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1 Kings 9:22

in 1 Kings 9

But Solomon did not consign any of the Israelites to slavery, because they were his men of war, his servants, his officers, his captains, and the commanders of his chariots and cavalry.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

But of the children of Israel did Solomon make no bondservants; but they were the men of war, and his servants, and his princes, and his captains, and rulers of his chariots and of his horsemen.

KJV

But of the children of Israel did Solomon make no bondmen: but they were men of war, and his servants, and his princes, and his captains, and rulers of his chariots, and his horsemen.

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This verse in 1 Kings 9

Commentary

6 notes on this verse
Comparing this with 1Ki 5:13-14, it would seem that a modified service of forced labor for one-third of each year was not regarded as reducing those who were subject to it to the condition of bondmen.

This site's exposition

which were not of the children of Israel

on 1 Kings 9:20-23

The peoples left from Joshua's conquest, Amorite, Hittite, Perizzite, Hivite and Jebusite, become Solomon's labor force, a tribute of bondservice that Israel itself is spared; Matthew Henry reads it against Genesis 9's word on Canaan, a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren. Israelites instead stand as men of war, servants, princes, captains and rulers over chariots and horsemen, and five hundred and fifty chief officers oversee the whole work. Wesley notes the destruction command of Deuteronomy 7:2 had chiefly concerned the generation that entered the land, which is why bondservice rather than conquest meets these descendants generations later.

This site's exposition

did not consign any of the Israelites

Solomon's levy of 30,000 men from all Israel at 5:13 to 14 sits hard against this verse. Albert Barnes reconciles them. Forced labor of one month in three did not make an Israelite a slave, and Matthew Henry reads the exemption as honoring the people of the LORD as free men.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

): 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.

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens

But of the children of Israel did Solomon make no bondmen,....

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

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

The words behind it

16 Hebrew words

Every 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.

  • וּמִבְּנֵי֙and any of [the] people of

    umibeneiH1121 →4930 times

  • יִשְׂרָאֵ֔לIsrael

    yisraelH3478 →2507 times

  • לֹֽא־not

    lo'-H3808 →5168 times

  • נָתַ֥ןhe made

    natanH5414 →2011 times

  • שְׁלֹמֹ֖הSolomon

    shelomohH8010 →291 times

  • עָ֑בֶדa slave

    ʾavedH5650 →799 times

  • כִּי־for

    ki-H3588 →4482 times

  • הֵ֞םthey

    hemH1992 →553 times

  • אַנְשֵׁ֣י[were] [the] men of

    ʾansheiH582 →566 times

  • הַמִּלְחָמָ֗ה<the> war

    hamilchamahH4421 →320 times

  • וַעֲבָדָיו֙and servants his

    vaavadavH5650 →799 times

  • וְשָׂרָ֣יוand officials his

    vesaravH8269 →421 times

  • וְשָׁלִשָׁ֔יוand officers his

    veshalishavH7991 →

  • וְשָׂרֵ֥יand [the] commanders of

    vesareiH8269 →421 times

  • רִכְבּ֖וֹchariotry his

    rikhboH7393 →119 times

  • וּפָרָשָֽׁיו׃ סand horsemen his

    ufarashavH6571 →57 times

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

Related verses

9 in all, six open

The number beside each verse is how many compiled reference works tie it to this one. The strongest six stand open.

Leviticus 25:39If a countryman among you becomes destitute and sells himself to you, then you must not force him into slave labor.5 works1 Chronicles 12:18Then the Spirit came upon Amasai, the chief of the Thirty, and he said: “We are yours, O David! We are with you, O son of Jesse! Peace, peace to you, and peace to your helpers, for your God helps you.” So David received them and made them leaders of his troops.3 worksJeremiah 34:14Every seventh year, each of you must free his Hebrew brother who has sold himself to you. He may serve you six years, but then you must let him go free. But your fathers did not listen or incline their ear.3 works2 Chronicles 8:9–10But Solomon did not consign any of the Israelites to slave labor, because they were his men of war, his officers and captains, and the commanders of his chariots and cavalry.2 works1 Samuel 8:11–12He said, “This will be the manner of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons and appoint them to his own chariots and horses, to run in front of his chariots.2 works1 Kings 4:1–27So King Solomon ruled over Israel,2 works
The other 3 cross-references, with their words ▾
1 Kings 11:26Now Jeroboam son of Nebat was an Ephraimite from Zeredah whose mother was a widow named Zeruah. Jeroboam was a servant of Solomon, but he rebelled against the king,2 works2 Chronicles 10:4“Your father put a heavy yoke on us. But now you should lighten the burden of your father’s service and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you.”2 worksSong of Solomon 3:7Behold, it is Solomon’s carriage, escorted by sixty of the mightiest men of Israel.2 works

The walk

5 stops

Each 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

    Leviticus 25:39

    If a countryman among you becomes destitute and sells himself to you, then you must not force him into slave labor.

    it leads to

    • Exodus 21:2

      If you buy a Hebrew servant, he is to serve you for six years. But in the seventh year, he shall go free without paying anything.

    • Leviticus 25:46

      You may leave them to your sons after you to inherit as property; you can make them slaves for life. But as for your brothers, the Israelites, no man may rule harshly over his…

    • 2 Kings 4:1

      Now the wife of one of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant, my husband, is dead, and you know that your servant feared the LORD. And now his creditor…

    • Nehemiah 5:5

      We and our children are just like our countrymen and their children, yet we are subjecting our sons and daughters to slavery. Some of our daughters are already enslaved, but we are powerless to…

    • Exodus 1:14

      and made their lives bitter with hard labor in brick and mortar, and with all kinds of work in the fields. Every service they imposed was harsh.

About 1 Kings

The Judgment of Solomon, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
The Judgment of Solomon, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
1 Kings: the study guide →Read 1 Kings 9 →

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.

Read on in 1 Kings 9 →