2 Chronicles 8

2 Chronicles 8:1

Now at the end of the twenty years during which Solomon had built the house of the LORD and his own palace,

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2 Chronicles 8:2

Solomon rebuilt the cities Hiram had given him and settled Israelites there.

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2 Chronicles 8:3

Then Solomon went to Hamath-zobah and captured it.

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2 Chronicles 8:4

He built Tadmor in the wilderness, in addition to all the store cities that he had built in Hamath.

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Tadmor Tadmor , the Palmyra of the Greeks , as we learn from Josephus , a celebrated city of Syria , situated in an oasis , or fertile spot of land , surrounded on all sides by a vast sandy desert , like an island in the midst of the ocean; according to Pliny , 337 miles from Seleucia and Tigrim , 203 from the nearest part of the Mediterranean , and 176 from Damascus; according to Josephus , one day's journey west of the Euphrates , and six from Babylon; and according to Ptolemy , in lat. 34 degrees north , or that of Tripoli , and about 4 degrees more easterly; and it is described by Mr. Wood as "situated under a barren ridge of hills to the west , and open on the other sides to the desert;" "about six days' journey from Aleppo , and as much from Damascus , and about twenty leagues west of the Euphrates." Palmyra attained the height of its splendour when the royal city of Zenobia was conquered by the emperor Aurelian; became a Roman colony after the victories of Trajan; and was probably reduced to its present miserable state in the wars of the Saracens. Its magnificent ruins , however , scattered over an extent of several miles , sufficiently attest its former splendour and riches.

2 Chronicles 8:5

He rebuilt Upper and Lower Beth-horon as fortified cities with walls, gates, and bars,

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2 Chronicles 8:6

as well as Baalath, all the store cities that belonged to Solomon, and all the cities for his chariots and horses—whatever he desired to build in Jerusalem, Lebanon, and throughout the land of his dominion.

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2 Chronicles 8:7

As for all the people who remained of the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites (the people who were not Israelites)—

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2 Chronicles 8:8

their descendants who remained in the land, those whom the Israelites were unable to destroy—Solomon conscripted these people to be forced laborers, as they are to this day.

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2 Chronicles 8:9

But Solomon did not consign any of the Israelites to slave labor, because they were his men of war, his officers and captains, and the commanders of his chariots and cavalry.

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2 Chronicles 8:10

They were also the chief officers for King Solomon: 250 supervisors.

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2 Chronicles 8:11

Solomon brought the daughter of Pharaoh up from the City of David to the palace he had built for her. For he said, “My wife must not live in the house of David king of Israel, because the places the ark of the LORD has entered are holy.”

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2 Chronicles 8:12

At that time Solomon offered burnt offerings to the LORD on the altar of the LORD he had built in front of the portico.

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2 Chronicles 8:13

He observed the daily requirement for offerings according to the commandment of Moses for Sabbaths, New Moons, and the three annual appointed feasts—the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Tabernacles.

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2 Chronicles 8:14

In keeping with the ordinances of his father David, Solomon appointed the divisions of the priests over their service, and the Levites for their duties to offer praise and to minister before the priests according to the daily requirement. He also appointed gatekeepers by their divisions at each gate, for this had been the command of David, the man of God.

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2 Chronicles 8:15

They did not turn aside from the king's command regarding the priests or the Levites or any matter concerning the treasuries.

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2 Chronicles 8:16

Thus all the work of Solomon was carried out, from the day the foundation was laid for the house of the LORD until it was finished. So the house of the LORD was completed.

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2 Chronicles 8:17

Then Solomon went to Ezion-geber and to Eloth on the coast of Edom.

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2 Chronicles 8:18

So Hiram sent him ships captained by his servants, along with crews of experienced sailors. They went with Solomon's servants to Ophir and acquired from there 450 talents of gold, which they delivered to King Solomon.

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Ophir Conjectures respecting the situation of Ophir are endless. Grotius conjectures it to be a part of Arabia called Aphar by Arrian; while Bochart and others have placed it in the island of Ceylon. Calmet supposes it to have been situated in Armenia; but his late editor places it at the head of the Indus. Josephus says that Ophir is the Indies , called the Gold country; by which he is supposed to mean Chersonesus Aurea , now Malacca , opposite Sumatra; and Lev. Poivre observes that the inhabitants of these places call their gold mines ophirs.