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1 So king Solomon was king over all Israel. |
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2 And these were the princes which he had; Azariah the son of Zadok the priest, |
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3 Elihoreph and Ahiah, the sons of Shisha, scribes; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud, the recorder. |
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4 And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the host: and Zadok and Abiathar were the priests: |
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5 And Azariah the son of Nathan was over the officers; and Zabud the son of Nathan was principal officer, and the king's friend: |
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6 And Ahishar was over the household: and Adoniram the son of Abda was over the tribute. |
Adoniram – Secretary of the treasury, the one having charge over the assessments, etc., and who presided over the forced labor. R3385:4
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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. |
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8 And these are their names: The son of Hur, in mount Ephraim: |
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9 The son of Dekar, in Makaz, and in Shaalbim, and Bethshemesh, and Elonbethhanan: |
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10 The son of Hesed, in Aruboth; to him pertained Sochoh, and all the land of Hepher: |
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11 The son of Abinadab, in all the region of Dor; which had Taphath the daughter of Solomon to wife: |
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12 Baana the son of Ahilud; to him pertained Taanach and Megiddo, and all Bethshean, which is by Zartanah beneath Jezreel, from Bethshean to Abelmeholah, even unto the place that is beyond Jokneam: |
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13 The son of Geber, in Ramothgilead; to him pertained the towns of Jair the son of Manasseh, which are in Gilead; to him also pertained the region of Argob, which is in Bashan, threescore great cities with walls and copper bars: |
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14 Ahinadab the son of Iddo had Mahanaim: |
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15 Ahimaaz was in Naphtali; he also took Basmath the daughter of Solomon to wife: |
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16 Baanah the son of Hushai was in Asher and in Aloth: |
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17 Jehoshaphat the son of Paruah, in Issachar: |
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18 Shimei the son of Elah, in Benjamin: |
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19 Geber the son of Uri was in the country of Gilead, in the country of Sihon king of the Amorites, and of Og king of Bashan; and he was the only officer which was in the land. |
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20 Judah and Israel were many, as the sand which is by the sea in multitude, eating and drinking, and making merry. |
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21 And Solomon reigned over all kingdoms from the river unto the land of the Philistines, and unto the border of Egypt: they brought presents, and served Solomon all the days of his life. |
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22 And Solomon's provision for one day was thirty measures of fine flour, and threescore measures of meal, |
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23 Ten fat oxen, and twenty oxen out of the pastures, and an hundred sheep, beside harts, and roebucks, and fallowdeer, and fatted fowl. |
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24 For he had dominion over all the region on this side the river, from Tiphsah even to Azzah, over all the kings on this side the river: and he had peace on all sides round about him. |
Peace on all sides – Whereas King David's reign was full of wars, King Solomon's had none. PD44/53
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25 And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan even to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon. |
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26 And Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen. |
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27 And those officers provided victual for king Solomon, and for all that came unto king Solomon's table, every man in his month: they lacked nothing. |
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28 Barley also and straw for the horses and dromedaries brought they unto the place where the officers were, every man according to his charge. |
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29 And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore.
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Gave Solomon wisdom – Not the heavenly wisdom, not spiritual understanding. R2053:2
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30 And Solomon's wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east country, and all the wisdom of Egypt. |
Solomon's wisdom excelled – Prefigured the all-comprehensive wisdom of Christ. R2053:1
Only an imperfect realization of the wise and understanding heart suggested in his dream-prayer. R2053:2
Children of the east – Implying that his wisdom was along the lines of the sciences and philosophies popular with them. R2053:5
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31 For he was wiser than all men; than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol: and his fame was in all nations round about. |
Wiser than all men – In the time of Solomon, the zenith of their glory, the Jews were a people distinguished and honored among nations. C244
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32 And he spake three thousand proverbs: and his songs were a thousand and five. |
Three thousand proverbs – Not all deemed of the Lord worthy of preservation in sacred Scripture. R2053:5
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33 And he spake of trees, from the cedar tree that is in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall: he spake also of beasts, and of fowl, and of creeping things, and of fishes. |
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34 And there came of all people to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all kings of the earth, which had heard of his wisdom. |
Of all people – "Many people will say, Come and let us go up to the house of the Lord." (Isa. 2:3) R2053:1
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