2 Chronicles 8:1
Verse
Context
Sermons
F.B. MeyerSummary
Commentary
- Adam Clarke
- Keil-Delitzsch
- John Gill
- Matthew Henry
Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
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.
Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch Old Testament Commentary
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.
John Gill Bible Commentary
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.
Matthew Henry Bible Commentary
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.
2 Chronicles 8:1
Solomon’s Additional Achievements
1Now at the end of the twenty years during which Solomon had built the house of the LORD and his own palace, 2Solomon rebuilt the cities Hiram had given him and settled Israelites there.
- Scripture
- Sermons
- Commentary
- Adam Clarke
- Keil-Delitzsch
- John Gill
- Matthew Henry
Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
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.
Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch Old Testament Commentary
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.
John Gill Bible Commentary
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.
Matthew Henry Bible Commentary
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.