Bible Dictionary
Solomons Servants
Solomon’s servants were descendants of Canaanite laborers whom Solomon employed in royal building works. Their descendants returned from the Babylonian captivity as a distinct group.
Definition
Solomon’s servants were the descendants of Canaanites whom Solomon reduced to a dependent laboring status. They worked in stone-quarries and in the construction of palaces, cities, and other royal works.
Biblical Usage
Their descendants appear in the lists of those who returned from the Babylonian captivity with Zerubbabel. They formed a distinct order and apparently inherited the functions and skills of their ancestors.
Historical Background
Their labor is connected with Solomon’s building activities, including work on the temple, royal cities, and fortifications. The descendants retained their designation after the captivity.
Scripture References
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
Smith's Bible Dictionary
(Children OF). (Ezra 2:55,58; Nehemiah 7:57,60) The persons thus named appear in the lists of the exiles who returned from the captivity. They were the descendants of the Canaanites who were reduced by Solomon to the helot state, and compelled to labor in the king’s stone-quarries and in building his palaces and cities. (1 Kings 5:13,14; 9:20,21; 2 Chronicles 8:7,8) They appear to have formed a distinct order, inheriting probably the same functions and the same skill as their ancestors.