1 Kings 9:23
in 1 Kings 9They were also the chief officers over Solomon’s projects: 550 supervisors over the people who did the work.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
These were the chief officers that were over Solomon’s work, five hundred and fifty, who bare rule over the people that wrought in the work.
KJV
These were the chief of the officers that were over Solomon’s work, five hundred and fifty, which bare rule over the people that wrought in the work.
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This verse in 1 Kings 9
Commentary
7 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
the people who were not Israelites
on 1 Kings 9:20-23
The peoples left from Joshua’s conquest, the “Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites”, become Solomon’s forced laborers, and Israel is spared. Israelites serve instead as “his men of war, his servants, his officers, his captains”. Over the whole work stand “550 supervisors over the people who did the work”.
This site's exposition
550 supervisors over the people
Chronicles divides the overseers differently, with 250 chief officers at 2 Chronicles 8:10 and 3,600 supervisors over the people at 2 Chronicles 2:18. Kings gives 550 here and 3,300 at 5:16. Both books reach the same total of 3,850, and Albert Barnes sends the reader to 5:16 for the figures.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
): Of them he made no bondmen, for they were God's freemen, but he made them soldiers and courtiers, and gave them offices, as he saw them qualified, among his chariots and horsemen, appointing some to support the service of the inferior labourers. Thus he preserved the dignity and liberty of Israel and honoured their relation to God as a kingdom of priests.
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These were the chief of the officers over Solomon's work,....
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
SOLOMON'S YEARLY SACRIFICES. 24, 25. three times in a year--namely, at the passover, pentecost, and feast of tabernacles (2Ch 8:13; The circumstances mentioned in these two verses form a proper conclusion to the record of his buildings and show that his design in erecting those at Jerusalem was to remedy defects existing at the commencement of his reign (see 1Ki 3:1-4).
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
this is the reason of the levy--A levy refers both to men and money, and the necessity for Solomon making it arose from the many gigantic works he undertook to erect.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Five hundred and fifty - See 1Ki 5:16 note.
The words behind it
14 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| אֵ֣לֶּה׀ | ʾeleh | these | H428 → | 746 times |
| שָׂרֵ֣י | sarei | [were] [the] leaders of | H8269 → | 421 times |
| הַנִּצָּבִ֗ים | hanitzavim | the overseers | H5324 → | 75 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֤ר | ʾasher | who | H834 → | 5497 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | [were] over | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| הַמְּלָאכָה֙ | hamelakhah | the work | H4399 → | 167 times |
| לִשְׁלֹמֹ֔ה | lishlomoh | of Solomon | H8010 → | 291 times |
| חֲמִשִּׁ֖ים | chamishim | fifty | H2572 → | 163 times |
| וַחֲמֵ֣שׁ | vachamesh | and five | H2568 → | 343 times |
| מֵא֑וֹת | meot | hundred<s> | H3967 → | 581 times |
| הָרֹדִ֣ים | harodim | who ruled | H7287 → | 26 times |
| בָּעָ֔ם | baam | over the people | H5971 → | 1873 times |
| הָעֹשִׂ֖ים | haosim | who were doing | H6213 → | 2628 times |
| בַּמְּלָאכָֽה׃ | bamelakhah | <in> the work | H4399 → | 167 times |
אֵ֣לֶּה׀these
ʾelehH428 →746 times
שָׂרֵ֣י[were] [the] leaders of
sareiH8269 →421 times
הַנִּצָּבִ֗יםthe overseers
hanitzavimH5324 →75 times
אֲשֶׁ֤רwho
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
עַל־[were] over
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
הַמְּלָאכָה֙the work
hamelakhahH4399 →167 times
לִשְׁלֹמֹ֔הof Solomon
lishlomohH8010 →291 times
חֲמִשִּׁ֖יםfifty
chamishimH2572 →163 times
וַחֲמֵ֣שׁand five
vachameshH2568 →343 times
מֵא֑וֹתhundred<s>
meotH3967 →581 times
הָרֹדִ֣יםwho ruled
harodimH7287 →26 times
בָּעָ֔םover the people
baamH5971 →1873 times
הָעֹשִׂ֖יםwho were doing
haosimH6213 →2628 times
בַּמְּלָאכָֽה׃<in> the work
bamelakhahH4399 →167 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
3 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
1 Kings 5:16not including his 3,300 foremen who supervised the workers.
it leads to
- 2 Chronicles 2:2
So he conscripted 70,000 porters, 80,000 stonecutters in the mountains, and 3,600 supervisors.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 2 Chronicles 2:2
Through
2 Chronicles 8:10They were also the chief officers for King Solomon: 250 supervisors.
it leads to
- 1 Kings 5:16
not including his 3,300 foremen who supervised the workers.
- 2 Chronicles 2:18
Solomon made 70,000 of them porters, 80,000 stonecutters in the mountains, and 3,600 supervisors.
- 1 Kings 5:16
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About 1 Kings
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.