Tyndale Open Study Notes

Verse 2

9:2 The Lord had previously appeared to Solomon when granting his desire for wisdom (3:3-15). The Chronicler provides additional details of God’s blessings or judgment, depending on the faithfulness of Solomon and Israel (2 Chr 7:11-22).

Verse 3

9:3-9 The Lord answered Solomon’s prayer by reviewing the conditions of the covenant. Obedience would bring prosperity and the Lord’s blessing; disobedience could mean utter disaster, including destruction of the city and Temple, and deportation of God’s people (see Deut 28:36-37, 63-68). Although God’s covenant was irrevocable, receiving its blessings depended upon faithfulness to its terms (Ps 89:24-37).

Verse 10

9:10-14 In Solomon’s business agreement with King Hiram, he exchanged wheat and olive oil for timber and gold (5:10-11). When Solomon became indebted to Hiram, he gave him twenty towns in . . . Galilee as compensation. However, Hiram was dissatisfied with the towns, so he returned them to Solomon’s control (see 2 Chr 8:2). The two friends settled upon other means of compensation and remained active allies and trading partners (1 Kgs 9:26-28; 10:22).

Verse 15

9:15-24 Solomon used forced labor to complete many building projects (4:6; 5:13-18; 9:20-23; 12:4, 18-19; cp. 1 Sam 8:10-18).

9:15 Solomon strengthened the supporting terraces, which were on a slope of the southeastern ridge in the traditional City of David area of Jerusalem (see 2 Sam 5:9), and the wall of Jerusalem. He also fortified the key cities of Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer. Archaeological research shows that the walls and gates of all three cities have distinctive traits attributable to Solomon’s time. Hazor, in the north, was a first line of defense against invasion. Megiddo, in the Plain of Sharon, also had strategic military importance (2 Kgs 23:29-30; Rev 16:12-16).

Verse 16

9:16 Gezer, west of Jerusalem, was not previously occupied by Israelites. It was conquered by the Egyptian pharaoh and given to his daughter as a wedding gift when she married Solomon. An inscription in the Amon Temple in Tanis, apparently depicting a victory by the 21st dynasty Pharaoh Siamun (978–959 BC) against a Philistine campaign, suggests that Siamun was the pharaoh involved.

Verse 17

9:17-18 Lower Beth-horon was an important defensive site for western Judah. Several cities in Canaan were called Baalath; the one here was probably also known as Kiriath-jearim (2 Sam 6:2; see Josh 15:9; 1 Chr 13:5, 6). Tamar was probably located in the southeastern quarter of the Holy Land (see Ezek 47:19; 48:28).

Verse 20

9:20-23 Solomon’s conscripted slaves were made up of early Canaanite settlers; 550 chief supervisors, of whom 250 were Israelites, superintended the forced laborers (2 Chr 8:9-10; see 1 Kgs 5:15-16 with 2 Chr 2:17-18).

Verse 21

9:21 completely destroyed: See “Complete Destruction” Theme Note.

Verse 24

9:24 The new palace Solomon built for . . . Pharaoh’s daughter was separate from Solomon’s own residence because his palace was deemed holy, “for the Ark of the Lord has been there” (2 Chr 8:11). The place where the Ark resided was considered sacred, since it embodied God’s presence and sanctified its surroundings (Exod 25:22; see also 2 Sam 6:7; 1 Chr 15:11-13).

Verse 25

9:25 Three times each year Solomon provided exemplary leadership for Israel as he presented . . . offerings at the national festivals of Unleavened Bread, Harvest (or Pentecost, or Weeks), and Shelters (Deut 16:16).

Verse 26

9:26-28 The seaport of Ezion-geber was situated on the Gulf of Aqaba, which opens onto the Red Sea. The location of Ophir is uncertain but may have been located in southwestern Arabia, eastern Africa, or India; the mention of gold and other precious commodities (see 10:11-12) indicates its strategic importance for trade.