וַיְהִי הַמֶּלֶךְ שְׁלֹמֹה מֶלֶךְ עַל־כָּל־יִשְׂרָאֵל׃   4:1

1Kin. 4:1   And king Solomon was king over all Israel.

וְאֵלֶּה הַשָּׂרִים אֲשֶׁר־לוֹ עֲזַרְיָהוּ בֶן־צָדוֹק הַכֹּהֵן׃   4:2

1Kin. 4:2   And these were the captains who were for him:  Azariah son of Zadok, the priest,

אֱלִיחֹרֶף וַאֲחִיָּה בְּנֵי שִׁישָׁא סֹפְרִים יְהוֹשָׁפָט בֶּן־אֲחִילוּד הַמַּזְכִּיר׃   4:3

1Kin. 4:3   Elichoreph and Achijah, sons of Shisha, scribes, Jehoshaphat son of Achilud, the recorder.

וּבְנָיָהוּ בֶן־יְהוֹיָדָע עַל־הַצָּבָא וְצָדוֹק וְאֶבְיָתָר כֹּהֲנִים׃   4:4

1Kin. 4:4   And Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the host.  And Zadok and Abiathar were priests.

וַעֲזַרְיָהוּ בֶן־נָתָן עַל־הַנִּצָּבִים וְזָבוּד בֶּן־נָתָן כֹּהֵן רֵעֶה הַמֶּלֶךְ׃   4:5

1Kin. 4:5   And Azariah son of Nathan was over the officers, and Zabud son of Nathan was chief minister and the friend of the king.

וַאֲחִישָׁר עַל־הַבָּיִת וַאֲדֹנִירָם בֶּן־עַבְדָּא עַל־הַמַּס׃   4:6

1Kin. 4:6   And Achishar was over the household, and Adoniram son of Abda was over the levy.

וְלִשְׁלֹמֹה שְׁנֵים־עָשָׂר נִצָּבִים עַל־כָּל־יִשְׂרָאֵל וְכִלְכְּלוּ אֶת־הַמֶּלֶךְ וְאֶת־בֵּיתוֹ חֹדֶשׁ בַּשָּׁנָה יִהְיֶה עַל־   4:7 (אֶחָד) [הָאֶחָד] לְכַלְכֵּל׃

1Kin. 4:7   And twelve officers were over all Israel for Solomon and they nourished the king and his household.  A month in the year would be for each one to make provision.

While the word in parentheses is marked as an error, the decision can be questioned.  If the word were not in error, the last part of the verse would have to be translated as “A month in the year would be for one to make provision,” or “A month in the year would be for each to make provision,” either of which is perfectly acceptable.

וְאֵלֶּה שְׁמוֹתָם בֶּן־חוּר בְּהַר אֶפְרָיִם׃   4:8

1Kin. 4:8   And these were their names: Ben-hur in the hill country of Ephraim,

בֶּן־דֶּקֶר בְּמָקַץ וּבְשַׁעַלְבִים וּבֵית שָׁמֶשׁ וְאֵילוֹן בֵּית חָנָן׃   4:9

1Kin. 4:9   Ben-deker in Makaz and in Shaalbim and Beth-shemesh and Elon of Beth-hanan,

בֶּן־חֶסֶד בָּאֲרֻבּוֹת לוֹ שֹׂכֹה וְכָל־אֶרֶץ חֵפֶר׃   4:10

1Kin. 4:10   Ben-chesed in Aruboth (his was Socoh and all the land of Hapher),

בֶּן־אֲבִינָדָב כָּל־נָפַת דֹּאר טָפַת בַּת־שְׁלֹמֹה הָיְתָה לּוֹ לְאִשָּׁה׃   4:11

1Kin. 4:11   Ben-abinadab all the region of Dor (Taphath, daughter of Solomon, was his for a wife),

בַּעֲנָא בֶּן־אֲחִילוּד תַּעְנַךְ וּמְגִדּוֹ וְכָל־בֵּית שְׁאָן אֲשֶׁר אֵצֶל צָרְתַנָה מִתַּחַת לְיִזְרְעֶאל מִבֵּית שְׁאָן עַד   4:12 אָבֵל מְחוֹלָה עַד מֵעֵבֶר לְיָקְמֳעָם׃

1Kin. 4:12   Baana son of Achilud of Taanach and Megiddo and all Beth-shean which is near Zarethan, as below to Jezreal as Beth-shean, all the way to Abel-mecholah as far as past to Jokmeam,

בֶּן־גֶּבֶר בְּרָמֹת גִּלְעָד לוֹ חַוֺּת יָאִיר בֶּן־מְנַשֶּׁה אֲשֶׁר בַּגִּלְעָד לוֹ חֶבֶל אַרְגֹּב אֲשֶׁר בַּבָּשָׁן שִׁשִּׁים עָרִים   4:13 גְּדֹלוֹת חוֹמָה וּבְרִיחַ נְחֹשֶׁת׃

1Kin. 4:13   Ben-geber in Ramoth-gilead (his were the villages of Jair son of Manasseh which are in Gilead -- his was the portion of Argob which is in Bashan, sixty great walled cities, and brass barred),

אֲחִינָדָב בֶּן־עִדֹּא מַחֲנָיְמָה׃   4:14

1Kin. 4:14   Achinadab son of Iddo-machanaim,

אֲחִימַעַץ בְּנַפְתָּלִי גַּם־הוּא לָקַח אֶת־בָּשְׂמַת בַּת־שְׁלֹמֹה לְאִשָּׁה׃   4:15

1Kin. 4:15   Achimaaz in Naphtali (he also took Basemath, daughter of Solomon, for a wife),

בַּעֲנָא בֶּן־חוּשָׁי בְּאָשֵׁר וּבְעָלוֹת׃   4:16

1Kin. 4:16   Baana son of Hushai in Asher and Bealoth,

יְהוֹשָׁפָט בֶּן־פָּרוּחַ בְּיִשָׂשכָר׃   4:17

1Kin. 4:17   Jehoshaphat son of Peruach in Issachar,

שִׁמְעִי בֶן־אֵלָא בְּבִנְיָמִן׃   4:18

1Kin. 4:18   Shimei son of Ela in Benjamin,

גֶּבֶר בֶּן־אֻרִי בְּאֶרֶץ גִּלְעָד אֶרֶץ סִיחוֹן מֶלֶךְ הָאֱמֹרִי וְעֹג מֶלֶךְ הַבָּשָׁן וּנְצִיב אֶחָד אֲשֶׁר בָּאָרֶץ׃   4:19

1Kin. 4:19   Geber son of Uri in the land in Gilead, the country of Sichon, king of the Amorites, and of Og, king of Bashan.  And there was one officer who was in the country.

This last officer, left unnamed, was the twelfth.  What does it mean that he “was in the country?”  He couldn’t have been over the entire country.  He must have been over a portion of the country.  But which portion was left unidentified like his name?  It is unlikely that we will ever know; these officers are not mentioned in 1Chronicles.

יְהוּדָה וְיִשְׂרָאֵל רַבִּים כַּחוֹל אֲשֶׁר־עַל־הַיָּם לָרֹב אֹכְלִים וְשֹׁתִים וּשְׂמֵחִים׃   4:20

1Kin. 4:20   Judah and Israel were numerous like the sand that is by the sea for abundance, eating and drinking and rejoicing.

This sort of exaggeration, numerous like the sand, seems to be a trait of at least one of the scribes of the time.  It’s also possible that this simile is an attempt to show that the prophecy expressed in Gene. 22:17 and 32:13 had come true.

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