Ben-abinadab, in all Naphath-dor (he had Taphath the daughter of Solomon as his wife);
One line in Solomon's list of district officers names a man only as "the son of Abinadab," gives him the high ground of Dor, and adds that he married the king's daughter. Why does Scripture stop to record a marriage in the middle of an administrative list?
An Ordered Kingdom
Chapter 4 sets out the machinery of Solomon's reign — who served him, and how the land kept his household supplied.
J. N. Darby1 Kings 4 lists the officers who served Solomon and upheld the glory of his throne. It then shows how the whole country provided for the upkeep of his household. Judah and Israel were multiplied and full of joy. The king's authority extends as far as the Euphrates. Peace reigns all around.
The names in the list carry meanings. Those meanings match the kingdom the chapter describes.
Arno Clemens Gaebelein"So King Solomon was king over all Israel." The chapter gives a list of the princes and the twelve officers first. Their names fit perfectly with the character of the kingdom, pointing forward to the coming and better kingdom of our Lord. Here are the names of the princes with their meaning: Azariah, "Jehovah is help"; Elihoreph, "my God is reward"; Benaiah, "Built up by Jehovah"; Zabud, "Gift bestowed."
One Month Each
Each of the twelve had a district and a turn. The record names what each one sent to the king.
Leslie M. GrantSolomon did have 12 governors over Israel, each in a different area. Scripture does not say that these men were benefactors of the people. It says that each one in turn provided food for Solomon and his household, one month each year (v.7). This pictures the response of Israel toward the Lord Jesus in a coming day, when they give full allegiance to Him. We may be sure these governors also cared for the needs of the people. Those who give the Lord the first place will not fail to show kindness to others.
The District of Dor
The high ground of Dor has a past. Earlier, Israel spared the Canaanites there instead of driving them out.
J. G. BellettBut Israel had not been fully faithful to the commission they had received against the Canaanites. The first chapter of the Book of Judges shows us this… Saul makes terms with Amalek, as the tribes before had done with the Canaanites. He spares Agag, as Benjamin had spared the Jebusites, Manasseh the people of Dor…
The Ark in His Father's House
Two of the twelve married into the royal family. One writer explains why this one did, and the reason goes back to the ark of the covenant — the chest that stood for God's presence among His people.
H. L. RossierAmong Solomon's twelve stewards (vv. 7-19) we find two who had married daughters of the king. This rare honour went to the son of that same Abinadab who had received the ark and guarded it for twenty years in his house on the hill. To belong to the family that had faithfully watched over the ark of the Lord was a title to nobility in the king's eyes.
Another writer notes what those years meant for the family that kept it.
W. W. FeredayFor many years it stayed in the house of the godly Abinadab in Kirjath-jearim, to the great blessing of his household (1 Sam. 7:1-2). These people felt they truly had God with them, though they did not confuse the symbol with the reality.
A Reign That Remembers
The same instinct runs through the whole chapter. Abiathar had lost the priesthood, yet he is still listed among Solomon's princes.
H. L. RossierAbiathar himself (v. 4) had been driven from the priesthood, yet the list counts him among the princes alongside Zadok. He had carried the ark and shared all David's afflictions. Though he had lost his office, his lord did not wish to deprive him of the dignity he was giving to all those who had suffered with the rejected king.
Summary
- Order. Solomon's twelve officers each held a district. The produce of the land upheld the glory of his throne, in a reign of peace reaching to the Euphrates.
- Service. Each officer sent food up to the king, one month a year. This pictures Israel's full allegiance to the Lord Jesus in a coming day.
- Ground. Earlier generations failed to clear Dor of the Canaanites. Under this king it is one district on the list.
- Nearness. The king's daughter went to a family that had guarded the ark for twenty years. In the king's eyes, watching over God's presence was a title of nobility.
- Memory. This kingdom honours those who stood by the rejected king; Abiathar keeps his place among the princes. Even the officers' names point forward to Christ's better kingdom.