Adoniram (/ædəˈnaɪrəm/;[1][2] Hebrew, אדונירם, 'my Lord has exalted'; alternate form[3] Adoram, אדורם 'adoram, 'the Lord has exalted'),[4] the son of Abda, was the tax collector in the United Kingdom of Israel for over forty years, from the late years of King David's reign[5] until the reign of Rehoboam. In the language of the Tanakh, he was "over the tribute", i.e. the levy or forced labor.
![](http://178.128.105.246/host-http-upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bc/Adoniram_stoned.jpg/180px-Adoniram_stoned.jpg)
He was in charge of conscripted timber cutters during the building of King Solomon's temple.[6]
According to the biblical narrative, he was stoned to death by the people of Israel when Rehoboam sent him in an attempt to collect taxes.[7]
References
edit- ^ Webster's New Biographical Dictionary (Merriam-Webster, 1988), p. 1093.
- ^ 1 Kings 4:6; 5:14
- ^ in I Kings 12:18
- ^ NETBible, "Adoniram Archived September 4, 2009, at the Wayback Machine."
- ^ 2 Samuel 20:24
- ^ 1 Kings 5:13,14
- ^ 1 Kings 12:18. For this text see also Guy Darshan, “The Story of Adoram the Taskmaster over the Forced Labor and the Traditions Regarding the Kingdom's Division,” Vetus Testamentum 2024
- This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Easton, Matthew George (1897). "Adoniram". Easton's Bible Dictionary (New and revised ed.). T. Nelson and Sons.