1 So king Solomon was king over all Israel. |
2 And these were the princes which he had; Azariah the son of Zadok the priest, |
3 Elihoreph and Ahiah, the sons of Shisha, scribes; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud, the recorder. |
4 And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the host: and Zadok and Abiathar were the priests: |
5 And Azariah the son of Nathan was over the officers: and Zabud the son of Nathan was principal officer, and the king's friend: |
6 And Ahishar was over the household: and Adoniram the son of Abda was over the tribute. |
7 And Solomon had twelve officers over all Israel, which provided victuals for the king and his household: each man his month in a year made provision. |
8 And these are their names: The son of Hur, in mount Ephraim: |
9 The son of Dekar, in Makaz, and in Shaalbim, and Beth-shemesh, and Elon-beth-hanan: |
10 The son of Hesed, in Aruboth; to him pertained Sochoh, and all the land of Hepher: |
11 The son of Abinadab, in all the region of Dor; which had Taphath the daughter of Solomon to wife: |
12 Baana the son of Ahilud; to him pertained Taanach and Megiddo, and all Beth-shean, which is by Zartanah beneath Jezreel, from Beth-shean to Abel-meholah, even unto the place that is beyond Jokneam: |
13 The son of Geber, in Ramoth-gilead; to him pertained the towns of Jair the son of Manasseh, which are in Gilead; to him also pertained the region of Argob, which is in Bashan, threescore great cities with walls and brasen bars: |
14 Ahinadab the son of Iddo had Mahanaim: |
15 Ahimaaz was in Naphtali; he also took Basmath the daughter of Solomon to wife: |
16 Baanah the son of Hushai was in Asher and in Aloth: |
17 Jehoshaphat the son of Paruah, in Issachar: |
18 Shimei the son of Elah, in Benjamin: |
19 Geber the son of Uri was in the country of Gilead, in the country of Sihon king of the Amorites, and of Og king of Bashan; and he was the only officer which was in the land. |
20 Judah and Israel were many, as the sand which is by the sea in multitude, eating and drinking, and making merry. |
21 And Solomon reigned over all kingdoms from the river unto the land of the Philistines, and unto the border of Egypt: they brought presents, and served Solomon all the days of his life. |
22 And Solomon's provision for one day was thirty measures of fine flour, and threescore measures of meal, |
23 Ten fat oxen, and twenty oxen out of the pastures, and an hundred sheep, beside harts, and roebucks, and fallowdeer, and fatted fowl. |
24 For he had dominion over all the region on this side the river, from Tiphsah even to Azzah, over all the kings on this side the river: and he had peace on all sides round about him. |
25 And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, all the days of Solomon. |
26 And Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen. |
27 And those officers provided victual for king Solomon, and for all that came unto king Solomon's table, every man in his month: they lacked nothing. |
28 Barley also and straw for the horses and dromedaries brought they unto the place where the officers were, every man according to his charge. |
29 And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore. |
30 And Solomon's wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east country, and all the wisdom of Egypt. |
31 For he was wiser than all men; than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol: and his fame was in all nations round about. |
32 And he spake three thousand proverbs: and his songs were a thousand and five. |
33 And he spake of trees, from the cedar tree that is in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall: he spake also of beasts, and of fowl, and of creeping things, and of fishes. |
34 And there came of all people to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all kings of the earth, which had heard of his wisdom. |
4 Solomon's ministers of state, Ki1 4:1-6.
The purveyors of his household, Ki1 4:7-19.
The number of his subjects, and extent of his kingdom, Ki1 4:20-21.
The provision for his table, Ki1 4:22-23.
The peace of his subjects, Ki1 4:24-25.
His stables, Ki1 4:26-28.
His wisdom, Ki1 4:29-34.
4:1 All Israel - This is spoken with respect to his successors, who were kings only over a part, and that the smallest part of it.
4:2 Princes - That is, the chief rulers or officers. The son - Or the grand - son. The priest - The second priest, or the priest thatattended upon Solomon's person in holy offices and administrations.
4:3 Scribes - That is, secretaries of state. He chose two, whereas David had but one: either, because he observed some inconveniencesin trusting all those matters in one hand: or, because he had now muchmore employment than David had, this being a time of great peace andprosperity, and his empire enlarged.
4:4 Priests - That is, the high - priests, successively, first Abiathar, and then Zadok.
4:5 Officers - Over those twelve Officers, named ver. Ki1 4:7, etc who were all to give up their accompts to him. Nathan - The prophet, whohad been so highly instrumental in Solomon's establishment in thethrone. Principal officer - Possibly, president of the king's council.Friend - His confident, with whom he used to communicate his most secretcounsels.
4:6 Abiathar was - Steward of the king's household. Tribute - The personal tribute, or the levy of men, as appears by comparing this withchap.Ki1 5:13-14, it being very fit that there should be some one personto whom the chief conduct of that great business was committed.
4:8 The son, etc - This and others of them are denominated from their fathers, because they were known and famous in their generation.
4:10 Hepher - In Judah.
4:19 Country of Gilead - That is, in the remaining part of that land of Gilead, which was mentioned above. The only officer - In allGilead, excepting the parcels mentioned before, in all the territoriesof Sihon and Og; which because they were of large extent, and yetall committed to this one man, it is here noted concerning him as hisprivilege above the rest.
4:21 The river - Euphrates: for so far David, having conquered the Syrians, extended his empire, which Solomon also maintained inthat extent. And so God's promise concerning the giving the whole land, asfar as Euphrates, to the Israelites, was fulfilled. And, if theIsraelites had multiplied so much that the land of Canaan would notsuffice them, having God's grant of all the land as far as Euphrates,they might have seized upon it whensoever occasion required. The landof the Philistines - Which is to be understood inclusively; for thePhilistines were within Solomon's dominion. The border ofEgypt - Unto the river Sihor, which was the border between Egyptand Canaan. And served - By tribute, or other ways, as he neededand required.
4:22 Measures - Heb. Cors: each of which contained ten ephahs.So this provision was sufficient for near three thousand persons.Meal - Of a coarser sort for common use.
4:23 Fat - Fatted in stalls. Out of pastures - Well fleshed, tender and good, though not so fat as the former.
4:24 Tiphsah - Either that Tiphsah, Ki2 15:16, which was in the kingdom of Israel within Jordan; or, rather, another place ofthat name upon Euphrates, even that eminent city which is mentioned byPtolemy, and Strabo, and Pliny, called Thapsarum. And thisbest agrees with the following: Azzah, which was the border of Canaanin the south and west, as Tiphsah was in the north and east. And sohis dominion is described by both its borders. All kings - Who ownedsubjection, and paid tribute to him.
4:25 Under his vine - Enjoying the fruit of his own labour with safety and comfort. Under these two trees, which were most used and cultivated bythe Israelites, he understands all other fruit - bearing trees, and allother comforts. And they are brought in as fitting or dwelling underthese trees, partly for recreation or delight in the shade; and partly,for the comfort or advantage of the fruit; and withal, to note their greatsecurity, not only in their strong cities, but even in the country, wherethe vines and fig - trees grew, which was most open to the incursions of theirenemies.
4:26 Forty thousand - In Ch2 9:25, it is but four thousand. But it is not exactly the same Hebrew word which ishere and there, though we translate both stalls; and therefore there maywell be allowed some difference in the signification, the one signifyingproperly stables, of which there were four thousand, the other stallsor partitions for each horse, which were forty thousand.Chariots - Both for his military chariots, which seem to be those fourteenhundred, chap.Ki1 10:26, and for divers other uses, as about his great andvarious buildings, and merchandises, and other occasions, which mightrequire some thousands of other chariots. Horsemen - Appointed partly forthe defence of his people in peace; and partly for attendance upon hisperson, and for the splendor of his government.
4:27 The officers - Named above. They lacked - Or rather, they suffered nothing to be lacking to any man that came thither, butplentifully provided all things necessary.
4:29 Largeness of heart - Vastness of understanding, a most comprehensive knowledge of all things both Divine and human.
4:30 East country - The Chaldeans, Persians, and Arabians, who all lay eastward from Canaan, and were famous in ancient times for theirwisdom and learning. Egypt - The Egyptians, whose fame was then greatfor their skill in the arts and sciences, which made them despise theGrecians as children in knowledge.
4:31 All men - Either of his nation; or, of his time: or, of all times and nations, whether of the east or any other country excepting only thefirst and second Adam. Ethan, etc - Israelites of eminent wisdom,probably the same mentioned, Ch1 2:6, Ch1 15:19, Ch1 25:4, Psa 88:1(title), Psa 89:1(title). Chalcol, etc - Of whom see Ch1 2:6.
4:32 Proverbs - That is, short, and deep, and useful sentences, whereof a great part are contained in the books of Proverbs andEcclesiastes. Songs - Whereof the chief and most divine are inthe Canticles.
4:33 Trees - That is, of all plants, of their nature and qualities: all which discourses are lost, without any impeachment of the perfection ofthe holy scriptures; which were not written to teach men philosophy orphysick, but only to make them wise unto salvation.From the cedar, etc - That is, from the greatest to the least.
4:34 All kings - All the neighbouring kings; a restriction grounded upon the following words, where this is limited to such as heard ofSolomon's wisdom. Let those who magnify the modern learning above thatof the ancients, produce such a treasury of learning, anywhere in theselater ages, as that was, which Solomon was master of. Yet this puts anhonour upon human learning, that Solomon is praised for it, andrecommends it to the great ones of the earth, as well worthy their diligentsearch. In all this Solomon was a type of Christ, in whom are hidall the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.