Solomon's Officials

 

1 Kings 4:1-6 – 7-19

 

April 19, 2021

 

 

Solomon's Officials

King Solomon was king over all Israel,  and these were his high officials: Azariah the son of Zadok was the priest;  Elihoreph and Ahijah the sons of Shisha were secretaries; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder;  Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was in command of the army; Zadok and Abiathar were priests;  Azariah the son of Nathan was over the officers; Zabud the son of Nathan was priest and king's friend;  Ahishar was in charge of the palace, and Adoniram the son of Abda was in charge of the forced labor.

We might refer to these men as the movers and shakers or the power brokers of Solomon’s Kingdom.  Eleven men to carry out the desires of Solomon, and to make the part of government they were responsible for, to run in a way that met the king's requirements.

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.   These were their names: Ben-hur, in the hill country of Ephraim;  Ben-deker, in Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth-shemesh, and Elonbeth-hanan;  Ben-hesed, in Arubboth (to him belonged Socoh and all the land of Hepher);  Ben-abinadab, in all Naphath-dor (he had Taphath the daughter of Solomon as his wife);  Baana the son of Ahilud, in Taanach, Megiddo, and all Beth-shean that is beside Zarethan below Jezreel, and from Beth-shean to Abel-meholah, as far as the other side of Jokmeam;  Ben-geber, in Ramoth-gilead (he had the villages of Jair the son of Manasseh, which are in Gilead, and he had the region of Argob, which is in Bashan, sixty great cities with walls and bronze bars); Ahinadab the son of Iddo, in Mahanaim;  Ahimaaz, in Naphtali (he had taken Basemath the daughter of Solomon as his wife);  Baana the son of Hushai, in Asher and Bealoth;  Jehoshaphat the son of Paruah, in Issachar; Shimei the son of Ela, in Benjamin;  Geber the son of Uri, in the land of Gilead, the country of Sihon king of the Amorites and of Og king of Bashan. And there was one governor who was over the land.

 

As stated the twelve deputies' job was to provide food for the royal household, each had a month.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice