1 Kings 9:15

1 Kings 9:15 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)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.
• New International Version (NIV)Here is the account of the forced labor King Solomon conscripted to build the Lord’s temple, his own palace, the terraces, the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, Megiddo and Gezer.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And this is the account of the forced labor that King Solomon drafted to build the house of the Lord and his own house and the Millo and the wall of Jerusalem and Hazor and Megiddo and Gezer
• New King James Version (NKJV)And this is the reason for the labor force which King Solomon raised: to build the house of the Lord, his own house, the Millo, the wall of Jerusalem, Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer.

Context of 1 Kings 9:15

13He said, “What are these cities [good for] which you have given me, my brother?” So they have been called the land of Cabul (like nothing, unproductive) to this day. 14And Hiram sent to the king 120 talents of gold. Now this is the account of the forced labor which King Solomon conscripted to build the house of the Lord, his own house, the Millo (fortification), the wall of Jerusalem, [and the fortress cities of] Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer. 16For Pharaoh king of Egypt had gone up and taken Gezer, burned it with fire and killed the Canaanites who lived in the city, and he had given it as a dowry to his daughter, Solomon’s wife. 17So Solomon rebuilt [and fortified] Gezer and Lower Beth-horon,

1 Kings 9:15 word by word

וְזֶ֨ה דְבַר־הַמַּ֜ס אֲשֶֽׁר־הֶעֱלָ֣ה׀ הַמֶּ֣לֶךְ שְׁלֹמֹ֗ה לִבְנוֹת֩ אֶת־בֵּ֨ית יְהוָ֤ה וְאֶת־בֵּיתוֹ֙ וְאֶת־הַמִּלּ֔וֹא וְאֵ֖ת חוֹמַ֣ת יְרוּשָׁלִָ֑ם וְאֶת־חָצֹ֥ר וְאֶת־מְגִדּ֖וֹ וְאֶת־גָּֽזֶר׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• the reasonדָּבָרdâbâr · word: becauseH1697
• of the levyמַסmas mis · taskworkerH4522
• which kingמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
• Solomonשְׁלֹמֹהshelômôh · SolomonH8010
• raisedעָלָה‛âlâh · to ascend: establishH5927
• for to buildבָּנָהbânâh · to buildH1129
• the houseבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: templeH1004
• of the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• and his own houseבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: homeH1004
• and Milloמִלּוֹאmillô' millô' · MilloH4407
• and the wallחוֹמָהchômâh · wallH2346
• of Jerusalemיְרוּשָׁלִַ֫ם, יְרוּשְׁלֵםyerûshâlaim yerûshâlayim · JerusalemH3389
• and Hazorחָצוֹרchâtsôr · HazorH2674
• and Megiddoמְגִדּוֹmegiddôn megiddô · MegiddoH4023
• and Gezerגֶּ֫זֶרgezer · GezerH1507

Cross-references for 1 Kings 9:15

• 1 Kings 9:21their children who were left after them in the land, whom the Israelites were unable to completely destroy, from them Solomon levied (conscripted) forced laborers, even to this day (the date of this writing).
• 1 Kings 5:13King Solomon levied forced laborers from all Israel; and the forced laborers numbered 30,000 men.
• 1 Kings 9:10Now at the end of twenty years, in which Solomon had built the two houses, the temple of the Lord and the palace of the king
• 1 Kings 6:38In the eleventh year [of King Solomon’s reign] in the month of Bul (October-November), that is, the eighth month, the house was finished throughout all its parts and in accordance with all its specifications. So he built it in seven years.
• 1 Kings 7:1Now Solomon built his own house (palace) in thirteen years, and he finished all of his house [in that time].
• 2 Chronicles 8:1Now it came about at the end of the twenty years, in which Solomon had built the house of the Lord and his own house (palace),
• 1 Kings 9:24As soon as Pharaoh’s daughter came up from the City of David to her house which Solomon had built for her, then he built the Millo (fortification).
• 1 Kings 11:27Now this is the reason why he rebelled against the king: Solomon built the Millo (fortification) and he repaired and closed the breach of the city of his father David.
• Judges 9:6All the men of Shechem and all of Beth-millo assembled together, and they went and made Abimelech king, by the oak (terebinth) of the pillar (memorial stone) at Shechem.
• 2 Samuel 5:9So David lived in the stronghold and called it the City of David. And he built all around [the surrounding area] from the Millo [fortification] and inward.
• 2 Kings 12:20His servants arose and formed a conspiracy [against him] and struck down Joash [in revenge] at the house of Millo, [on the way] that goes down to Silla.
• Psalms 51:18By Your favor do good to Zion; May You rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
• Joshua 11:1Then when Jabin king of Hazor heard [of Israel’s other victories] he sent word to Jobab king of Madon, and to the king of Shimron, and to the king of Achshaph,
• Joshua 19:36and Adamah and Ramah and Hazor,
• Judges 4:2So the Lord sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. The commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-hagoyim.
• 2 Kings 15:29In the days of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came and took Ijon, Abel-beth-maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of [the tribe of] Naphtali, and he carried the people captive to Assyria.

Commentaries on 1 Kings 9:15

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 15This is the reason of the levy - That is, in order to pay Hiram the sixscore talents of gold which he had borrowed from him (Hiram not being willing to take the Galilean cities mentioned above; or, having taken them, soon restored them again) he was obliged to lay a tax upon the people; and that this was a grievous and oppressive tax we learn from 1 Kings 12:1-4, where the elders of Israel came to Rehoboam, complaining of their heavy state of taxation…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 15Levy - See the marginal reference note. Millo - See 2 Samuel 5:9 note. The Septuagint commonly render the word ̔ ̓́ hē akra “the citadel,” and it may possibly have been the fortress on Mount Zion connected with the Maccabean struggles (2 Samuel 5:9; 1 Chronicles 11:8 had been hasty, and had now - fifty years later - fallen into decay. Solomon therefore had to “repair the breaches of the city of David” 1 Kings 11:27. Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer were three…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 15-28Verses 15-28 Here is a further account of Solomon's greatness. He began at the right end, for he built God's house first, and finished that before he began his own; then God blessed him, and he prospered in all his other buildings. Let piety begin, and profit follow; leave pleasure to the last. Whatever pains we take for the glory of God, and to profit others, we are likely to have the advantage. Canaan, the holy land, the glory of all lands, had no gold…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 15Solomon strengthened the supporting terraces on a slope of the southeastern ridge in the traditional City of David area of Jerusalem (see 2 Samuel 5:9) and the wall of Jerusalem. He also fortified the important cities of Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer. Archaeological research shows that the walls and gates of all three cities have unique features from Solomon’s time. Hazor, in the north, served as a first line of defense against invasion. Megiddo, in the Plain…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 15-2415-24. this is the reason of the levy--A levy refers both to men and money, and the necessity for Solomon making it arose from the many gigantic works he undertook to erect. Millo--part of the fort of Jerusalem on Mount Zion (2Sa 5:9; 1Ch 11:8), or a row of stone bastions around Mount Zion, Millo being the great corner tower of that fortified wall (1Ki 11:27; 2Ch 32:5). the wall of Jerusalem--either repairing some breaches in it (1Ki 11:27), or extending…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Kings 9:15

• Elijah
• Gezer
• Hazor
• Jerusalem
• Megiddo
• Millo
• Solomon
• Tax

In the dictionaries

• Jerusalem
• Solomon
• Building
• Chief
• Gezer
• Levy
• Megiddo
• Millo
• Taxes
• Adoniram

Commentaries on 1 Kings 9

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings