1 Kings 5:16

16 and he placed 3,300 foremen in charge of them to supervise their work.

1 Kings 5:16 Meaning and Commentary

1 Kings 5:16

Besides the chief of Solomon's officers which [were] over the
work
Over the whole work, preparatory for the building of the temple; though it seems chiefly to have respect to that of hewing the stones, and bringing them to the city:

three thousand and three hundred which ruled over the people that
wrought in the work;
to keep them to their work, and to see that they performed it well: in ( 2 Chronicles 2:18 ) ; they are said to be 3600, which is three hundred more than here; those three hundred are the chief officers mentioned in the former part of this verse, which were over the whole work, and even over the 3600 overseers, and with them made up the sum of 3600; so Jacob Leon ^F8 observes there were 3300 master workmen, and three hundred commanders over them all.

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FOOTNOTES:

F8 Relation of Memorable Things in the Temple, ch. 3. p. 14.

1 Kings 5:16 In-Context

14 and put Adoniram in charge of them. He divided them into three groups of 10,000 men, and each group spent one month in Lebanon and two months back home.

15 Solomon also had 80,000 stone cutters in the hill country, with 70,000 men to carry the stones,

16 and he placed 3,300 foremen in charge of them to supervise their work.

17 At King Solomon's command they cut fine large stones for the foundation of the Temple.

18 Solomon's and Hiram's workers and men from the city of Byblos prepared the stones and the timber to build the Temple.