Chapter 4 of Melachim A is a chapter of order. After we saw Shlomo's coronation, the removal of those who challenged the kingship, and the wisdom that the Holy One granted him, the text now describes the governmental system that Shlomo built: the ministers he appointed, the officers who provisioned the royal household, and the distribution of the burden among the tribes. The chapter concludes with a description of the finest era that the people of Israel ever knew: "eating and drinking and rejoicing."
וַיְהִי הַמֶּלֶךְ שְׁלֹמֹה מֶלֶךְ עַל־כָּל־יִשְׂרָאֵל׃ - And King Shlomo was king over all Israel.
The verse seems superfluous. We already learned in the previous chapters that "the kingdom was established in Shlomo's hand," and we saw that he reigned and ruled. Why repeat that King Shlomo was king over all Israel? The answer is that Shlomo had three aspects to his kingship, and corresponding to them are three statements. The first: his father crowned him while he was still alive, something quite unusual, that a king crowns his successor while he still lives, and about this it was said "and he magnified his name and established his throne" and "may his kingdom be greatly established." The second: after he succeeded in removing all his enemies and all who wished to challenge the kingship - Yoav, Shimi ben Gera and their associates - it was said "and the kingdom was established in Shlomo's hand," meaning there was no longer anyone to challenge it.
And the third is here: after his special wisdom and understanding that God gave him were revealed, all the people naturally desired him to be their king, and about this it was said "and King Shlomo was king over all Israel." Not like Shaul, at the beginning of whose reign there were wicked men saying "how shall this one save us," and not like David, who reigned seven years in Chevron and only afterward reigned over all Israel. Shlomo - immediately he was king over all Israel. And now the text comes to tell of the order that Shlomo instituted in his kingdom.
וְאֵלֶּה הַשָּׂרִים אֲשֶׁר־לוֹ: עֲזַרְיָהוּ בֶן־צָדוֹק הַכֹּהֵן׃ - And these are the ministers whom he had: Azaryahu ben Tzadok the priest.
Azaryahu was the son of Tzadok the priest. What was his role? The Metzudat David explains that it is possible he was appointed to be the priest anointed for war, the priest who goes out with the people to battle and says to them "who is the man who has built a new house and has not dedicated it," and so on. And even though we saw that David appointed Ira in place of Tzadok, it is quite possible that Ira had died in the meantime, and therefore Shlomo appointed Azaryahu ben Tzadok in his stead.
אֱלִיחֹרֶף וַאֲחִיָּה בְּנֵי שִׁישָׁא סֹפְרִים; יְהוֹשָׁפָט בֶּן־אֲחִילוּד הַמַּזְכִּיר׃ - Elichoref and Achiyah, the sons of Shisha, were scribes; Yehoshafat ben Achilud was the recorder.
Rashi explains that the scribes are those who write the chronicles of the days. Every king had scribes - historians - who documented what happened in the days of the king. They were greatly talented, for at times they even documented things that never occurred. The history of kings is a dubious history: their failures do not appear in their history books. Like the history books of the Arab nations, in which there are no wars they lost, and the State of Israel does not appear in them except as Palestine. Whatever they do not want you to know - they rewrite.
And what is "the recorder" (hamazkir)? One explanation: he would remind the king which case came before him first, a kind of arranger of the order. The Abarbanel explains that he was the one who wrote the book of chronicles kept before the king, in which everything important for the king to know and remember was recorded.
Regarding Elichoref and Achiah the sons of Shisha, the Gemara brings a story. Once Shlomo HaMelech saw the Satan looking sad. He asked him: Why are you sad? He answered: Because I have to take Elichoref and Achiah, the two Cushites, your two scribes, and I have a problem with how to take them. Shlomo heard this, and immediately handed them over to the chief of the demons to transport them to the city of Luz, that place where people do not die, in order to save them. But the demons brought them precisely to the Satan's collection point, and there he took them.
The next day Shlomo saw the Satan happy. The Satan said to him: I had a problem, I had to bring them there and did not know how, and you in your great kindness toward me simply helped me. It became clear to Shlomo that he had sought to save them, and not only did he not save them, but he brought them close to their death. From here there is a great moral lesson for all of us, and thus Shlomo determined: "רגלוהי דבר אינש אינון ערבין ליה, לאתר דמתבעי תמן אינון מוליכין יתיה" - a person's feet are his guarantors, and to the place where he is summoned, there they lead him.
וּבְנָיָהוּ בֶן־יְהוֹיָדָע עַל־הַצָּבָא; וְצָדוֹק וְאֶבְיָתָר כֹּהֲנִים׃ - And Benayahu son of Yehoyada was over the army; and Tzadok and Evyatar were kohanim.
Benayahu son of Yehoyada is the commander of the army, since Yoav is no longer among the living. But who is Evyatar the kohen? After all, Evyatar son of Achimelech was banished by Shlomo from the priesthood - "go to Anatot, to your field" - because he was among those who joined Adoniyah son of Chaggit, and especially since he was among the descendants of Eli, upon whom was decreed death and removal from the priesthood, that they would come to bow before a kohen for a coin of silver and a loaf of bread. How, then, does he appear again here among Shlomo's men?
The Radak resolves this by saying that this is a different Evyatar. The Ralbag explains that even though Evyatar was banished from the priesthood, he was nevertheless appointed as a substitute: when Tzadok was unfit for some reason, or during a time of impurity and the like, they would bring Evyatar. But he did not hold a primary position; he was only a deputy and a substitute.
וַעֲזַרְיָהוּ בֶן־נָתָן עַל־הַנִּצָּבִים; וְזָבוּד בֶּן־נָתָן כֹּהֵן רֵעֶה הַמֶּלֶךְ׃ - And Azaryahu son of Natan was over the officers; and Zavud son of Natan was a kohen, the king's friend.
Azaryahu son of Natan was in charge of the officers (nitzavim), those officials whom we will see shortly below, whom Shlomo appointed so that they would provide for and sustain the royal table. And Zavud son of Natan the kohen was "the king's friend," the one called in the language of Chazal shoshvina demalka: the one who was with the king constantly and continually, one of those always coming and going before him, one of the close companions with whom he would delight.
וַאֲחִישָׁר עַל־הַבָּיִת; וַאֲדֹנִירָם בֶּן־עַבְדָּא עַל־הַמַּס׃ - And Achishar was over the household; and Adoniram son of Avda was over the levy.
Achishar was in charge of the household, a kind of house steward. And Adoniram was over the tax, responsible and appointed over the tribute that Israel and the nations were meant to pay to Shlomo. For we shall see further on that Shlomo ruled over many nations, and they all brought him tribute, and there was a need for someone to be responsible for ensuring that all the nations paid their taxes on time.
וְלִשְׁלֹמֹה שְׁנֵים־עָשָׂר נִצָּבִים עַל־כָּל־יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְכִלְכְּלוּ אֶת־הַמֶּלֶךְ וְאֶת־בֵּיתוֹ; חֹדֶשׁ בַּשָּׁנָה יִהְיֶה עַל־הָאֶחָד לְכַלְכֵּל׃ - And Shlomo had twelve officers over all Israel, who provided for the king and his household; each one had to provide for a month in the year.
The expenses of Shlomo's household were exceedingly great, as we shall see further on, and at a certain point they became a burden and a heavy yoke upon the people. After Shlomo's death, when his son Rechavam wished to continue in the same way, the people cried out over the matter of the taxes, and when he sent the tax collector, they killed him, because the taxes were exceedingly heavy upon them. But in Shlomo's own days it was still comfortable for them, for there were no wars, there was quiet, the economic situation was good and there were no security expenses. The taxes were heavy, but there was from where to pay. Only after the security situation deteriorated somewhat at the end of Shlomo's days, and Hashem raised up an adversary against Shlomo as we shall see further on, did the people begin to feel the weight of the burden of his household, and from there the outcry arose.
Shlomo in his wisdom knew that the burden of his household would be heavy upon the people, and therefore he divided the load evenly, so that only part of the people would not bear it. He divided those responsible for the household expenses into twelve officers, with each officer responsible for one month in the year. The tribes were divided such that each officer collected from certain tribes, for one month in the year. It turns out that for eleven months a person worked for himself, and one month for the sustenance of the king. And this is still far better than the tax practiced today in the state, which sometimes reaches fifty percent and even more; there it was only one part in twelve.
וְאֵלֶּה שְׁמוֹתָם: בֶּן־חוּר בְּהַר אֶפְרָיִם׃ בֶּן־דֶּקֶר בְּמָקַץ וּבְשַׁעַלְבִים וּבֵית שָׁמֶשׁ וְאֵילוֹן בֵּית חָנָן׃ - And these are their names: Ben Chur in the hill country of Efrayim. Ben Deker in Makatz and in Shaalbim and Beit Shemesh and Eilon Beit Chanan.
Notice that the verse does not call them by their own names but by their fathers' names: "Ben Chur," "Ben Deker." The Radak explains that these men were not famous by their own names but by their fathers' names, and therefore he mentions them by their fathers' names. And it is possible that since most of them were like this, and some were mentioned in this way, he went on and mentioned all of them in the same manner.
בֶּן־חֶסֶד בָּאֲרֻבּוֹת, לוֹ שֹׂכֹה וְכָל־אֶרֶץ חֵפֶר׃ - Ben Chesed in Arubot, to him belonged Sochoh and all the land of Chefer.
Ben Chesed was in charge of Sochoh and all the land of Chefer.
בֶּן־אֲבִינָדָב כָּל־נָפַת דֹּאר; טָפַת בַּת־שְׁלֹמֹה הָיְתָה לּוֹ לְאִשָּׁה׃ - Ben Avinadav over all the region of Dor; Tafat the daughter of Shlomo was his wife.
Ben Avinadav was responsible for the region of Dor, the district of Dor, and Tafat the daughter of Shlomo was his wife. Not many know that Shlomo had a daughter named Tafat, and that Shlomo appointed his son-in-law to the position of being among the officers.
בַּעֲנָא בֶּן־אֲחִילוּד תַּעְנַךְ וּמְגִדּוֹ וְכָל־בֵּית שְׁאָן אֲשֶׁר אֵצֶל צָרְתַנָה מִתַּחַת לְיִזְרְעֶאל, מִבֵּית שְׁאָן עַד אָבֵל מְחוֹלָה עַד מֵעֵבֶר לְיָקְמְעָם׃ - Baana ben Achilud had Taanach and Megiddo and all of Beit She'an which is beside Tzartanah below Yizreel, from Beit She'an to Avel Mecholah as far as beyond Yokmeam.
Here the verse specifically mentioned him by his name: "Baana ben Achilud." The reason is that since we have already encountered the house of Achilud - Yehoshafat ben Achilud the recorder - his name is familiar to us, and therefore the verse turns to mention him by his own name and not only by his father's name.
בֶּן־גֶּבֶר בְּרָמֹת גִּלְעָד, לוֹ חַוֺּת יָאִיר בֶּן־מְנַשֶּׁה אֲשֶׁר בַּגִּלְעָד, לוֹ חֶבֶל אַרְגֹּב אֲשֶׁר בַּבָּשָׁן, שִׁשִּׁים עָרִים גְּדֹלוֹת חוֹמָה וּבְרִיחַ נְחֹשֶׁת׃ - Ben Gever in Ramot Gilead had the villages of Yair ben Menasheh which are in Gilead, he had the region of Argov which is in the Bashan, sixty great cities with walls and bronze bars.
As is mentioned in Sefer Devarim regarding the villages of Yair and the region of Argov - sixty great cities, surrounded by walls and bronze bars, fortified cities.
אֲחִינָדָב בֶּן־עִדֹּא מַחֲנָיְמָה׃ אֲחִימַעַץ בְּנַפְתָּלִי; גַּם־הוּא לָקַח אֶת־בָּשְׂמַת בַּת־שְׁלֹמֹה לְאִשָּׁה׃ - Achinadav ben Ido in Machanayim. Achimaatz in Naftali; he too took Basmat the daughter of Shlomo as a wife.
Shlomo had another daughter, and her name was Basmat. Some wonder whether it is fitting to name a daughter Basmat, since this was the name of Esav's wife. But from here we see that Shlomo's daughter was also named this way. It turns out there is a wicked Basmat and there is a righteous Basmat. And if you wish to know which Basmat is yours - wait until she grows up, and then you will see who she is: the wife of Esav or the daughter of Shlomo.
There is a story of a Jew who came to a rabbi and said: My wife and I have a dispute over what name to give our child. I say Avraham, after my father, who was a righteous man, God fearing and turning away from evil. The rabbi asked him: And what does your wife say? He answered: She too says Avraham, after her father - except that her father was wicked, may God have mercy. The rabbi said to him: I have advice. Name him Avraham, and when he grows up you will know whether it was after your father or after her father. In the meantime - name him Avraham.
בַּעֲנָא בֶּן־חוּשָׁי בְּאָשֵׁר וּבְעָלוֹת׃ יְהוֹשָׁפָט בֶּן־פָּרוּחַ בְּיִשָּׂשכָר׃ שִׁמְעִי בֶן־אֵלָא בְּבִנְיָמִן׃ - Baana ben Chushai in Asher and Baalot. Yehoshafat ben Paruach in Yissachar. Shimi ben Ela in Binyamin.
Baana ben Chushai was appointed over the territory of Asher and Baalot, which is part of the land of Yehudah.
גֶּבֶר בֶּן־אֻרִי בְּאֶרֶץ גִּלְעָד, אֶרֶץ סִיחוֹן מֶלֶךְ הָאֱמֹרִי וְעֹג מֶלֶךְ הַבָּשָׁן; וּנְצִיב אֶחָד אֲשֶׁר בָּאָרֶץ׃ - Gever ben Uri in the land of Gilead, the land of Sichon king of the Emori and Og king of the Bashan; and one governor who was in the land.
What does "and one officer who was in the land" mean? Here Rav and Shmuel disagree. One view: it refers to a single officer appointed over all the officers, that is, twelve officers, with a thirteenth officer responsible for all of them and for the proper functioning of their work, and this is Azaryahu ben Natan mentioned above as "over the officers." A second view: it refers to an officer appointed for the leap month. For in a leap year there are thirteen months, and would the king starve for a whole month? Therefore there was an additional officer responsible for the leap month, and apparently he would take a little from each of the others, so that the king would have provision for the thirteenth month as well.
יְהוּדָה וְיִשְׂרָאֵל רַבִּים כַּחוֹל אֲשֶׁר־עַל־הַיָּם לָרֹב, אֹכְלִים וְשֹׁתִים וּשְׂמֵחִים׃ - Yehudah and Yisrael were as numerous as the sand by the sea, eating, drinking, and rejoicing.
Here the verse describes for us the very finest period the people of Israel ever knew. All the blessings written in the sections of blessings and curses were fulfilled in it: "And I will grant peace in the land, and you shall lie down with none to make you afraid," "and no sword shall pass through your land," "and five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall chase ten thousand." All the blessings that were spoken were as if written about the era of Shlomo. As numerous as the sand on the seashore, eating, drinking, and rejoicing, without any fear of an enemy, without any worry, without economic problems, and with silver and gold as plentiful as the stones of the land. This was the most wonderful period, and they lacked nothing good.
And the verse emphasizes this specifically here, after detailing the officers and the tax, so that you should not think it was a burden for them to sustain Shlomo's table. In Shlomo's era there was so much silver and gold that there was more than enough both for them and to provide for the king, and they lacked nothing at all.
Chapter 4 opens with the declaration "And King Shlomo was king over all Israel," completing the three aspects of his kingship: being crowned during his father's lifetime, removing those who contested it, and the people's acceptance of him on account of his wisdom. The verse then details the array of ministers: the anointed war leader, scribes, recorder, army commander, priests, the one in charge of the palace and of the tax, and the king's friend, along with the twelve officers, each of whom provisioned the king's household one month a year, in a wise and equitable division of the burden. From all these emerges the figure of a king who knew not only how to rule but also how to organize. And alongside the administrative order, two lessons are engraved in our hearts: the moral lesson from the story of Elichoref and Achiyah, that a person's feet are his guarantors and lead him to the place where he is summoned; and the closing image of Shlomo's days, "eating, drinking, and rejoicing," the golden days in which all the blessings were fulfilled in Israel.