2 Chronicles 8

1 At the end of twenty years, in which Solomon had built the LORD’s house and his own house,

2 Solomon built the cities which Huram had given to Solomon, and caused the children of Israel to dwell there.

3 Solomon went to Hamath Zobah, and prevailed against it.

4 He built Tadmor in the wilderness, and all the storage cities, which he built in Hamath.

5 Also he built Beth Horon the upper and Beth Horon the lower, fortified cities with walls, gates, and bars;

6 and Baalath, and all the storage cities that Solomon had, and all the cities for his chariots, the cities for his horsemen, and all that Solomon desired to build for his pleasure in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and in all the land of his dominion.

7 As for all the people who were left of the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, who were not of Israel—

8 of their children who were left after them in the land, whom the children of Israel didn’t consume—of them Solomon conscripted forced labor to this day.

9 But of the children of Israel, Solomon made no servants for his work, but they were men of war, chief of his captains, and rulers of his chariots and of his horsemen.

10 These were the chief officers of King Solomon, even two-hundred fifty, who ruled over the people.

11 Solomon brought up Pharaoh’s daughter out of David’s city to the house that he had built for her; for he said, “My wife shall not dwell in the house of David king of Israel, because the places where the LORD’s ark has come are holy.”

12 Then Solomon offered burnt offerings to the LORD on the LORD’s altar which he had built before the porch,

13 even as the duty of every day required, offering according to the commandment of Moses on the Sabbaths, on the new moons, and on the set feasts, three times per year, during the feast of unleavened bread, during the feast of weeks, and during the feast of booths.

14 He appointed, according to the ordinance of David his father, the divisions of the priests to their service, and the Levites to their offices, to praise and to minister before the priests, as the duty of every day required, the doorkeepers also by their divisions at every gate, for David the man of God had so commanded.

15 They didn’t depart from the commandment of the king to the priests and Levites concerning any matter or concerning the treasures.

16 Now all the work of Solomon was accomplished from the day of the foundation of the LORD’s house until it was finished. So the LORD’s house was completed.

17 Then Solomon went to Ezion Geber and to Eloth, on the seashore in the land of Edom.

18 Huram sent him ships and servants who had knowledge of the sea by the hands of his servants; and they came with the servants of Solomon to Ophir, and brought from there four hundred fifty talents of gold, and brought them to King Solomon.

Around 2 Chronicles 8

Context

Context for this book is being written. A note appears here only once it names its sources.

AI explanation

2 Chronicles 8 · Written by an AI model · Not reviewed by a theological reader

This explanation was written by an AI model to help you get started. It names no sources and can contain mistakes. Scripture comes first, and context with sources is shown separately on this page.

What this chapter says

Twenty years of building are over, and the king looks around at what he has made. The temple stands, and so does his own house. Now Solomon turns to the rest of his kingdom. He rebuilds the cities Huram gave him and settles Israelites in them. He wins a victory at Hamath Zobah, builds Tadmor in the wilderness, fortifies the two Beth Horons with walls, gates and bars, and fills storage cities and chariot cities across his land.

The chapter is honest about who carried the weight. The people left over from the old nations of Canaan were conscripted for forced labor, while the Israelites served as soldiers and officers, two hundred fifty chief officers in all. Solomon also moves Pharaoh’s daughter out of David’s city, because “the places where the LORD’s ark has come are holy.” His offerings follow the rhythm of the law of Moses, and the priests and Levites serve in the divisions David set. Then the ships sail, and gold comes back from Ophir.

Background

Chronicles tells Solomon’s reign with the temple at its center, and here the temple is finished and its worship is running. Huram, who supplied help for the building earlier (see 2 Chronicles 2), now supplies ships and sailors. The chapter shows a king who builds widely and keeps worship in order, and it also records forced labor without comment, a hard fact to read. The story continues in chapter 9 with the visitors who come to see Solomon.

About this explanation

Written by Claude Sonnet 5.5, an AI model, on 2 November 2026. It draws on the WEB text and general knowledge and was not checked against sources by a person. Every quotation from Scripture is checked automatically against the WEB text.

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World English Bible. Public-domain source and edition notes