Azariah the son of Nathan, over the officers; Zabud the son of Nathan, a priest and the king’s friend;
Parallel translations
- WEB Azariah the son of Nathan was over the officers; Zabud the son of Nathan was chief minister, the king’s friend;
- 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;
- 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.
Quick answer
Azariah oversees the regional officers, and Zabud serves as priest and the king's friend. Trusted advisors surround Solomon's throne.
Overview
Two sons of Nathan hold high posts, one over the district officers and the other as a personal priest and confidant called 'the king's friend.' The title marks a position of intimate counsel and trust near the king. The arrangement shows a kingdom well staffed with capable and trusted men, reflecting Solomon's ordered rule.
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
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
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.