Bible Commentaries

Solomon set himself to a careful organization of his kingdom. The system of government as here set forth is characterized by order, and, indeed, is in many ways remarkable. The king was supreme in authority. He gathered around him, however, a company of officers of state, each having his own department, for which he was held responsible.

To express them in the language of today, we might say that they consisted of a high pries!, two state secretaries, a national historian, and a commander-in-chief, two other priests, a chief of staff, a personal secretary, who, in this case, was also the king's friend, and a chancellor of the exchequer. Beyond this, were twelve appointed officers, each having his own district, in which he was the representative of the king. The principal duty of each o5cer was to gather provision for the king's household for one month in the year.

These were the days of the nation's greatest material prosperity. The people lived in merriment, and dwelt safely beneath their own vines and fig trees.

The chapter ends with a declaration of the remarkable learning of Solomon. He was a philosopher, as witness his three thousand proverbs, which are still preserved for us; and a poet of impassioned utterance, as the canticles reveal. Moreover, he was a naturalist, according to this record, being interested in and acquainted with trees, from the cedar to the hyssop, and also with life in all its higher developments.