1 Kings 5:13-18·~1 min

Solomon’s Labor Force

Solomon conscripts 30,000 men from Israel and sends them to Lebanon in rotating monthly shifts, with Adoniram overseeing the forced labor. The workforce is large, ordered, and compelled.

T¹³hen King Solomon conscripted a labor force of 30,000 men from all Israel. ¹⁴He sent them to Lebanon in monthly shifts of 10,000 men, so that they would spend one month in Lebanon and two months at home. And Adoniram was in charge of the forced labor.

Beyond the men sent to Lebanon, Solomon has 70,000 porters, 80,000 stonecutters, and 3,300 foremen. The building effort is vast and carefully supervised.

¹⁵Solomon had 70,000 porters and 80,000 stonecutters in the mountains, ¹⁶not including his 3,300 foremen who supervised the workers.

The king commands large, costly stones to be quarried and dressed for the temple foundation. Solomon’s and Hiram’s builders, together with the Gebalites, prepare both timber and stone for construction.

¹⁷And the king commanded them to quarry large, costly stones to lay the foundation of the temple with dressed stones. ¹⁸So Solomon’s and Hiram’s builders, along with the Gebalites, quarried the stone and prepared the timber and stone for the construction of the temple.

Section summaryWith timber secured, Solomon gathers the labor that will turn intention into construction. Israelite workers, porters, stonecutters, foremen, and allied builders quarry and prepare the costly materials needed for the temple’s foundation and frame.

Role in the chapterThis section moves from diplomacy to execution. It shows the scale, organization, and human cost of the work by listing the labor, supervision, and materials assembled for the temple.