These were the chief officers who were over Solomon’s work: five hundred and fifty: The demonstrative adjective These points forward, so the number five hundred and fifty refers to the chief officers and not to those persons mentioned in the previous verse.

Chief officers is literally “officers of those in charge.” This is usually understood in one of two different ways: (1) “chiefs in charge” or (2) “chiefs of [or, over] the ones in charge.” The first interpretation is followed by Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, and Contemporary English Version. The second interpretation is followed by Revised English Bible (“officers in charge of the foremen”) and New Jerusalem Bible (“officials in charge of the foremen”). The question is whether these 550 officials were directly in charge of the people doing the work (Revised Standard Version) or whether these 550 officials were in charge of the foremen who supervised the workers (Revised English Bible). Jones (page 218) suggests a third possible meaning, which is “officers under the supervision of the overseers (or, territorial officers, referred to in 1 Kgs 4.5, 7, and 27).” All three interpretations are possible, but one of the first two is more likely correct.

Since the word These points forward, it will be better in most languages to restructure this verse along the lines of Good News Translation or Revised English Bible, which says:

• The number of officers in charge of the foremen over Solomon’s work was five hundred and fifty; these superintended the people engaged on the work.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Kings, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .