1 Kings 4:6

1Ki 4:6 And Ahishar [was] over the household: and Adoniram the son of Abda [was] over the tribute.

Ver. 6. And Abishar was over the household.] Magister Aulae magnus. Le grand maistre, comptroller of the court, or governor of the king’s house.

Was over the tribute.] Or, Levy; praefectus delectui, so Tremellius rendereth it, and referreth to 1Ki 5:14.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

4:6 Ahishar functioned as manager of the palace property, an office that became powerful under Uzziah’s son Jotham (2 Kgs 15:5). Later, this position was held by Eliakim, one of Hezekiah’s representatives, who met with emissaries from King Sennacherib of Assyria during negotiations concerning the siege of Jerusalem (2 Kgs 18:18). • Adoniram was head of the corvée (the system of forced labor). Samuel had warned about this loathsome institution (1 Sam 8:12-17), and the leaders of Israel later complained about it to Solomon’s son Rehoboam (1 Kgs 12:4).

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Ahishar was over the household--steward or chamberlain of the palace.

Adoniram--or Adoram (Sa2 20:24; Kg1 12:18), or Hadoram (Ch2 10:18),

was over the tribute--not the collection of money or goods, but the levy of compulsory laborers (compare Kg1 5:13-14).

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 6. Ahishar was over the household] the king's chamberlain.

Adoniram - was over the tribute.] What we call chancellor of the exchequer. He received and brought into the treasury all the proceeds of taxes and tributes. He was in this office under David; see 2Sa 20:24.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(6) Over the household,—like the “High Steward” of a modern Court. In 2Ki_18:18 we have the same three officers mentioned (“Eliakim, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder”).

Adoniram . . . over the tribute (or “levy”),—evidently the head of Solomon’s great public works. (See 1Ki_5:14.) The name is elsewhere given as Adoram. It is to be noticed that in the enumeration of David’s officers in the early part of the reign (2Sa_8:16-18) no such officer is found; but that in the latter part of his reign the list contains the name of Adoram (2Sa_20:24). It has been thought that the numbering of the people recorded in 2 Samuel 24 and 1 Chronicles 21, was in preparation for such forced work, and hence was odious to Joab and others. In 1Ki_12:18 we read how the holder of this office, being naturally most unpopular with those who had felt the burden of Solomon’s splendour, was stoned to death in the insurrection against Rehoboam.

To this list the Greek Version adds: “Eliab the son of Shaphat was over the body-guard.” As the office of captain of the body-guard is found in the other lists, and is too important to be omitted, it is possible that this addition corrects some defect in the Hebrew text. Yet it is also possible that no successor to Benaiah was appointed, as experience had shown, in the crushing of the rebellion of Adonijah, how easily the captaincy of the body-guard might become a quasi-independent power.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

6. After the mention of Ahishar, the LXX. (Vat.) adds καὶ Ἐλιὰκ ὁ οἰκόνομος καὶ Ἐλιὰβ υἱὸς Σὰφ ἐπὶ τῆς πατριᾶς.

Adoniram] He is mentioned again 1Ki_5:14; and the name is found in a contracted form Adoram (2Sa_20:24; 1Ki_12:18) and Hadoram (2Ch_10:18). He was stoned to death by the Israelites to whom Rehoboam sent him, as a collector of tribute, after the revolt of the ten tribes to Jeroboam.

over the tribute] [R.V. levy.] This is the forced labour, in which form the service of tributaries was often exacted. The same word is also used (1Ki_5:13) of the men who did this forced labour. There it is rendered ‘levy,’ in A. V. It is the German Frohndienst, French corvée.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And Solomon had twelve officers over all Israel,.... Not with respect to the twelve tribes of Israel, for it does not appear that they had each of them a tribe under them, but some particular places in a tribe; but with respect to the twelve months of the year, in which each took his turn:

which provided victuals for the king and his household: each man his month in a year made provision; furnished food of all sorts out of the country in which they presided for the space of one month in a year; by which means there was always a plenty of provisions at court for the king's family, and for all strangers that came and went, and no one part of the land was burdened or drained, nor the price of provisions raised; these seem to be the twelve "phylarchi", or governors of tribes, Eupolemus (r), an Heathen writer, speaks of, before whom, and the high priest, David delivered the kingdom to Solomon; though in that he was mistaken, that they were in being then, since these were officers of Solomon's creating.

(r) Apud Euseb. Praepar. Evangel. l. 9. c. 30.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Over the household - Comptroller of the household, like the “Steward” of the Persian court. On the importance of this office, see 2Ki 18:18, and compare Isa 22:15-25.

The tribute - The marginal reading, “levy,” is preferable. The reference is to the forced laborers whom Solomon employed in his great works (marginal reference).

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

House. Septuagint, "Eliak was also director of the house," Greek: oikonomos. (Haydock) --- It is impossible to mark, with precision, the extent of these offices. --- Tribute, or levy of workmen, as it is expressed, chap. v. 14.

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Over the household; steward of the king’s household.

Over the tribute, to wit, the personal tribute, or the levy of men, as appears by comparing this with 1Ki 5:13,14, it being very fit that there should be some one person to whom the chief conduct or inspection of that great business was committed.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

6. Ahishar was over the household — Overseer of the royal palace and family; the king’s chamberlain.

Adoniram… over the tribute — The same person who held this office during the later years of David’s reign. See note on 2Sa_20:24. The word מס, here rendered tribute, is translated, levy in 1Ki_5:13-14, and this latter seems to be the true meaning. Adoniram had charge of the multitudes of men that were impressed out of all Israel to labour on the public works, and probably his general superintendency extended also over the thousands of foreign bondslaves that bare burdens, etc. See 1Ki_5:15; 2Ch_2:17; 2Ch_18:7.

Twelve officers — נצבים, prefects. Collectors of the royal revenues, which consisted not in money, but in the products of the land.

Thus were furnished provisions for the king’s household.

Each man his month — Probably Azariah the son of Nathan, who was over these twelve officers, (1Ki_4:5,) notified each of them which month he would be required to provide for the king. According to Herodotus (i, 192) the kingdom of Persia was divided into districts, each one of which supplied the great king and his army with provisions for a given portion of the year.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And Ahishar was over the household steward and manager of the palace. We meet this office here for the first time, an evidence of the growing size and magnificence of the court (cf. 1Ki_18:3; 2Ki_18:18; Isa_22:15) That such an officer was needed, the fact mentioned below (on ver. 23) as to the enormous size of the royal household will prove: and Adoniram see on 1Ki_12:18 the son of Abda was over the tribute. Marg. "levy," i.e., the forced labour. (1Ki_5:13, 1Ki_5:14) (See on 1Ki_12:3)

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Abiathar was - Steward of the king's household. Tribute - The personal tribute, or the levy of men, as appears by comparing this with chap. v, 13, 14, it being very fit that there should be some one person to whom the chief conduct of that great business was committed.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

The tax commissioner. Which he [Shlomo] had raised on [Bnei] Yisroel, as it is stated, “And Shlomo haMelech raised a tax.”

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.