever the Israelites planted crops, the Midianites and the Amalekites and the people of the East would come up against them.
  32. Cross References
    Acts 7:22
    And Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was mighty in his words and deeds.
    Isaiah 19:11
    The princes of Zoan are utterly foolish; the wisest counselors of Pharaoh give stupid counsel. How can you say to Pharaoh, "I am a son of the wise, a son of ancient kings"?
  33. Cross References
    1 Kings 4:29
    And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding beyond measure, and breadth of mind like the sand on the seashore.
  34. Cross References
    Proverbs 1:1
    The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel:
    Ecclesiastes 12:9
    Besides being wise, the Preacher also taught the people knowledge, weighing and studying and arranging many proverbs with great care.
  35. Cross References
    Song of Solomon 1:1
    The Song of Songs, which is Solomon's.
  36. Cross References
    2 Chronicles 9:23
    And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put into his mind.
    1 Kings 10:1
    Now when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord, she came to test him with hard questions.
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.
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