1 Kings 4:12
Baana the son of Ahilud; to him pertained Taanach and Megiddo, and all Beth-shean, which is by Zartanah beneath Jezreel, from Beth-shean to Abel-meholah, even unto the place that is beyond Jokneam: Baana the son of Ahilud; to him pertained Taanach and Megiddo, and all Beth-shean, which is by Zartanah beneath Jezreel, from Beth-shean to Abel-meholah, even unto the place that is beyond Jokneam:
The verse belongs to the first division of 1 Kings, chapters 1-11, which record the life and reign of Solomon, and specifically to the account in chapter 4. Solomon ruled the united kingdom of Israel after Saul and David and before the division at his death, when Rehoboam lost a large portion and the two kingdoms of Israel and Judah began. The chapter lists the high officers he placed up and down the country for administration, showing him great as well as wise.
The verse names Baana's administrative district and its towns as part of the brief account of Solomon's officers and the condition of his kingdom at the beginning of his reign. Under this administration the people were numerous and contented, and the reign was marked by the wealth of the kingdom. The period of Solomon's reign gives important lessons about the influence of leaders and the people's dependence on seeking God.
God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much and largeness of heart even as the sand on the seashore, making him wiser than all men. He was a speaker of 3000 proverbs and 1005 songs, with knowledge of trees from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop out of the wall and of beasts and fowls and creeping things and fishes. His fame was in all nations round about and spread into neighboring lands.