---
title: "1 Kings 4 – Catholic Bible (CPDV) & Latin Vulgate · Bless"
url: https://blessbible.app/bible/1-kings/4/
description: "Solomon's chief officers. His riches and wisdom. 1 Kings 4 in the Catholic Public Domain Version, with the Latin Vulgate."
---

# 1 Kings 4

1 Kings 4 is chapter 4 of 22 in the First Book of Kings. Here are all 34 verses in the Catholic Public Domain Version, with the Latin of the Clementine Vulgate beside them.

> Solomon's chief officers. His riches and wisdom.
>
> — Bp. Richard Challoner, chapter summary

## 1 Kings 4 (Catholic Public Domain Version)

1. Now king Solomon was reigning over all of Israel.
2. And these were the leaders that he had: Azariah, the son of Zadok, the priest;
3. Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha, the scribes; Jehoshaphat, the son of Ahilud, the keeper of records;
4. Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, over the army; and Zadok, and Abiathar, priests;
5. Azariah, the son of Nathan, over those who were assisting the king; Zabud, the son of Nathan, the priest, the friend of the king;
6. and Ahishar, first ruler of the house; and Adoniram, the son of Abda, over the tribute.
7. And Solomon had twelve commanders over all of Israel, who offered yearly provisions for the king and his house. For each was ministering the necessities, by each month of the year.
8. And these are their names: Benhur, on mount Ephraim;
9. Bendeker, in Makaz, and in Shaalbim, and in Beth-shemesh, and in Elon, and in Beth-hanan;
10. Benhesed, in Arubboth: his was Socoh and the entire land of Hepher;
11. Benabinadab, to whom was all of Naphath-Dor, who had Taphath, the daughter of Solomon, as wife;
12. Baana, the son of Ahilud, who was reigning in Taanach, and Megiddo, and all of Bethshean, which is beside Zarethan and below Jezreel, from Bethshean as far as Abelmeholah, opposite Jokmeam;
13. Bengeber, in Ramoth Gilead, who had the town of Jair, the son of Manasseh, in Gilead; the same was first in the entire region of Argob, which is in Bashan, sixty great cities with walls that had bronze bars;
14. Ahinadab, the son of Iddo, who was first in Mahanaim;
15. Ahimaaz, in Naphtali, and he also had Basemath, the daughter of Solomon, in marriage;
16. Baana, the son of Hushai, in Asher and in Bealoth;
17. Jehoshaphat, the son of Paruah, in Issachar;
18. Shimei, the son of Ela, in Benjamin;
19. Geber, the son of Uri, in the land of Gilead, in the land of Sihon, king of the Amorites, and of Og, king of Bashan, over all who were in that land.
20. Judah and Israel were innumerable, like the sand of the sea in multitude: eating and drinking, and rejoicing.
21. Now Solomon had, in his dominion, all the kingdoms, from the river to the land of the Philistines, even to the border of Egypt. And they offered gifts to him, and they served him all the days of his life.
22. And the provisions of Solomon, for each day, were thirty cor of fine wheat flour, and sixty cor of meal,
23. ten fattened oxen, and twenty oxen from the pastures, and one hundred rams, aside from the venison of stags, roe deer, and gazelles, and fattened poultry.
24. For he had obtained the entire region which was beyond the river, from Tiphsah as far as Gaza, and all the kings of those regions. And he had peace on every side all around.
25. And so, Judah and Israel were living without any fear, each one under his own vine and under his own fig tree, from Dan as far as Beersheba, during all the days of Solomon.
26. And Solomon had forty thousand stalls of chariot horses, and twelve thousand riding horses.
27. And the above-stated commanders of the king nourished these. And they also offered the necessities for the table of king Solomon, with immense diligence, each in his time.
28. Also, they brought barley and straw for the horses and beasts of burden, to the place where the king was, just as it was appointed to them.
29. And God gave wisdom to Solomon, and an exceedingly great prudence, and a spacious heart, like the sand which is on the shore of the sea.
30. And the wisdom of Solomon surpassed the wisdom of all the East, and of the Egyptians.
31. And he was wiser than all men: wiser than Ethan, the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And he was renowned in all the nations on every side.
32. Solomon also spoke three thousand parables. And his verses were one thousand and five.
33. And he discoursed about trees, from the cedar which is in Lebanon, to the hyssop which grows out from the wall. And he explained about beasts, and birds, and reptiles, and fish.
34. And they came from all the peoples in order to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and from all the kings of the earth, who were hearing about his wisdom.

## 1 Kings 4 in Latin (Clementine Vulgate, 1592)

1. Erat autem rex Salomon regnans super omnem Israël:
2. et hi principes quos habebat: Azarias filius Sadoc sacerdotis:
3. Elihoreph et Ahia filii Sisa scribæ: Josaphat filius Ahilud a commentariis:
4. Banaias filius Jojadæ super exercitum: Sadoc autem et Abiathar sacerdotes:
5. Azarias filius Nathan super eos qui assistebant regi: Zabud filius Nathan sacerdos, amicus regis:
6. et Ahisar præpositus domus: et Adoniram filius Abda super tributa.
7. Habebat autem Salomon duodecim præfectos super omnem Israël, qui præbebant annonam regi et domui ejus: per singulos enim menses in anno, singuli necessaria ministrabant.
8. Et hæc nomina eorum: Benhur in monte Ephraim.
9. Bendecar in Macces, et in Salebim, et in Bethsames, et in Elon, et in Bethanan.
10. Benhesed in Aruboth: ipsius erat Socho, et omnis terra Epher.
11. Benabinadab, cujus omnis Nephath Dor: Tapheth filiam Salomonis habebat uxorem.
12. Bana filius Ahilud regebat Thanac et Mageddo, et universam Bethsan, quæ est juxta Sarthana subter Jezrahel, a Bethsan usque Abelmehula e regione Jecmaan.
13. Bengaber in Ramoth Galaad: habebat Avothjair filii Manasse in Galaad: ipse præerat in omni regione Argob, quæ est in Basan, sexaginta civitatibus magnis atque muratis quæ habebant seras æreas.
14. Ahinadab filius Addo præerat in Manaim.
15. Achimaas in Nephthali: sed et ipse habebat Basemath filiam Salomonis in conjugio.
16. Baana filius Husi in Aser, et in Baloth.
17. Josaphat filius Pharue in Issachar.
18. Semei filius Ela in Benjamin.
19. Gaber filius Uri in terra Galaad, in terra Sehon regis Amorrhæi et Og regis Basan, super omnia quæ erant in illa terra.
20. Juda et Israël innumerabiles, sicut arena maris in multitudine: comedentes, et bibentes, atque lætantes.
21. Salomon autem erat in ditione sua, habens omnia regna a flumine terræ Philisthiim usque ad terminum Ægypti: offerentium sibi munera, et servientium ei cunctis diebus vitæ ejus.
22. Erat autem cibus Salomonis per dies singulos triginta cori similæ, et sexaginta cori farinæ,
23. decem boves pingues, et viginti boves pascuales, et centum arietes, excepta venatione cervorum, caprearum, atque bubalorum, et avium altilium.
24. Ipse enim obtinebat omnem regionem quæ erat trans flumen, a Thaphsa usque ad Gazan, et cunctos reges illarum regionum: et habebat pacem ex omni parte in circuitu.
25. Habitabatque Juda et Israël absque timore ullo, unusquisque sub vite sua et sub ficu sua, a Dan usque Bersabee, cunctis diebus Salomonis.
26. Et habebat Salomon quadraginta millia præsepia equorum currilium, et duodecim millia equestrium.
27. Nutriebantque eos supradicti regis præfecti: sed et necessaria mensæ regis Salomonis cum ingenti cura præbebant in tempore suo.
28. Hordeum quoque, et paleas equorum et jumentorum, deferebant in locum ubi erat rex, juxta constitutum sibi.
29. Dedit quoque Deus sapientiam Salomoni, et prudentiam multam nimis, et latitudinem cordis quasi arenam quæ est in littore maris.
30. Et præcedebat sapientia Salomonis sapientiam omnium Orientalium et Ægyptiorum,
31. et erat sapientior cunctis hominibus: sapientior Ethan Ezrahita, et Heman, et Chalcol, et Dorda filiis Mahol: et erat nominatus in universis gentibus per circuitum.
32. Locutus est quoque Salomon tria millia parabolas: et fuerunt carmina ejus quinque et mille.
33. Et disputavit super lignis a cedro quæ est in Libano, usque ad hyssopum quæ egreditur de pariete: et disseruit de jumentis, et volucribus, et reptilibus, et piscibus.
34. Et veniebant de cunctis populis ad audiendam sapientiam Salomonis, et ab universis regibus terræ qui audiebant sapientiam ejus.

## Bishop Challoner's notes

Bp. Richard Challoner, notes on the Douay-Rheims (1750); they comment on its older wording.
- Verse 4: “Abiathar” … By this it appears that Abiathar was not altogether deposed from the high priesthood; but only banished to his country house, and by that means excluded from the exercise of his functions.
- Verse 21: “The river” … Euphrates.
- Verse 32: “Three thousand parables” … These works are all lost, excepting some part of the parables extant in the book of Proverbs; and his chief poem called the Canticle of Canticles.

Source: Catholic Public Domain Version (Ronald L. Conte Jr., 2009), public domain; Latin: Clementine Vulgate (1592).