2 Chronicles · Chapter 8
And it came to pass at the end of twenty years, wherein Solomon had built the house of the LORD, and his own house,
That the cities which Huram had restored to Solomon, Solomon built them, and caused the children of Israel to dwell there.
Adam Clarke
Verse 2. The cities which Huram had restored] See Clarke’s note on “1 Kings 9:11”.
Joseph Benson
Verse 2. The cities which Huram had restored — Which Solomon gave to Hiram, but which, not being pleased with them, he restored to him again, 1 Kings 9:12. Solomon built them — That is, rebuilt them, and placed his own subjects in them.
And Solomon went to Hamathzobah, and prevailed against it.
Adam Clarke
Verse 3. Hamath-zobah] “Emessa, on the river Orontes.”-Calmet.
And he built Tadmor in the wilderness, and all the store cities, which he built in Hamath.
Adam Clarke
Verse 4. Tadmor] Palmyra. See Clarke’s note on “1 Kings 9:18”, for an account of this superb city.
Joseph Benson
Verse 4. He built Tadmor — For the explanation of this and the following verses, see notes on 1 Kings 9:17, 18, &c.
Joseph Sutcliffe
Verse 4. Tadmor, Palmyra. 1 Kings 9:18. This city rose to be capital of a province, which sent eighty thousand men to join the Assyrian army. Its ruins exhibit a wall eleven miles in circumference.
Also he built Bethhoron the upper, and Bethhoron the nether, fenced cities, with walls, gates, and bars;
And Baalath, and all the store cities that Solomon had, and all the chariot cities, and the cities of the horsemen, and all that Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem, and in Lebanon, and throughout all the land of his dominion.
Adam Clarke
Verse 6. All the store cities] See Clarke’s note on “1 Kings 9:19”.
As for all the people that were left of the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, which were not of Israel,
But of their children, who were left after them in the land, whom the children of Israel consumed not, them did Solomon make to pay tribute until this day.
But of the children of Israel did Solomon make no servants for his work; but they were men of war, and chief of his captains, and captains of his chariots and horsemen.
Adam Clarke
Verse 9. But of the children of Israel] See Clarke’s note on “1 Kings 9:21”.
And these were the chief of king Solomon’s officers, even two hundred and fifty, that bare rule over the people.
And Solomon brought up the daughter of Pharaoh out of the city of David unto the house that he had built for her: for he said, My wife shall not dwell in the house of David king of Israel, because the places are holy, whereunto the ark of the LORD hath come.
John Wesley
V. 11. The house-He built this house for her; because the ark was now in the house of David, which therefore ought to be kept pure and free from the very danger and appearance of pollution.
Adam Clarke
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.
Joseph Benson
Verse 11. Unto the house which he had built — This house he had built for her, because the ark was now in the house of David, which therefore ought to be kept pure and free from every danger and appearance of pollution. For though Pharaoh’s daughter was proselyted to the Jewish religion, and had renounced idolatry, it is not likely that both she and all her servants had embraced the whole law of Moses; and therefore they might many ways defile a place made sacred by that symbol of the divine presence.
Joseph Sutcliffe
Ver. 11. My wife shall not dwell in the house of David—because the places are holy. The Targum calls this princess Bithiah, daughter of Pharaoh. She was a heathen, and appears to have retained her superstitions. She wanted the heart of Ruth, to say, “Thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God!” No idolatrous person, however exalted, could be suffered to dwell in the holy places.
Then Solomon offered burnt offerings unto the LORD on the altar of the LORD, which he had built before the porch,
Even after a certain rate every day, offering according to the commandment of Moses, on the sabbaths, and on the new moons, 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.
Adam Clarke
Verse 13. Three times in the year] These were the three great annual feasts.
And he appointed, according to the order of David his father, the courses of the priests to their service, and the Levites to their charges, to praise and minister before the priests, as the duty of every day required: the porters also by their courses at every gate: for so had David the man of God commanded.
John Wesley
V. 14. Man of God-A prophet inspired by God in these matters, whose commands therefore are the commands of God.
Joseph Benson
Verse 14. So had David the man of God commanded — David is here called the man of God, as Moses had been, because he was a prophet divinely inspired, and was both instructed and authorized of God to make these establishments. Hence his commands are represented as being the commands of God. And 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 commanded in God’s name, but closely adhered to it, and used his authority to have it duly observed.
And they departed not from the commandment of the king unto the priests and Levites concerning any matter, or concerning the treasures.
Adam Clarke
Verse 15. The commandment of the king] The institutions of David.
Joseph Benson
Verses 15, 16. They departed not from the commandment of the king — He obeyed God’s commands enjoined by David, in God’s name, and by inspiration of God’s Spirit, and therefore all obeyed his orders. Now all the work of Solomon was prepared — All the materials were procured, and in all points fitted and completed beforehand. So the house of God was perfected — This is now said, because the service of the temple was now put into this good order. The work was the main matter, not the place: the temple was unfinished till all this was done.
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. So the house of the LORD was perfected.
John Wesley
V. 16. Prepared-All the materials were procured, and in all points fitted and compleated before-hand.
Joseph Benson
Verses 15, 16. They departed not from the commandment of the king — He obeyed God’s commands enjoined by David, in God’s name, and by inspiration of God’s Spirit, and therefore all obeyed his orders. Now all the work of Solomon was prepared — All the materials were procured, and in all points fitted and completed beforehand. So the house of God was perfected — This is now said, because the service of the temple was now put into this good order. The work was the main matter, not the place: the temple was unfinished till all this was done.
Then went Solomon to Eziongeber, and to Eloth, at the sea side in the land of Edom.
Adam Clarke
Verse 17. Then went Solomon to Ezion-geber] See the notes on 1 Kings 9:26-28, for conjectures concerning Ezion-geber and Ophir.
And Huram sent him by the hands of his servants ships, and servants that had knowledge of the sea; and they went with the servants of Solomon to Ophir, and took thence four hundred and fifty talents of gold, and brought them to king Solomon.
Adam Clarke
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.
II CHRONICLES
Adam Clarke
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 1 Kings 7:1.