Charles Ellicott Commentary 1 Kings 4:6

"and Ahishar was over the household; and Adoniram the son of Abda was over the men subject to taskwork." — 1 Kings 4:6 (ASV)

Over the household, —like the “High Steward” of a modern Court. In 2 Kings 18:18, we find the same three officers mentioned (“Eliakim, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder”).

Adoniram ... over the tribute (or “levy”),—evidently the head of Solomon’s great public works (See 1 Kings 5:14). The name is elsewhere given as Adoram. It should be noted that in the enumeration of David’s officers in the early part of the reign (2 Samuel 8:16–18), no such officer is found; but in the latter part of his reign, the list contains the name of Adoram (2 Samuel 20:24). It has been thought that the numbering of the people recorded in 2 Samuel 24:0 and 1 Chronicles 21:0 was in preparation for such forced work, and for this reason was odious to Joab and others. In 1 Kings 12:18, we read how the holder of this office, being naturally most unpopular with those who had felt the burden of Solomon’s splendour, was stoned to death in the insurrection against Rehoboam.

To this list, the Greek Version adds: “Eliab the son of Shaphat was over the body-guard.” As the office of captain of the bodyguard is found in the other lists and is too important to be omitted, it is possible that this addition corrects some defect in the Hebrew text. Yet it is also possible that no successor to Benaiah was appointed, as experience had shown during the crushing of Adonijah’s rebellion how easily the captaincy of the bodyguard might become a quasi-independent power.