· Translation: KJV

1 Kings 4:9Ben Deker, in Makaz, and in Shaalbim, and Beth Shemesh, and Elon Beth Hanan;

The setting

Jerusalem, Israel, ~970 BC. Solomon's administrative headquarters. The king organizes his vast empire into twelve districts, each with appointed governors managing taxation, labor, and provisions for the royal court...

The emotion here: methodical pride in recording systematic governance

The original word

nitsav (נִצָּב) — appointed officer, one who stands in authority

Why it matters

Each district had to provide food for Solomon's court for one month per year — 30,000 measures of fine flour daily

Read with care

What most readers miss in 1 Kings 4:9

These aren't just names — this is the world's first documented civil service system

Common misconceptionPeople skip these 'boring lists' but they show God cares about practical organization and good government structure.

Bible Genome reading

1 Kings 4:9 — Bible Genome reading

SpeakerNarrator
EraUnited Kingdom
Primary emotionresting
Literary typenarrative

Emotional genome

Comfort power20%
Quotability20%
Memorability20%
Crisis relevance20%
Standalone20%
Themes:organizationgeography

In context

No verse stands alone.

Read the conversation around it.

Open 1 Kings 4

1 Kings 4:9 comes from the book of 1 Kings, written during the United Kingdom period. These words are attributed to Narrator. The dominant emotion in this verse is resting, with a comfort power of 20% and a tone that is reflective. It belongs to the narrative genre of biblical literature. Key themes include organization, geography. Notable phrases: Ben Deker; Makaz; Shaalbim.

Your reflection

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