Adoniram (/ædəˈnaɪrəm/; Hebrew, אדונירם, 'my Lord has exalted'; alternate form Adoram, אדורם 'adoram, 'the Lord has exalted'), 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 until the reign of Rehoboam. In the language of the Tanakh, he was "over the tribute", i.e. the levy or forced labor.
He was in charge of conscripted timber cutters during the building of King Solomon's temple.
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.
References
- 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.