1 Kings 4 contains a list of the chief ministers of state (1Ki 4:2-6), and of the twelve officers placed over the land (1Ki 4:7-20), which is inserted here to give an idea of the might and glory of the kingdom of Israel under Solomon’s reign. So far as the contents are concerned, this list belongs to the middle portion of the reign of Solomon, as we may see from the fact that two of the officers named had daughters of Solomon for their wives (1Ki 4:11, 1Ki 4:15), whom they could not possibly have married till the later years of Solomon’s life.
The Chief Ministers of State. - The list is introduced in 1Ki 4:1 by the general remark, that “king Solomon was king over all Israel.”