2 Chronicles 2:17
“Solomon counted all the foreigners who were in the land of Israel, after the census with which David his father had counted them; and they found one hundred fifty-three thousand six hundred.”
What does 2 Chronicles 2:17 mean?
King Solomon was organizing his kingdom's resources to build the Temple, and part of that inventory included the foreign workers and residents living in Israel. His father David had already done a census of these people, so Solomon was updating those numbers to see what labor force was available. The count of over 153,000 foreigners shows just how cosmopolitan ancient Israel had become, with people from many nations living and working within its borders. This wasn't unusual for a wealthy kingdom, especially one engaged in major building projects that required skilled workers from across the known world.