Solomon numbered all the aliens who were residing in the land of Israel, after the census that his father David had taken, and found them to be one hundred fifty-three thousand six hundred — Solomon conducts a מִסְפָּר (census/counting) of the גֵּרִים (gerim, resident aliens or sojourners) in Israel, finding a total of 153,600. These were non-Israelites (likely descendants of the Canaanites) residing within Israelite territory. The Chronicler notes David had previously conducted such a census, and Solomon is recounting. The specific number, while perhaps idealized, indicates substantial non-Israelite population within the kingdom. These aliens, lacking land rights and citizenship in the Israelite theocratic system, constituted a labor pool available for corvée (forced labor). The census serves administrative purpose: Solomon needs to know available labor for the construction projects. This verse, while pragmatic, raises later ethical questions (touched upon in chapter 8): the use of forced labor, even for divine projects, troubled later Israelite conscience.

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