1 Kings 4:3

_ELIHOREPH AND AHIAH, THE SONS OF SHISHA, SCRIBES; JEHOSHAPHAT THE SON OF AHILUD, THE RECORDER._ Elihoreph and Ahiah, х_ 'ELIYCHOREP_ (H456), God is his recompense; _ WA-'ACHIYAAH_ (H281), brother (friend) of Yahweh]. SCRIBES, х_ COPªRIYM_ (H5608); Septuagint, _ GRAMMATEIS_ (G1122)] - secretaries of state, who wrote the royal edicts. Under David there had been only one. And the employment of three functionaries in this department indicates either improved regulations by the division of labour, or a great increase of business, occasioned by the growing prosperity of the kingdom, or a more extensive correspondence with foreign countries. RECORDER, х_ HAMAZKIYR_ (H2142)] - i:e., historiographer

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 4:3. _ELIHOREPH AND AHIAH - SCRIBES_] _Secretaries_ to the king. _JEHOSHAPHAT - RECORDER_] _Historiographer_ to the king, who chronicled the affairs of the kingdom. He was in this office under David see 2 Samuel 20:24....

Shisha, or Shavsha 1 Chronicles 18:16, seems also to have been called Sheva 2 Samuel 20:25, and Seraiah 2 Samuel 8:17. The “scribes” were probably royal “secretaries” (margin), who drew up the king’s edicts, wrote his letters, and perhaps managed his finances 1 Kings 12:10. They were among his most influential councillors. By “recorder” or “remembrancer” (margin), we must understand “court annalist” (marginal reference “a”)....

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

ELIHOREPH AND AHIAH, THE SONS OF SHISHA, SCRIBES,.... Their father Shisha, the same with Sheva, was scribe only in David's time; and he being dead very probably, both his sons were continued in the office as secretaries of state, Solomon having more business for such an office, see 2 Samuel 20:25; JEHOSHAPHAT THE SON OF AHILUD, THE RECORDER; who was in the same office in the times of David, and now held it under Solomon, 2 Samuel 8:16....

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

_Shisha_ This name appears as _Shavsha_(1 Chronicles 18:16) and as _Sheva_(2 Samuel 20:25). A comparison of those verses with 2 Samuel 8:17, shews that the person meant was also called Seraiah, from which word the other forms are probably copyists" corruptions. Seraiah's office had descended to his sons, as was so often the case among the Jews. With the growth of the kingdom since David's time the duties of the royal scribe, or secretary, would have been much increased; we can therefore understand that two persons were needed for the office instead of one. _Jehoshaphat_ He had held the same office in the days of David. See...

II. THE MANAGEMENT OF THIS KINGDOM 4:1-20 In this section of Kings in which the author has been discussing the commencement of Solomon's reign, it is natural to find a description of his court and some intimation as to how he organized the government of the realm. The list of officials in 1 Kings 4:1-20 does not, however, necessarily represent the appointments of Solomon's early years. The mention of the king's two married daughters (1 Kings 4:11; 1 Kings 4:15) would seem to necessitate assigning this list to a later date in his reign.[141] The list is in two parts containing (1) Solomon's ministers of state (1 Kings 4:1-6); and (2) h