1 Kings 9 21

1 Kings 9:21 kjv

Their children that were left after them in the land, whom the children of Israel also were not able utterly to destroy, upon those did Solomon levy a tribute of bondservice unto this day.

1 Kings 9:21 nkjv

that is, their descendants who were left in the land after them, whom the children of Israel had not been able to destroy completely? from these Solomon raised forced labor, as it is to this day.

1 Kings 9:21 niv

Solomon conscripted the descendants of all these peoples remaining in the land?whom the Israelites could not exterminate?to serve as slave labor, as it is to this day.

1 Kings 9:21 esv

their descendants who were left after them in the land, whom the people of Israel were unable to devote to destruction ? these Solomon drafted to be slaves, and so they are to this day.

1 Kings 9:21 nlt

These were descendants of the nations whom the people of Israel had not completely destroyed. So Solomon conscripted them as slaves, and they serve as forced laborers to this day.

1 Kings 9 verses

1 Kings 9 21 Meaning

1 Kings 9:21 describes how King Solomon conscripted into forced labor the descendants of various Canaanite peoples (Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, Jebusites) who had remained in the land because the Israelites had not completely destroyed them during their initial conquest. This servitude continued up to the time the biblical narrative was written, highlighting the long-term consequences of Israel's partial obedience to God's command.

1 Kings 9 21 Context

This verse appears within the description of King Solomon's vast building projects and his administrative policies (1 Kings 9:10-28). Specifically, it clarifies how Solomon funded and carried out these immense works, particularly concerning the labor force. Verses 15-22 explain the difference in treatment between Israelites and non-Israelites in this regard. This specific verse follows 1 Kings 9:20, which lists the exact Canaanite groups. The broader historical context is the period of the united monarchy in Israel, following the incomplete conquest of Canaan during the time of Joshua and the Judges. Despite God's clear command for Israel to utterly dispossess the original inhabitants due to their wickedness and potential for corruption, Israel's failure to do so, repeatedly documented in the Book of Judges, led to the ongoing presence of these groups. Solomon, leveraging the administrative and military power of the united kingdom, then subjugated these long-standing remnants to serve his economic and imperial ambitions. This narrative highlights a key theme of the Deuteronomistic history: the consequences of Israel's obedience or disobedience to God's covenant commands.

Word Analysis

• Their descendants: (וּבְנֵיהֶ֗ם - uvneihem) Refers to the offspring or generations of the nations listed in the preceding verse (1 Kings 9:20: Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites). This indicates that the problem of the unconquered nations persisted across generations since the initial conquest.
• who were left after them in the land: (אֲשֶׁ֤ר נֹתְר֞וּ אַֽחֲרֵיהֶם֙ בָּאָרֶץ֙ - asher notheru akhareihem ba'aretz) The term "left" (from notar) implies a remnant, those who survived the Israelite conquest and continued to inhabit the land, contrary to God's command for complete disinheritance. This phrase underscores the incomplete nature of the conquest detailed in books like Judges.
• whom the children of Israel: (אֲשֶׁ֨ר לֹֽא־יָכְל֜וּ בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל - asher lo-yakhlu benei Yisra'el)
  • were not able to: (לֹֽא־יָכְל֜וּ - lo-yakhlu) This verb indicates an inability or a failure to conquer or overcome. In the biblical narrative, this "inability" was often linked not to a lack of power in God, but to Israel's lack of faith, disobedience, or incomplete effort (e.g., Judg 1:19 attributes some failures to chariots of iron, but Josh 17:18 affirms Israel could dispossess with divine help). It highlights Israel's compromise rather than their physical weakness.
• to destroy utterly: (לְהַֽחֲרִימָ֑ם - lehakharemâm) Derived from the Hebrew root חָרַם (charam), meaning to "devote to destruction," to "put under the ban," or to "utterly destroy." This was a command of herem (devotion to God through total destruction), a sacred war mandate against the inhabitants of Canaan to prevent their idolatry from corrupting Israel (Dt 7:2; 20:17). The fact that Israel failed to carry out this command against these peoples represents a significant spiritual and covenantal failure.
• these Solomon subjected to forced labor: (בָּהֶ֗ם הֶֽעֱלָה֙ שְׁלֹמֹ֞ה מַס־עֹבֵ֑ד - bahem he‘elah Shlomoh mas-ʿoved)
  • subjected to forced labor: (מַס־עֹבֵ֑ד - mas-ʿoved) "Mas" (מַס) refers to a levy, tribute, or forced service, commonly known as corvée labor in the ancient Near East. "Oved" (עֹבֵד) means servant or worker. This term signifies their reduction to a state of perpetual servitude or forced conscription for state projects. Solomon capitalized on the inherited problem of Israel's partial obedience to benefit his own vast enterprises.
• and so they are to this day: (עַ֖ד הַיּ֥וֹם הַזֶּֽה - ʿad ha-yom ha-zeh) This narrative phrase is common in the historical books of the Old Testament. It indicates that the condition described (these peoples being subjected to forced labor) persisted from Solomon's time up to the era when the book was written or compiled, demonstrating the enduring legacy and ongoing consequence of Israel's original disobedience.

1 Kings 9 21 Bonus section

• The biblical term charam (חרם), "to destroy utterly," goes beyond simple military conquest. It denotes a consecration or dedication of a group or object to God through total destruction, preventing the Israelite community from being defiled by pagan practices. Israel's failure to enact herem fully was not just a military oversight but a significant theological compromise.
• The distinction between non-Israelite forced labor and Israelite labor (1 Ki 9:22) underscores the unique covenant status of Israel. While Israelites might serve in corvée for fixed terms, they were not to be perpetually enslaved like the Canaanite populations, highlighting the privilege and protection of being God's covenant people.
• The phrase "to this day" is a stylistic marker employed by the Deuteronomistic Historian(s), indicating a sustained condition or custom. It serves to emphasize the historical continuity and the long-term repercussions of specific actions (or inactions) described in the narrative, lending an air of historical verifiability and often serving a didactic purpose regarding the consequences of national behavior.

1 Kings 9 21 Commentary

1 Kings 9:21 succinctly highlights a profound and lasting consequence of Israel's spiritual failure during the conquest of Canaan. Despite clear divine commands to utterly destroy or drive out the idolatrous inhabitants (Dt 7:1-6), the Israelites frequently compromised, leading to their continued presence. Solomon, rather than addressing this long-standing issue in line with God's original intentions, shrewdly capitalized on it for his own ambitious building programs. He turned these surviving populations into a source of compulsory labor, differentiating them from his Israelite subjects who were exempt from such servitude (1 Ki 9:22). This arrangement served Solomon's immediate needs, but it also reflects a kingdom that, even in its golden age, operated within the shadows of past covenant disobedience. The continued presence and subjection of these foreign peoples acted as a constant, albeit exploited, reminder of Israel's unfaithfulness, and prophetically pointed to potential future entanglements and deviations from God's perfect plan. This ongoing presence provided both pragmatic benefits and spiritual dangers, a complex legacy "to this day."