Tyndale Open Study Notes2 Chronicles 8

The twenty towns Solomon gave to Hiram in exchange for gold did not satisfy Hiram (1 Kings 9:11–14). This suggests Hiram returned them to Solomon, who likely offered something else in return.

This verse is the only mention in Chronicles of Solomon’s military achievements; he was known as a man of peace (1 Chronicles 22:9). The kingdoms of David and Solomon reached Hamath-zobah in the far north on the Orontes River. King Toi, the ruler of Hamath, sought David’s help against Hadadezer, the king of Zobah (1 Chronicles 18:9–10). Hadadezer was also called the king of Zobah-Hamath (1 Chronicles 18:3). Solomon led an expedition to this area to keep his kingdom’s northern border stable.

The Chronicler talks about the northern parts of Solomon’s kingdom. Tadmor, later known as Palmyra, was an oasis city in Syria on the desert trade routes with Mesopotamia, 120 miles northeast of Damascus. It is not mentioned elsewhere in the Bible. Eventually, it was linked with the list of fortified cities in Solomon’s kingdom (compare 1 Kings 9:18, where Tamar/Tadmor refers to a city in southeast Judah).

Upper and Lower Beth-horon are on a ridge that rises from the Valley of Aijalon to the plateau north of Jerusalem. Fortifications guarded the path linking Jerusalem to the main coastal trade route.

Some cities served as storage sites and for military cavalry. Large building complexes at Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer had long rooms divided into three sections with two rows of pillars. These rooms might have been used as stables and storehouses, or they might have served as barracks for a professional army.

Solomon's marriage to Pharaoh's daughter, an Egyptian alliance, is mentioned often in Kings (1 Kings 3:1; 9:16, 24; 11:1). This marriage shows Solomon's kingdom and international influence. He gave her a permanent home to show she was his most important wife. This also kept David's palace sacred, likely because Pharaoh's daughter followed a different religion.

The Chronicler highlights Solomon's activities at the northern and southern borders of his kingdom to show the size of his empire. Solomon controlled ports on the Red Sea, which enabled international trade to the south. Hiram was a valuable ally; his people, the Phoenicians of Tyre, had extensive trade networks and were expert sailors, helping Solomon trade with Ophir. Ophir is traditionally believed to be in southwest Arabia (see Genesis 10:28–29).