The Meaning of 1 Kings 9:15 Explained

1 Kings 9:15

KJV: And this is the reason of the levy which king Solomon raised; for to build the house of the LORD, and his own house, and Millo, and the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, and Megiddo, and Gezer.

YLT: And this is the matter of the tribute that king Solomon hath lifted up, to build the house of Jehovah, and his own house, and Millo, and the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, and Megiddo, and Gezer,

Darby: And this is the account of the levy which king Solomon raised, to build the house of Jehovah, and his own house, and Millo, and the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, and Megiddo, and Gezer.

ASV: And this is the reason of the levy which king Solomon raised, to build the house of Jehovah, and his own house, and Millo, and the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, and Megiddo, and Gezer.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And this [is] the reason  of the levy  which king  Solomon  raised;  for to build  the house  of the LORD,  and his own house,  and Millo,  and the wall  of Jerusalem,  and Hazor,  and Megiddo,  and Gezer. 

What does 1 Kings 9:15 Mean?

Context Summary

1 Kings 9:15-28 - Prosperity And Wealth
Solomon was a great builder and employed vast numbers of Canaanites, the old inhabitants of the land, as forced laborers. They performed the drudgery, while the Israelites filled the more honorable and lucrative posts. See Isaiah 60:10. There are Amorites and Perizzites in our lives. Let us not be mastered by them, but compel them to subserve our own growth in grace.
Millo was the key to the fortifications of Jerusalem; Hazor and Megiddo, Baalath and Tadmor guarded the northern frontier. On the extreme south, the navies visited distant realms, and returned laden with gold. Such were Israel's midsummer days. But as, in the latter days of summer, there is the faint odor of decay in the air, and we know that the autumn comes apace, so beneath all this splendor and imperial glory, as we turn to the earlier chapters of Ecclesiastes, we learn that decadence was at its heart.
1 Kings 9:1-28 - Breaking Three Commandments
From a worldly point of view Naboth might have done a good stroke of business by selling his estate to. Ahab. A royal price and assured favor might have been his-but he had a conscience! Above the persuasive tones of the monarch's offer sounded the voice of God: "The land shall not be sold for ever, for the land is mine." See Leviticus 25:23; Numbers 36:7; Ezekiel 46:18.
Ahab knew perfectly well that Jezebel could not give him the property of another except by foul means, but he took pains not to inquire. Though the direct orders for Naboth's death did not come from him, yet, by his silence, he was an accomplice and an accessory; and divine justice penetrates all such specious excuses. God holds us responsible for wrongs which we do not arrest, though we have the power. The crime was blacker because of the pretext of religion, as suggested by a fast. See also 2 Kings 9:26. The blood of murdered innocence cries to God, and his requital, though delayed, is inevitable. See Revelation 6:9-10. [source]

Chapter Summary: 1 Kings 9

1  God's covenant in a vision with Solomon
10  The mutual presents of Solomon and Hiran
15  In Solomon's works the Gentiles were his bondmen, the Israelites servants
24  Pharaoh's daughter removes to her house
25  Solomon's yearly solemn sacrifices
26  His navy fetches gold from Ophir

What do the individual words in 1 Kings 9:15 mean?

And this [is] the reason for the labor force which raised King Solomon to build - the house of Yahweh and his own house the Millo and the wall of Jerusalem Hazor Megiddo Gezer
וְזֶ֨ה דְבַר־ הַמַּ֜ס אֲשֶֽׁר־ הֶעֱלָ֣ה ׀ הַמֶּ֣לֶךְ שְׁלֹמֹ֗ה לִבְנוֹת֩ אֶת־ בֵּ֨ית יְהוָ֤ה וְאֶת־ בֵּיתוֹ֙ הַמִּלּ֔וֹא וְאֵ֖ת חוֹמַ֣ת יְרוּשָׁלִָ֑ם חָצֹ֥ר מְגִדּ֖וֹ גָּֽזֶר

וְזֶ֨ה  And  this  [is] 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Pronoun, masculine singular
Root: זֶה  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, another, such.
דְבַר־  the  reason  for 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: דָּבָר  
Sense: speech, word, speaking, thing.
הַמַּ֜ס  the  labor  force 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מַס  
Sense: gang or body of forced labourers, task-workers, labour band or gang, forced service, task-work, serfdom, tributary, tribute, levy, taskmasters, discomfited.
הֶעֱלָ֣ה ׀  raised 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: סָלַק 
Sense: to go up, ascend, climb.
הַמֶּ֣לֶךְ  King 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
שְׁלֹמֹ֗ה  Solomon 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: שְׁלֹמֹה  
Sense: son of David by Bathsheba and 3rd king of Israel; author of Proverbs and Song of Songs.
לִבְנוֹת֩  to  build 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: בָּנָה  
Sense: to build, rebuild, establish, cause to continue.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
בֵּ֨ית  the  house 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
יְהוָ֤ה  of  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
בֵּיתוֹ֙  his  own  house 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
הַמִּלּ֔וֹא  the  Millo 
Parse: Article, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: מִלֹּא 
Sense: a place near Shechem; site unknown.
חוֹמַ֣ת  the  wall 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: חֹומָה  
Sense: wall.
יְרוּשָׁלִָ֑ם  of  Jerusalem 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: יְרוּשָׁלַםִ  
Sense: the chief city of Palestine and capital of the united kingdom and the nation of Judah after the split.
חָצֹ֥ר  Hazor 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: חָצֹור 
Sense: a royal city of northern Palestine allotted to Naphtali.
מְגִדּ֖וֹ  Megiddo 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: מְגִדֹּו 
Sense: ancient city of Canaan assigned to Manasseh and located on the southern rim of the plain of Esdraelon 6 miles (0 km) from Mount Carmel and miles (8 km) from Nazareth.
גָּֽזֶר  Gezer 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: גֶּזֶר  
Sense: a Levitical city on the border of Ephraim.