Adoniram

Woodcut depicting the stoning of Adoniram, by Johann Christoph Weigel, 1695.

Adoniram (/ædəˈnaɪrəm/; 1 Kings 4:6; 5:14; Hebrew, אדונירם, 'my Lord has exalted'; alternate form, in I Kings 12:18, 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 (2 Samuel 20:24) 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 stoned to death by the people of Israel when Rehoboam sent him in an attempt to collect taxes (1 Kings 12:18).

Adoniram appears in Masonic rituals. He was in charge of conscripted timber cutters during the building of King Solomon's temple. I Kings 5:13,14

References

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Easton, Matthew George (1897). Easton's Bible Dictionary (New and revised ed.). T. Nelson and Sons. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)