Solomon had twelve governors over all Israel to provide food for the king and his household. Each one would arrange provisions for one month of the year,
Parallel translations
- WEB Solomon 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.
- KJV 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.
- NKJV And Solomon had twelve governors over all Israel, who provided food for the king and his household; each one made provision for one month of the year.
- NASB Solomon had twelve deputies over all Israel, who provided food for the king and his household; each deputy had to provide food for a month in the year.
- NLT Solomon also had twelve district governors who were over all Israel. They were responsible for providing food for the king’s household. Each of them arranged provisions for one month of the year.
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
Solomon appoints twelve officers to provision the royal household, each responsible for one month a year. The system reveals the scale and organization of his court.
Overview
Twelve district governors rotate responsibility for supplying the king's household, one for each month. The arrangement reflects an efficient administrative design supporting a large and prosperous court. The scale of provision testifies to the abundance of Solomon's reign, while also signaling the heavy demands the monarchy placed on the nation.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 1
- 1 Chr 27:1–15This is the list of the Israelites—the heads of families, the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and their officers who served the king in every matter concerning the divisions on rotating military duty each month throughout the year. There were 24,000 men in each division:
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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 4:7 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
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