New King James Version
1 Kings 9:15
15And 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.
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 Living Translation (NLT)This is the account of the forced labor that King Solomon conscripted to build the Lord’s Temple, the royal palace, the supporting terraces, the wall of Jerusalem, and the cities of Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer.
Context of 1 Kings 9:15
13So he said, “What kind of cities are these which you have given me, my brother?” And he called them the land of Cabul, as they are to this day. 14Then Hiram sent the king one hundred and twenty talents of gold. 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. 16(Pharaoh king of Egypt had gone up and taken Gezer and burned it with fire, had killed the Canaanites who dwelt in the city, and had given it as a dowry to his daughter, Solomon’s wife.) 17And Solomon built Gezer, Lower Beth Horon,
Read all of 1 Kings 91 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
People and places in 1 Kings 9:15
Cross-references for 1 Kings 9:15
- 1 Kings 9:21that is, their descendants who were left in the land after them, whom the children of Israel had not been able to destroy completely—from these Solomon raised forced labor, as it is to this day.
- 1 Kings 5:13Then King Solomon raised up a labor force out of all Israel; and the labor force was thirty thousand men.
- 1 Kings 9:10Now it happened at the end of twenty years, when Solomon had built the two houses, the house of the Lord and the king’s house
- 1 Kings 6:38And in the eleventh year, in the month of Bul, which is the eighth month, the house was finished in all its details and according to all its plans. So he was seven years in building it.
- 1 Kings 7:1But Solomon took thirteen years to build his own house; so he finished all his house.
- 2 Chronicles 8:1It came to pass at the end of twenty years, when Solomon had built the house of the Lord and his own house,
- 1 Kings 9:24But Pharaoh’s daughter came up from the City of David to her house which Solomon had built for her. Then he built the Millo.
- 1 Kings 11:27And this is what caused him to rebel against the king: Solomon had built the Millo and repaired the damages to the City of David his father.
- Judges 9:6And all the men of Shechem gathered together, all of Beth Millo, and they went and made Abimelech king beside the terebinth tree at the pillar that was in Shechem.
- 2 Samuel 5:9Then David dwelt in the stronghold, and called it the City of David. And David built all around from the Millo and inward.
- 2 Kings 12:20And his servants arose and formed a conspiracy, and killed Joash in the house of the Millo, which goes down to Silla.
- Psalms 51:18Do good in Your good pleasure to Zion; Build the walls of Jerusalem.
- Joshua 11:1And it came to pass, when Jabin king of Hazor heard these things, that he sent to Jobab king of Madon, to the king of Shimron, to the king of Achshaph,
- Joshua 19:36Adamah, Ramah, 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 dwelt 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 Maachah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali; and he carried them 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
In the dictionaries
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
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries