What did Solomon build and arrange after the twenty years connected with the two houses?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

He built and settled cities, assigned the named surviving peoples as tributaries while Israelites held military roles, moved his wife from David’s sanctified house, arranged offerings and ministries, and received 450 talents of gold from Ophir through Hiram’s mariners and his own servants.

Chapter breakdown

The chapter records Solomon’s buildings and other acts.

At the end of twenty years after Solomon had built the Lord’s house and his own, he built the cities Hiram had given him and settled Israel’s children there. He went into Emath Suba and possessed it. He built Palmira in the desert and other strong cities in Emath. He built upper and nether Beth-horon as walled cities with gates, bars and locks, as well as Balaath, all his strong cities and the cities of chariots and horsemen. He built everything he intended and planned in Jerusalem, Libanus and all his dominion.

The remaining Hethites, Amorrhites, Pherezites, Hevites and Jebusites were not of Israel’s stock. Solomon made their children and descendants whom Israel had not slain tributaries, remaining so unto the account’s day. He assigned none of Israel’s children to serve in the king’s works: they were men of war, chief captains and rulers of his chariots and horsemen. Solomon’s army had 250 chief captains, who taught the people.

Solomon moved Pharao’s daughter from the city of David to the house he had built for her. He said his wife would not live in David king of Israel’s house because it was sanctified: the Lord’s ark had entered it.

Solomon offered holocausts to the Lord on the altar he had built before the porch, providing the daily offering according to Moses’ ordinance, on sabbaths, new moons and the three yearly festivals: unleavened bread, weeks and tabernacles. Following David his father’s order, he appointed the priests’ ministries, the Levites’ ordered praise and service before the priests according to each day’s duty, and porters in divisions at each gate, as David the man of God had commanded. Priests and Levites did not depart from any of the king’s commands, including keeping the treasures. Solomon had all charges prepared from the day he founded the Lord’s house until the day he finished it.

Solomon went to Asiongaber and Ailath on the Red Sea coast in Edom. Hiram sent ships through his servants and skilful mariners. They went with Solomon’s servants to Ophir, took 450 talents of gold from there and brought it to King Solomon.

The story inside

The record begins with cities given by Hiram, settlement by Israelites and further building across the named places and Solomon’s dominion. It distinguishes the surviving peoples made tributaries from Israelites serving in military roles and names 250 army chief captains who taught the people. The move of Pharao’s daughter has an explicit reason in Solomon’s words: the ark had entered David’s house, making it sanctified. The account then describes offerings under Moses’ ordinance and ministries under David’s order, including faithful treasure keeping and prepared charges throughout the building. Finally Solomon goes to the two named Red Sea places, and Hiram’s ships and skilled mariners join Solomon’s servants in bringing gold from Ophir. The text supplies these acts without stating trade-corridor motives, a labor aristocracy or a purpose of replenishing the treasury.

Lessons worth keeping

1
The building list keeps both settlement and construction. Israelites dwell in Hiram’s given cities; Emath Suba is possessed, Palmira is built in the desert and both Beth-horons have walls, gates, bars and locks. Balaath, strong cities, chariot cities and horsemen’s cities also appear. Their functions should not be expanded into unstated grain stores, frontier passes or stone-wall materials.
2
The people’s assignments have a limited description. Five named surviving peoples and their descendants become tributaries; Israelites are not put to the king’s works and are described in military roles. The 250 are chief captains of the army who taught the people, rather than an invented set of building supervisors. Unto this day refers to the account’s time, not an assertion of perpetual status today.
3
The worship arrangements specify their authorities and duties. Moses’ ordinance governs daily offerings and named feast times; David’s order governs priests, Levites and gate divisions. Treasure keeping and charges from foundation to completion remain part of the record. The final voyage names Edom, Asiongaber, Ailath, Ophir and 450 talents without assigning a modern location to Ophir or a commercial motive.

Test your recall

Hiram gives Solomon cities → Solomon builds them and settles Israelites there. The ark had entered David’s house and it was sanctified → Solomon moves his wife to the house built for her. Moses’ ordinance and David’s order provide the stated rules → offerings and ministries follow their appointed times and duties. Hiram supplies ships and skilled mariners who join Solomon’s servants →450 talents of gold are brought from Ophir to the king.

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 45041–45043
2 Paralipomenon Chapter 8 Solomon’s buildings and other acts.
Lines 45045–45062
8:1. And at the end of twenty years after Solomon had built the house of the Lord and his own house: 8:2. He built the cities which Hiram had given to Solomon, and caused the children of Israel to dwell there. 8:3. He went also into Emath Suba, and possessed it. 8:4. And he built Palmira in the desert, and he built other strong cities in Emath. 8:5. And he built Beth-horon the upper, and Beth-horon the nether, walled cities with gates and bars and locks. 8:6. Balaath also and all the strong cities that were Solomon’s, and all the cities of the chariots, and the cities of the horsemen. All that Solomon had a mind, and designed, he built in Jerusalem and in Libanus, and in all the land of his dominion.
Lines 45064–45077
8:7. All the people that were left of the Hethites, and the Amorrhites, and the Pherezites, and the Hevites, and the Jebusites, that were not of the stock of Israel: 8:8. Of their children, and of the posterity, whom the children of Israel had not slain, Solomon made to be the tributaries, unto this day. 8:9. But of the children of Israel he set none to serve in the king’s works: for they were men of war, and chief captains, and rulers of his chariots and horsemen. 8:10. And all the chief captains of king Solomon’s army were two hundred and fifty, who taught the people.
Lines 45079–45082
8:11. And he removed the daughter of Pharao from the city of David, to the house which he had built for her. For the king said: My wife shall not dwell in the house of David king of Israel, for it is sanctified: because the ark of the Lord came into it.
Lines 45084–45104
8:12. Then Solomon offered holocausts to the Lord upon the altar of the Lord which he had built before the porch, 8:13. That every day an offering might be made on it according to the ordinance of Moses, in the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the festival days three times a year, that is to say, in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles. 8:14. And he appointed according to the order of David his father the offices of the priests in their ministries: and the Levites in their order to give praise, and minister before the priests according to the duty of every day: and the porters in their divisions by gate and gate: for so David the man of God had commanded. 8:15. And the priests and Levites departed not from the king’s commandments, as to any thing that he had commanded, and as to the keeping of the treasures. 8:16. Solomon had all charges prepared, from the day that he founded the house of the Lord, until the day wherein he finished it.
Lines 45106–45112
8:17. Then Solomon went to Asiongaber, and to Ailath, on the coast of the Red Sea, which is in the land of Edom. 8:18. And Hiram sent him ships by the hands of his servants, and skilful mariners, and they went with Solomon’s servants to Ophir, and they took thence four hundred and fifty talents of gold, and brought it to king Solomon.