2 Chronicles 8
8:2 a The twenty towns that Solomon had given Hiram in exchange for gold were unsatisfactory to Hiram (1 Kgs 9:11-14 b); this implies that Hiram gave them back to Solomon, who apparently provided other compensation.8:3 c This verse is the only reference in Chronicles of Solomon’s military accomplishments; he was known as a man of peace (1 Chr 22:9 d). The kingdoms of David and Solomon extended to Hamath-zobah in the far north on the Orontes River. King Toi, the ruler of Hamath, sought David’s support against Hadadezer, king of Zobah (1 Chr 18:9-10 e). Hadadezer was also referred to as the king of Zobah-Hamath (1 Chr 18:3 f). Solomon conducted an expedition against this territory to maintain the stability of his kingdom’s northern border.
8:4 g The Chronicler describes the northern reaches of Solomon’s kingdom. Tadmor later became Palmyra, an oasis city in Syria along the desert trade routes with Mesopotamia, 120 miles northeast of Damascus. It is not mentioned elsewhere in the Bible. At some point, it came to be identified with the list of fortified cities in Solomon’s kingdom (cp. 1 Kgs 9:18 h, where Tamar/Tadmor indicates a city in southeast Judah).
8:5 i Upper and Lower Beth-horon sit astride a ridge rising from the Valley of Aijalon to the plateau north of Jerusalem. Fortifications protected the route connecting Jerusalem to the major coastal trade route.
8:6 j Some cities were used for storage and for military cavalry. Large building complexes at Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer contained long rooms divided into three sections with two rows of pillars. They might have been used as stables and storehouses, or they might have provided barracks for a professional army.
8:11 k Solomon’s alliance with Egypt through his marriage to Pharaoh’s daughter is mentioned repeatedly in Kings (1 Kgs 3:1 l; 9:16 m, 24 n; 11:1 o). Solomon’s ability to marry into the Egyptian royal family shows the extent of his kingdom and international influence. Solomon provided her with a permanent personal residence to show that he regarded her as the most important of his wives. It also preserved the sanctity of David’s palace, probably because Pharaoh’s daughter was pagan.
Summary for 2Chr 8:17-18: 8:17-18 p By discussing Solomon’s activities at his kingdom’s most northern and southern borders, the Chronicler shows the extent of Solomon’s empire. Solomon controlled ports on the Red Sea that provided for international trade to the south.
• Hiram was a valuable ally; his people, the Phoenicians of Tyre, had extensive trade networks and were expert mariners, helping Solomon trade with Ophir.
• Ophir is traditionally thought to be in southwest Arabia (see Gen 10:28-29 q).
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