א וַיְהִי הַמֶּלֶךְ שְׁלֹמֹה מֶלֶךְ עַל־כָּל־יִשְׂרָאֵל׃
3 Elihoreph and Achiya sons of Shisha—scribes; Yehoshafat son of Achilud—recorder;
ג אֱלִיחֹרֶף וַאֲחִיָּה בְּנֵי שִׁישָׁא סֹפְרִים יְהוֹשָׁפָט בֶּן־אֲחִילוּד הַמַּזְכִּיר׃
ד וּבְנָיָהוּ בֶן־יְהוֹיָדָע עַל־הַצָּבָא וְצָדוֹק וְאֶבְיָתָר כֹּהֲנִים׃
6 Ahishar—in charge of the palace; and Adoniram son of Abda—in charge of the forced labor.
ו וַאֲחִישָׁר עַל־הַבָּיִת וַאֲדֹנִירָם בֶּן־עַבְדָּא עַל־הַמַּס׃
7 Shlomo had twelve prefects governing all Yisrael, who provided food for the king and his household; each had to provide food for one month in the year.
ז וְלִשְׁלֹמֹה שְׁנֵים־עָשָׂר נִצָּבִים עַל־כָּל־יִשְׂרָאֵל וְכִלְכְּלוּ אֶת־הַמֶּלֶךְ וְאֶת־בֵּיתוֹ חֹדֶשׁ בַּשָּׁנָה יִהְיֶה עַל־אחד [הָאֶחָד] לְכַלְכֵּל׃
8 And these were their names: Ben-hur, in the hill country of Efraim;
ח וְאֵלֶּה שְׁמוֹתָם בֶּן־חוּר בְּהַר אֶפְרָיִם׃
9 Bendeker, in Makaz, Shaalbim, Beit Shemesh, and Elon-beth-hanan;
ט בֶּן־דֶּקֶר בְּמָקַץ וּבְשַׁעַלְבִים וּבֵית שָׁמֶשׁ וְאֵילוֹן בֵּית חָנָן׃
11 Ben-abinadab, [in] all of Naphath-dor (Shlomo‘s daughter Taphath was his wife);
יא בֶּן־אֲבִינָדָב כָּל־נָפַת דֹּאר טָפַת בַּת־שְׁלֹמֹה הָיְתָה לּוֹ לְאִשָּׁה׃
12 Baana son of Achilud [in] Taanach and Megiddo and all Beit-Shean, which is beside Zarethan, below Yizrael—from Beit-Shean to Abel-meholah as far as the other side of Jokmeam;
יב בַּעֲנָא בֶּן־אֲחִילוּד תַּעְנַךְ וּמְגִדּוֹ וְכָל־בֵּית שְׁאָן אֲשֶׁר אֵצֶל צָרְתַנָה מִתַּחַת לְיִזְרְעֶאל מִבֵּית שְׁאָן עַד אָבֵל מְחוֹלָה עַד מֵעֵבֶר לְיָקְמֳעָם׃
13 Ben-geber, in Ramoth-gilead—he governed the villages of Yair son of Menashe which are in Gilad, and he also governed the district of Argob which is in Bashan, sixty large towns with walls and bronze bars;
יג בֶּן־גֶּבֶר בְּרָמֹת גִּלְעָד לוֹ חַוּׂת יָאִיר בֶּן־מְנַשֶּׁה אֲשֶׁר בַּגִּלְעָד לוֹ חֶבֶל אַרְגֹּב אֲשֶׁר בַּבָּשָׁן שִׁשִּׁים עָרִים גְּדֹלוֹת חוֹמָה וּבְרִיחַ נְחֹשֶׁת׃
טו אֲחִימַעַץ בְּנַפְתָּלִי גַּם־הוּא לָקַח אֶת־בָּשְׂמַת בַּת־שְׁלֹמֹה לְאִשָּׁה׃
17 Yehoshafat son of Paruah, in Yissachar;
יז יְהוֹשָׁפָט בֶּן־פָּרוּחַ בְּיִשָׂשכָר׃
18 Shim’i son of Ela, in Binyamin;
יח שִׁמְעִי בֶן־אֵלָא בְּבִנְיָמִן׃
20 Yehuda and Yisrael were as numerous as the sands of the sea; they ate and drank and were content.
y’-hu-DAH v’-yis-ra-AYL ra-BEEM ka-KHOL a-asher al ha-YAM la-ROV o-kh’-LEEM v’-sho-TEEM us-may-KHEEM
כ יְהוּדָה וְיִשְׂרָאֵל רַבִּים כַּחוֹל אֲשֶׁר־עַל־הַיָּם לָרֹב אֹכְלִים וְשֹׁתִים וּשְׂמֵחִים׃
Unlike King David who began his rule only over Yehuda, King Shlomo rises to power over a united kingdom comprising all of Yehuda and Yisrael. As Radak notes, everyone in the kingdom recognizes King Shlomo’s rule, due to the universal recognition of his God-given wisdom. The chapter ends with the reward for unity among the People of Israel: they become as numerous as the sand on the sea shore and successful in the Land of Israel, thereby seeing the fulfillment of the blessing Hashem gave to Avraham (Genesis 22:17).Comment