1Ki 9 | TNotes

9:2 ^a The Lord had previously appeared to Solomon when granting his desire for wisdom (3:3-15 ^b). The Chronicler provides additional details of God’s blessings or judgment, depending on the faithfulness of Solomon and Israel (2 Chr 7:11-22 ^c).
Summary for 1Kgs 9:3-9: 9:3-9 ^d The Lord answered Solomon’s prayer by reviewing the conditions of the covenant. Obedience would bring prosperity and the Lord’s blessing; disobedience could mean utter disaster, including destruction of the city and Temple, and deportation of God’s people (see Deut 28:36-37 ^e, 63-68 ^f). Although God’s covenant was irrevocable, receiving its blessings depended upon faithfulness to its terms (Ps 89:24-37 ^g).
Summary for 1Kgs 9:10-14: 9:10-14 ^h In Solomon’s business agreement with King Hiram, he exchanged wheat and olive oil for timber and gold (5:10-11 ⁱ). When Solomon became indebted to Hiram, he gave him twenty towns in ... Galilee as compensation. However, Hiram was dissatisfied with the towns, so he returned them to Solomon’s control (see 2 Chr 8:2 ^j). The two friends settled upon other means of compensation and remained active allies and trading partners (1 Kgs 9:26-28 ^k; 10:22 ^l).
Summary for 1Kgs 9:15-24: 9:15-24 ^m Solomon used forced labor to complete many building projects (4:6 ⁿ; 5:13-18 ^o; 9:20-23 ^p; 12:4 ^q, 18-19 ^r; cp. 1 Sam 8:10-18 ^s). 9:15 ^t Solomon strengthened the supporting terraces, which were on a slope of the southeastern ridge in the traditional City of David area of Jerusalem (see 2 Sam 5:9 ^u), and the wall of Jerusalem. He also fortified the key cities of Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer. Archaeological research shows that the walls and gates of all three cities have distinctive traits attributable to Solomon’s time. Hazor, in the north, was a first line of defense against invasion. Megiddo, in the Plain of Sharon, also had strategic military importance (2 Kgs 23:29-30 ^v; Rev 16:12-16 ^w).
9:16 ^x Gezer, west of Jerusalem, was not previously occupied by Israelites. It was conquered by the Egyptian pharaoh and given to his daughter as a wedding gift when she married Solomon. An inscription in the Amon Temple in Tanis, apparently depicting a victory by the 21^st dynasty Pharaoh Siamun (978–959 BC) against a Philistine campaign, suggests that Siamun was the pharaoh involved.
Summary for 1Kgs 9:17-18: 9:17-18 ^y Lower Beth-horon was an important defensive site for western Judah. Several cities in Canaan were called Baalath; the one here was probably also known as Kiriath-jearim (2 Sam 6:2 ^z; see Josh 15:9 ^aa; 1 Chr 13:5 ^ab, 6 ^ac). Tamar was probably located in the southeastern quarter of the Holy Land (see Ezek 47:19 ^ad; 48:28 ^ae).
Summary for 1Kgs 9:20-23: 9:20-23 ^af Solomon’s conscripted slaves were made up of early Canaanite settlers; 550 chief supervisors, of whom 250 were Israelites, superintended the forced laborers (2 Chr 8:9-10 ^ag; see 1 Kgs 5:15-16 ^ah with 2 Chr 2:17-18 ^ai).
9:21 ^aj completely destroyed: See thematic note for Complete Destruction at end of chapter.
9:24 ^ak The new palace Solomon built for ... Pharaoh’s daughter was separate from Solomon’s own residence because his palace was deemed holy, “for the Ark of the Lord has been there” (2 Chr 8:11 ^al). The place where the Ark resided was considered sacred, since it embodied God’s presence and sanctified its surroundings (Exod 25:22 ^am; see also 2 Sam 6:7 ^an; 1 Chr 15:11-13 ^ao).
9:25 ^ap Three times each year Solomon provided exemplary leadership for Israel as he presented ... offerings at the national festivals of Unleavened Bread, Harvest (or Pentecost, or Weeks), and Shelters (Deut 16:16 ^aq).
Summary for 1Kgs 9:26-28: 9:26-28 ^ar The seaport of Ezion-geber was situated on the Gulf of Aqaba, which opens onto the Red Sea. The location of Ophir is uncertain but may have been located in southwestern Arabia, eastern Africa, or India; the mention of gold and other precious commodities (see 10:11-12 ^as) indicates its strategic importance for trade.

Thematic note: Complete Destruction
God instructed Saul to “completely destroy” the Amalekites, who had ambushed the Israelites after the Exodus (see Exod 17:8-16 ^at; Deut 25:17-19 ^au). The Hebrew word kharam (“completely destroy”) often means dedicating something or someone completely to the Lord, either by destroying it (1 Sam 15:3 ^av; Josh 6:17-18 ^aw) or by giving it as an offering (see Lev 27:28-29 ^ax; Josh 6:19 ^ay).
Complete destruction was called for in cases where those to be destroyed had committed a severe offense against God, such as worshiping false gods (Deut 7:1-6 ^az; 13:12-18 ^ba). In 1 Samuel 15:3 ^bb, complete destruction is prescribed as God’s judgment on a nation that mistreated his chosen people. Those who curse God’s family are, in turn, cursed (Gen 12:3 ^bc).
God still judges the godless and impenitent. But in the new covenant, Christians are not called to be agents of such judgment. God calls us to exercise his mercy toward those who wrong us (see Luke 9:51-56 ^bd). We must completely destroy whatever within ourselves wars against Christ (Rom 8:12-13 ^be; Col 3:5 ^bf). And we must overcome the enemies of Christ by our faith, by the Good News, and by our love (Eph 6:10-20 ^bg; 1 Jn 2:9-17 ^bh). God will mete out judgment according to his justice and in his time (Rom 12:19 ^bi; 2 Thes 1:6-10 ^bj).

Passages for Further Study
Exod 22:20 ^bk; Lev 27:28-29 ^bl; Num 21:2-3 ^bm; Deut 7:1-6 ^bn, 26 ^bo; 13:12-18 ^bp; Josh 6:17-19 ^bq; 7:11-26 ^br; 1 Sam 15:3 ^bs; 1 Kgs 20:42 ^bt; Isa 43:26-28 ^bu