1 So King Solomon ruled over all Israel. 2 And these were his chief officials: Azariah son of Zadok—the priest; 3 Elihoreph and Ahijah, sons of Shisha—secretaries; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud—recorder; 4 Benaiah son of Jehoiada—commander in chief; Zadok and Abiathar—priests; 5 Azariah son of Nathan—in charge of the district governors; Zabud son of Nathan—a priest and adviser to the king; 6 Ahishar—palace administrator; Adoniram son of Abda—in charge of forced labor.
King Solomon was a wise ruler and this list of officials shows us, in part, this wisdom. Rulers, and leaders of any kind, can’t do an effective job by themselves. Solomon surrounds himself with able men who all have a purpose in guiding and creating a systemic wisdom. First, we see priests on the list. This is important, for one of the guiding themes of Kings is this: if the king follows God and the people follow the king, there will be a blessing on the land. Solomon is beginning well by making God’s Law a cornerstone of his rule.
The next notable name is Jehosaphat. He was a former member of David’s reign. This shows us some of the wisdom of Solomon in picking people who were wise and revered in the past to offer counsel in the present.
Although most names are of unknown people, we can safely assume that there was forethought and prayer that went into all appointments.
7 Solomon had twelve district governors over all Israel, who supplied provisions for the king and the royal household. Each one had to provide supplies for one month in the year. 8 These are their names: Ben-Hur—in the hill country of Ephraim; 9 Ben-Deker—in Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth Shemesh and Elon Bethhanan; 10 Ben-Hesed—in Arubboth (Sokoh and all the land of Hepher were his); 11 Ben-Abinadab—in Naphoth Dor (he was married to Taphath daughter of Solomon); 12 Baana son of Ahilud—in Taanach and Megiddo, and in all of Beth Shan next to Zarethan below Jezreel, from Beth Shan to Abel Meholah across to Jokmeam; 13 Ben-Geber—in Ramoth Gilead (the settlements of Jair son of Manasseh in Gilead were his, as well as the region of Argob in Bashan and its sixty large walled cities with bronze gate bars); 14 Ahinadab son of Iddo—in Mahanaim; 15 Ahimaaz—in Naphtali (he had married Basemath daughter of Solomon); 16 Baana son of Hushai—in Asher and in Aloth; 17 Jehoshaphat son of Paruah—in Issachar; 18 Shimei son of Ela—in Benjamin; 19 Geber son of Uri—in Gilead (the country of Sihon king of the Amorites and the country of Og king of Bashan). He was the only governor over the district.
Solomon appointed 12 governors to essentially tax the individual regions they were in charge of. These governors were responsible for supporting the central government with provision, meaning grains, livestock and riches from their lands. Each governor had this responsibility to supply the kingship once during the yearner a month at a time.
Solomon’s Daily Provisions 20 The people of Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand on the seashore; they ate, they drank and they were happy. 21 And Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. These countries brought tribute and were Solomon’s subjects all his life.
Solomon’s reign was marked by peace. It was also the largest area Israel would ever possess (from the Euphrates all the way to northern Egypt). One of the ways peace was achieved was that there were fair trade agreements made between nations. Solomon traded for supplies from both Syria and Egypt, causing those nations to favor Israel. Once again we see the principle that Kings teaches us: if the King is aligned with God, and the people follow the king, there will be peace. Later on, when we see other kings after Solomon rise, we’ll see the reverse. When the king goes not follow God, there is famine, war and restlessness.
22 Solomon’s daily provisions were thirty cors of the finest flour and sixty cors of meal, 23 ten head of stall-fed cattle, twenty of pasture-fed cattle and a hundred sheep and goats, as well as deer, gazelles, roebucks and choice fowl.
This is Solomon’s allotted provision for his household and it is quite a bit. Even though Solomon’s house was large, the provision here seems excessive. The flour amounts to around 50+ gallons every day. The acquisition of animals, in biblical times, displayed one’s wealth.
24 For he ruled over all the kingdoms west of the Euphrates River, from Tiphsah to Gaza, and had peace on all sides. 25 During Solomon’s lifetime Judah and Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, lived in safety, everyone under their own vine and under their own fig tree. 26 Solomon had four thousand stalls for chariot horses, and twelve thousand horses. 27 The district governors, each in his month, supplied provisions for King Solomon and all who came to the king’s table. They saw to it that nothing was lacking. 28 They also brought to the proper place their quotas of barley and straw for the chariot horses and the other horses.
This shows the expanse of Solomon’s kingdom. The borders weren’t only expanded but the people on all sides of Israel were peaceful. It created a great insulation in Israel, a golden era of peace, prosperity and fellowship. In fact, the term “under their own vine and under their own fig tree” refers to an OT expression of peace (Isaiah 36:16).
Verse 26 tells us of Solomon’s might: 4,000 stalls for chariot horses plus 12,000 horses. This is a large and formidable amount even if the times are peaceful. But this passages also tell us of the undercurrent of problems in Solomon’s reign. As Solomon does great things for God, he is also beginning down a road of fractured alliance.
First, in verse 22-23, we saw a great allotment of food per day. Second, we see this great military presence. Although we could say the first is result of his great work for God and the second is practical, we also see that Solomon is moving away from God in little ways. Deuteronomy 17:16 clearly states that a a king shall not attain horses for himself. Why? Because this is vanity and it begins to turn the focus away from God and to the king’s own power.
If Solomon is aware of the scriptures, then he is turning away from them. If he is not, then he has not taken the charge of following God seriously. Either way, he can turn back to God by abolishing the practices of sustaining his wealth. But wealth, like power, is alluring and often gets us into trouble. Remember, Solomon asked for wisdom but God gave him power also (1 Kings 3:13-14). It is up to Solomon how he is to handle what was given to him.
Solomon’s Wisdom 29 God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore. 30 Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the people of the East, and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt. 31 He was wiser than anyone else, including Ethan the Ezrahite—wiser than Heman, Kalkol and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And his fame spread to all the surrounding nations.
Solomon’s God-given wisdom is extraordinary and it is well-known across Israel. Ethan and Heman are names mentioned here, and both are authors of Psalms (Heman for Psalm 88 and Ethan for Psalm 89). His wisdom goes beyond the Israel borders though and is known, and desired, across the known world. As the nations clamor over his wisdom we will see Solomon give generously.
32 He spoke three thousand proverbs and his songs numbered a thousand and five. 33 He spoke about plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of walls. He also spoke about animals and birds, reptiles and fish. 34 From all nations people came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, sent by all the kings of the world, who had heard of his wisdom.
Solomon wasn’t only wise, but his wisdom bled into different areas. He wrote a large portion of the book of Proverbs; he wrote a variety of songs; he also had interest in the physical world and applied his mind to understanding what made the world turn. The cedar and the hyssop is an interesting way to rank his knowledge. In the ancient days of Israel, the cedar was regarded as the most complex plant structure and the hyssop the least. This is a fancy way of telling us that his knowledge of plant life was all-inclusive.
This wisdom and knowledge attracted people to him. Leaders from surrounding nations wanted to understand what made Solomon tick.