How many overseers did Solomon appoint for the work of building the temple?

How many overseers did Solomon appoint for the work of building the temple?

 

• Three thousand six hundred (2 Chronicles 2:2)
• Three thousand three hundred (I Kings 5:16)

 

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2 Chronicles 2:2 And Solomon told out threescore and ten thousand men to bear burdens, and fourscore thousand to hew in the mountain, and three thousand and six hundred to oversee them.

1 Kings 5:16 Beside the chief of Solomon’s officers which were over the work, three thousand and three hundred, which ruled over the people that wrought in the work.

 

Here it is asserted that the Bible records two different numbers for the same count of overseers that Solomon had, and so, as they are recording the numbers of the same count and yet the two numbers differ, one must be wrong, thus one must contradict the other.  Again if we just stop at a very basic reading of these 2 verses it may, at least at surface level appear, that there is a contradiction between the two numbers.  

3,600 is also found in 2 Chronicles 2:18

 

2 Chronicles 2:18 And he set threescore and ten thousand of them to be bearers of burdens, and fourscore thousand to be hewers in the mountain, and three thousand and six hundred overseers to set the people a work.

 

There are a number of different answers given by apologists to explain this so called contradiction. 

One of the more strange answer to this contradiction that I have seen is that if Solomon had 3600 overseers then he would also have 3300. It isn’t a contradiction because it does not say that he didn’t have 3300 overseers.

1. “Logically the contradictory to the claim “Solomon had 3,300 overseers” would be “Solomon did NOT have 3,300 overseers.” or “Solomon had ONLY X overseers” (with X being something that is not 3,300).  We don’t have a contradiction here because the claim from 2 Chronicles 2:18 that “Solomon had 3,600 overseers” is not the same thing as “Solomon did NOT have 3,300 overseers.” or “Solomon had ONLY X overseers” (with X being something that is not 3,300).  Note the proposition “Solomon had 3,600 overseers” doesn’t use the words “not” or “only.”

https://veritasdomain.wordpress.com/2021/11/27/bible-contradiction-how-many-overseers-did-solomon-have/

 

While being strange, I would also say this is one of the weakest answers to any of the contradictions that I have seen. On that basis we could simply say that Solomon had 10 overseers, or 323 or 1291 overseers, we could basically say any number from 1 – 3600 and say Solomon had this many overseers and because it doesn’t say Solomon only had 2103 overseers for example then he both had 2103 overseers and 3600 overseers. On this basis Solomon had every number of overseers from 1 – 3600 and 3600. 

One of the most common solutions to this contradiction is an appeal to “reserve” chief officers, of which it is asserted there were 300. 

“The most likely solution is that 2 Chronicles included the 300 men who were selected as reservists to take the place of any supervisors who would become ill or who had died, while 1 Kings 5:16 passage includes only the supervisory force. With the group as large as the 3,300, sickness and death certainly did occur, requiring reserves who would be called up as the need arose.”
https://www.unchangingword.com/2-chronicles-3600-or-3300/

 

There is of course the usual copyist error answer that some do give. 

The Septuagint reads 3600 in 1 Kings 5:16 

 

1 Kings 5:16 besides the rulers that were appointed over the works of Solomon, there were three thousand six hundred masters who wrought in the works. Brentons Septuagint 

 

So obviously it could be argued that there is an error in the Hebrew texts and that the Septuagint has preserved the correct reading. Both verses in the Septuagint read 3,600 and thus on utilising this reading there is no surface level contradiction.

The only major modern versions that follows the reading of the Septuagint are the NLT and NHEB. 

1 Kings 5:16 and 3,600 foremen to supervise the work. NLT 

1 Kings 5:16  besides Solomon’s chief officers who were over the work, three thousand and six hundred, who bore rule over the people who labored in the work. NHEB

 

Again had Shabir utilised one of these versions then he would not have found this surface level contradiction. 

All other major modern versions read 3300, including the NIV, ESV, NASB and NET Bibles. This shows that the reading of 3,600 is rejected by those modern versions as being the correct reading, for now at least. 

1 KIngs 5:16 as well as thirty-three hundred foremen who supervised the project and directed the workers. NIV 

1 Kings 5:16 besides Solomon’s 3,300 chief officers who were over the work, who had charge of the people who carried on the work. ESV 

1 Kings 5:16 besides Solomon’s 3,300 chief deputies who were in charge of the project and ruled over the people who were doing the work. NASB 

1 Kings 5:16 besides 3,300 officials who supervised the workers. NET Bible 

 

As you can see that although the NET Bible does read 3300, the verse is much shorter than the other versions, missing out large portions of the wording. This is also done by the NLT despite its difference in the reading of 3,600.

 

The Latin Vulgate also reads 3300. 

1 Kings 5:16 absque praepositis qui praeerant singulis operibus numero trium milium et trecentorum praecipientium populo et his qui faciebant opus

Besides the overseers who were over every work, in number three thousand and three hundred, that ruled over the people, and them that did the work.

Latin Vulgate

 

All English versions that preceded the KJV read 3300

1 Kings 6:16
1394 Wycliffe Bible
that weren maistris of alle werkis, bi the noumbre of thre thousynde and thre hundrid, comaundynge to the puple, and to hem that maden werk.

1535 Coverdale Bible
besyde Salomons chefe officers, which were ordeyned ouer the worke: namely thre thousande and thre hundreth, which ruled ye people that laboured there in the worke.

1537 Matthew Bible
besydes the Lordes he had, to ouer se the worcke, in nombre thre thousande & thre hundred, whiche ruled people that wrought in the worcke.

1539 Great Bible
besydes the lordes, whom Salomon appoynted to ouer se the worke, euen thre thousand and thre hundred, which ruled the people þt wrought in the worke.

1560 Geneva Bible
Besides the princes, whome Salomon appoynted ouer the worke, euen three thousande and three hundreth, which ruled the people that wrought in the worke.

1568 Bishops’ Bible
Besides the lordes whom Solomon appoynted to ouersee the worke, euen three thousand & three hundred, which ruled the people [& them] that wrought in the worke.

 

So this clearly is not a KJV issue. 

When it comes to the reading of the Septuagint at this point of the text we should note that Brenton’s Septuagint omits verse 17 entirely while Swete’s Septuagint has a much shorter reading but this version of the Septuagint then completely omits verse 18  (verse 17 and 18 are obviously being swapped). 

 

1 Kings 5:17 καὶ ἡτοίμασαν τοὺς λίθους καὶ τὰ ξύλα τρία ἔτη. 18 

 

Brenton’s Septuagint also adds the text, 3 years, in verse 18 which is not found in the Hebrew text.

 

1 Kings 5:18 And they prepared the stones and the timber during three years. Brenton’s Septuagint 

 

Again this reading is rejected, or at least not followed by the NIV, ESV, NASB and NET Bibles. 

It is also rejected by the NLT and NHEB versions that followed its reading of 3,600 in verse 16.

1 Kings 15:18 Men from the city of Gebal helped Solomon’s and Hiram’s builders prepare the timber and stone for the Temple. NLT

1 Kings 15:18 Solomon’s builders and Hiram’s builders and the Gebalites cut them, and prepared the timber and the stones to build the house. NHEB 

 

So if the Septuagint text is the correct text, which Septuagint reading should we be following? It seems that many of the modern versions can’t decide. 

The Septuagint reading is also not supported by the Latin Vulgate in either of these 2 verses

1 Kings 15:17 praecepitque rex ut tollerent lapides grandes lapides pretiosos in fundamentum templi et quadrarent eos 18 quos dolaverunt cementarii Salomonis et cementarii Hiram porro Biblii praeparaverunt ligna et lapides ad aedificandam domum

17 And the masons of Solomon, and the masons of Hiram, hewed them: and the Giblians prepared timber and stones to build the house. 18 And the king commanded that they should bring great stones, costly stones, for the foundation of the temple, and should square them:

 

Furthermore, this is not all that the Bible has to say regarding these chief officers.  In 1 Kings 9 we see a reference to 550 chief officers.

1 Kings 9:23 These were the chief of the officers that were over Solomon’s work, five hundred and fifty, which bare rule over the people that wrought in the work.

 

The verse is not found in Brenton’s Septuagint. However, yet again all major versions follow the Hebrew and read 550 in this verse.

We also see another reference to 250 chief officers in 2 Chronicles. 

 

2 Chronicles 8:10 And these were the chief of king Solomon’s officers, even two hundred and fifty, that bare rule over the people. 

 

This time the verse is found in the Septuagint and reads the same as the Hebrew, 250 

 

2 Chronicles 8:10 And these are the chiefs of the officers of king Solomon, two hundred and fifty overseeing the work among the people. Brenton’s Septuagint 

 

250 Is the reading of all versions of the Bible.

 

Correct number? 

So what is the correct number? Is it 3,300 or 3,600 and what do these other numbers of overseers, 550 and 350, refer to? 

In order to answer this and understand who these numbers refer to, it is as usual, vitally important that we look closely at the language being used and delve a little deeper.

 

Let’s look at both verses in context. 

Solomon wanted to build a house for the LORD and for himself. We are told in both accounts that Solomon had three score and ten thousand (70 thousand) men that bore burdens and fourscore thousand (80,000) men that were hewers in the mountains. 

1 Kings 5:15 And Solomon had threescore and ten thousand that bare burdens, and fourscore thousand hewers in the mountains;

2 Chronicles 2:2And Solomon told out threescore and ten thousand men to bear burdens, and fourscore thousand to hew in the mountain, and three thousand and six hundred to oversee them. 

2 Chronicles 2:18 And he set threescore and ten thousand of them to be bearers of burdens, and fourscore thousand to be hewers in the mountain, and three thousand and six hundred overseers to set the people a work.

 

So the two authors agree on these two figures, but they seemingly then disagree on the number of overseers that Solomon had.  When we pay closer attention to the information that we are given this discrepancy disappears and that the recorded numbers in the Hebrew are correct and accurate. If you start playing with the numbers, and try to align one with the other, such as what has happened in the Septuagint, you will actually create a contradiction and an error not resolve one, which is what the reading of the Septuagint does. 

 

In 1 Kings 5:16 we are clearly told that the number 3300 that ruled over the people is besides the chief of Solomon’s officers. Besides is the Hebrew בּד bad, meaning apart from/separated. So the number here is the number of overseers that ruled over the people, but it is excluding the chief of Solomon’s officers. Chief is plural in the Hebrew, this is not a reference to one single chief officer but multiple chief officers.  1 Kings gives us the total of 3,300 overseers excluding the chief officers. 

 

2 Chronicles however makes no such exclusion here, simply referring to 3,600 who oversaw the people.  There were then 3300 overseers excluding the chief officers. 2 Chronicles also makes no mention of chief officers, so there is no number of chief officers being referred to in the verse. The difference between the 2 numbers is 300. 

 

However, we also have the issue of the 550 and 250 also mentioned. How do these fit into the count as neither number is a reference to the 300 chief overseers that these two verses would indicate?

This is where we need to really concentrate on what has been stated. 

If we add the 3,300 of 1 Kings 5:16 with the 550 of 1 Kings 9:23 we get a total of 3,850. Likewise if we add the 3,600 of 2 Chronicles 2:2/18 with the 250  of 2 Chronicles 8:10 then we also get 3,850. Each book has the same numerical total of 3,850. 

 

1 Kings explicitly tells us that there were a total of 550 chief officers. This gives us the exact amount of the chief officers. So 1 Kings tells us that there were 3,300 overseers besides the 550 chief officers. This as seen, gives us the total 3,850. 

 

If we now take a closer look at 2 Chronicles 8:9 it explicitly tells us that Solomon did not make any of the children of Israel servants over his work but rather they were his captains and his chief officers. We are then given the number 250.

2 Chronicles 8:9 But of the children of Israel did Solomon make no servants for his work; but they were men of war, and chief of his captains, and captains of his chariots and horsemen. 10 And these were the chief of king Solomon’s officers, even two hundred and fifty, that bare rule over the people.

These 250 chief officers referenced here were from the children of Israel. 

 

2 Chronicles 2:2 gives us the information that Solomon conscripted the 70,000 (to bear burdens, acts as carriers, the 80,000 to hew in the mountains, to quarry stone but also , and very importantly he also conscripted 3,600 overseers.  The KJV uses the words “told out”, other versions use conscripted or assigned or selected. 

This is also recorded in 2 Chronicles 2:18. The KJV uses “set” while other versions again use assigned, conscripted or made.

 

These men recorded here were not Israelites.

These 3,600 overseers in this verse refer to the conscripted, non Israelites who were put in place as overseers. 

 

So, Solomon had a total of 550 chief officers, of which 250 were Israelites, 300 were non Israelites. 

1 Kings 5:16 then gives us the overseers (3,300)  excluding the total number of chief officers which is given in 1 Kings 9:23 (550 ). 

 

Of those 550 chief officers 250 were of Israel, as stated in 2 Chronicles 8:10,  leaving 300 non Israelite chief officers. 3,600-3,300 = 300 

2 Chronicles is giving us the total number of overseers that were not from Israel 3,600 without any distinction of the number of chief officers. 

 

Once you pay close attention to the numbers and who is included in those numbers, there is no contradiction, the numbers add up perfectly, as they should.

 

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