1 Kings 4:13

_THE SON OF GEBER, IN RAMOTH-GILEAD; 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 BRASEN BARS:_ The son of Geber - or Ben-geber. IN RAMOTH-GILEAD - (1 Kings 22:3; Deuteronomy 4:43; Joshua 20:8; Joshua 21:38.) THE TOWNS OF JAIR - (Numbers 32:41; Deuteronomy 3:14.) ARGOB -

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....

Verse 1 Kings 4:13. _THREESCORE GREAT CITIES WITH WALLS AND BRAZEN BARS_] These were fortified cities: their gates and bars covered with plates of brass. Such were the gates in Priam's palace: - _Ipse inter primos correpta dura bipenni_ _Limina perrumpit, POSTES que a cardine vellit_ AERATOS. VIRG. AEn., lib. ii. ver. 479. Fierce Pyrrhus in the front, with forceful sway, Plied the huge axe, and hew'd the beams away; The solid timbers from the portal tore, And rent from every hinge the BRAZEN _door_. PITT....

It will be observed that five out of the twelve prefects are designated solely by their father’s names, Ben-Hur, etc., while one (Ahimaaz, 1 Kings 4:15) has no such designation. Probably the document, which the author of the Book of Kings consulted, had contained originally the proper name and father’s name of each prefect; but it was mutilated or illegible in places at the time when he consulted it. If it was in the shape of a list, a single mutilation at one corner might have removed four of the six wanting names....

EXPOSITION SOLOMON'S STATE AND COURT OFFICIALS.—The account of Solomon's marriage and entry upon his religious and judicious functions is appropriately followed by a description of his court, of the great functionaries of the realm, of his royal state and magnificence, and, lastly, of his varied and unprecedented wisdom. It must not be supposed, however, from the occurrence of the lists in this particular place, that they necessarily represent the appointments of the early part of Solomon's reign. The mention of two of the married daughters of the king (1 Kings 4:11, 1 Kings 4:15) has been generally thought to prove that the record belongs to a much later period, and it certainly affords a powerful presumption

THE SON OF GEBER IN RAMOTHGILEAD,.... A city in the tribe of Gad, and was a city of refuge, Joshua 20:8; TO HIM [PERTAINED] THE TOWNS OF JAIR THE SON OF MANASSEH, WHICH [ARE] IN GILEAD; of which see Numbers 32:41; TO HIM [ALSO PERTAINED] THE REGION OF ARGOB, WHICH [IS] IN BASHAN, THREESCORE GREAT CITIES WITH WALLS, AND BRASEN BARS; called by Josephus s Ragaba, beyond Jordan; Deuteronomy 3:4. s Antiqu. l. 13. c. 15. sect. 5....

3. SOLOMON'S PRINCES AND OFFICERS THE PROSPEROUS KINGDOM AND THE KING'S GREAT WISDOM CHAPTER 4 _ 1. The Princes (1 Kings 4:1)_ 2. The Officers (1 Kings 4:7) 3. The prosperous kingdom (1 Kings 4:20) 4. Solomon's great wisdom (1 Kings 4:29) “So King Solomon was king over all Israel.” A list of the princes and the twelve officers is given first. Their names fit in perfectly with the character of the kingdom, foreshadowing the coming and better kingdom of our Lord. We give the names of the princes with their meaning. Azariah, “Jehovah is help”; Elihoreph, “my God is reward”; Ahiah, “Brother of Jeho

1 KINGS 3:1 TO 1 KINGS 4:34. EARLY DAYS, REIGN, AND WISDOM OF SOLOMON. The sources of this section are various, and the arrangement of the narrative in the LXX should be noticed. There are (_a_) a statistical account of Solomon s reign, referred to, apparently in 1 Kings 11:41, as the book of the acts of Solomon; (_b_) a number of narratives about this reign; (_c_) several Deuteronomic additions_ e.g._ 1 Kings 3:6; 1 Kings 3:14, etc.: and (_d_) some very late passages, possibly originally explanatory notes. The history of Solomon's reign

RAMOTH-GILEAD. In the tribe of Gad. Famous for Ahab's last battle (1 Kings 22:20). Compare Joshua 20:8; Judges 11:29. REGION.. sharply defined border, defining the rocky rampart encircling the "Lejah" as it is called to-day. ARGOB. Edrei, one of "the giant cities of Bashan". See App-23 and App-25....

_the son of Geber_ Better, BEN-GEBER. The name -Geber" occurs again in 1 Kings 4:19, but whether the same person is meant by it there is nothing to shew. It is only found in these two places. _in Ramoth-gilead_ We now come to the mountainous district on the eastern side of the Jordan, in which were settled the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh. _the towns of Jair_ As the Hebrew word (_havvoth_) rendered -towns" is found only in this connexion it is better to treat it as a part of the proper name and render Havvoth-Jair. About these -towns" there is some difficulty. They are first mentioned (Numbers 32:41) as -small towns" in Gilead, and occupied by Jair the son of Manasseh. They are mentioned again ...