Solomon’s other activities
8
And at the end of twenty years, in which Solomon had built the house of the LORD and his own house, it came about 2 📚that Solomon built the cities which Huram 📖 had restored to Solomon and caused the children of Israel to live there.8:2 Apparently these were the villages Solomon first gave Hiram in payment for supplies of materials and workmen. When Solomon paid in money Hiram returned these villages to Solomon.⚜
3 📚And Solomon went to Hamath Zobah and seized it. 4 📚And he built Tadmor in the wilderness, and all the store cities, which he built in Hamath. 5 📚Also he built Upper Beth Horon and Lower Beth Horon, fortified cities, with walls, gates and bars, 6 📚and Baalath and all the store cities that Solomon had, and all the chariot cities and the cities for the horsemen, and all that Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem and in Lebanon and throughout all the land of his dominion.
7 📚As for all the people who were left of the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, who were not of Israel 8 📚but the descendants of those people who remained after them in the land, whom the children of Israel had not destroyed 📖, Solomon made them forced labourers 📖 until this day. 9 📚But among the children of Israel Solomon did not make any servants for his work; but they were warriors and chiefs of his captains and captains of his chariots and horsemen. 10 📚And these were King Solomon’s chief officials, two hundred and fifty, who ruled over the people.
11 📚And Solomon brought up the daughter of Pharaoh 📖 from the city of David to the house that he had built for her, for he said, “My wife shall not live in the house of David king of Israel, because the places to which the ark of the LORD has come are holy 📖”.
12 📚Then Solomon offered burnt offerings to the LORD on the altar of the LORD, which he had built in front of the portico, 13 📚according to the daily rule, 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, namely, at the Feast of Unleavened Bread and at the Feast of Weeks and at the Feast of Tabernacles. 14 📚And in accordance with the order of his father David, he appointed the divisions of the priests for their service, and the Levites for their duties, to praise and minister before the priests, according to the daily rule; also the gatekeepers by their divisions at every gate, for so had David the man of God commanded. 15 📚And they did not depart from the command of the king to the priests and Levites concerning any matter, or concerning the treasures.
16 📚Now all the work of Solomon was carried out from the day of the foundation of the house of the LORD until it was finished. So the house of the LORD was completed.
17 📚Then Solomon went to Ezion Geber and to Eloth, at the sea shore in the land of Edom. 18 📚And Huram sent to him ships by the hands of his servants, and servants who knew the sea; and they went with the servants of Solomon to Ophir and brought from there four hundred and fifty talents 📖 of gold, and delivered them to King Solomon.
8:1-18 Notes at 1 Kings 9:10-28.⚜