1 Kings 5:15 (KJV)

What does 1 Kings 5:15 mean?

1 Kings 5:15 describes how King Solomon organized a massive workforce for his building projects, specifically mentioning seventy thousand people who carried burdens and eighty thousand who cut stone in the mountains. This verse highlights the scale and labor required for Solomon’s construction efforts, especially for the temple in Jerusalem.

In the context of 1 Kings, these numbers are part of a larger description of Solomon’s preparations to build the temple, a major event in Israel’s history. The verse shows the practical steps Solomon took, including recruiting and assigning thousands of workers to different tasks. The mention of “hewers in the mountains” points to the hard labor of quarrying stone, while “bare burdens” refers to those who transported materials.

The Hebrew behind 1 Kings 5:15

• "bare burdens" (נֹשֵׂא, nosé and סַבָּל, sabbal): The phrase refers to those who carried heavy loads, likely stones and other materials, from the mountains to the building site. This highlights the physically demanding nature of their work.
• "hewers" (חָצֵב, chotzev): This word means “stonecutters” or “quarrymen,” describing those who cut and shaped the stones directly from the mountains. Their skilled labor was essential for preparing the materials needed for construction.
• "mountains" (הָרִים, harim): The use of “mountains” shows that the stone was sourced from rugged, elevated areas, not just nearby fields, emphasizing the effort and organization required.

Why 1 Kings 5:15 matters

• This verse helps clarify the sheer scale and organization behind Solomon’s building projects, showing that the temple’s construction was a national effort involving tens of thousands of workers.
• The detail about “hewers in the mountains” connects to the quality and effort involved in sourcing the best materials, not just using what was most convenient.
• By listing the different types of workers, the verse sets up the following passages, which further describe Solomon’s preparations and the cooperation between Israel and neighboring nations like Tyre.