Introduction

‘At the end of twenty years, during which Solomon built the temple of the LORD and his own palace, Solomon rebuilt the villages that Hiram had given him, and settled Israelites in them. Solomon then went to Hamath Zobah and captured it. He also built up Tadmor in the desert and all the store cities he had built in Hamath. He rebuilt Upper Beth Horon and Lower Beth Horon as fortified cities, with walls and with gates and bars, as well as Baalath and all his store cities, and all the cities for his chariots and for his horses—whatever he desired to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon and throughout all the territory he ruled. There were still people left from the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites (these people were not Israelites). Solomon conscripted the descendants of all these people remaining in the land—whom the Israelites had not destroyed—to serve as slave labour, as it is to this day. But Solomon did not make slaves of the Israelites for his work; they were his fighting men, commanders of his captains, and commanders of his chariots and charioteers. They were also King Solomon’s chief officials—two hundred and fifty officials supervising the men.’ 2 Chronicles 8:1-10

SOLOMON’S OTHER ACTIVITIES

It took Solomon seven years to build the temple and thirteen years to build his palace, 2 Chronicles 8:1.

Clarke, in his commentary, says the following.

‘He employed seven years and a half in building the temple, and twelve years and a half in building the king’s house, 1 Kings 7:1 / 2 Chronicles 8:1.’

At the end of these twenty years, 2 Chronicles 8:1 / 1 Kings 9:10, his kingdom was secure, stable, and blessed. Because Hiram, king of Tyre, 2 Chronicles 8:2, had supplied labourers, the cedar and cypress trees, juniper and gold for Solomon’s temple and his royal place, 1 Kings 5:1-18, it was now time to pay him. Solomon gives him twenty towns in Galilee, 1 Kings 9:10-11.

Barnes, in his commentary, says the following.

‘By the spirit, if not by the letter, of the Law, Solomon had no right to give away these cities, or any part of the inheritance of Israel, Leviticus 25:13-34. But the exigencies of a worldly policy caused the requirements of the Law to be set aside.’

Selman, in his commentary, says the following.

‘A problem comes in reconciling the mention of the cities that Hiram gave to Solomon, because 1 Kings 9:11-14 indicates that they were given by Solomon to Hiram. While textual disturbance is possible, it seems more probable that they had been returned to Solomon, either because they were unacceptable, 1 Kings 9:12-13, or because they had been collateral for a loan, 1 Kings 9:14.’

When Hiram looked at the cities and the land around them, he soon noticed that the land was unproductive, hence why he called the land Kabul, 1 Kings 9:12-14 / Joshua 19:27, which means worthless. As time went on, this land became known as Galilee of the Gentiles, Matthew 4:15.

When we read 2 Chronicles 8:3-6, we find that Solomon gained these cities back, and the cities were actually given to Hiram as some kind of security until Solomon was able to pay him in gold. We are told that Hiram had sent Solomon one-hundred and twenty talents of gold, 1 Kings 9:14.

Barnes, in his commentary, says the following concerning why Hiram paid Solomon this money.

‘Apparently, to show that, although disappointed, he was not offended. The sum sent was very large, above a million and a quarter of our money, according to one estimate of the weight of the Hebrew gold talent; or about 720,000 according to the estimate adopted in Exodus 38:24-29. At any rate, it was more than equal to a sixth part of Solomon’s regular revenue 1 Kings 10:14.’

It appears when Solomon conquered a nation he put them under slave labour, the forced labourers were Canaanites, 2 Chronicles 8:7-8 / 1 Kings 5:15-18 / 1 Kings 9:15-22.

They were the very people God had asked Israel to totally destroy when entering the promised land, but Israel failed to do so, Joshua 16:10 / Judges 1:29. The Israelites were used to help build the temple but they weren’t forced to do so, 2 Chronicles 8:9-10 / 1 Kings 5:13-14.

The forced labourers mentioned, 2 Chronicles 8:7-8, were Canaanites, 1 Kings 9:15, the very people God had asked Israel to totally destroy when entering the promised land, but Israel failed to do so, Joshua 16:10 / Judges 1:29.

No one really knows what these ‘terraces’, 1 Kings 9:15, were, but some believe they were some kind of stronghold. The cities which are listed in 1 Kings 9:16-18 are not exhaustive, because Solomon built many other cities.

Barnes, in his commentary, says the following.

‘Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer were three of the most important sites in the holy land.’

Pharaoh, after capturing Gezer, 1 Kings 9:17 / Joshua 10:33 / Joshua 12:12, gave it as a gift to his daughter. Solomon took his daughter as one of his wives in order to have some kind of political tie to Egypt, 1 Kings 3:1. There were also several grain storage cities, 1 Kings 9:19, which supplied provisions for Solomon’s court.

Barnes, in his commentary, says the following.

‘The cities of store contained provisions stored up for the troops, 2 Chronicles 32:28. They seem to have been chiefly in the north, in Hamath, 2 Chronicles 8:4, and Naphtali, 2 Chronicles 16:4. The ‘cities for his chariots,’ 1 Kings 10:26.’

Although God commanded all the Canaanites to be utterly destroyed, Israel failed to drive them out of the land and as a result, Israel made them slaves. The Canaanites mentioned here were descendants of those slaves, 2 Chronicles 8:7-8 / 1 Kings 9:20-21 / Joshua 9:22-27.

Solomon didn’t make slaves of the Israelites for his work because they were his fighting men, commanders of his captains, and commanders of his chariots and charioteers, 2 Chronicles 8:9.

Some cities were given to Solomon’s officials, those of high ranking, for them to rule over and store the wealth of the nation, 1 Kings 9:22 / 1 Kings 5:13-14, and five-hundred and fifty officials supervised the work, 2 Chronicles 8:10 / 1 Kings 9:23 / 1 Kings 5:16.

‘Solomon brought Pharaoh’s daughter up from the City of David to the palace he had built for her, for he said, “My wife must not live in the palace of David, king of Israel, because the places the ark of the LORD has entered are holy.” On the altar of the LORD that he had built in front of the portico, Solomon sacrificed burnt offerings to the LORD, according to the daily requirement for offerings commanded by Moses for the Sabbaths, the New Moons and the three annual festivals—the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Weeks and the Festival of Tabernacles. In keeping with the ordinance of his father David, he appointed the divisions of the priests for their duties, and the Levites to lead the praise and to assist the priests according to each day’s requirement. He also appointed the gatekeepers by divisions for the various gates, because this was what David, the man of God, had ordered. They did not deviate from the king’s commands to the priests or to the Levites in any matter, including that of the treasuries. All Solomon’s work was carried out, from the day the foundation of the temple of the LORD was laid until its completion. So the temple of the LORD was finished. Then Solomon went to Ezion Geber and Elath on the coast of Edom. And Hiram sent him ships commanded by his own men, sailors who knew the sea. These, with Solomon’s men, sailed to Ophir and brought back four hundred and fifty talents of gold, which they delivered to King Solomon.’ 2 Chronicles 8:11-28

After all the building work was complete, it was time for people to move in, 1 Kings 9:23. This would include Pharaoh’s daughter, 2 Chronicles 8:11, one of his many wives, 1 Kings 11:1-3.

It’s incredible to think that Solomon openly admits his wife was an unbeliever and unholy, yet he marries her anyway, and as we know, this didn’t go well, 1 Kings 11:4-8.

Three times a year, three feasts were celebrated, and sacrifices were made: the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Tabernacles, 2 Chronicles 8:12-13 / 1 Kings 9:25 / Numbers 28:1-8. Notice Solomon arranged the whole temple service according to how David wanted it, 2 Chronicles 8:14 / 1 Chronicles 24.

Barnes, in his commentary, says the following concerning who sacrificed the offerings.

‘Not with his own hand, but by his priests, 1 Kings 8:6 / 2 Chronicles 5:12-14. In sacred, as in ordinary, history, men are said to do that which they cause to be done.’

Notice they didn’t deviate from the king’s commands to the priests or to the Levites in any matter, including that of the treasuries, 2 Chronicles 8:15. The temple was finally completed, 2 Chronicles 8:16.

Ezion Geber, 2 Chronicles 8:17 / 1 Kings 9:26, was on the shore of the Red Sea and Hiram’s men served as sailors along with Solomon’s men, 2 Chronicles 8:18 / 1 Kings 9:27 / Numbers 33:35-36 / Deuteronomy 2:8.

The people of Hiram’s kingdom were very knowledgeable about the sea. The Israelites, however, were a farming culture of people. In the construction of the ships, it was only natural that Hiram’s men construct the ships and provide guidance in sailing the seas for Solomon, 2 Chronicles 8:18 / 1 Kings 9:26-28.

Some believe that from Ezion Geber, Solomon sent his ships on voyages to Ophir to get gold, 2 Chronicles 8:18 / 1 Kings 9:28. No one knows exactly where Ophir was located; some suggest Africa, others suggest Arabia, Job 22:24, and some suggest India, 1 Kings 10:22.

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