The vast logistics of King Solomon's empire extended far beyond feeding the royal household. Maintaining the kingdom required a massive, highly organized system to care for the countless animals that served both the state and the military. The king's regional deputies managed the precise distribution of barley and straw, the primary diet for the horses and other working animals [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. These additional animals were either a specific breed known for their swift running [מצודת ציון, אברבנאל] or mules bred from horses and donkeys [רד"ק, אברבנאל].
Sustaining a military force of this size demanded enormous quantities of food. Solomon maintained forty thousand horses, an unprecedented number for a king during a time of peace. While another historical record mentions only four thousand horses, this is understood to mean there were four thousand stable buildings, each housing ten horses. Maintaining such a massive cavalry was not an act of royal pride, but a calculated political strategy. This overwhelming force served as a powerful deterrent. It struck fear into neighboring nations, ensuring their submission and preventing wars, which ultimately secured peace throughout the kingdom [אברבנאל].
The deputies delivered these massive food supplies to specific locations. Some explain that the provisions followed the king, brought directly to wherever he was staying at the time [רש"י]. Others suggest the supplies were delivered straight to the large stables where the animals were housed [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. This distribution was geographically split between two main hubs. The first was Jerusalem, where the king kept his personal horsemen and riding horses to display the splendor of the crown. The second consisted of designated chariot cities, specially built to house the chariot horses [רד"ק, אברבנאל].
This complex operation ran smoothly because each deputy followed a strict, predetermined division of labor. Opinions differ on how this system was organized. It may have been a division of time, with each deputy responsible for providing supplies during his specific assigned month [מצודת דוד, אברבנאל]. Alternatively, it was a division of geography and tasks, where each deputy knew exactly which location he was required to supply [רד"ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ].