1 Kings 4:2

And these were the princes [ i.e. ministers, officers. Cf. 2 Samuel 8:15-18 , and 2 Samuel 20:23-26 ] which he had, Azariah the son [ i.e; descendant, probably grandson. See on 1 Chronicles 6:10 ] of Zadok the priest. [We are here confronted by two questions of considerable difficulty. First, to whom does the title "priest" here belong, to Azariah or to Zadok? Second, what are we to understand by the term, a spiritual, or a more or less secular person— ἱερεύς or βουλευτής ? As to

1. the Vulgate ( sacerdotis ) and apparently the Authorized Version, with the Rabbins, Luther, and many later expounders, connect the title with Zadok (who is mentioned as priest in verse 4), and understand that Azariah, the son of the high priest Zadok, was, together with the sons of Shisha, one of the scribes (verse 3). It is true that this view obviates some difficulties, but against it are these considerations.

2. What are we to understand by "the priest "— הַכֹהֵן ? It is urged by Keil, Bähr, al. that this cannot mean "priest" in the ordinary sense of the word, still less "high priest," for the following reasons:

(4) if we are to understand by "the priest" in verse 2, "prime minister;" by "priests" in verse 4, "high priests," and by "priest" in verse 5, "principal officer," language has no certain meaning.