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Solomon's government activities 1–6. Organization and construction of cities. 7–9. State taxes and duties. 10–11. Solomon's chief officers; settlement of the pharaoh's daughter in a special palace. 12–16. Organization of liturgical personnel. 17–18. Solomon's fleet and voyage to Ophir. 2 Chronicles 8:2. Solomon also built the cities that Hiram gave to Solomon, and settled the children of Israel in them. Whereas according to (1 Kings 9:11) Solomon gave Hiram 20 cities in northern Palestine or the land of Galilee, in payment for work and materials for the construction of the church, 2 Chronicles here says, on the contrary, that Hiram gave Solomon 20 cities. In explanation of this, some interpreters (for example, Calmet, Philippson) believed that here we are talking, in fact, about the return by Hiram of the cities that were ceded to him by Solomon, but that he did not like (“Cabul” - (1 Kings 9:10-12)). But the biblical text speaks of a gift, the giving of cities, and not of a return, so it is more natural to see here (2 Chronicles) a completely different event. “Although it can be noted that in the book of Chronicles in general all testimony is presented for the benefit and glory of the Jews, it is hardly fair to assume here any deliberately incorrect testimony. Is it possible to take the two contradictory testimony of the books of Kings and Chronicles as two parts of one whole? Wasn’t the surrender of famous cities a mutual exchange on both sides, as a new pledge of friendship?” – Prof. M.S. Gulyaev, “Historical books of the Holy Scriptures of the Old Testament,” p. 509. 2 Chronicles 8:3. And Solomon went to Hamath-Zubah and took it. In this verse of 2 Chronicles, unknown from 3 Kings, the fact of Solomon’s campaign against Hamath-Zuba, Heb.: Hamath-Zova, Vulgata: Emath Suba, LXX according to the Alexandrian copy: Αιμιὰθ Σωβά, gl.: “Emath-Zuba”, is reported. Only here Emath-Suva is identified with the famous Syrian city of Emath (cf. (Num. 13:22; 1 Kings 8:65); Onomasticon 52, 424, 425, 425; See "Explanatory Bible", vol. II, p. 407), later known by the Greeks as Epiphania. In general, Sova (or Suva, Tsoba) (1 Kings 14:47; 2 Kings 8:3 and other places) is supposedly considered a state in Syria between the Orontes and the Euphrates (Onomasticon, 889; “Commentary Bible”, vol. II, pp. 404 and 317). With the mention of the conquest of Emath, which was finally conquered only by Jeroboam II (2 Kings 14:23,25), priest. the writer of 2 Chronicles meant to mark the northern border of Solomon's domain (cf. 1 Kings 4:21,24). 2 Chronicles 8:4. And he built Tadmor in the wilderness, and all the storehouse cities which he founded in Hamath. 2 Chronicles 8:5. He built Bethhoron upper and Bethhoron lower, fortified cities with walls, gates and bars, 2 Chronicles 8:6. and Baalath and all the cities for the provisions that Solomon had, and all the cities for chariots, and the cities for horsemen, and all that Solomon wanted to build in Jerusalem and in Lebanon and in all the land of his possession. For the cities mentioned here, see (1 Kings 9:17–19) and the Expository Bible, vol. II, art. 410–411. 2 Chronicles 8:7. All the people that are left of the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, which were not of the children of Israel,— 2 Chronicles 8:8. Solomon made their children who remained after them in the land, whom the children of Israel did not destroy, as quitrents to this day. 2 Chronicles 8:9. But Solomon did not make the children of Israel laborers for his work, but they were soldiers, and captains of his bodyguard, and captains of his chariots and horsemen. 2 Chronicles 8:10. And the chief officers of King Solomon who governed the people were two hundred and fifty. See (1 Kings 9:23) and comments on (2 Chronicles 2:1–2). 2 Chronicles 8:11. And Solomon transferred Pharaoh's daughter from the city of David to the house that he built for her, because, he said, a woman should not live with me in the house of David, king of Israel, for it is holy, because the ark of the Lord has entered into it. Wed. (1 Kings 9:24). In 2 Chronicles, the fact of the settlement of Pharaoh's daughter is conveyed, in contrast to 3 Kings, with an indication of Solomon's religious motives that caused this decision in him. Wed. in Olesnitsky, “The Old Testament Church,” p. 646–647. 2 Chronicles 8:12. Then Solomon began to offer burnt offerings to the Lord on the altar of the Lord, which he had built in front of the porch, 2 Chronicles 8:13. to offer burnt offerings every day, according to the commandment of Moses, on the Sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the feasts three times a year: on the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and on the Feast of Weeks, and on the Feast of Tabernacles. 2 Chronicles 8:14. And he established, by order of David his father, lines of priests according to their service and Levites according to their guards, so that they would praise and serve with the priests according to the rules of each day, and doorkeepers according to their lines, at each gate, because such was the will of David, the man of God. 2 Chronicles 8:15. And they did not deviate from the king’s commandments regarding the priests and Levites in anything, not regarding treasures. 2 Chronicles 8:16. This is how the whole work of Solomon was arranged from the day the house of the Lord was founded until its complete completion - the house of the Lord. The short message (1 Kings 9:25) here is significantly expanded and at the same time filled with new features: instead of the general indication of 1 Kings about the three annual sacrifices of Solomon, 3 great annual holidays are definitely named here: Unleavened Bread (Passover), Weeks (Pentecost) and Tabernacles and, in addition, Saturdays and new moons are also mentioned (cf. Lev. 23; Num. 28–29), and the strict conformity of the sacrificial practice with the law of Moses is noted here (verse 13); on the other hand, Solomon exhibits the same exact fulfillment of David’s liturgical regulations regarding the service of priests and Levites (v. 14, cf. 1 Chron. chapters 24–27). 2 Chronicles 8:17. Then Solomon went to Ezion-geber and to Elath, which is on the seashore in the land of Edom. 2 Chronicles 8:18. And Hiram sent him through his servants ships and slaves who knew the sea, and they went with Solomon's servants to Ophir, and from there they extracted four hundred and fifty talents of gold, and brought them to King Solomon. Wed. ( 1 Kings 9:26–28 ) and commentary in the Expository Bible, vol. II, p. 412. You might be interested in: