2 Chronicles 8

2 Chronicles 8:1

^LND it came to pass (at the end of twenty years, wherein Solomon had built the house of the Lord, and his own house). See 1 Kings ix. 10.

2 Chronicles 8:2

Tliat the cities which Huram had restored to Solomon, Solomon built them, and caused the children of Israel to dwell thtfe. This is a short relation of whatis more largely told in the book of the Kings, chap. ix. 12, 13. only here we are further informed, that these cities being restored to Solomon, who had given them to Huram (who disliked them), Solomon built them so, tli?it his own subjects became the inhabiters of them. VeT. 3. And Solomon tvent to Ilamath-zobah, and prevailed against it.] This country lay between Euphrates, which was the eastern bounds of it; and Damascus, which was the western, as Bochartus hath demonstrated in his Phaleg. lib. ii. cap. 7. VeT. 4. And he buil( Tadmor in the wilderness.] See au account of this in 1 Kings ix. 18. And all the store-cities which he built in Hamath.] All the cities wherein he laid up provision for war, were in fhis country of Hamath-zobah, as well as Tadmor.

2 Chronicles 8:5

Also he built’Beth-horon the upper, and Bethhoron’the nether, fenced cities, with walls, gates, and bars. GOG A COMMENTARY UPON [chap. VIII. Only one of these cities is mentioned in tho book of tho Kings, viz. the nether. But both of them were built before, and he now only repaired, enlarged, beautified, and made them strong places. (Sec 1 Kings ix. 17.) Ver. G. And Baalath, and all the store-cities that Solomon had.] That is, elsewhere as well as in tho land of Hamath. 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.) Bco 1 Kings ix. 19.

2 Chronicles 8:7

As for all the’ people that were left of the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebnsites, which were not of Israel,

2 Chronicles 8:8

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.

2 Chronicles 8:9

But of the children of Israel did Solomon make no servants for his work; but they were mm of war, and chief of his captains, and captains of his chariots and horsemen. These three verses are the same with 1 Kings ix. 20—22.

2 Chronicles 8:10

And these were the chief of king Solomon’s officers, even two hundred and fifty y that bare rule over the people. How this agrees with the book of the Kings, where it is said they were five hundred and fifty, sec upon 1 Kings ix. 23.

2 Chronicles 8:11

And Solomon brought up the daughter of Pharaoh out of the city of David. Where she first dwelt> (1 Kings iii. 1.) Unto the house that he had built for her.] Sec 1 Kings vii. 8. For he said, My wife shall not dwell in the house of David king of Israel, because the places are holy, ivhereunto the ark of the Lord hath come.] All houses into which the ark had come, were not thereby made holy, for then the house of Obed-Edom would have been so. But where it had been settled so long, as it had been in David’s house, and had a tabernacle made for it, there was a special regard to the place, where it had made its abode: and Solomon would not suffer’ a stranger (for so his wife was, though proselyted) to keep her court there. For it is not likely, she, and all her servants, had embraced the law of Moses, though they had renounced idolatry; and so might many ways defile a place, which had been made sacred by a Divine presence in it: many other reasons aro given by interpreters, to which I refer the reader:’ and only add, that Abarbincl thought it sufficient to say, that it would have sounded very ill, to hear the people say, that Pharaoh’s daughter dwelt where the ark of God had inhabited. And he looks upon this as an argument, that the heart of Solomon continued hitherto right with God, and had no intentions to commit those sins he afterward did: and therefore God at this time vouchsafed him the gift of prophecy.

2 Chronicles 8:12

Then Solomon offered burnt-offerings unto the Lord on the altar of the Lord, which he had built before the porch. That is, he settled the daily sacrifice at the lemplc..

2 Chronicles 8:13

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.] He took caro the law of Moses should be strictly observed, which prescribed what offerings should be offered every day, (Exod. xxix. 38, 39.) and at several other solemn times, here mentioned, (Exod. xxiii. 14. and other places.)

2 Chronicles 8:14

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 (lie duty of every day required.] Next of all he took care to confirm and establish the ordcrswhich David had made, for the regular attendance of the priests and Levites upon the service of God. Who were but few in the days of Moses, in comparison of what they were now; and therefore David disposed them so, that all confusion might be avoided: and also assigned them new employments, in singing the. hymns whichhe composed, and playing upon musical instruments, whereby he made the service of God more beautiful and cheerful. (See 1 Chron. xxiv. xxv.) The porters also by their courses’ at every gate.] These words shew that the porters were distributed into twentyfour courses, as well as the priests and Levites: though this order of David’s be not there expressly mentioned,, (Sec what I have noted upon 1 Chron. xxvi. 27, 28.) For so David the man of God commanded.] He is called by tho name of the man of God, as Moses was; because after Moses there was none like him, so divinely inspired, to raise the public worship of God to a higher pitch) by his heavenly hymns;, and to direct the manner of its performance in such order, that God was served (if I may use here those words of his) in the beauty of holiness. For though Solomon, as Strigelius observes, was a very wise man in natural knowledge, and in political affairs, and in moral and Divine things; yet he was much inferior to David in piety, and in the gift of prophecy; as the book of Psalms alone is sufficient to testify: in which there, are so many glorious predictions of the Messiah.

2 Chronicles 8:15

And they departed not from the commandment of the king unto the priests and Levites, concerning any matter, or concerning the treasures. Whatsoever had been ordered by David in all other matters, Solomon settled them, and the priests and Levites obeyed him. Ver. 1G. 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.] Care was taken, that there should be no stop to the building of God’s house: because all materials were prepared before he began it; and every thing projected how it should be done, in every part of it.

2 Chronicles 8:17

Then went Solomon to Ezion-geber, and to Eloth, at the sea-side in the land ofEdom. After he had finished all those great works of the house of the Lord, and his own house, and built many cities, as before recited; he designed to improve navigation, which the Jews did not much understand. And for that end ha went to these places, on the Red Sea. (Sec 1 Kings ix. 26.) Eloth (as is observed by the learned Nic. Fuller in his Miscellanies, lib. iv. cap, 20.) lay nearest to’him, which appears from Deut, ii. 8. where we. read that thc’Israclitcs passing by the country qf Edom, came first to Eloth and then to Ezion. But Solomon went first to Ezion, though further off, because there was Nav7r//y£ov, tho place where ships were built and fitted CHAT, rx.] THE SECOND BOOK OF THE CHRONICLES. up: which Solomon made haste, with the greatest diligence and speed, to inspect, and see in what forwardness they were.

2 Chronicles 8:18

And Huram sent him, by the hands of his servants, ships, and servants that had knowledge of the sea; and they tvent with the servants of Solomon to Ophir, and took thence four hundred and fifty talents of gold, and brought them to king Solomon.’] Besides those ships which Solomon had built, Huram sent more, who brought able seamen with them to manage the whole fleet. See there, ver.27, 28. where only four hundred and twenty talents are said to be brought: of which I have there given an account, and shewn it doth not disagree with this place.