1 Kings 4:5

1 Kings 4:5 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And Azariah the son of Nathan was over the officers: and Zabud the son of Nathan was principal officer, and the king’s friend:
• New International Version (NIV)Azariah son of Nathan—in charge of the district governors; Zabud son of Nathan—a priest and adviser to the king;
• English Standard Version (ESV)Azariah the son of Nathan was over the officers; Zabud the son of Nathan was priest and king's friend;
• New King James Version (NKJV)Azariah the son of Nathan, over the officers; Zabud the son of Nathan, a priest and the king’s friend;

Context of 1 Kings 4:5

3Shisha's sons, Elihoreph and Ahijah, were secretaries. Ahilud's son Jehoshaphat recorded what happened. 4Jehoiada's son Benaiah was the leader of the army. Zadok and Abiathar were priests. Nathan's son Azariah had authority over the 12 officers for each region. Nathan's son Zabud was a priest who gave the king advice. 6Ahishar had authority over work in the palace. Abda's son Adoniram had authority over the groups of workers. 7Solomon had 12 officers with authority in the regions of Israel. They supplied food for the king and for the people who lived in his palace. Each officer had to supply food to the king for one month in each year.

1 Kings 4:5 word by word

וַעֲזַרְיָ֥הוּ בֶן־נָתָ֖ן עַל־הַנִּצָּבִ֑ים וְזָב֧וּד בֶּן־נָתָ֛ן כֹּהֵ֖ן רֵעֶ֥ה הַמֶּֽלֶךְ׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And Azariahעֲזַרְיָ֫הוּ‛ăzaryâh ‛ăzaryâhû · AzariahH5838
• the sonבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
• of Nathanנָתָןnâthân · NathanH5416
• over the officersנָצַבnâtsab · to standH5324
• and Zabudזָבוּדzâbûd · ZabudH2071
• principal officerכֹּהֵןkôhên · priestH3548
• the king’sמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
• friendרֵעֶהrê‛eh · friendH7463

Cross-references for 1 Kings 4:5

• 1 Kings 1:10But he did not ask these people to come: Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, David's own special soldiers, his brother Solomon.
• 2 Samuel 7:2One day, the king said to Nathan the prophet, ‘I am living in a beautiful palace that is made of cedar wood. But God's Covenant Box still has a tent for its home!’
• 2 Samuel 12:1The Lord sent Nathan to go and speak to David. Nathan told this story to David, ‘There were two men who lived in the same town. One man was rich and the other man was poor.
• 1 Kings 4:7Solomon had 12 officers with authority in the regions of Israel. They supplied food for the king and for the people who lived in his palace. Each officer had to supply food to the king for one month in each year.
• 2 Samuel 8:18Jehoiada's son Benaiah was the leader of David's personal guards. David's sons served as priests.
• 2 Samuel 20:26Ira from Jair was David's special priest.
• 2 Samuel 15:37So David's friend Hushai arrived at Jerusalem at the same time that Absalom was coming into the city.
• 2 Samuel 16:16David's friend, Hushai the Arkite, had also come there. He went to Absalom and he said to him, ‘May the king live for ever! May the king live for ever!’
• 2 Samuel 19:37Let me return to my own town, sir. Then I will die there. They can bury me near the grave of my father and my mother. Look! Here is my son, Kimham. Let him go with you, my lord the king. Please do for him whatever you think is right.’
• 1 Chronicles 27:33Ahithophel was the king's advisor, and Hushai, from Arki, was also the king's friend.
• Proverbs 22:11If you live in a pure way, and you speak kind words, you will have the king as your friend.
• John 13:23The disciple that Jesus loved was sitting very near to Jesus.
• John 15:14And you are my friends, if you obey my message.
• James 2:23The Bible tells us what happened. It says, ‘Abraham believed God. As a result, God accepted Abraham as right with him.’ God also called Abraham his friend.

Commentaries on 1 Kings 4:5

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 5Azariah - was over the officers - He had the superintendence of the twelve officers mentioned below; see 1 Kings 4:7. Zabud - was principal officer - Perhaps what we call premier, or prime minister. The king's friend - His chief favourite - his confidant.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 5The son of Nathan - It is uncertain whether the Nathan of this verse is the prophet or the son of David 2 Samuel 5:14. While on the one hand the position of “king‘s friend” is more likely to have been held by a contemporary, which the prophet‘s son would have been, than by one so much younger as the son of a younger brother; on the other hand the title “cohen” seems to point to a member of the royal family. (See the next note.) Azariah who was “over the…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 5Two of Nathan's sons were also part of Solomon's inner circle. Azariah managed the twelve district governors, while Zabud was a trusted adviser, a role Hushai held under David (2 Samuel 15:37).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 55. over the officers--that is, the provincial governors enumerated in 1Ki 4:17-19. principal officer, and the king's friend--perhaps president of the privy council, and Solomon's confidential friend or favorite. This high functionary had probably been reared along with Solomon. That he should heap those honors on the sons of Nathan was most natural, considering the close intimacy of the father with the late king, and the deep obligations under which…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Kings 4:5

• Azariah
• Cabinet
• King
• Minister, Civil
• Officer
• Solomon
• Zabud

In the dictionaries

• Azariah
• Nathan
• Uzziah; (azariah)
• Deputy
• King
• Region
• Solomon
• Zabud
• Abiathar
• Abishag

Commentaries on 1 Kings 4

• 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
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings