1 Kings 4:9

_THE SON OF DEKAR, IN MAKAZ, AND IN SHAALBIM, AND BETH-SHE'MESH, AND ELON-BETH-HANAN:_ The son of Dekar - margin, Bendekar. In the rural parts of Syria, and among the Arabs, it is still common to designate persons not by their own names, but so the sons of their fathers. SHAALBIM (Joshua 19:42) - Shaalabbin. BETH-SHEMESH - (see the notes at 1 Samuel 6:12; 1 Samuel 6:20.)...

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....

For some of the names, see Joshua 19:41....

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 DEKAR IN MAKAZ,.... A place in the tribe of Dan, on the borders of it: AND IN SHAALBIM, AND BETHSHEMESH, AND ELONBETHHANAN; all in the same tribe, see Joshua 19:41....

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

ELON-BETH-HANAN. Some codices, with three early printed editions, read "Elon-ben-hanan". Other codices read "Elon and Beth-han. an". Septuagint reads "Elon as far as Beth-hanan"....

_the son of Dekar_ Read BEN-DEKER, according to the Hebrew pointing. The name Deker is found nowhere else. _in Makaz_ The name does not occur again, and we can only conjecture the whereabouts of the place from the other names with which it is joined. Shaalbim, the town next mentioned, was in the tribe of Dan (Judges 1:35); Bethshemesh, was at the northern boundary of Judah, and was one of the -suburb cities" allotted to the priests (Joshua 21:16); of Elon-beth-hanan nothing more is known. The Vulgate, following some Hebrew MSS. reads -Elon and Bethhanan," making two towns out of the name. It is clear however that Ben-Deker's district lay in Dan and on the borders of Judah....

B. THE FINANCIAL OFFICERS 4:7-20 TRANSLATION (7) And Solomon had twelve officers over all Israel, and they supplied provisions for the king and his household; a month in the year it fell upon one to make provision. (8) And these are their names: The son of Hur in Mt. Ephraim; (9) the son of Dekar, in Makaz, Shaalbin, Beth-shemesh, and Elon-bethhanan; (10) the son of Hesed, in Aruboth (he had charge of Sochoh and all the land of Hepher); (11) the son of Abinadab, in all the region of Dor (Taphath the daughter of Solomon was his wife); (12) Baana the son of AhiludTaanach, Megiddo and all Beth-shean which is by Zartanah beneath Jezreel from Beth-shean to Abel-meholah unto beyond Jokneam; (13) the son of Geber, in Ramoth-gilead who had charge of the towns of Jair, the son of Manasseh which are in Gilead and the region of Argob which is in Bashansixty great cities with walls and bronze bars:...