2 Chronicles
Chapter 8
SOLOMON’S ACHIEVEMENTS AND REPUTATION
Various News Items About Solomon
Solomon spent twenty years building the Lord’s house and his palace.
Then he rebuilt the towns Huram had given him and settled Israelites in them.
He went against Hamath of Zobah and conquered it:
he built Tadmor in the wilderness and all the storing towns which he built in Hamath.
He rebuilt Upper Beth-horon and Lower Beth-horon, fortified towns with walls and gates and bars,
also Baalath and all the storing towns owned by Solomon, all the towns for his chariots and horses, and all it pleased Solomon to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon and all the countries subject to him.
Solomon employed for forced labor all those who remained of the Hittite, Amorite, Perizzite, Hivite, and Jebusite people, that is, the non-Israelites,
whose descendants were left in the country and had not been killed by the Israelites. Their descendants continue to be slaves down to the present time.
Upon the Israelites, however, Solomon did not impose slave labor. These served as fighting men. They were officers of his chariots and commanders of horsemen.
Solomon appointed two hundred and fifty overseers to make all these people work.
Solomon brought Pharaoh’s daughter from the city of David up to the house he had built for her. He said, “I can’t let a woman live in the palace of David, king of Israel; these are holy places where the Ark of the Lord has been.”
Solomon then offered burnt offerings to the Lord on the Lord’s altar, which he had built in front of the porch.
Observing the daily rule for burnt offerings according to the requirements of Moses for Sabbaths, New Moons, and the three annual feasts: the feast of Unleavened Bread, the feast of Weeks and the feast of Tabernacles.
He established the priestly orders in their duties according to the regulations of his father, David. He also enforced the rules affecting the Levites, who offered praise and served with the priests according to the daily ritual and the different orders of gatekeepers at each gate, for such had been the commandments of David, the man of God.
They did not change the royal ordinances to the priests and the Levites, not even in the treasuries.
In this way, Solomon’s work was completed from the day when the foundations of the Lord’s house were laid until the end—and so … the Lord’s house was finished.
Then Solomon went as far as Ezion-Geber and Elath on the shores of the sea, in the land of Edom. Huram sent him ships operated by his skilled sailors. These men went with Solomon’s men to Ophir, and from there, they brought back almost sixteen tons of gold, which they delivered to King Solomon.
Commentaries
The Reign of Solomon.
In these chapters, the Chronicler shares his view of Solomon’s reign, based on the account in 1 Kings 1-11. He omits any negative details about the king or anything that contradicts his greatness. He highlights the building of the Temple, dedicating five chapters (2-7) to it. Solomon is shown as the ideal king of Israel, the leader who fulfills David’s dream and God’s plan by constructing the Temple. He is described as the wise king who excels in construction, leadership, and trade. Chapters 1-9 begin (1:14-17) and end (9:1-28) with celebrations of Solomon’s wealth and wisdom.
Solomon’s Achievements and Reputation.
In this section, the Chronicler draws on 1 Kings 9:10-28 and 10:1-40 to construct his account. However, he omits 1 Kings 11:1-40, which provides a clear judgment on Solomon’s reign. Instead, he focuses on what makes him stand out, such as his wisdom and wealth. The section is divided into three parts: first, a list of some buildings built by Solomon (8:1-16); second, Solomon’s glory demonstrated through recognition from foreign kings and his impressive wealth (8:17-9:28); and finally, Solomon’s death. The campaign against King Hamath mentioned in 8:3 is likely historical. In 9:29, three sources are cited that the Chronicler references, but which remain unknown to us.