Solomon’s 12 administrative districts

Solomon replaces tribal leaders

He sets up 12 districts and appoints directors

Excerpt from 1 Kings 4: 7Solomon created 12 administrative districts in Israel. [3] Each district provided a month’s worth of food for the king and the royal family. 8These are the names of Solomon's 12 supervisors of his administrative districts. They became taxing machines to fund the kingdom.

Solomon’s administrative districts 1-6

Ben-hur Hills of Ephraim 9Ben-deker Cities of Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth-shemesh, and Elon-beth-hanan; 10Ben-hesed Arubboth, Socoh, and all the land of Hepher 11Ben-abinadab, he married Taphath, Solomon’s daughter Naphath-dor 12Baana son of Ahilud Cities of Taanach, Megiddo, Beth-shan, by the town of Zarethan below the town of Jezreel, and from Beth-shan to Abel-meholah and the other side of Jokmeam 13Ben-geber Ramoth-gilead, villages of Jair son of Manasseh, in Gilead, and the territory Argob in Bashan, with 60 large cities protected by walls and gates locked with bronze bars

Solomon’s administrative districts 7-12

14Ahinadab son of Iddo Mahanaim 15Ahimaaz, he married Basemath, Solomon’s daughter Tribal territory of Naphtali 16Baana son of Hushai Asher’s tribal land and Bealoth 17Jehoshaphat son of Paruah Issachar’s tribal land 18Shimei son of Ela Benjamin’s tribal land 19Geber son of Uri, governor of the district Gilead, with Amorite territory of King Sihon, and King Og’s land of Bashan.

RICH KING SOLOMON

20Judah and Israel filled the land with happy people, who could eat and drink all they wanted. 21Solomon controlled a long swath of land from the Euphrates River southward to the borders of Egypt and Philistine territory. All the people in that stretch of land paid taxes to Solomon for all his life.

Solomon’s groceries

22Solomon’s household needed this much food every day:  

• Four tons (3,600 kilograms) [4] of the highest quality flour,
• Eight tons (7,200 kilograms) of coarsely ground grains known as meal,
• 2310 grain-fattened cattle,
• 100 sheep, or goats, deer, gazelle, and poultry such as geese.

24Solomon controlled all the territory west of the Euphrates River, from the town of Tiphsah in the north to the town of Gaza in the south. 25Israel’s people lived in peace throughout Solomon’s reign—everyone in Israel and Judah, from the town of Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south. Farmers grew vineyards and harvested figs from their orchards.

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