Ben-deker (or Ben-Dekar) is a figure mentioned in the King James Version solely as one of the twelve chief commissariat officers appointed by King Solomon to manage the civil and economic affairs of the united kingdom. Like the other eleven officers, the name is a patronymic—it means “Son of Deker”—rather than a personal name.
I. Role in Solomon’s Administrative Structure
King Solomon established a brilliant, though burdensome, organizational structure to provide for his vast royal household, which required continuous and immense supplies. This system divided the kingdom of Israel into twelve districts, with each officer responsible for collecting provisions for one month out of the year.
Ben-deker was assigned a central, strategically important district:
“The son of Dekar, in Makaz, and in Shaalbim, and Bethshemesh, and Elonbethhanan:” (1 Kings 4:9, KJV).
- The Responsibility: Ben-deker’s duty was to ensure that for his assigned month, the daily necessities for the king, his family, and his court—including thirty measures of fine flour, sixty measures of meal, thirty oxen, and a hundred sheep—were collected and delivered without fail (1 Kings 4:22-23, KJV).
- The Territory: His district included several vital towns—Makaz, Shaalbim, and Bethshemesh—all located in the fertile lowlands of the tribe of Dan and Benjamin, underscoring the agricultural wealth he managed.
II. Significance to the Kingdom’s Stability
Ben-deker’s inclusion in this administrative list emphasizes two key aspects of Solomon’s kingdom:
- Organizational Genius: The detailed, calendar-based rotation ensured that no single district was perpetually burdened, yet the flow of goods was uninterrupted, maintaining the stability and prosperity described in the Golden Age of Israel.
- Royal Authority: These officers were direct representatives of Solomon’s centralized power. Their ability to collect and provision the massive royal needs demonstrated the king’s supreme authority over all the tribes of Israel.
The mention of Ben-deker’s administration is a brief but powerful witness to the organization and worldly might achieved by Israel before the kingdom was split by Rehoboam.