Bible Strands
1 Kings 9:15
This is the account of the forced labor that King Solomon imposed to build the house of the LORD, his own palace, the supporting terraces, and the wall of Jerusalem, as well as Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The narrator records Solomon’s administrative actions immediately following Hiram’s delivery of gold and Pharaoh’s capture of Gezer.
The words — The Hebrew הַמַּס (ha-mas) denotes the forced labor or tribute imposed, while the verb הֶעֱלָה (he-e-lah) literally means he raised or levied it upon the people.
The thread — The text lists the same fortified cities mentioned in Joshua 17:11 and echoes the conscription pattern detailed in 1 Kings 5:13 and the city-building motif of 2 Samuel 5:9.
Why it lands — The verse documents the concrete cost of national projects by naming the specific sites and the levied labor, requiring the reader to acknowledge the structural and human toll of Solomon’s reign.
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 this is the reason of the levy which king Solomon raised; for to build the house of the Lord, and his own house, and Millo, and the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, and Megiddo, and Gezer.
Cross-references
- Joshua 17:11 Within Issachar and Asher, Manasseh was assigned Beth-shean, Ibleam, Dor (that is, Naphath), Endor, Taanach, and Megiddo, each with their surrounding settlements.
- 2 Samuel 5:9 So David took up residence in the fortress and called it the City of David. He built it up all the way around, from the supporting terraces inward.
- 1 Kings 5:13 Then King Solomon conscripted a labor force of 30,000 men from all Israel.
- 1 Kings 9:24 As soon as Pharaoh’s daughter had come up from the City of David to the palace that Solomon had built for her, he built the supporting terraces.
- Joshua 11:1 Now when Jabin king of Hazor heard about these things, he sent word to Jobab king of Madon; to the kings of Shimron and Achshaph;
- Joshua 19:36 Adamah, Ramah, Hazor,
- Joshua 16:10 But they did not drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer. So the Canaanites dwell among the Ephraimites to this day, but they are forced laborers.
- Judges 1:29 Ephraim also failed to drive out the Canaanites living in Gezer; so the Canaanites continued to dwell among them in Gezer.
- Joshua 10:33 At that time Horam king of Gezer went to help Lachish, but Joshua struck him down along with his people, leaving no survivors.
- Joshua 21:21 they were given Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim (a city of refuge for the manslayer), Gezer,