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1It had taken twenty years for Solomon to build the Temple of the Lord and his own palace.
2Solomon rebuilt the towns Hiram had given him, and sent Israelites to live there.
3Then Solomon attacked Hamath-zobah and captured it.
4He built Tadmor in the wilderness and also built all the storehouse towns in Hamath.
5He rebuilt Upper and Lower Beth-horon, fortified cities with walls and barred gates,
6and also Baalath. He built all the storehouse towns that belonged to him, and all the towns where he kept his chariots and horses. He built everything he wanted to in Jerusalem, Lebanon, and throughout his entire kingdom.
7There were some people who remained in the land: the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites—people who were not Israelites.
8They were the remaining descendants of the peoples that the Israelites had not destroyed. Solomon made them work as forced laborers, as they are to this day.
9But Solomon did not make any of the Israelites work as slaves. Instead, they were his military men, his officers, and commanders of his chariots and horsemen.
10They were also King Solomon's chief officers, 250 men who supervised the people.a
11Solomon moved Pharaoh's daughter from the City of David to the palace he had built for her. For he said, “My wife cannot live in the palace of David king of Israel, because wherever the Ark of the Lord has gone are holy places.”
12Then Solomon presented burnt offerings to the Lord on the altar of the Lord he had built in front of the Temple's porch.
13He followed the requirement for daily offerings as Moses had ordered for Sabbaths, new moons, and the three annual festivals—the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Weeks, and the Festival of Shelters.
14Following the instructions of his father David, he assigned the divisions of the priests for their service, and the Levites in their responsibilities to offer praise, and to help the priests in their daily duties. He also assigned gatekeepers by their divisions at each gate as David, the man of God, had instructed.
15They followed David's instructions exactly regarding the priests, the Levites, and anything to do with the treasuries.
16This is how all Solomon's work was carried out, from the day the foundation was laid for the Lord's Temple until it was finished. So the Lord's Temple was completed.
17After this Solomon went to Ezion-geber and to Eloth on the coast of the land of Edom.
18Hiram sent him ships under the command of his own officers, along with experienced sailors. They went with Solomon's men to Ophir where they loaded 450 talents of gold, which they then brought back to King Solomon.
Footnotes:
10 a“The people”: or, “his workers.”
The Lord Stirred Up the Spirit of Cyrus.
By F.B. Meyer0Obedience to GodDivine Calling2CH 36:22PRO 21:1ISA 45:1ISA 55:11JER 29:10DAN 9:2PHP 2:131TH 5:24JAS 5:16F.B. Meyer emphasizes that the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus to fulfill the prophecy of the return of the Jewish captives from Babylon, as foretold by Jeremiah and Isaiah. He highlights the importance of prayer, as exemplified by Daniel, in influencing leaders and initiating divine movements. Meyer notes that while God can stir hearts, obedience is essential, and sadly, only a few of the Jewish captives responded to the call to return. He encourages believers to rise up and act whenever they feel a divine stirring in their lives. Ultimately, the sermon calls for faith and responsiveness to God's leading.
The Places Are Holy, Whereunto The
By F.B. Meyer0RelationshipsSpiritual Unity2CH 8:11PSA 91:1AMO 3:3MAT 18:201CO 15:332CO 6:14EPH 4:3PHP 2:2COL 3:141JN 1:7F.B. Meyer emphasizes the sanctity of places where the Ark of God resides, using Solomon's marriage to Pharaoh's daughter as a cautionary tale about the dangers of spiritual division. He argues that true unity in marriage and friendships is rooted in a shared love for Christ and a commitment to His glory. Meyer warns that relationships lacking this spiritual harmony are destined for trouble, as they cannot thrive in the holy places that nurture one's faith. The sermon encourages individuals to seek partners and friends who can journey together in faith, ensuring that their bonds are built on a solid spiritual foundation.
- Adam Clarke
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
- John Gill
- Keil-Delitzsch
- Matthew Henry
- Tyndale
Introduction
Solomon's buildings, conquests, and officers, Ch2 8:1-10. He brings Pharaoh's daughter to his new-built palace, Ch2 8:11. His various sacrifices, and arrangement of the priests, Levites, and porters, Ch2 8:12-16. He sends a fleet to Ophir, Ch2 8:17, Ch2 8:18.
Verse 1
At the end of twenty years - He employed seven years and a half in building the temple, and twelve and a half, or thirteen, in building his own house. - Compare this with Kg1 7:1.
Verse 2
The cities which Huram had restored - See the note on Kg1 9:11.
Verse 3
Hamath-zobah - "Emessa, on the river Orontes." - Calmet.
Verse 4
Tadmor - Palmyra. See the note on Kg1 9:18, for an account of this superb city.
Verse 6
All the store cities - See the note on Kg1 9:19.
Verse 9
But of the children of Israel - See the note on Kg1 9:21.
Verse 11
The daughter of Pharaoh - "And Bithiah, the daughter of Pharaoh, Solomon brought up from the city of David to the palace which he had built for her." - T. Because the places are holy - Is not this a proof that he considered his wife to be a heathen, and not proper to dwell in a place which had been sanctified? Solomon had not yet departed from the true God.
Verse 13
Three times in the year - These were the three great annual feasts.
Verse 15
The commandment of the king - The institutions of David.
Verse 17
Then went Solomon to Ezion-geber - See the notes on Kg1 9:26-28 (note), for conjectures concerning Ezion-geber and Ophir.
Verse 18
Knowledge of the sea - Skilful sailors. Solomon probably bore the expenses and his friend, the Tyrian king, furnished him with expert sailors; for the Jews, at no period of their history, had any skill in maritime affairs, their navigation being confined to the lakes of their own country, from which they could never acquire any nautical skill. The Tyrians, on the contrary, lived on and in the sea.
Introduction
SOLOMON'S BUILDINGS. (Ch2 8:1-6) cities which Huram had restored . . . Solomon built them, &c.--These cities lay in the northwest of Galilee. Though included within the limits of the promised land, they had never been conquered. The right of occupying them Solomon granted to Huram, who, after consideration, refused them as unsuitable to the commercial habits of his subjects (see on Kg1 9:11). Solomon, having wrested them from the possession of the Canaanite inhabitants, repaired them and filled them with a colony of Hebrews.
Verse 3
And Solomon went to Hamath-zobah--Hamath was on the Orontes, in CÅ“le-Syria. Its king, Toi, had been the ally of David; but from the combination, Hamath and Zobah, it would appear that some revolution had taken place which led to the union of these two petty kingdoms of Syria into one. For what cause the resentment of Solomon was provoked against it, we are not informed, but he sent an armed force which reduced it. He made himself master also of Tadmor, the famous Palmyra in the same region. Various other cities along the frontiers of his extended dominions he repaired and fitted up, either to serve as store-places for the furtherance of his commercial enterprises, or to secure his kingdom from foreign invasion (see on Ch2 1:14; Kg1 9:15).
Verse 7
THE CANAANITES MADE TRIBUTARIES. (Ch2 8:7-11) all the people that were left, &c.--The descendants of the Canaanites who remained in the country were treated as war prisoners, being obliged to "pay tribute or to serve as galley slaves" (Ch2 2:18), while the Israelites were employed in no works but such as were of an honorable character.
Verse 10
two hundred and fifty that bare rule--(Compare Kg1 9:23). It is generally agreed that the text of one of these passages is corrupt.
Verse 11
Solomon brought up the daughter of Pharaoh out of the city of David unto the house that he had built for her--On his marriage with the Egyptian princess at the beginning of his reign, he assigned her a temporary abode in the city of David, that is, Jerusalem, until a suitable palace for his wife had been erected. While that palace was in progress, he himself lodged in the palace of David, but he did not allow her to occupy it, because he felt that she being a heathen proselyte, and having brought from her own country an establishment of heathen maid-servants, there would have been an impropriety in her being domiciled in a mansion which was or had been hallowed by the reception of the ark. It seems she was received on her arrival into his mother's abode (Sol 3:4; Sol 8:2).
Verse 15
SOLOMON'S FESTIVAL SACRIFICES. (Ch2 8:15-18) they departed not from the commandment of the king--that is, David, in any of his ordinances, which by divine authority he established. unto the priests and Levites concerning any matter, or concerning the treasures--either in regulating the courses of the priests and Levites, or in the destination of his accumulated treasures to the construction and adornment of the temple.
Verse 17
Then went Solomon to Ezion-geber, and to Eloth--These two maritime ports were situated at the eastern gulf of the Red Sea, now called the Gulf of Akaba. Eloth is seen in the modern Akaba, Ezion-geber in El Gudyan [ROBINSON]. Solomon, determined to cultivate the arts of peace, was sagacious enough to perceive that his kingdom could become great and glorious only by encouraging a spirit of commercial enterprise among his subjects; and, accordingly, with that in mind he made a contract with Huram for ships and seamen to instruct his people in navigation.
Verse 18
Huram sent him . . . ships--either sent him ship-men, able seamen, overland; or, taking the word "sent" in a looser sense, supplied him, that is, built him ships--namely, in docks at Eloth (compare Kg1 9:26-27). This navy of Solomon was manned by Tyrians, for Solomon had no seamen capable of performing distant expeditions. The Hebrew fishermen, whose boats plied on the Sea of Tiberias or coasted the shores of the Mediterranean, were not equal to the conducting of large vessels laden with valuable cargoes on long voyages and through the wide and unfrequented ocean. four hundred and fifty talents of gold--(Compare Kg1 9:28). The text in one of these passages is corrupt. Next: 2 Chronicles Chapter 9
Introduction
INTRODUCTION TO 2 CHRONICLES 8 This chapter contains much the same, with a little variation, as what is related in Kg1 9:10.
Verse 1
And it came to pass at the end of twenty years,.... See Gill on Kg1 9:10. . 2 Chronicles 8:2 ch2 8:2 ch2 8:2 ch2 8:2That the cities which Huram had restored to Solomon,.... Which Solomon first gave to him, but he not liking them, returned them to him, Kg1 9:12, Solomon built them; or rebuilt them, being very much out of repair, which might be one reason of Huram's not accepting them: and caused the children of Israel to dwell there; they being inhabited by others, the remains of the Canaanitcs perhaps; see Ch2 8:7.
Verse 2
And Solomon went to Hamathzobah,.... In an hostile manner, which is the only instance of any warlike expedition of Solomon's. This was Coelesyria, which though subdued in the times of David, perhaps rebelled, and now Solomon went forth to reduce it: and prevailed against it; took it.
Verse 3
And built Tadmor in the wilderness,.... Of which See Gill on Kg1 9:18. and all the storehouses which he built in Hamath; a country in Syria, which he made himself master of, and where he laid up store of provision and ammunition to keep it, should any attempt be made to rescue it out of his hands. According to an Arabic writer (a), Solomon in the twenty fourth year of his reign having demolished Antioch, built seven cities, of which Tadmor was one. (a) Abulpharag. Hist. Dynast. dyn. 3. p. 53.
Verse 4
Also he built Bethhoron the upper, and Bethhoron the nether,.... Only mention is made of the latter in Kg1 9:17, fenced cities, with walls, gates, and bars; fortified cities in the tribe of Ephraim.
Verse 5
And Baalath,.... See Kg1 9:18. From hence, to the end of Ch2 8:11, it is the same with Kg1 9:19. See Gill on Kg1 9:19. Kg1 9:20. Kg1 9:21. Kg1 9:22. Kg1 9:23. Kg1 9:24. . 2 Chronicles 8:12 ch2 8:12 ch2 8:12 ch2 8:12Then Solomon offered burnt offerings to the Lord,.... Meaning not barely at the time he rebuilt the above cities, for it was his constant practice: on the altar of the Lord, which he had built before the porch; the brasen altar, which was at the entrance into the temple, within the court; of which see Ch2 4:1.
Verse 6
Even after a certain rate every day, according to the commandment of Moses,.... The daily sacrifice, morning and evening, Exo 29:38, on the sabbaths, and on the new moons; when there were additional sacrifices, Num 28:9, &c. and on the solemn feasts three times in the year, even in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles; which serves to explain the three times in Kg1 9:25.
Verse 12
And he appointed, according to the order of David his father, the courses of the priests to their service,.... The twenty four courses which served weekly in their turns, Ch1 24:1. and the Levites to their charges, to praise and minister before the priests, as duty of every day required; who also had their courses by lot, to sing the praises of God, when the priests sacrificed, or blew the trumpets, Ch1 25:1, the porters also by their courses at every gate; from hence Dr. Lightfoot concludes that these were divided into twenty four classes, as the priests and Levite singers were: for so had David the man of God commanded, Ch1 26:1, who in all these affairs acted as a prophet, under the inspiration and direction of the Holy Spirit of God.
Verse 13
And they departed not from the commandment of the king unto the priests and Levites,.... The priests and Levites departed not from it, not from the commandment of Solomon, according to the order of David, but in all things obeyed it: concerning any matter; which related to the office of either of them, sacrificers, singers, or porters: or concerning the treasures; such of the Levites as had the care of them were faithful to their trust, see Ch1 26:20, &c.
Verse 14
Now all the work of Solomon was prepared unto the day of the foundation of the house of the Lord, and until it was finished,.... The materials were prepared, and the money for the expenses; and even the very stones and timber were made fit for the building, so that there was nothing to retard the completion of it: so the house of God was perfected; in the space of seven years, in all the parts, and according to the form and pattern of it, see Kg1 6:38.
Verse 15
Then went Solomon to Eziongeber,.... Being now at leisure to look after his navy, to carry on merchandise; and of this, and the following verse, and the reconciliation of them with Kg1 9:26; see Gill on Kg1 9:26, Kg1 9:27, Kg1 9:28. Next: 2 Chronicles Chapter 9
Introduction
Solomon's City-Building, Statute Labour, Arrangement of Public Worship, and Nautical Undertakings - 2 Chronicles 8 The building of the temple was the most important work of Solomon's reign, as compared with which all the other undertakings of the king fall into the background; and these are consequently only summarily enumerated both in the book of Kings and in the Chronicle. In our chapter, in the first place, we have, (a) the building or completion of various cities, which were of importance partly as strongholds, partly as magazines, for the maintenance of the army necessary for the defence of the kingdom against hostile attacks (Ch2 8:1-6); (b) the arrangement of the statute labour for the execution of all his building works (Ch2 8:7-11); (c) the regulation of the sacrificial service and the public worship (Ch2 8:12-16); and (d) the voyage to Ophir (Ch2 8:17, Ch2 8:18). All these undertakings are recounted in the same order and in the same aphoristic way in 1 Kings 9:10-28, but with the addition of various notes, which are not found in our narrative; while the Chronicle, again, mentions several not unimportant though subordinate circumstances, which are not found in the book of Kings; whence it is clear that in the two narratives we have merely short and mutually supplementary extracts from a more elaborate description of these matters.
Verse 1
The city-building. - Ch2 8:1. The date, "at the end of twenty years, when Solomon ... had built," agrees with that in Kg1 9:10. The twenty years are to be reckoned from the commencement of the building of the temple, for he had spent seven years in the building of the temple, and thirteen years in that of his palace (Kg1 6:38; Kg1 7:1). Ch2 8:2-4 Ch2 8:2 must be regarded as the apodosis of Ch2 8:1, notwithstanding that the object, the cities which ... precedes. The unusual position of the words is the result of the aphoristic character of the notice. As to its relation to the statement Kg1 9:10-13, see the discussion on that passage. בּנה, Ch2 8:2, is not to be understood of the fortification of these cities, but of their completion, for, according to Kg1 9:10, Kg1 9:13, they were in very bad condition. ויּושׁב, he caused to dwell there, i.e., transplanted Israelites thither, cf. Kg2 17:6. The account of the cities which Solomon built, i.e., fortified, is introduced (Ch2 8:3) by the important statement, omitted in 1 Kings 9: "Solomon went to Hamath-zobah, and prevailed against it." על חזק, to be strong upon, that is, prevail against, conquer; cf. Ch2 27:5. Hamath-zobah is not the city Hamath in Zobah, but, as we learn from Ch2 8:4, the land or kingdom of Hamath. This did not lie, any more than the city Hamath, in Zobah, but bordered on the kingdom of Zobah: cf. Ch1 18:3; and as to the position of Zobah, see the Commentary on Sa2 8:3. In David's time Hamath and Zobah had their own kings; and David conquered them, and made their kingdoms tributary (Ch1 18:3-10). Because they bordered on each other, Hamath and Zobah are here bound together as a nomen compos. עליה יחזק signifies at least this, that these tributary kingdoms had either rebelled against Solomon, or at least had made attempts to do so; which Solomon suppressed, and in order to establish his dominion over them fortified Tadmor, i.e., Palmyra, and all the store cities in the land of Hamath (see on Kg1 9:18.); for, according to Kg1 11:23., he had Rezon of Zobah as an enemy during his whole reign; see on that passage. Ch2 8:5-6 Besides these, he made Upper and Nether Beth-horon (see on Ch1 7:24) into fortified cities, with walls, gates, and bars. מצור ערי is the second object of ויּבן, and וגו חומות is in apposition to that. Further, he fortified Baalah, in the tribe of Dan, to defend the kingdom against the Philistines, and, according to Kg1 9:15-17, Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer also, - which are omitted here, while in Kg1 9:17 Upper Beth-horon is omitted, - and store cities, chariot cities, and cavalry cities; see on Kg1 9:15-19.
Verse 7
On the arrangement of the statute labour, see on Kg1 9:20-23. - This note is in Chr. abruptly introduced immediately after the preceding. Ch2 8:7 is an absolute clause: "as regards the whole people, those." מן־בּניהם (Ch2 8:8) is not partitive: some of their sons; but is only placed before the אשׁר: those of their sons (i.e., of the descendants of the whole Canaanite people) who had remained in the land, whom the Israelites had not exterminated; Solomon made a levy of these for statute labourers. The מן is wanting in 1 Kings, but is not to be struck out here on that account. Much more surprising is the אשׁר after שׂראל מן־בּני, Ch2 8:9, which is likewise not found in 1 Kings, since the following verb נתן לא is not to be taken relatively, but contains the predicate of the subject contained in the words ישׂ מן־בּני. This אשׁר cannot be otherwise justified than by supposing that it is placed after ישׂ בני מן, as in Psa 69:27 it is placed after the subject of the relative clause, and so stands for ישׂ בני מן בן אשׂר: those who were of the sons of Israel (i.e., Israelites) Solomon did not make ... The preplacing of בּניהם מן in Ch2 8:8 would naturally suggest that ישׂ בני מן should also precede, in order to bring out sharply the contrast between the sons of the Canaanites and the sons of Israel.
Verse 9
שׁלישׁיו ושׁרי should be altered into ושׁלישׁיו שׂריו as in Kg1 9:22, for שׁלישׁים are not chariot combatants, but royal adjutants; see on Exo 14:7 and Sa2 23:8. Over the statute labourers 250 upper overseers were placed. נציבים שׂרי, chief of the superiors, i.e., chief overseer. The Keth. נציבים, praefecti, is the true reading; cf. Ch1 18:13; Ch2 17:2. The Keri has arisen out of Kg1 9:23. These overseers were Israelites, while in the number 550 (Kg1 9:23) the Israelite and Canaanite upper overseers are both included; see on Ch2 2:17. בּעם refers to כּל־העם, Ch2 8:7, and denotes the Canaanite people who remained.
Verse 11
The remark that Solomon caused Pharaoh's daughter, whom he had married (Kg1 3:1), to remove from the city of David into the house which he had built her, i.e., into that part of his newly-built palace which was appointed for the queen, is introduced here, as in Kg1 9:24, because it belongs to the history of Solomon's buildings, although in the Chronicle it comes in very abruptly, the author not having mentioned Solomon's marriage to the daughter of Pharaoh (Kg1 3:1). The reason given for this change of residence on the part of the Egyptian princess is, that Solomon could not allow her, an Egyptian, to dwell in the palace of King David, which had been sanctified by the reception of the ark, and consequently assigned to her a dwelling in the city of David until he should have finished the building of his palace, in which she might dwell along with him. המּה is, as neuter, used instead of the singular; cf. Ew. 318, b. See also on Kg1 3:1 and Kg1 9:24.
Verse 12
The sacrificial service in the new temple. Cf. Kg1 9:25, where it is merely briefly recorded that Solomon offered sacrifices three times a year on the altar built by him to the Lord. In our verses we have a detailed account of it. אז, at that time, scil. when the temple building had been finished and the temple dedicated (cf. Ch2 8:1), Solomon offered burnt-offerings upon the altar which he had built before the porch of the temple. He no longer now sacrifices upon the altar of the tabernacle at Gibeon, as in the beginning of his reign (Ch2 1:3.). Ch2 8:13 "Even sacrificing at the daily rate, according to the direction of Moses." These words give a supplementary and closer definition of the sacrificing in the form of an explanatory subordinate clause, which is interpolated in the principal sentence. For the following words וגו לשּׁבּתות belong to the principal sentence (Ch2 8:12): he offered sacrifices ... on the sabbaths, the new moons, etc. The ו before בּדבר is explicative, and that = viz.; and the infin. להעלות, according to the later usage, instead of infin. absol.; cf. Ew. 280, d. The preposition בּ (before דּבר) is the so-called b essentiae: consisting in the daily (rate) to sacrifice (this); cf. Ew. 299, b. The daily rate, i.e., that which was prescribed in the law of Moses for each day, cf. Lev 23:37. למּועדות is further explained by the succeeding clause: on the three chief festivals of the year. Ch2 8:14 He ordered the temple service, also, entirely according to the arrangement introduced by David as to the service of the priests and Levites. He appointed, according to the ordinance of David his father, i.e., according to the ordinance established by David, the classes of the priests (see on 1 Chron 24) to that service, and the Levites to their stations (משׁמרות as in Ch2 7:6), to praise (cf. 1 Chron 25), and to serve before the priests (Ch1 23:28.), according to that which was appointed for every day, and the doorkeepers according to their courses, etc. (see 1 Chron 27:1-19). With the last words cf. Neh 12:24. Ch2 8:15-16 This arrangement was faithfully observed by the priests and Levites. The verb סוּר is here construed c. accus. in the signification to transgress a command (cf. Ew. 282, a), and it is therefore not necessary to alter מצות into ממּצות. על־הכּהנים depends upon מצות: the king's command concerning the priests and the Levites, i.e., that which David commanded them. וגו לכל־דּבר, in regard to all things, and especially also in regard to the treasures; cf. Ch1 26:20-28. - With Ch2 8:16 the account of what Solomon did for the public worship is concluded: "Now all the work of Solomon was prepared until the (this) day, the foundation of the house of Jahve until its completion; the house of Jahve was finished." מלאכת is explained by מוּסד. היּום is the day on which, after the consecration of the completed temple, the regular public worship was commenced in it, which doubtless was done immediately after the dedication of the temple. Only when the regular worship according to the law of Moses, and with the arrangements as to the service of the priests and Levites established by David, had been commenced, was Solomon's work in connection with the temple completed, and the house of God שׁלם, integer, perfect in all its parts, as it should be. The last clause, בית י שׁלם, is connected rhetorically with what precedes without the conjunction, and is not to be regarded as a subscription, "with which the historian concludes the whole narrative commencing with Ch2 2:1" (Berth.); for שׁלם does not signify "ended," or to be at an end, but to be set thoroughly (perfectly) in order.
Verse 17
Voyage to Ophir. Cf. Kg1 9:26-28, and the commentary on that passage, where we have discussed the divergences of our narrative, and have also come to the conclusion that Ophir is not to be sought in India, but in Southern Arabia. By אז the date of this voyage is made to fall in the period after the building of the temple and the palace, i.e., in the second half of Solomon's reign.
Introduction
In this chapter we are told, I. What cities Solomon built (Ch2 8:1-6). II. What workmen Solomon employed (Ch2 8:7-10). III. What care he took about a proper settlement for his wife (Ch2 8:11). IV. What a good method he put the temple-service into (Ch2 8:12-16). V. What trading he had with foreign countries (Ch2 8:17, Ch2 8:18).
Verse 1
This we had Kg1 9:10-24, and therefore shall only observe here, I. Though Solomon was a man of great learning and knowledge, yet he spent his days, not in contemplation, but in action, not in his study, but in his country, in building cities and fortifying them, in a time of peace preparing for a time of war, which is as much a man's business as it is in summer to provide food for winter. II. As he was a man of business himself, and did not consult his own ease, so he employed a great many hands, kept abundance of people to work. It is the interest of a state by all means possible to promote and encourage industry, and to keep its subjects from idleness. A great many strangers there were in Israel, many that remained of the Canaanites; and they were welcome to live there, but not to live and do nothing. The men of Laish, who had no business, were an easy prey to the invaders, Jdg 18:7. III. When Solomon had begun with building the house of God, and made good work and quick work of that, he prospered in all his undertakings, so that he built all that he desired to build, Ch2 8:6. Those who have a genius for building find that one project draws on another, and the latter must amend and improve the former. Now observe, 1. How the divine providence gratified even Solomon's humour, and gave him success, not only in all that he needed to build and that it was for his advantage to build, but in all that he had a mind to build. So indulgent a Father God is sometimes to the innocent desires of his children that serve him. Thus he pleased Jacob with that promise, Joseph shall put his hand on thy eyes. 2. Solomon knew how to set bounds to his desires. He was not one of those that enlarge them endlessly, and can never be satisfied, but knew when to draw in; for he finished all he desired, and then he desired no more. He did not sit down and fret that he had not more cities to build, as Alexander did that he had not more worlds to conquer, Hab 2:5. IV. That one reason why Solomon built a palace on purpose for the queen, and removed her and her court to it, was because he thought it by no means proper that she should dwell in the house of David (Ch2 8:11), considering that that had been a place of great piety, and perhaps her house was a place of great vanity. She was proselyted, it is likely, to the Jewish religion; but it is a question whether all her servants were. Perhaps they had among them the idols of Egypt, and a great deal of profaneness and debauchery. Now, though Solomon had not zeal and courage enough to suppress and punish what was amiss there, yet he so far consulted the honour of his father's memory that he would not suffer that place to be thus profaned where the ark of God had been and where holy David had prayed many a good prayer and sung many a sweet psalm. Not that all the places where the ark had been were so holy as never to be put to a common use; for then the houses of Abinadab and Obed-edom must have been so. But the place where it had been so long, and had been so publicly attended on, was so venerable that it was not fit to be the place of so much gaiety, not to say iniquity, as was to be found, I fear, in the court that Pharaoh's daughter kept. Note, Between things sacred and things common the ancient landmarks ought to be kept up. It was an outer-court of the temple that was the court of the women.
Verse 12
Here is, I. Solomon's devotion. The building of the temple was in order to the service of the temple. Whatever cost he was at in rearing the structure, if he had neglected the worship that was to be performed there, it would all have been to no purpose. Assisting the devotion of others will not atone for our own neglects. When Solomon had built the temple, 1. He kept up the holy sacrifices there, according to the law of Moses, Ch2 8:12, Ch2 8:13. In vain had the altar been built, and in vain had fire come down from heaven, if sacrifices had not been constantly brought as the food of the altar and the fuel of that fire. There were daily sacrifices, a certain rate every day, as duly as the day came, weekly sacrifices on the sabbath, double to what was offered on other days, monthly sacrifices on the new moons, and yearly sacrifices at the three solemn feasts. Those are spiritual sacrifices that are now required of us, which we are to bring daily and weekly; and it is good to be in a settled method of devotion. 2. He kept up the holy songs there, according to the law of David, who is here called the man of God, as Moses was, because he was both instructed and authorised of God to make these establishments; and Solomon took care to see them observed as the duty of every day required, Ch2 8:14. Solomon, though a wise and great man and the builder of the temple, did not attempt to amend, alter, or add to what the man of God had, in God's name, commanded, but closely adhered to that, and used his authority to have that duly observed; and then none departed from the commandment of the king concerning any matter, Ch2 8:15. He observed God's laws, and then all obeyed his orders. When the service of the temple was put into this good order, then it is said, The house of the Lord was perfected, Ch2 8:16. The work was the main matter, not the place; the temple was unfinished till all this was done. II. Solomon's merchandise. He did himself in person visit the sea-port towns of Eloth and Ezion-geber; for those that deal much in the world will find it their interest, as far as they can, to inspect their affairs themselves and to see with their own eyes, Ch2 8:17. Canaan was a rich country, and yet must send to Ophir for gold; the Israelites were a wise and understanding people, and yet must be beholden to the king of Tyre for men that had knowledge of the seas, Ch2 8:18. Yet Canaan was God's peculiar land, and Israel God's peculiar people. This teaches us that grace, and not gold, is the best riches, and acquaintance with God and his law, not with arts and sciences, the best knowledge.
Verse 2
8:2 The twenty towns that Solomon had given Hiram in exchange for gold were unsatisfactory to Hiram (1 Kgs 9:11-14); this implies that Hiram gave them back to Solomon, who apparently provided other compensation.
Verse 3
8:3 This verse is the only reference in Chronicles of Solomon’s military accomplishments; he was known as a man of peace (1 Chr 22:9). The kingdoms of David and Solomon extended to Hamath-zobah in the far north on the Orontes River. King Toi, the ruler of Hamath, sought David’s support against Hadadezer, king of Zobah (1 Chr 18:9-10). Hadadezer was also referred to as the king of Zobah-Hamath (1 Chr 18:3). Solomon conducted an expedition against this territory to maintain the stability of his kingdom’s northern border.
Verse 4
8:4 The Chronicler describes the northern reaches of Solomon’s kingdom. Tadmor later became Palmyra, an oasis city in Syria along the desert trade routes with Mesopotamia, 120 miles northeast of Damascus. It is not mentioned elsewhere in the Bible. At some point, it came to be identified with the list of fortified cities in Solomon’s kingdom (cp. 1 Kgs 9:18, where Tamar/Tadmor indicates a city in southeast Judah).
Verse 5
8:5 Upper and Lower Beth-horon sit astride a ridge rising from the Valley of Aijalon to the plateau north of Jerusalem. Fortifications protected the route connecting Jerusalem to the major coastal trade route.
Verse 6
8:6 Some cities were used for storage and for military cavalry. Large building complexes at Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer contained long rooms divided into three sections with two rows of pillars. They might have been used as stables and storehouses, or they might have provided barracks for a professional army.
Verse 11
8:11 Solomon’s alliance with Egypt through his marriage to Pharaoh’s daughter is mentioned repeatedly in Kings (1 Kgs 3:1; 9:16, 24; 11:1). Solomon’s ability to marry into the Egyptian royal family shows the extent of his kingdom and international influence. Solomon provided her with a permanent personal residence to show that he regarded her as the most important of his wives. It also preserved the sanctity of David’s palace, probably because Pharaoh’s daughter was pagan.
Verse 17
8:17-18 By discussing Solomon’s activities at his kingdom’s most northern and southern borders, the Chronicler shows the extent of Solomon’s empire. Solomon controlled ports on the Red Sea that provided for international trade to the south. • Hiram was a valuable ally; his people, the Phoenicians of Tyre, had extensive trade networks and were expert mariners, helping Solomon trade with Ophir. • Ophir is traditionally thought to be in southwest Arabia (see Gen 10:28-29).