Commentary for I Kings 5:30

Chief officers. The oppressors and overseers over those who did the work.

Three thousand three hundred [officers]. And in II Divrei Hayomim it says, “[three thousand] and six hundred.”²¹Ibid. It is my opinion that three thousand three hundred men were in charge of one hundred fifty thousand, so that each one was in charge of slightly over forty-five, and the three hundred that were added in Divrei Hayomim were in charge of all of them, so that each was in charge of a little more than five hundred. And you should know that there are two additional passages regarding this matter, that contradict each other. For [further on] in this book it states, “These were the supervising officers that oversaw the work for Shlomo, [there were] five hundred and fifty [of them],”²²I Melochim 9:23. and in Divrei Hayomim it says, “two hundred and fifty.”²³II Divrei Hayomim 8:10. These are four verses contradicting each other. But we may explain that those that are in the latter verses²⁴I Melochim 9:23 and II Divrei Hayomim 8:10. are referring to those who were in charge of all of them. And Shlomo had employed these proselytes to be bearers of burdens to hew stones in the mountain. He had the remaining workers for the store cities who were native born [Jews], because these passages are stated there.²⁵In II Divrei Hayomim the passages discuss the store cities. However, in the book of Melochim he counted the proselyte officers in two separate totals. [First was the total of] the officers who were in charge of forty-five men each, separately, and he combined²⁶In I Melochim 9:23. the three hundred superior officers with the two hundred and fifty men who were in charge of the builders of the store cities and total together five hundred and fifty officers. And in II Divrei Hayomim he counted all the proselyte officers separately, the more important together with the less important, three thousand six hundred [men], all were proselytes. And the officers [in charge of the workers] in the store cities who totaled two hundred and fifty Jews, he counted separately.

Who controlled the people that did the work. The taskmasters over the people who did the work.