Page:03.BCOT.KD.HistoricalBooks.B.vol.3.LaterProphets.djvu/351

 The city-building. - 2Ch 8:1. The date, “at the end of twenty years, when Solomon ... had built,” agrees with that in 1Ki 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 (1Ki 6:38; 1Ki 7:1).

Verses 2-4
2Ch 8:2-4 2Ch 8:2 must be regarded as the apodosis of 2Ch 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 1Ki 9:10-13, see the discussion on that passage. בּנה, 2Ch 8:2, is not to be understood of the fortification of these cities, but of their completion, for, according to 1Ki 9:10, 1Ki 9:13, they were in very bad condition. ויּושׁב, he caused to dwell there, i.e., transplanted Israelites thither, cf. 2Ki 17:6. The account of the cities which Solomon built, i.e., fortified, is introduced (2Ch 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. 2Ch 27:5. Hamath-zobah is not the city Hamath in Zobah, but, as we learn from 2Ch 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. 1Ch 18:3; and as to the position of Zobah, see the Commentary on 2Sa 8:3. In David's time Hamath and Zobah had their own kings; and David conquered them, and made their kingdoms tributary (1Ch 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 had made attempts to do so; which Solomon suppressed, and in order to establish his dominion over them fortified Tadmor, i.e., Palmyra, and all the store cities in the land of Hamath (see on 1Ki 9:18.); for, according to 1Ki 11:23., he had Rezon of Zobah as an enemy during his whole reign; see on that passage.

Verses 5-6
Besides these, he made Upper and Nether Beth-horon (see on 1Ch 7:24) into fortified cities, with walls, gates, and bars. מצור ערי is the second object of ויּבן, and וגו חומות is in apposition to that. Further, he fortified Baalah, in the tribe of Dan, to defend the kingdom against the Philistines, and, according to 1Ki 9:15-17, Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer also, - which are omitted here, while in 1Ki 9:17 Upper