II Chronicles 8:1

The city-building. - Ch2 8:1. The date, "at the end of twenty years, when Solomon ... had built," agrees with that in Kg1 9:10. The twenty years are to be reckoned from the commencement of the building of the temple, for he had spent seven years in the building of the temple, and thirteen years in that of his palace (Kg1 6:38; Kg1 7:1). Ch2 8:2-4 Ch2 8:2 must be regarded as the apodosis of Ch2 8:1, notwithstanding that the object, the cities which ... precedes. The unusual position of the words is the result of the aphoristic character of the notice. As to its relation to the statement Kg1 9:10-13, see the discussion on that passage. בּנה, Ch2 8:2, is not to be understood of the fortification of these cities, but of their completion, for, according to Kg1 9:10, Kg1 9:13, they were in very bad condition. ויּושׁב, he caused to dwell there, i.e., transplanted Israelites thither, cf. Kg2 17:6. The account of the cities which Solomon built, i.e., fortified, is introduced (Ch2 8:3) by the important statement, omitted in 1 Kings 9: "Solomon went to Hamath-zobah, and prevailed against it." על חזק, to be strong upon, that is, prevail against, conquer; cf. Ch2 27:5. Hamath-zobah is not the city Hamath in Zobah, but, as we learn from Ch2 8:4, the land or kingdom of Hamath. This did not lie, any more than the city Hamath, in Zobah, but bordered on the kingdom of Zobah: cf. Ch1 18:3; and as to the position of Zobah, see the Commentary on Sa2 8:3. In David's time Hamath and Zobah had their own kings; and David conquered them, and made their kingdoms tributary (Ch1 18:3-10). Because they bordered on each other, Hamath and Zobah are here bound together as a nomen compos. עליה יחזק signifies at least this, that these tributary kingdoms had either rebelled against Solomon, or at least ha…

This we had Kg1 9:10-24, and therefore shall only observe here, I. Though Solomon was a man of great learning and knowledge, yet he spent his days, not in contemplation, but in action, not in his study, but in his country, in building cities and fortifying them, in a time of peace preparing for a time of war, which is as much a man's business as it is in summer to provide food for winter. II. As he was a man of business himself, and did not consult his own ease, so he employed a great many hands, kept abundance of people to work. It is the interest of a state by all means possible to promote and encourage industry, and to keep its subjects from idleness. A great many strangers there were in Israel, many that remained of the Canaanites; and they were welcome to live there, but not to live and do nothing. The men of Laish, who had no business, were an easy prey to the invaders, Jdg 18:7. III. When Solomon had begun with building the house of God, and made good work and quick work of that, he prospered in all his undertakings, so that he built all that he desired to build, Ch2 8:6. Those who have a genius for building find that one project draws on another, and the latter must amend and improve the former. Now observe, 1. How the divine providence gratified even Solomon's humour, and gave him success, not only in all that he needed to build and that it was for his advantage to build, but in all that he had a mind to build. So indulgent a Father God is sometimes to the innocent desires of his children that serve him. Thus he pleased Jacob with that promise, Joseph shall put his hand on thy eyes. 2. Solomon knew how to set bounds to his desires. He was not one of those that enlarge them endlessly, and can never be satisfied, but knew when to draw in; for he finished all he d…