Chapter 8 of Divrei HaYamim II opens a new phase in the reign of Shlomo: the period following the completion of the construction projects. Until now, Scripture dealt with the building of the House of Hashem and its dedication. From this point onward, Ezra describes Shlomo's building and conquest enterprises throughout his kingdom, the arrangements of divine service he instituted in the Beit HaMikdash, and the fleet he established at Etzyon-Gever. We will follow the order of the verses, drawing on the commentary attributed to Rashi, Radak, the Metzudot, and primarily the Malbim.
וַיְהִי מִקֵּץ עֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה אֲשֶׁר בָּנָה שְׁלֹמֹה אֶת־בֵּית יְהֹוָה וְאֶת־בֵּיתוֹ׃ - And it came to pass at the end of twenty years, during which Shlomo built the House of Hashem and his own house.
The commentary attributed to Rashi explains that "at the end of twenty years" refers to the time after both projects were completed: he built the House of Hashem for seven years and his own palace for thirteen years, totaling twenty years. At the conclusion of these twenty years, when all construction was finished, the narrative before us begins.
וְהֶעָרִים אֲשֶׁר נָתַן חוּרָם לִשְׁלֹמֹה בָּנָה שְׁלֹמֹה אֹתָם וַיּוֹשֶׁב שָׁם אֶת־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל׃ - And the cities that Huram gave to Shlomo, Shlomo built them up and settled the Children of Israel there.
Radak notes an obvious difficulty: in the Book of Melachim, the opposite is recounted - that Shlomo gave Hiram twenty cities in the land of the Galil, and Scripture states there that they did not please him. Furthermore, Melachim makes no mention of Hiram giving cities to Shlomo at all, but only cedar trees, cypress trees, and gold. If so, what is meant by "the cities that Huram gave to Shlomo" (Huram being Hiram)? Radak answers that Hiram may have given Shlomo cities in his own territory, and Shlomo settled Israelites there to establish a strong presence in those cities, while in return Shlomo gave Hiram cities in the Galil. This was done to reinforce the covenant between them, each granting territory to the other. In Melachim, the text mentions what Shlomo gave to Hiram, while here the text mentions what Hiram gave to Shlomo in exchange, reflecting a reciprocal transfer of cities.
The Malbim also addresses this difficulty, resolving it differently. In Melachim it is related that Shlomo gave Hiram twenty cities in the Galil, and Hiram went out to inspect them and was displeased with them, saying: You have given me the "land of Kavul" - an infertile land. Why did Shlomo give him these cities in the first place? So that Hiram could extract from them the twenty thousand kor of wheat and twenty thousand kor of oil that Shlomo supplied him annually for his household. Hiram argued that these cities simply could not yield such an output, making it impossible to produce the agreed-upon quantity. Ezra therefore reveals the sequel to the story: Hiram returned the cities to Shlomo. This is the meaning of "the cities that Huram gave to Shlomo" - that he returned them to him.
Then, "Shlomo built them up and settled the Children of Israel there" - he settled Israelites there to cultivate the land, and they were the ones to produce the twenty thousand kor to give to Hiram. Simply put, Shlomo, the wisest of all men, acted with deliberate foresight: he gave Hiram cities that he knew in advance would be returned to him, and this had been the plan all along - to rebuild them and settle Israelites in them to work the land and supply the grain and oil. In this way, he avoided permanently ceding territory to be inhabited by those who were not of the Children of Israel.
וַיֵּלֶךְ שְׁלֹמֹה חֲמָת צוֹבָה וַיֶּחֱזַק עָלֶיהָ׃ - And Shlomo went to Chamat-Tzovah and prevailed against it.
Shlomo now embarks on further conquests, capturing Chamat-Tzovah. The Malbim points out several details added here that do not appear in the Book of Melachim: that he conquered Chamat and built storage cities there. In Melachim, it was mentioned that he built Lower Beit-Choron; Ezra now reveals that he rebuilt it a second time as a fortified city, and along with it built Upper Beit-Choron as a fortified city as well. Conversely, regarding Gezer - where Melachim elaborates at length on its construction - Ezra sees no need to repeat it here, since it was already explained there in detail.
וַיִּבֶן אֶת־תַּדְמֹר בַּמִּדְבָּר וְאֵת כָּל־עָרֵי הַמִּסְכְּנוֹת אֲשֶׁר בָּנָה בַּחֲמָת׃ - And he built Tadmor in the wilderness, and all the store cities which he built in Hamath.
In the Book of Kings (I Kings 9:18), it is written *Tamor* and read as *Tadmor*. Tadmor is the city about which the Sages stated in Yevamot (16a) that converts are not accepted from the Tarmudim, the Tarmudim being emigrants from Tadmor (Palmyra). In Bereishit Rabbah, on the passage of the Akeidah, as cited by the commentary attributed to Rashi, it is mentioned that they aided the enemies of Israel. Tadmor has made headlines in recent years as a well-known city in Syria that was devastated during the fighting there. The Holy One, blessed be He, showed patience with them for two thousand five hundred years, and in the end, the city was wiped out.
And why is it written *Tamor*? From the root *temurah* (change or betrayal): initially they were on our side, but later they opposed us and betrayed their allegiance. Solomon had shown them great kindness and built them the metropolis known as Tadmor; they were expected to repay that kindness to Israel, yet they failed to do so, and were therefore designated *Tamor*. Here in Divrei HaYamim, however, Scripture specifically calls it *Tadmor*. Why? Because the Book of Divrei HaYamim focuses on the praises of the Davidic dynasty, and it is not fitting for the honor of the House of David to highlight a city that rebelled and turned against it. Scripture therefore refers to it by its original, dignified name, Tadmor, rather than Tamor, which evokes their rebellion.
The Metzudat David notes with precision: Solomon built Tadmor and all the store cities only after he had completed the building of the Beit HaMikdash and his own royal palace. This teaches that he refused to involve himself in anything else while occupied with the building of the Temple: not with warfare, not with conquests, and not with the expansion of cities. Only once the Temple and his palace were finished did he turn his attention to all these projects. And "store cities" (*arei miskenot*), the Metzudat Tzion explains, are cities of royal reserves, where the king's treasures and supplies were kept.
וַיִּבֶן אֶת־בֵּית חוֹרוֹן הָעֶלְיוֹן וְאֶת־בֵּית חוֹרוֹן הַתַּחְתּוֹן עָרֵי מָצוֹר חוֹמוֹת דְּלָתַיִם וּבְרִיחַ׃ - And he built Upper Beit-Choron and Lower Beit-Choron, fortified cities, with walls, gates, and bars.
These cities were located along the frontier, making it necessary to construct them as fortified cities (*arei matzor*), so that enemies could not penetrate through them into the heart of the Land of Israel. Why are they called *arei matzor* (cities of siege)? Because the only way an enemy could ever conquer them was by laying a prolonged siege and cutting off food and water; capturing such a stronghold by direct assault was virtually impossible.
וְאֶת־בַּעֲלָת וְאֵת כָּל־עָרֵי הַמִּסְכְּנוֹת אֲשֶׁר הָיוּ לִשְׁלֹמֹה וְאֵת כָּל־עָרֵי הָרֶכֶב וְאֵת עָרֵי הַפָּרָשִׁים וְאֵת כָּל־חֵשֶׁק שְׁלֹמֹה אֲשֶׁר חָשַׁק לִבְנוֹת בִּירוּשָׁלַ͏ִם וּבַלְּבָנוֹן וּבְכֹל אֶרֶץ מֶמְשַׁלְתּוֹ׃ - And Ba'alat, and all the store cities that Solomon had, and all the chariot cities, and the cities of the horsemen, and all the desire of Solomon that he desired to build in Jerusalem, and in Lebanon, and in all the land of his dominion.
Ba'alat is the name of a specific city. The store cities served as treasure depositories, while the chariot cities and cavalry cities were designated to house Solomon's vast forces of chariots and horsemen. "And all that Solomon desired" refers to every structure he wished to build throughout Jerusalem, Lebanon, and across the entire realm of his rule, and everything he undertook met with success. Incidentally, it is from this verse that the renowned Talmudic commentary *Cheishek Shlomo* derives its title.
כָּל־הָעָם הַנּוֹתָר מִן־הַחִתִּי וְהָאֱמֹרִי וְהַפְּרִזִּי וְהַחִוִּי וְהַיְבוּסִי אֲשֶׁר לֹא מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל הֵמָּה׃ מִן־בְּנֵיהֶם אֲשֶׁר נוֹתְרוּ אַחֲרֵיהֶם בָּאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר לֹא־כִלּוּם בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיַּעֲלֵם שְׁלֹמֹה לְמַס עַד הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה׃ - All the people who were left of the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivvites, and the Jebusites, who were not of Israel; from their children who remained after them in the land, whom the children of Israel did not annihilate, Solomon levied them for forced labor unto this day.
These verses stand as an indictment. The Torah explicitly warned that if Israel did not destroy these nations, they would become "pricks in your eyes and thorns in your sides," ultimately bringing about exile. And that is precisely what occurred: they enticed Israel into sin, leading to national expulsion. Here we see that even in the golden age of Solomon, when supreme power and wealth were at his disposal and the kingdom was under absolute sovereignty, he did not eliminate them. Yet these were the very peoples concerning whom the commandment was given: "You shall not leave alive any soul" (Devarim 20:16) - the Hittite, Amorite, Perizzite, Hivvite, and Jebusite, from the seven Canaanite nations. Already in the days of Joshua, during the fourteen years of conquest and distribution of the land, they should have been wiped out; but it was not done, and this festering problem persisted down to the days of Solomon.
What did Solomon do instead? "Solomon levied them for forced labor." He apparently reasoned that if they were thoroughly subjugated and paying tribute, there was no longer any danger from them - they would neither pose a threat nor cause disruption. He therefore permitted them to remain, contrary to the clear commandment of the Torah.
וּמִן־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר לֹא־נָתַן שְׁלֹמֹה לַעֲבָדִים לִמְלַאכְתּוֹ כִּי־הֵמָּה אַנְשֵׁי מִלְחָמָה וְשָׂרֵי שָׁלִישָׁיו וְשָׂרֵי רִכְבּוֹ וּפָרָשָׁיו׃ - But of the children of Israel did Shlomo make no servants for his work; for they were men of war, and chief of his captains, and captains of his chariots and of his horsemen.
As we saw above, Shlomo carried out the construction work using the resident aliens and not Bnei Yisrael, because construction is exceedingly strenuous labor. Bnei Yisrael were men of valor, warriors, commanders of chariots and horsemen. These were positions of trust, and for these he specifically appointed Bnei Yisrael, whereas the labor in mortar and bricks was done by the resident aliens.
וְאֵלֶּה שָׂרֵי הַנִּצָּבִים אֲשֶׁר־לַמֶּלֶךְ שְׁלֹמֹה חֲמִשִּׁים וּמָאתָיִם הָרֹדִים בָּעָם׃ - And these were the chief officers whom King Shlomo had, two hundred and fifty, who bore rule over the people.
The Malbim addresses an apparent contradiction with Melachim: there it states that the chief officers who oversaw Shlomo's work were five hundred and fifty, whereas here it says two hundred and fifty. Where did the other three hundred disappear? The Malbim resolves this: there, the verse speaks of the chief overseers placed over the resident aliens. There were 25,000 resident aliens, and over them were 550 officers - 500 commanders of fifty, and 50 commanders of five hundred. Here, however, the verse speaks of the chief officers appointed over the people of Israel, for that is the subject of the preceding verse: "But of the children of Israel did Shlomo make no servants for his work." If so, there is no contradiction at all: there it refers to the overseers of the resident aliens, and here to the overseers of Israel.
From Bnei Yisrael there were ten thousand continuously in Lebanon, and they were not slaves but supervisors over the laborers. Over them were two hundred and fifty chief officers, serving as commanders and officials, "who bore rule over the people." Note the precise wording: here it does not say "over the people who did the work," as it does in Melachim, because in truth they did not perform physical labor; rather, they merely supervised the felling of the trees.
וְאֶת־בַּת־פַּרְעֹה הֶעֱלָה שְׁלֹמֹה מֵעִיר דָּוִיד לַבַּיִת אֲשֶׁר בָּנָה־לָהּ כִּי אָמַר לֹא־תֵשֵׁב אִשָּׁה לִי בְּבֵית דָּוִיד מֶלֶךְ־יִשְׂרָאֵל כִּי־קֹדֶשׁ הֵמָּה אֲשֶׁר־בָּאָה אֲלֵיהֶם אֲרוֹן יְהֹוָה׃ - And Shlomo brought up the daughter of Pharaoh out of the City of David unto the house that he had built for her; for he said: "No wife of mine shall dwell in the house of David king of Israel, because the places are holy, whereunto the Ark of the Lord has come."
Shlomo closed off the Millo and built a dedicated palace for Pharaoh's daughter, and here Scripture reveals to us the reason: he did not wish to leave her in the City of David, "because they are holy." The Radak addresses the difficulty: the Ark of Hashem was not in the entire city, so why would all the houses be considered holy? He explains: even though the Ark of Hashem was located in one specific house dedicated to it, he nevertheless regarded all the houses as sanctified because the Ark had entered there. Therefore, he said that no woman should dwell there, and went and built a palace for her.
All the more so since Shlomo knew that Pharaoh's daughter was problematic, as we see that she continued to practice idolatry even after he brought her to Jerusalem. He certainly had no desire to leave someone like that in the place where the Ark of Hashem resided. Therefore, he distanced her from there. The Radak adds: this was not done immediately; rather, she lived there for two years until the construction of her house was completed, and only when the palace was finished did he move her into it and take her out of the City of David. Throughout the time the work was underway, she was indeed in Jerusalem, in the place where the Ark of Hashem was.
Regarding the phrasing of the verse, "whereunto the Ark of the Lord ba'ah [came - feminine form]" - seemingly, it should have said "ba" [masculine]. The Radak notes that one should not wonder at this, as we find that the Ark is sometimes referred to in the feminine form: "and the Ark of God was taken [nilkahah - feminine]." One might also suggest: in places where the Ark was in its full strength and in its proper place, in the Beit HaMikdash and the Mishkan, it is referred to in the masculine; but when the Ark wanders, it is written, "and the Ark of God was taken [nilkahah]," in the feminine, for the feminine form often expresses a weakening of power - as in "you have weakened my strength like a female." Here too, "whereunto the Ark of the Lord has come [ba'ah]," it was in a temporary location until it would be brought into the Beit HaMikdash, and therefore Scripture employed the feminine form, reflecting this apparent state of weakness.
The Malbim notes the variation in phrasing: in Melachim it says, "Only Pharaoh's daughter went up [altah]," whereas here it says, "And Pharaoh's daughter Shlomo brought up [he'elah]." Ezra comes and reveals more detail than what is mentioned in Melachim: she did not go up on her own initiative; rather, it was Shlomo who moved her up, and Ezra reveals the reason to us - so that she would not remain in the place where the Ark of Hashem was.
אָז הֶעֱלָה שְׁלֹמֹה עֹלוֹת לַיהֹוָה עַל מִזְבַּח יְהֹוָה אֲשֶׁר בָּנָה לִפְנֵי הָאוּלָם׃ - Then Shlomo offered up burnt offerings to Hashem on the altar of Hashem that he had built before the vestibule.
וּבִדְבַר־יוֹם בְּיוֹם לְהַעֲלוֹת כְּמִצְוַת מֹשֶׁה לַשַּׁבָּתוֹת וְלֶחֳדָשִׁים וְלַמּוֹעֲדוֹת שָׁלוֹשׁ פְּעָמִים בַּשָּׁנָה בְּחַג הַמַּצּוֹת וּבְחַג הַשָּׁבֻעוֹת וּבְחַג הַסֻּכּוֹת׃ - Even as the duty of every day required, offering according to the commandment of Moshe, on the Shabbats, on the New Moons, and on the appointed festivals, three times a year: on the Festival of Matzot, on the Festival of Shavuot, and on the Festival of Sukkot.
In Kings it is stated that Shlomo offered sacrifices three times a year, and the Malbim explains there that Shlomo funded the sacrifices of the three pilgrimage festivals out of his own pocket - three times a year the royal house financed the festival expenses. Here Ezra reveals that at a later stage, Shlomo took upon himself the expenses of all the sacrifices: whether the daily continual offering (olat ha-tamid), the Shabbat Musaf offerings, the New Moons (Roshei Chodashim), or the festivals.
At first glance, this raises a difficulty: communal sacrifices must be brought from the funds of all of Israel, and for this purpose the half-shekel was collected, so that every person would have a share in the offering. If Shlomo undertook all the expenses, this was still supposed to come from the communal funds of the Jewish people! However, one can say that royal funds are considered the funds of all Israel. The only restriction is that a private benefactor must not come along and say, "I am undertaking all the expenses of the daily Tamid offering for an entire year." To that we answer: this is not yours; the Tamid offering is meant for the community as a whole, and everyone must have a share in it. But the wealth of the royal house is not private money. Granted, there have been kings who grew confused and thought it was their personal property - to this day we hear of coups where rulers flee with suitcases containing billions in state funds, whatever they did not manage to transfer through secret channels - but in the normal course of things, we all know that the royal treasury belongs to the public. Therefore, this may well be the explanation: the sacrifices were brought from communal funds, for the royal treasury is the money of all Israel.
וַיַּעֲמֵד כְּמִשְׁפַּט דָּוִיד־אָבִיו אֶת־מַחְלְקוֹת הַכֹּהֲנִים עַל־עֲבֹדָתָם וְהַלְוִיִּם עַל־מִשְׁמְרוֹתָם לְהַלֵּל וּלְשָׁרֵת נֶגֶד הַכֹּהֲנִים לִדְבַר־יוֹם בְּיוֹמוֹ וְהַשֹּׁעֲרִים בְּמַחְלְקוֹתָם לְשַׁעַר וָשָׁעַר כִּי כֵן מִצְוַת דָּוִיד אִישׁ־הָאֱלֹהִים׃ - And he appointed, according to the ordinance of David his father, the divisions of the Kohanim to their service, and the Levites to their watches, to praise and to minister before the Kohanim, as the duty of every day required, and the gatekeepers by their divisions at every gate; for so was the commandment of David the man of God.
Shlomo established the divisions of the Kohanim just as his father David had established them, as we saw earlier that David divided the shifts (mishmarot), each watch serving at its appointed time. "To praise and to minister" - the song was an integral part of the Temple service. And what does it mean that the Levites sang "opposite the Kohanim" (neged ha-Kohanim)? "Neged" here means facing them: while the Kohanim were serving on the Altar, the Levites sang facing them at the time the sacrifice was offered. "As the duty of every day required" - each day has its own psalm, the daily song (Shir Shel Yom), and they were to sing the designated psalm for that specific day. And the gatekeepers were the guards of the gates, which was likewise one of the duties of the Levites, who were divided into singers and gatekeepers; King David appointed gatekeepers for every single gate, as we saw in extensive detail in Divrei HaYamim I.
וְלֹא סָרוּ מִצְוַת הַמֶּלֶךְ עַל־הַכֹּהֲנִים וְהַלְוִיִּם לְכָל־דָּבָר וְלָאֹצָרוֹת׃ - And they did not deviate from the commandment of the king concerning the Kohanim and the Levites in any matter, or concerning the treasuries.
Radak notes that it is as though the prepositional letter mem is missing here, and the meaning of the verse is: they did not turn away *from* the commandment of the king - from what the king commanded concerning the Kohanim and the Levites in every matter, as well as regarding the administration of the treasuries; just as he commanded, so they did. The Malbim explains that "lo saru" is related to the expression soreir u-moreh (rebellious and defiant), meaning they did not rebel against his command, and whatever he said, they carried out precisely.
וַתִּכֹּן כָּל־מְלֶאכֶת שְׁלֹמֹה עַד־הַיּוֹם מוּסַד בֵּית־יְהֹוָה וְעַד־כְּלֹתוֹ שָׁלֵם בֵּית יְהֹוָה׃ - Now all the work of Shlomo was prepared until the day of the foundation of the House of Hashem and until it was finished; the House of Hashem was complete.
The commentary attributed to Rashi explains: from the day of its founding until its completion - what we call "from the foundation to the rafters." Here too, Radak notes that it is as if the prepositional mem is missing, and it should be read as though it said "from the day the House of Hashem was founded until its completion"; that is, from the day of its founding until its completion, all the work was carried out properly and fittingly.
The Malbim explains: Regarding the work he performed until laying the foundation, it says, "And all the work of Shlomo was prepared until that day" - meaning that they prepared everything needed for the work. And regarding the work he did until he finished, it says, "The House of Hashem was completed," for he brought the House to completion. This is like what is mentioned in Melachim, "and he completed the House," meaning he perfected and fulfilled it: just as he built the House, he also completed it by providing all its needs, as we saw earlier that he financed the sacrifices as well. This is the meaning of "and he completed the House" - he fulfilled its entire purpose, not only the construction, but also its ongoing operation through the sacrifices that he fully funded.
אָז הָלַךְ שְׁלֹמֹה לְעֶצְיוֹן־גֶּבֶר וְאֶל־אֵילוֹת עַל־שְׂפַת הַיָּם בְּאֶרֶץ אֱדוֹם׃ - Then Shlomo went to Etzyon-Gever and to Eilot, on the seashore in the land of Edom.
There were cities there in Etzyon-Gever and Eilot, and Shlomo took these cities and built an oni there, meaning a fleet of ships. For this reason he went and took control of these places, so that he would have a naval fleet stationed there.
וַיִּשְׁלַח־לוֹ חוּרָם בְּיַד־עֲבָדָיו אֳנִיּוֹת וַעֲבָדִים יוֹדְעֵי יָם וַיָּבֹאוּ עִם־עַבְדֵי שְׁלֹמֹה אוֹפִירָה וַיִּקְחוּ מִשָּׁם אַרְבַּע־מֵאוֹת וַחֲמִשִּׁים כִּכַּר זָהָב וַיָּבִיאוּ אֶל־הַמֶּלֶךְ שְׁלֹמֹה׃ - And Churam sent him ships through his servants, along with servants who knew the sea; and they went with Shlomo's servants to Ophir and took from there four hundred and fifty talents of gold, and brought them to King Shlomo.
Chiram sent him ships via his servants, as well as men experienced in navigating them - "servants who knew the sea" - since this required great expertise. They sailed to Ophir, a place with vast gold deposits, took four hundred and fifty talents of gold from there, and brought them to King Shlomo.
Both the Radak and the Malbim note here that the Book of Melachim states four hundred and twenty talents. One might say jokingly that by the days of Ezra, with inflation, this had grown to four hundred and fifty. But on a serious note, both commentators take the same approach: thirty talents went toward travel expenses. Thus, one source cites the gross amount and the other the net: the gross was four hundred and fifty talents, but thirty were deducted for travel expenses and the crew's wages. Therefore, Melachim mentions only four hundred and twenty, omitting those thirty.
In Chapter 8, we observed Shlomo after twenty years of construction: the exchange of cities with Chiram and the settling of Bnei Yisrael in them, the conquest of Chamat-Tzovah and the building of Tadmor, Beit-Choron, and the other fortress and storage cities - and all this occurred only after he completed the House of Hashem and his own palace, as he did not wish to engage in any other enterprise while the Beit HaMikdash was being built. We saw the critique concerning leaving the seven Canaanite nations in the Land, the division of labor between Yisrael and the resident aliens, the relocation of Pharaoh's daughter from the area entered by the Ark of Hashem, the sacrifices Shlomo funded from the royal treasury, the appointment of the shifts of Kohanim, Levi'im, and gatekeepers according to David's command, and finally, the fleet he established in Etzyon-Gever and the gold brought from Ophir. All of this reflects "And all the work of Shlomo was prepared" - not only the construction of the House, but also its completion and proper ongoing operation.