Bible Strands
1 Kings 9:22
But Solomon did not consign any of the Israelites to slavery, because they were his men of war, his servants, his officers, his captains, and the commanders of his chariots and cavalry.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator records Solomon’s administrative policy during the consolidation of his kingdom, contrasting Israelite status with the conquered Canaanites. The passage marks a specific moment where royal labor conscription is applied to non-Israelites but withheld from the Israelite population.
The words — עָבֶד ('A.ved) = a slave and לֹא (lo') = not. The literal construction "did not make a slave" establishes a legal and social boundary between Israelite subjects and forced laborers.
The thread — The exemption aligns with the statutory prohibition in Leviticus 25:39 against forcing a fellow Israelite into slave labor. It contrasts with the royal conscription pattern described in 1 Samuel 8:11 and operates within the framework of Solomon’s unified rule over Israel (1 Kings 4:1).
Why it lands — The text demands recognition that Israelites were categorized as military and administrative personnel rather than enslaved property. It requires the reader to track how royal authority differentiates between conquered populations and the native Israelite community.
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
But of the children of Israel did Solomon make no bondmen: but they were men of war, and his servants, and his princes, and his captains, and rulers of his chariots, and his horsemen.
Cross-references
- Leviticus 25:39 If a countryman among you becomes destitute and sells himself to you, then you must not force him into slave labor.
- 1 Samuel 8:11 He said, “This will be the manner of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons and appoint them to serve his own chariots and horses, and to run in front of his chariots.
- 1 Kings 4:1 So King Solomon ruled over Israel,
- 2 Chronicles 8:9 But Solomon did not consign any of the Israelites to slave labor, because they were his men of war, the leaders of his captains, and the commanders of his chariots and cavalry.