2 Chronicles 8
8
Building Projects and Commercial Efforts
1 After twenty years, during which Solomon built the Lord’s temple and his royal palace, 2 Solomon rebuilt the cities that Huram#tn Heb “Huram” (also in v. 18). Some medieval Hebrew mss, along with the LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate spell the name “Hiram,” agreeing with 1 Chr 14:1. “Huram” is a variant spelling referring to the same individual. had given him and settled Israelites there. 3 Solomon went to Hamath Zobah and seized it. 4 He built up Tadmor in the wilderness and all the storage cities he had built in Hamath. 5 He made upper Beth Horon and lower Beth Horon fortified cities with walls and barred gates,#tn Heb “and he built…[as] cities of fortification, [with] walls, doors, and a bar.” 6 and built up Baalath, all the storage cities that belonged to him,#tn Heb “Solomon.” The recurrence of the proper name is unexpected in terms of contemporary English style, so the pronoun has been used in the translation instead. and all the cities where chariots and horses were kept.#tn Heb “the cities of the chariots and the cities of the horses.” He built whatever he wanted in Jerusalem,#map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4. Lebanon, and throughout his entire kingdom.#tn Heb “and all the desire of Solomon which he desired to build in Jerusalem and in Lebanon and in all the land of his kingdom.”
7 Now several non-Israelite peoples were left in the land after the conquest of Joshua, including the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.#tn Heb “all the people who were left from the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, who were not from Israel.” 8 Their descendants remained in the land (the Israelites were unable to wipe them out). Solomon conscripted them for his work crews and they continue in that role to this very day.#tn Heb “from their sons who were left after them in the land, whom the sons of Israel did not wipe out, and Solomon raised them up for a work crew to this day.” 9 Solomon did not assign Israelites to these work crews;#tn Heb “and from the sons of Israel which Solomon did not assign to the laborers for his work.” the Israelites served as his soldiers, officers, charioteers, and commanders of his chariot forces.#tn Heb “officers of his chariots and his horses.” 10 These men worked for Solomon as supervisors; there were a total of 250 of them who were in charge of the people.#tn Heb “these [were] the officials of the governors who belonged to the king, Solomon, 250, the ones ruling over the people.”
11 Solomon moved Pharaoh’s daughter up from the City of David#sn The phrase the City of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7. to the palace he had built for her, for he said, “My wife must not live in the palace of King David of Israel, for the places where the ark of the Lord has entered are holy.”
12 Then Solomon offered burnt sacrifices to the Lord on the altar of the Lord which he had built in front of the temple’s porch.#tn Heb “the porch.” 13 He observed the daily requirements for sacrifices that Moses had specified for Sabbaths, new moon festivals, and the three annual celebrations – the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Temporary Shelters.#tn The Hebrew phrase הַסֻּכּוֹת[חַג] (khag hassukot, “[festival of] huts” [or “shelters”]) is traditionally known as the Feast of Tabernacles. The rendering “booths” (cf. NAB, NASB, NRSV) is probably better than the traditional “tabernacles” in light of the meaning of the term סֻכָּה (sukkah, “hut; booth”), but “booths” are frequently associated with trade shows and craft fairs in contemporary American English. The nature of the celebration during this feast as a commemoration of the wanderings of the Israelites after they left Egypt suggests that a translation like “temporary shelters” is more appropriate. 14 As his father David had decreed, Solomon#tn Heb “he”; the referent (Solomon) has been specified in the translation for clarity. appointed the divisions of the priests to do their assigned tasks, the Levitical orders to lead worship and help the priests with their daily tasks,#tn Heb “and the Levites, according to their posts, to praise and to serve opposite the priests according to the matter of a day in its day.” and the divisions of the gatekeepers to serve at their assigned gates.#tn Heb “and the gatekeepers by their divisions for a gate and a gate.” This was what David the man of God had ordered.#tn Heb “for so [was] the command of David the man of God.” 15 They did not neglect any detail of the king’s orders pertaining to the priests, Levites, and treasuries.#tn Heb “and they did not turn aside from the command of the king concerning the priests and the Levites with regard to any matter and with regard to the treasuries.”
16 All the work ordered by Solomon was completed, from the day the foundation of the Lord’s temple was laid until it was finished; the Lord’s temple was completed.
17 Then Solomon went to Ezion Geber and to Elat on the coast in the land of Edom. 18 Huram sent him ships and some of his sailors, men who were well acquainted with the sea. They sailed with Solomon’s men to Ophir,#tn Heb “and Huram sent to him by the hand of his servants, ships, and servants [who] know the sea, and they came with the servants of Solomon to Ophir.” and took from there 450 talents#tn The Hebrew word כִּכַּר (kikar, “circle”) refers generally to something that is round. When used of metals it can refer to a disk-shaped weight made of the metal or, by extension, to a standard unit of weight. According to the older (Babylonian) standard the “talent” weighed 130 lbs. (58.9 kg), but later this was lowered to 108.3 lbs. (49.1 kg). More recent research suggests the “light” standard talent was 67.3 lbs. (30.6 kg). Using this as the standard for calculation, the weight of the gold was 30,285 lbs. (13,770 kg). of gold, which they brought back to King Solomon.
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2 Chronicles 8
8
Solomon’s Accomplishments and Deeds
1And it happened that at the end of twenty years in which Solomon had built the house of Yahweh and his own house, 2Solomon also built the cities that Huram#This is the spelling in Hebrew, though many translations have “Hiram” had given to him, and he settled the Israelites#Literally “sons/children of Israel” in them. 3And Solomon went to Hamath-Zobah and laid siege upon it. 4And he built Tadmor in the desert, and he built all the storage cities in Hamath. 5He also built Upper Beth-Horon and Lower Beth-Horon, fortified cities with walls, gates, and bars; 6Baalath and all the storage cities that belonged to Solomon; all the cities for chariots#Hebrew “chariot” and cities for horses; and any desire of Solomon that he desired to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and in all the land of his dominion. 7All the people who remained from the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites who were not from Israel, 8from the descendants#Or “sons/children” who were left over after them in the land, whom the Israelites had not destroyed, Solomon conscripted them as forced labor until this day. 9But from the Israelites#Literally “sons/children of Israel” Solomon did not give as servants for his work, but they were men of war, his commanders of his officers, and commanders of his chariots#Hebrew “chariot” and his horses. 10And these were the commanders of the garrisons that belonged to King Solomon, two hundred and fifty who exercised authority over the people.
11And 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 dwell in the house of David, king of Israel, for those places to which the ark of Yahweh has come are holy. 12Then Solomon offered burnt offerings to Yahweh on the altar of Yahweh that he had built before the portico, 13as was the daily requirement,#Literally “with respect to the word of the day, by day” to offer up according to the commandments of Moses for Sabbaths, new moon festivals, and the three annual#Literally “occurrences in the year” feasts: the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Booths. 14And in accord with the ordinance of David his father he appointed working groups of priests for their service, Levites for their responsibilities for praise and cultic service before the priests according to the daily requirement,#Literally “according to the word of the day, by day” and the gatekeepers in their working groups, gate by gate. For thus David the man of God had commanded. 15And they did not turn aside from the commandment of the king concerning the priests and the Levites concerning anything, and concerning the treasury rooms. 16And Solomon accomplished all the work from the day the foundation stone was laid for the house of Yahweh until its completion, and the house of Yahweh was finished. 17Then Solomon went to Ezion-Geber, and to Elath, on the edge of the sea in the land of Edom. 18And Huram#This is the spelling in Hebrew, though many translations have “Hiram” sent to him, by the hand of his servants, ships and servants knowledgeable of the sea. And they went with the servants of Solomon to Ophir, and from there they collected four hundred and fifty talents of gold and brought it to King Solomon.
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