Bible Strands
1 Kings 5:14
He sent them to Lebanon in monthly shifts of 10,000 men, so that they would spend one month in Lebanon and two months at home. And Adoniram was in charge of the forced labor.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator records Solomon’s administrative directive following the conscription of thirty thousand men, detailing their rotational deployment before naming the overseer.
The words — The text specifies חֲלִיפ֔וֹת (cha.li.Fot) = relays and בַּ/חֹ֙דֶשׁ֙ (ba./Cho.desh) = in the month to describe the structured rotation system.
The thread — This administrative structure echoes the earlier record of Adoniram’s oversight in 1 Kings 4:6 and mirrors the systematic tribal and military organization listed in 1 Chronicles 27:1.
Why it lands — The passage requires the reader to acknowledge the calculated scale of the labor operation and the institutionalization of forced work under a single appointed administrator.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And he sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month by courses: a month they were in Lebanon, and two months at home: and Adoniram was over the levy.
Cross-references
- 1 Kings 4:6 Ahishar was in charge of the palace; and Adoniram son of Abda was in charge of the forced labor.
- 1 Chronicles 27:1 This is the list of the Israelites—the heads of families, the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and their officers who served the king in every matter concerning the divisions on rotating military duty each month throughout the year. There were 24,000 men in each division: