1 Kings 5:13

JPS Old Testament

And he spoke of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall; he spoke also of beasts, and of fowl, and of creeping things, and of fishes.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Then King Solomon drafted forced laborers from all Israel; the labor force numbered thirty thousand men.

Hebrew Names Version
King Shlomo raised a levy out of all Yisra'el; and the levy was thirty thousand men.

King James Version
And king Solomon raised a levy out of all Israel; and the levy was thirty thousand men.

English Standard Version
King Solomon drafted forced labor out of all Israel, and the draft numbered 30,000 men.

New Century Version
King Solomon forced thirty thousand men of Israel to help in this work.

New English Translation
King Solomon conscripted work crews from throughout Israel, 30,000 men in all.

Amplified Bible
King Solomon levied forced laborers from all Israel; and the forced laborers numbered 30,000 men.

New American Standard Bible
Now King Solomon conscripted forced laborers from all Israel; and the forced laborers numbered thirty thousand men.

Geneva Bible (1587)
And King Salomon raised a summe out of all Israel, and the summe was thirtie thousand men:

Legacy Standard Bible
And King Solomon raised up forced laborers from all Israel; and the forced laborers numbered 30,000 men.

Contemporary English Version
Solomon ordered thirty thousand people from all over Israel to cut logs for the temple,

Complete Jewish Bible
He could discuss trees, from the cedar in the L'vanon to the hyssop growing out of the wall; he could discuss wild animals, poultry, reptiles and fish.

Darby Translation
And king Solomon raised a levy out of all Israel; and the levy was thirty thousand men.

Easy-to-Read Version
King Solomon forced 30,000 men of Israel to help in this work.

George Lamsa Translation
And King Solomon raised a levy out of all Israel; and the levy was thirty thousand men.

Good News Translation
King Solomon drafted 30,000 men as forced labor from all over Israel,

Lexham English Bible
Then King Solomon conscripted a forced labor from all Israel, and the forced labor numbered thirty thousand men.

Literal Translation
And King Solomon caused a labor force to go out of all Israel; and the labor force was thirty thousand men.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And Salomon made an outchosynge (of workmen) thorow out all Israel. And ye outchosynge was thirtie thousande me,

American Standard Version
And king Solomon raised a levy out of all Israel; and the levy was thirty thousand men.

Bible in Basic English
Then King Solomon got together men for the forced work through all Israel, thirty thousand men in number;

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And king Solomon raysed a summe out of Israel, and the summe was thirtie thousand men:

King James Version (1611)
And King Solomon raised a leuie out of all Israel, and the leuie was thirtie thousand men.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the king raised a levy out of all Israel, and the levy was thirty thousand men.

English Revised Version
And king Solomon raised a levy out of all Israel; and the levy was thirty thousand men.

Berean Standard Bible
Then King Solomon conscripted a labor force of thirty thousand men from all Israel.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And kyng Salomon chees werk men of al Israel; and the summe was thretti thousynde of men.

Young's Literal Translation
And king Solomon lifteth up a tribute out of all Israel, and the tribute is thirty thousand men,

Update Bible Version
And king Solomon raised slave labor out of all Israel; and the slave labor was thirty thousand men.

Webster's Bible Translation
And king Solomon raised a levy out of all Israel; and the levy was thirty thousand men.

World English Bible
King Solomon raised a levy out of all Israel; and the levy was thirty thousand men.

New King James Version
Then King Solomon raised up a labor force out of all Israel; and the labor force was thirty thousand men.

New Living Translation
Then King Solomon conscripted a labor force of 30,000 men from all Israel.

New Life Bible
Now King Solomon made men work for him from all Israel. There were 30,000 men made to work for him.

New Revised Standard
King Solomon conscripted forced labor out of all Israel; the levy numbered thirty thousand men.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And King Solomon raised a labour-band, out of all Israel, - and it came to pass that, the labour-band, was thirty thousand men.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And king Solomon chose workmen out of all Israel, and the levy was of thirty thousand men.

Revised Standard Version
King Solomon raised a levy of forced labor out of all Israel; and the levy numbered thirty thousand men.

THE MESSAGE
King Solomon raised a workforce of thirty thousand men from all over Israel. He sent them in shifts of ten thousand each month to the Lebanon forest; they would work a month in Lebanon and then be at home two months. Adoniram was in charge of the work crew. Solomon also had seventy thousand unskilled workers and another eighty thousand stonecutters up in the hills—plus thirty-three hundred foremen managing the project and supervising the work crews. Following the king's orders, they quarried huge blocks of the best stone—dressed stone for the foundation of The Temple. Solomon and Hiram's construction workers, assisted by the men of Gebal, cut and prepared the timber and stone for building The Temple.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Now King Solomon levied forced laborers from all Israel; and the forced laborers numbered 30,000 men.

Contextual Overview

¹⁰ And Solomon's wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east, and all the wisdom of Egypt. ¹¹ For he was wiser than all men: than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol; and his fame was in all the nations round about. ¹² And he spoke three thousand proverbs; and his songs were a thousand and five. ¹³ And he spoke of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall; he spoke also of beasts, and of fowl, and of creeping things, and of fishes. ¹⁴ And there came of all peoples to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all kings of the earth, who had heard of his wisdom. ¹⁵ And Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants unto Solomon; for he had heard that they had anointed him king in the room of his father; for Hiram was ever a lover of David. ¹⁶ And Solomon sent to Hiram, saying: ¹⁷ 'Thou knowest how that David my father could not build a house for the name of the LORD his God for the wars which were about him on every side, until the LORD put them under the soles of my feet. ¹⁸ But now the LORD my God hath given me rest on every side; there is neither adversary, nor evil occurrence. And, behold, I purpose to build a house for the name of the LORD my God, as the LORD spoke unto David my father, saying: Thy son, whom I will set upon thy throne in thy room, he shall build the house for My name. Now therefore command thou that they hew me cedar-trees out of Lebanon; and my servants shall be with thy servants; and I will give thee hire for thy servants according to all that thou shalt say; for thou knowest that there is not among us any that hath skill to hew timber like unto the Zidonians.' And it came to pass, when Hiram heard the words of Solomon, that he rejoiced greatly, and said: 'Blessed be the LORD this day, who hath given unto David a wise son over this great people.' And Hiram sent to Solomon, saying: 'I have heard that which thou hast sent unto me; I will do all thy desire concerning timber of cedar, and concerning timber of cypress. My servants shall bring them down from Lebanon unto the sea; and I will make them into rafts to go by sea unto the place that thou shalt appoint me, and will cause them to be broken up there, and thou shalt receive them; and thou shalt accomplish my desire, in giving food for my household.' So Hiram gave Solomon timber of cedar and timber of cypress according to all his desire. And Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand measures of wheat for food to his household, and twenty measures of beaten oil; thus gave Solomon to Hiram year by year. And the LORD gave Solomon wisdom, as He promised him; and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon; and they two made a league together. And king Solomon raised a levy out of all Israel; and the levy was thirty thousand men. And he sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month by courses: a month they were in Lebanon, and two months at home; and Adoniram was over the levy. And Solomon had threescore and ten thousand that bore burdens, and fourscore thousand that were hewers in the mountains; besides Solomon's chief officers that were over the work, three thousand and three hundred, who bore rule over the people that wrought in the work. And the king commanded, and they quarried great stones, costly stones, to lay the foundation of the house with hewn stone. And Solomon's builders and Hiram's builders and the Gebalites did fashion them, and prepared the timber and the stones to build the house.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

levy: Heb. tribute of men, 1 Kings 4:6

the levy: 1 Kings 9:15

Reciprocal: 1 Kings 5:1 - Hiram 1 Kings 9:21 - levy 2 Chronicles 2:17 - numbered 2 Chronicles 8:8 - to pay Ecclesiastes 5:11 - they

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And King Solomon raised a levy out of all Israel,.... Not of money, but of men, as follows:

and the levy was thirty thousand men; for what purpose, and how they were employed, 1 Kings 5:14 shows.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

A levy out of all Israel - This was, apparently, the first time that the Israelites had been called upon to perform forced labor, though it had been prophesied 1 Samuel 8:16. David had bound to forced service “the strangers” 1 Chronicles 22:2; but hitherto the Israelites had escaped. Solomon now, in connection with his proposed work of building the temple, with the honor of God as an excuse, laid this burden upon them. Out of the 1,300, 000 able-bodied Israelites 2 Samuel 24:9, a band of 30,000 - one in forty-four - was raised, of whom one-third was constantly at work in Lebanon, while two-thirds remained at home, and pursued their usual occupations. This, though a very light form of task work, was felt as a great oppression, and was the chief cause of the revolt of the ten tribes at Solomon’s death 1 Kings 12:4.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Kings 5:13. The levy was thirty thousand men. — We find from the following verse that only ten thousand were employed at once, and those only for one month at a time; and having rested two months, they again resumed their labour. These were the persons over whom Adoniram was superintendent, and were all Israelites.