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Azariah the son of Nathan was over the officers; Zabud the son of Nathan was chief minister, the king’s friend;
1 Kings 4:5 · World English Bible
Parallel translations
  • KJV And Azariah the son of Nathan was over the officers: and Zabud the son of Nathan was principal officer, and the king’s friend:
  • BSB Azariah son of Nathan was in charge of the governors; Zabud son of Nathan was a priest and adviser to the king;
  • NKJV Azariah the son of Nathan, over the officers; Zabud the son of Nathan, a priest and the king’s friend;
  • NASB and Azariah the son of Nathan was over the deputies; and Zabud the son of Nathan, a priest, was the king’s confidant;
  • NLT Azariah son of Nathan was in charge of the district governors. Zabud son of Nathan, a priest, was a trusted adviser to the king.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 15

  • 1 Chr 27:33Ahithophel was the king’s counselor: and Hushai the Archite was the king’s friend.
  • 2 Sam 15:37So Hushai, David’s friend, came into the city; and Absalom came into Jerusalem.
  • 2 Sam 16:16When Hushai the Archite, David’s friend, had come to Absalom, Hushai said to Absalom, “Long live the king! Long live the king!”
  • John 15:14–15You are my friends, if you do whatever I command you.
  • 2 Sam 7:2the king said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but God’s ark dwells within curtains.”
  • 2 Sam 12:1–15Yahweh sent Nathan to David. He came to him, and said to him, “There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor.
  • 2 Sam 8:18Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites, David’s sons were chief ministers.
  • Jas 2:23and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him as righteousness”; and he was called the friend of God.
  • 2 Sam 12:25and he sent by the hand of Nathan the prophet, and he named him Jedidiah, for Yahweh’s sake.
  • 2 Sam 20:26and Ira the Jairite was chief minister to David.
  • Prov 22:11He who loves purity of heart and speaks gracefully is the king’s friend.
  • 1 Kgs 4:7Solomon had twelve officers over all Israel, who provided food for the king and his household. Each man had to make provision for a month in the year.
  • John 13:23One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was at the table, leaning against Jesus’ breast.
  • 2 Sam 19:37–38Please let your servant turn back again, that I may die in my own city, by the grave of my father and my mother. But behold, your servant Chimham; let him go over with my lord the king; and do to him what shall seem good to you.”
  • 1 Kgs 1:10–53but he didn’t call Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah, and the mighty men, and Solomon his brother.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (7)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — 1 Kings videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on 1 Kings 4:5YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on 1 KingsMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

Solomon's glory, wisdom, and temple where God's presence dwells are a shadow of the greater Son of David — 'one greater than Solomon is here' — and of the true Temple, Christ himself.

How 1 Kings 4:5 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.