Bible Commentaries

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

2 Chronicles 8

Introduction

1  Solomon's buildings.
7  The Canaanites which were left, Solomon makes tributaries, but the Israelites rulers.
11  Pharaoh's daughter removes to her house.
12  Solomon's yearly solemn sacrifices.
14  He appoints the priests and Levites to their places.
17  The navy fetches gold from Ophir.

Verse 1

And it came to pass at the end of twenty years, wherein Solomon had built the house of the LORD, and his own house,
at the end
1 Kings 9:10

Verse 2

That the cities which Huram had restored to Solomon, Solomon built them, and caused the children of Israel to dwell there.
the cities
1 Kings 9:11-18

Verse 3

And Solomon went to Hamathzobah, and prevailed against it.
Hamath-zobah
Numbers 13:21, 34:8, 2 Samuel 8:3, 1 Kings 11:23-25, 1 Chronicles 18:3

Verse 4

And he built Tadmor in the wilderness, and all the store cities, which he built in Hamath.
he built
1 Kings 9:17-19
Tadmor
Tadmor, the Palmyra of the Greeks, as we learn from Josephus, a celebrated city of Syria, situated in an oasis, or fertile spot of land, surrounded on all sides by a vast sandy desert, like an island in the midst of the ocean; according to Pliny, 337 miles from Seleucia and Tigrim, 203 from the nearest part of the Mediterranean, and 176 from Damascus; according to Josephus, one day's journey west of the Euphrates, and six from Babylon; and according to Ptolemy, in lat. 34 degrees north, or that of Tripoli, and about 4 degrees more easterly; and it is described by Mr. Wood as "situated under a barren ridge of hills to the west, and open on the other sides to the desert:" "about six days' journey from Aleppo, and as much from Damascus, and about twenty leagues west of the Euphrates." Palmyra attained the height of its splendour when the royal city of Zenobia was conquered by the emperor Aurelian; became a Roman colony after the victories of Trajan; and was probably reduced to its present miserable state in the wars of the Saracens. Its magnificent ruins, however, scattered over an extent of several miles, sufficiently attest its former splendour and riches.

Verse 5

Also he built Bethhoron the upper, and Bethhoron the nether, fenced cities, with walls, gates, and bars;
Beth-horon
Joshua 16:3,5, 1 Chronicles 7:24

Verse 6

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.
Baalath
Joshua 19:44, 1 Kings 9:18
the store cities
4, 17:12, 1 Kings 9:19
chariot cities
1:14, 1 Kings 10:26
all that Solomon desired to build
Heb. all the desire of Solomon which he desired to build.
1 Kings 9:19, Ecclesiastes 2:4,10-26
and in Lebanon
1 Kings 7:2, Song of Solomon 4:8

Verse 7

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,
As for all
1 Kings 9:20-22
the Hittites
Genesis 15:19-21, Deuteronomy 7:1

Verse 8

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.
whom the children
Judges 1:21-36, Psalms 106:34
to pay
2:17,18, Joshua 16:10, 17:13, 1 Kings 5:13,14

Verse 9

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.
But of the
Exodus 19:5,6, Leviticus 25:39-46, Galatians 4:26,31
they were men
1 Samuel 8:11,12

Verse 10

And these were the chief of king Solomon's officers, even two hundred and fifty, that bare rule over the people.
two hundred
2:18, 1 Kings 5:16, 9:23

Verse 11

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.
brought up
1 Kings 3:1, 7:8, 9:24
holy
Heb. holiness.
Exodus 3:5, 29:43, Ezekiel 21:2, 2 Peter 1:18

Verse 12

Then Solomon offered burnt offerings unto the LORD on the altar of the LORD, which he had built before the porch,
on the altar
4:1, 1 Chronicles 28:17, Ezekiel 8:16, Joel 2:17
before the porch
John 10:23

Verse 13

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.
every day
Exodus 29:38-42, Leviticus 23:1-17, Numbers 28:1-29, Ezekiel 45:17, 46:3-15
three times
Exodus 23:14-17, Deuteronomy 16:16, 1 Kings 9:25

Verse 14

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.
the courses
5:11, 23:4, 31:2, 1 Chronicles 24:1-19, Luke 1:5,8
the Levites
35:10, 1 Chronicles 6:31,32-48, 15:16-22, 16:4-6,42, 23:1-32, 24:20-31, 1 Chronicles 25:1-31, Ezra 6:18
the porters
1 Chronicles 9:17, 26:1-19
so had David the man of God commanded
Heb. so was the commandment of David the man of God.
Deuteronomy 33:1, 2 Samuel 23:2, 1 Kings 13:1, 1 Chronicles 28:19, Acts 13:22,36

Verse 15

And they departed not from the commandment of the king unto the priests and Levites concerning any matter, or concerning the treasures.
they departed
30:12, Exodus 39:42,43
the treasures
1 Kings 7:51, 1 Chronicles 9:29, 26:20-26

Verse 16

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.
1 Kings 5:18, 6:7

Verse 17

Then went Solomon to Eziongeber, and to Eloth, at the sea side in the land of Edom.
Ezion-geber
20:36, Numbers 33:35, 1 Kings 9:26,27, 22:48
Eloth
Deuteronomy 2:8, 2 Kings 14:22, 16:6
Elath

Verse 18

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.
Huram
9:10,13, 1 Kings 9:27,28, 10:22
Hiram
Ophir. Conjectures respecting the situation of Ophir are endless. Grotius conjectures it to be a part of Arabia called Aphar by Arrian; while Bochart and others have placed it in the island of Ceylon. Calmet supposes it to have been situated in Armenia; but his late editor places it at the head of the Indus. Josephus says that Ophir is the Indies, called the Gold country; by which he is supposed to mean Chersonesus Aurea, now Malacca, opposite Sumatra; and Le Poivre observes that the inhabitants of these places call their gold mines ophirs.
took thence
Ecclesiastes 2:8

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