Albert Barnes Commentary 1 Kings 5:13

"And king Solomon raised a levy out of all Israel; and the levy was thirty thousand men." — 1 Kings 5:13 (ASV)

A levy out of all Israel. This was apparently the first time the Israelites had been called upon to perform forced labor, an act that had been prophesied (1 Samuel 8:16).

Previously, David had subjected only the strangers to forced service (1 Chronicles 22:2), but until now, the Israelites themselves had escaped this requirement. Solomon, however, now laid this burden upon them in connection with his proposed work of building the temple, using the honor of God as an excuse.

From the 1,300,000 able-bodied Israelites (2 Samuel 24:9), a band of 30,000 was raised—one in every forty-four men. Of this group, one-third was constantly at work in Lebanon, while the other two-thirds remained at home to pursue their usual occupations.

Although this was a relatively light form of task-work, it was perceived as a great oppression and became the chief cause of the ten tribes' revolt after Solomon’s death (1 Kings 12:4).