9 But of the children of Israel, of them did Solomon make no bondmen for his work; but they were men of war, and chief of his captains, and captains of his chariots and his horsemen.
And now, if ye will hearken to my voice indeed and keep my covenant, then shall ye be my own possession out of all the peoples -- for all the earth is mine -- and ye shall be to me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak to the children of Israel.
And if thy brother grow poor beside thee, and be sold unto thee, thou shalt not compel him to serve as a bondservant: as a hired servant, as a sojourner, shall he be with thee; until the year of jubilee shall he serve thee. Then shall he depart from thee, he and his children with him, and shall return unto his own family, and unto the possession of his fathers shall he return. For they are my bondmen, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt: they shall not be sold as [men] sell bondmen. Thou shalt not rule over him with rigour; and thou shalt fear thy God. And as for thy bondman and thy handmaid whom thou shalt have -- of the nations that are round about you, of them shall ye buy bondmen and handmaids. Moreover of the children of them that dwell as sojourners with you, of them may ye buy, and of their family that is with you, which they beget in your land, and they shall be your possession. And ye shall leave them as an inheritance to your children after you, to inherit them as a possession: these may ye make your bondmen for ever; but as for your brethren, the children of Israel, ye shall not rule over one another with rigour.
And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: he will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, on his chariot and among his horsemen, and they shall run before his chariots; and [he will take them] that he may appoint for himself captains over thousands, and captains over fifties, and that they may plough his ground, and reap his harvest, and make his instruments of war and instruments of his chariots.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » John Gill's Exposition of the Bible » Commentary on 2 Chronicles 8
Commentary on 2 Chronicles 8 John Gill's Exposition of the Bible
INTRODUCTION TO 2 CHRONICLES 8
This chapter contains much the same, with a little variation, as what is related in 1 Kings 9:10.
And it came to pass at the end of twenty years,.... See Gill on 1 Kings 9:10.
That the cities which Huram had restored to Solomon,.... Which Solomon first gave to him, but he not liking them, returned them to him, 1 Kings 9:12,
Solomon built them; or rebuilt them, being very much out of repair, which might be one reason of Huram's not accepting them:
and caused the children of Israel to dwell there; they being inhabited by others, the remains of the Canaanitcs perhaps; see 2 Chronicles 8:7.
And Solomon went to Hamathzobah,.... In an hostile manner, which is the only instance of any warlike expedition of Solomon's. This was Coelesyria, which though subdued in the times of David, perhaps rebelled, and now Solomon went forth to reduce it:
and prevailed against it; took it.
And built Tadmor in the wilderness,.... Of which See Gill on 1 Kings 9:18.
and all the storehouses which he built in Hamath; a country in Syria, which he made himself master of, and where he laid up store of provision and ammunition to keep it, should any attempt be made to rescue it out of his hands. According to an Arabic writerF1Abulpharag. Hist. Dynast. dyn. 3. p. 53. , Solomon in the twenty fourth year of his reign having demolished Antioch, built seven cities, of which Tadmor was one.
Also he built Bethhoron the upper, and Bethhoron the nether,.... Only mention is made of the latter in 1 Kings 9:17,
fenced cities, with walls, gates, and bars; fortified cities in the tribe of Ephraim.
And Baalath,.... See 1 Kings 9:18. From hence, to the end of 2 Chronicles 8:11, it is the same with 1 Kings 9:19. See Gill on 1 Kings 9:19. 1 Kings 9:20. 1 Kings 9:21. 1 Kings 9:22. 1 Kings 9:23. 1 Kings 9:24.
Then Solomon offered burnt offerings to the Lord,.... Meaning not barely at the time he rebuilt the above cities, for it was his constant practice:
on the altar of the Lord, which he had built before the porch; the brasen altar, which was at the entrance into the temple, within the court; of which see 2 Chronicles 4:1.
Even after a certain rate every day, according to the commandment of Moses,.... The daily sacrifice, morning and evening, Exodus 29:38,
on the sabbaths, and on the new moons; when there were additional sacrifices, Numbers 28:9, &c.
and on the solemn feasts three times in the year, even in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles; which serves to explain the three times in 1 Kings 9:25.
And he appointed, according to the order of David his father, the courses of the priests to their service,.... The twenty four courses which served weekly in their turns, 1 Chronicles 24:1.
and the Levites to their charges, to praise and minister before the priests, as duty of every day required; who also had their courses by lot, to sing the praises of God, when the priests sacrificed, or blew the trumpets, 1 Chronicles 25:1,
the porters also by their courses at every gate; from hence Dr. Lightfoot concludes that these were divided into twenty four classes, as the priests and Levite singers were:
for so had David the man of God commanded, 1 Chronicles 26:1, who in all these affairs acted as a prophet, under the inspiration and direction of the Holy Spirit of God.
And they departed not from the commandment of the king unto the priests and Levites,.... The priests and Levites departed not from it, not from the commandment of Solomon, according to the order of David, but in all things obeyed it:
concerning any matter; which related to the office of either of them, sacrificers, singers, or porters:
or concerning the treasures; such of the Levites as had the care of them were faithful to their trust, see 1 Chronicles 26:20, &c.
Now all the work of Solomon was prepared unto the day of the foundation of the house of the Lord, and until it was finished,.... The materials were prepared, and the money for the expenses; and even the very stones and timber were made fit for the building, so that there was nothing to retard the completion of it:
so the house of God was perfected; in the space of seven years, in all the parts, and according to the form and pattern of it, see 1 Kings 6:38.
Then went Solomon to Eziongeber,.... Being now at leisure to look after his navy, to carry on merchandise; and of this, and the following verse, and the reconciliation of them with 1 Kings 9:26; see Gill on 1 Kings 9:26, 1 Kings 9:27, 1 Kings 9:28.