1 Kings 4 · Verse 7

1 Kings 4:7

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.

1 Kings 4:7, King James Version

1 Kings 4:7 in other translations

BSB	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,
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.
ASV	And Solomon had twelve officers over all Israel, who provided victuals for the king and his household: each man had to make provision for a month in the year.
YLT	And Solomon hath twelve officers over all Israel, and they have sustained the king and his household--a month in the year is on each one for sustenance;
DARBY	And Solomon had twelve superintendents over all Israel; and they provided food for the king and his household: each man his month in the year had to make provision.
BBE	And Solomon put twelve overseers over all Israel, to be responsible for the stores needed for the king and those of his house; every man was responsible for one month in the year.
Webster	And Solomon had twelve officers over all Israel, who provided victuals for the king and his household: each man his month in a year made provision.

What does 1 Kings 4:7 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

7. Solomon had twelve officers over all Israel--The royal revenues were raised according to the ancient, and still, in many parts, existing usage of the East, not in money payments, but in the produce of the soil. There would be always a considerable difficulty in the collection and transmission of these tithes (1Sa 8:15). Therefore, to facilitate the work, Solomon appointed twelve officers, who had each the charge of a tribe or particular district of country, from which, in monthly rotation, the supplies for the maintenance of the king's household were drawn, having first been deposited in "the store cities" which were erected for their reception (1Ki 9:19; 2Ch 8:4, 6).

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 7 Twelve officers - The business of these twelve officers was to provide daily, each for a month, those provisions which were consumed in the king's household; see 1Kgs 4:22, 1Kgs 4:23. And the task for such a daily provision was not an easy one.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 1 Kings 4:1-19

In the choice of the great officers of Solomon's court, no doubt, his wisdom appeared. Several are the same that were in his father's time. A plan was settled by which no part of the country was exhausted to supply his court, though each sent its portion.

Read the full comment on 1 Kings 4:1-19 →

1 Kings 4:7 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וְלִשְׁלֹמֹ֞הve.lish.lo.Mohand [belonged] to SolomonH8010

שְׁנֵים\־she.neim-two [plus]H8147

עָשָׂ֤ר'a.SartenH6240

נִצָּבִים֙ni.tza.VimoverseersH5324

עַל\־'al-overH5921

כָּל\־kol-allH3605

יִשְׂרָאֵ֔לYis.ra.'ElIsraelH3478

וְכִלְכְּל֥וּve.khil.ke.Luand they suppliedH3557

אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853

הַמֶּ֖לֶךְha.Me.lekhthe kingH4428

וְאֶת\־ve.'Etand <obj.>H853

בֵּית֑וֹbei.Tohousehold hisH1004

חֹ֧דֶשׁCho.desha monthH2320

בַּשָּׁנָ֛הba.sha.Nahin the yearH8141

יִהְיֶ֥הyih.Yehit wasH1961

עַל\־'al-onH5921

הָאֶחָ֖דha.e.chadthe oneH259

לְכַלְכֵּֽל\׃\ \סle.khal.Kelto supplyH3557

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for 1 Kings 4:7

1 Chronicles 27:1-15
Now the children of Israel after their number, to wit, the chief fathers and captains of thousands and hundreds, and their officers that served the king in any matter of the courses, which came in and went out month by month throughout all the months of the year, of every course were twenty and four thousand. Over the first course for the first month was Jashobeam the son of Zabdiel: and in his course were twenty and four thousand. Of the children of Perez was the chief of all the captains of the host for the first month. And over the course of the second month was Dodai an Ahohite, and of his course was Mikloth also the ruler: in his course likewise were twenty and four thousand. …

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

officers.These are doubtless to be considered as general receivers; for, as Sir John Chardin observes, "the revenues of the princes of the East are paid in the fruits and productions of the earth: there are no other taxes on the peasants."
each man.
1Ch 27:1-15

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

1 Kings 4:6
And Ahishar was over the household: and Adoniram the son of Abda was over the tribute.
1 Kings 4:7
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.
1 Kings 4:8
And these are their names: The son of Hur, in mount Ephraim:

Read all of 1 Kings 4

1 Kings 4:7 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Y tenía Salomón doce gobernadores sobre todo Israel, los cuales mantenían al rey y á su casa. Cada uno de ellos estaba obligado á abastecer por un mes en el año.
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Et Salomon avait douze intendants sur tout Israël, et ils pourvoyaient à l’entretien du roi et de sa maison; chacun était tenu de pourvoir à cet entretien un mois dans l’année.
German Elberfelder 1871	Und Salomo hatte zwölf Aufseher über ganz Israel, und sie versorgten den König und sein Haus; einen Monat im Jahre lag jedem die Versorgung ob.
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Habebat autem Salomon duodecim præfectos super omnem Israël, qui præbebant annonam regi et domui ejus: per singulos enim menses in anno, singuli necessaria ministrabant.