"A man's feet take him to the place where he is needed": The Story of the Deaths of Elihoreph and Ahijah, sons of Shisha, scribes of Solomon (I Kings 4:3 and Sukkah 53a)

A Talmudic story of fate and destiny

Similar themes to ones discussed in previous pieces: narrative expansion of Biblical verses; incarnation of Death; Luz. The Talmudic story that we discussed in Sanhedrin 13, also mentions both Luz, and the twelve prefects (nitzavim) of Solomon in this Biblical passage. 

The Full Biblical Passage

The Talmud will tell an expansive story about two servants of Solomon listed in this Biblical passage. I cite the full context, as it’s independently an interesting list. 

I_Kings.4.1-20 (I added punctuation and line numberings; the people discussed by the Talmud are in line #2 of the first list):

ויהי המלך שלמה מלך על־כל־ישראל          

ואלה השרים אשר־לו: 

1. עזריהו בן־צדוק -- הכהן          

2. אליחרף ואחיה בני שישא -- ספרים         

3. יהושפט בן־אחילוד -- המזכיר          

4. ובניהו בן־יהוידע -- על־הצבא         

5. וצדוק ואביתר -- כהנים          

6. ועזריהו בן־נתן -- על־הנצבים         

7. וזבוד בן־נתן כהן -- רעה המלך          

8. ואחישר -- על־הבית         

9. ואדנירם בן־עבדא -- על־המס          

ולשלמה שנים־עשר נצבים על־כל־ישראל, וכלכלו את־המלך ואת־ביתו, חדש בשנה יהיה על־[האחד] (אחד) לכלכל          

ואלה שמותם: 

1. בן־חור -- בהר אפרים          

2. בן־דקר -- במקץ, ובשעלבים, ובית שמש, ואילון בית חנן          

3. בן־חסד -- בארבות, לו שכה וכל־ארץ חפר          

4. בן־אבינדב -- כל־נפת דאר, טפת בת־שלמה היתה לו לאשה          

5. בענא בן־אחילוד -- תענך, ומגדו, וכל־בית שאן אשר אצל צרתנה מתחת ליזרעאל, מבית שאן עד אבל מחולה עד מעבר ליקמעם          

6. בן־גבר -- ברמת גלעד, לו חות יאיר בן־מנשה אשר בגלעד, לו חבל ארגב אשר בבשן, ששים ערים גדלות חומה ובריח נחשת          

7. אחינדב בן־עדא -- מחנימה          

8. אחימעץ -- בנפתלי, גם־הוא לקח את־בשמת בת־שלמה לאשה          

9. בענא בן־חושי -- באשר ובעלות          

10. יהושפט בן־פרוח -- ביששכר          

11. שמעי בן־אלא -- בבנימן          

12. גבר בן־ארי -- בארץ גלעד ארץ סיחון  מלך האמרי ועג מלך הבשן ונציב אחד אשר בארץ 

יהודה וישראל רבים כחול אשר־על־הים לרב, אכלים ושתים ושמחים

King Solomon was now king over all Israel. 

These were his officials:

1. Azariah son of Zadok—the priest; 

2. Elihoreph and Ahijah sons of Shisha—scribes;

3. Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud—recorder; 

4. Benaiah son of Jehoiada—over the army;

5. Zadok and Abiathar—priests; 

6. Azariah son of Nathan—in charge of the prefects;

7. Zabud son of Nathan the priest—companion of the king; 

8. Ahishar—in charge of the palace; 

9. and Adoniram son of Abda—in charge of the forced labor. 

Solomon had twelve prefects governing all Israel, who provided food for the king and his household; each had to provide food for one month in the year.  

And these were their names: 

1. Ben-hur, in the hill country of Ephraim;  

2. Ben-deker, in Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth-shemesh, and Elon-beth-hanan;  

3. Ben-hesed in Arubboth—he governed Socho and all the Hepher area; 

4. Ben-abinadab, [in] all of Naphath-dor (Solomon’s daughter Taphath was his wife);  

5. Baana son of Ahilud [in] Taanach and Megiddo and all Beth-shean, which is beside Zarethan, below Jezreel—from Beth-shean to Abel-meholah as far as the other side of Jokmeam;  

6. Ben-geber, in Ramoth-gilead—he governed the villages of Jair son of Manasseh that are in Gilead, and he also governed the district of Argob that is in Bashan, sixty large towns with walls and bronze bars;  

7. Ahinadab son of Iddo, in Mahanaim;  

8. Ahimaaz, in Naphtali (he too took a daughter of Solomon—Basemath—to wife);  

9. Baanah son of Hushi, in Asher and Bealoth;  

10. Jehoshaphat son of Paruah, in Issachar;  

11. Shimei son of Ela, in Benjamin;  

12. Geber son of Uri, in the region of Gilead, the country of Sihon, king of the Amorites, and Og, king of Bashan; and one prefect who was in the land.  

Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sands of the sea; they ate and drank and were content.

It is interesting that two of the twelve prefects were married to Solomon’s daughters, who are named here: Taphath and Basemath.

It is also interesting that many of the names only have a patronym: “ben X”. Similar to what we found in the Mishnah (Shekalim.5.1), for officers of the Temple. In fact, one of the names is (almost definitely coincidentally) exactly the same: “ben Gever”. 

The Talmudic story of the Deaths of Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha, servants of Solomon

Sukkah.53a.5-6:

The full story is in Aramaic, and fits a typical story of the anonymous Talmud.

הנהו תרתי כושאי דהוו קיימי קמי שלמה, אליחרף ואחיה בני שישא, סופרים דשלמה הוו. 

יומא חד חזייה מלאך המות דהוה קא עציב, אמר ליה: אמאי עציבת? 

אמר ליה: דקא בעו מינאי הני תרתי כושאי דיתבי הכא. 

מסרינהו לשעירים, שדרינהו למחוזא דלוז. 

כי מטו למחוזא דלוז — שכיבו. 

למחר, חזיה מלאך המות דהוה קבדח! 

אמר ליה: אמאי בדיחת? 

אמר ליה: באתר דבעו מינאי, תמן שדרתינהו. 

מיד פתח שלמה ואמר: רגלוהי דבר איניש אינון ערבין ביה, לאתר דמיתבעי — תמן מובילין יתיה. 

The Gemara relates with regard to these two Cushites¹ who would stand before Solomon: “Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha” (I Kings 4:3), and they were scribes of Solomon. 

One day Solomon saw that the Angel of Death was sad. He said to him: Why are you sad? 

He said to him: They are asking me to take the lives of these two Cushites who are sitting here. 

Solomon handed them to the demons in his service, and sent them to the district of Luz, where the Angel of Death has no dominion. 

When they arrived at the district of Luz, they died. 

The following day, Solomon saw that the Angel of Death was happy. 

He said to him: Why are you happy? 

He replied: In the place that they asked me to take them, there you sent them. The Angel of Death was instructed to take their lives in the district of Luz. Since they resided in Solomon’s palace and never went to Luz, he was unable to complete his mission. That saddened him. Ultimately, Solomon dispatched them to Luz, enabling the angel to accomplish his mission. That pleased him. 

Immediately, Solomon began to speak and said: The feet of a person are responsible for him; to the place where he is in demand, there they lead him.

1. It is unclear to me why the Talmud added the detail of them being Cushites (kushaei - כושאי), something which is not indicated at all in the Biblical verse. The verse only says that they were scribes, which is mentioned by the Talmud as well.