Sequence of the Hebrew Text of 1Ki 9:1-28 and 2Ch 7:11-8:18
Version Date: January 8, 2026
(2Ch 7:11) ויכל שלמה את בית יהוה ואת בית המלך ואת כל הבא על לב שלמה לעשות בבית יהוה ובביתו הצליח | |
(1Ki 9:1) ויהי ככלות שלמה לבנות את בית יהוה ואת בית המלך ואת כל חשק שלמה אשר חפץ לעשות | |
(1Ki 9:2) וירא יהוה אל שלמה ...
| (2Ch 7:12) וירא יהוה אל שלמה ...
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(1Ki 9:3) ... יהוה אליו ... 1
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(2Ch 7:12) ... לו ... 1
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(1Ki 9:3) ... שמעתי את תפלתך ...
| (2Ch 7:12) ... שמעתי את תפלתך ...
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(1Ki 9:3) ... ואת תחנתך אשר התחננתה לפני ...
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(1Ki 9:3) ... הקדשתי את הבית הזה אשר בנתה לשום שמי שם עד עולם והיו עיני ולבי שם כל הימים | |
(2Ch 7:13) הן אעצר השמים ולא יהיה מטר והן אצוה על חגב לאכול הארץ ואם אשלח דבר בעמי | |
(2Ch 7:14) ויכנעו עמי אשר נקרא שמי עליהם ויתפללו ויבקשו פני וישבו מדרכיהם הרעים ואני אשמע מן השמים ואסלח לחטאתם וארפא את ארצם | |
(2Ch 7:16) ועתה בחרתי והקדשתי את הבית הזה להיות שמי שם עד עולם והיו עיני ולבי שם כל הימים | |
(1Ki 9:4) ואתה אם תלך לפני כאשר הלך דוד אביך ...
| (2Ch 7:17) ואתה אם תלך לפני כאשר הלך דויד אביך ...
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(1Ki 9:4) ... בתם לבב ובישר ...
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(1Ki 9:4) ... לעשות ... 2
| (2Ch 7:17) ... ולעשות ... 2
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(1Ki 9:4) ... ככל אשר צויתיך ...
| (2Ch 7:17) ... ככל אשר צויתיך ...
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(1Ki 9:4) ... חקי ... 2
| (2Ch 7:17) ... וחקי ... 2
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(1Ki 9:5) והקמתי את כסא ממלכתך על ישראל לעלם כאשר דברתי על דוד אביך לאמר לא יכרת לך איש מעל כסא ישראל 3
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(2Ch 7:18) והקימותי את כסא מלכותך כאשר כרתי לדויד אביך לאמר לא יכרת לך איש מושל בישראל 3
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(1Ki 9:6) אם ... 4
| (2Ch 7:19) ואם ... 4
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(1Ki 9:6) ... תשבון ... 5
| (2Ch 7:19) ... תשובון ... 5
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(1Ki 9:6) ... ובניכם מאחרי ...
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(2Ch 7:19) ... ועזבתם חקותי ומצותי ... 6
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(1Ki 9:6) ... ולא תשמרו מצותי חקתי ... 6
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(1Ki 9:6) ... אשר נתתי לפניכם והלכתם ועבדתם אלהים אחרים והשתחויתם להם | (2Ch 7:19) ... אשר נתתי לפניכם והלכתם ועבדתם אלהים אחרים והשתחויתם להם |
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(2Ch 7:20) ונתשתים מעל אדמתי ...
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(1Ki 9:7) ... מעל פני האדמה ...
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(1Ki 9:7) ... אשר נתתי להם ואת הבית ...
| (2Ch 7:20) ... אשר נתתי להם ואת הבית ...
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(1Ki 9:7) ... אשר הקדשתי לשמי ...
| (2Ch 7:20) ... אשר הקדשתי לשמי ...
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(2Ch 7:20) ... אשליך ... 7
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(1Ki 9:7) ... אשלח ... 7
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(2Ch 7:20) ... ואתננו למשל ולשנינה בכל העמים 8
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(1Ki 9:7) ... והיה ישראל למשל ולשנינה בכל העמים 8
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(1Ki 9:8) ... יהיה ... 9
| (2Ch 7:21) ... אשר היה ... 9
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(2Ch 7:21) ... לכל עבר עליו ישם ... 9
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(1Ki 9:8) ... כל עבר עליו ישם ושרק ... 9
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(1Ki 9:8) ... ואמרו על מה עשה יהוה ככה לארץ הזאת ולבית הזה 10
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(1Ki 9:9) ואמרו על אשר עזבו את יהוה אלהיהם אשר הוציא את אבתם מארץ מצרים ויחזקו באלהים אחרים וישתחו להם ויעבדם על כן הביא יהוה עליהם את כל הרעה הזאת 11
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(2Ch 7:21) ... ואמר במה עשה יהוה ככה לארץ הזאת ולבית הזה 10
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(2Ch 7:22) ואמרו על אשר עזבו את יהוה אלהי אבתיהם אשר הוציאם מארץ מצרים ויחזיקו באלהים אחרים וישתחוו להם ויעבדום על כן הביא עליהם את כל הרעה הזאת 11
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(2Ch 8:1) ויהי מקץ עשרים שנה אשר בנה שלמה את בית יהוה ואת ביתו 12
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(2Ch 8:2) והערים אשר נתן חורם לשלמה בנה שלמה אתם ויושב שם את בני ישראל 13
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(2Ch 8:4) ויבן את תדמר במדבר ואת כל ערי המסכנות אשר בנה בחמת 14
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(2Ch 8:5) ויבן את בית חורון העליון ואת בית חורון התחתון ערי מצור חומות דלתים ובריח 14
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(2Ch 8:6) ואת בעלת ואת כל ערי המסכנות אשר היו לשלמה ואת כל ערי הרכב ואת ערי הפרשים ואת כל חשק שלמה אשר חשק לבנות בירושלם ובלבנון ובכל ארץ ממשלתו 14
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(2Ch 8:7) כל העם הנותר מן החתי והאמרי והפרזי והחוי והיבוסי אשר לא מישראל המה 15
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(2Ch 8:8) מן בניהם אשר נותרו אחריהם בארץ אשר לא כלום בני ישראל ויעלם שלמה למס עד היום הזה 16
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(2Ch 8:9) ומן בני ישראל אשר לא נתן שלמה לעבדים למלאכתו כי המה אנשי מלחמה ושרי שלישיו ושרי רכבו ופרשיו 16
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(2Ch 8:10) ואלה שרי הנציבים אשר למלך שלמה חמשים ומאתים הרדים בעם 17
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(1Ki 9:10) ויהי מקצה עשרים שנה אשר בנה שלמה את שני הבתים את בית יהוה ואת בית המלך 12
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(1Ki 9:11) חירם מלך צר נשא את שלמה בעצי ארזים ובעצי ברושים ובזהב לכל חפצו אז יתן המלך שלמה לחירם עשרים עיר בארץ הגליל | |
(1Ki 9:12) ויצא חירם מצר לראות את הערים אשר נתן לו שלמה ולא ישרו בעיניו | |
(1Ki 9:13) ויאמר מה הערים האלה אשר נתתה לי אחי ויקרא להם ארץ כבול עד היום הזה | |
(1Ki 9:15) וזה דבר המס אשר העלה המלך שלמה לבנות את בית יהוה ואת ביתו ואת המלוא ואת חומת ירושלם ואת חצר ואת מגדו ואת גזר | |
(1Ki 9:16) פרעה מלך מצרים עלה וילכד את גזר וישרפה באש ואת הכנעני הישב בעיר הרג ויתנה שלחים לבתו אשת שלמה | |
(1Ki 9:17) ויבן שלמה את גזר ואת בית חרן תחתון 14
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(1Ki 9:18) ואת בעלת ואת תמר במדבר בארץ 14
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(1Ki 9:19) ואת כל ערי המסכנות אשר היו לשלמה ואת ערי הרכב ואת ערי הפרשים ואת חשק שלמה אשר חשק לבנות בירושלם ובלבנון ובכל ארץ ממשלתו 14
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(1Ki 9:20) כל העם הנותר מן האמרי החתי הפרזי החוי והיבוסי אשר לא מבני ישראל המה 15
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(1Ki 9:21) בניהם אשר נתרו אחריהם בארץ אשר לא יכלו בני ישראל להחרימם ויעלם שלמה למס עבד עד היום הזה 16
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(1Ki 9:22) ומבני ישראל לא נתן שלמה עבד כי הם אנשי המלחמה ועבדיו ושריו ושלישיו ושרי רכבו ופרשיו 16
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(1Ki 9:23) אלה שרי הנצבים אשר על המלאכה לשלמה חמשים וחמש מאות הרדים בעם העשים במלאכה 17
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(2Ch 8:11) ואת בת פרעה העלה שלמה מעיר דויד לבית אשר בנה לה כי אמר לא תשב אשה לי בבית דויד מלך ישראל כי קדש המה אשר באה אליהם ארון יהוה 18
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(1Ki 9:24) אך בת פרעה עלתה מעיר דוד אל ביתה אשר בנה לה אז בנה את המלוא 18
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(2Ch 8:12) אז העלה שלמה עלות ליהוה על מזבח יהוה אשר בנה לפני האולם | |
(2Ch 8:13) ובדבר יום ביום להעלות כמצות משה לשבתות ולחדשים ולמועדות שלוש פעמים בשנה בחג המצות ובחג השבעות ובחג הסכות | |
(2Ch 8:14) ויעמד כמשפט דויד אביו את מחלקות הכהנים על עבדתם והלוים על משמרותם להלל ולשרת נגד הכהנים לדבר יום ביומו והשערים במחלקותם לשער ושער כי כן מצות דויד איש האלהים | |
(2Ch 8:15) ולא סרו מצות המלך על הכהנים והלוים לכל דבר ולאצרות | |
(2Ch 8:16) ותכן כל מלאכת שלמה עד היום מוסד בית יהוה ועד כלתו שלם בית יהוה | |
(2Ch 8:17) אז הלך שלמה לעציון גבר ואל אילות על שפת הים בארץ אדום | |
(1Ki 9:25) והעלה שלמה שלש פעמים בשנה עלות ושלמים על המזבח אשר בנה ליהוה והקטיר אתו אשר לפני יהוה ושלם את הבית | |
(1Ki 9:26) ואני עשה המלך שלמה בעציון גבר אשר את אלות על שפת ים סוף בארץ אדום | |
(2Ch 8:18) וישלח לו חורם ביד עבדיו אוניות ועבדים יודעי ים ויבאו עם עבדי שלמה אופירה ויקחו משם ארבע מאות וחמשים ככר זהב ויביאו אל המלך שלמה 19
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(1Ki 9:27) וישלח חירם באני את עבדיו אנשי אניות ידעי הים עם עבדי שלמה 19
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(1Ki 9:28) ויבאו אופירה ויקחו משם זהב ארבע מאות ועשרים ככר ויבאו אל המלך שלמה |
Endnotes:
(1) Where 1Ki 9:3 has ויאמר יהוה אליו "and the LORD said to him," 2Ch 7:12 has ויאמר לו "and he said to him." Since אליו "to him" in 1Ki 9:3 could also be translated "towards him," it implies some distance; apparently, the Lord spoke to Solomon from heaven. Nonetheless, since לו "to him" in 2Ch 7:12 suggests nearness, it follows that the words of the vision were spoken near Solomon by means of an angel. So, comparing ויאמר יהוה אליו "and the LORD said towards him" with ויאמר לו "and he said to him," the former emphasizes that the Lord himself was speaking, and thus emphasizes the Lord; the latter, emphasizing nearness, does not emphasize the Lord, for it was not the Lord himself who was near but the angel through whom he was speaking. [Back]
(2) Following very closely the text, 2Ch 7:17-18 could be translated, "And as for thee, if thou wilt walk before me as David thy father walked, and so as to do according to all that I have commanded thee, and my statutes and my judgments thou wilt keep, and I will establish the throne of thy royal authority ... " The most obvious interpretation is that the text lists what the Lord expected from Solomon. In this interpretation, 2Ch 7:17-18 could be translated, "And as for thee, if thou wilt walk before me as David thy father walked, and thou wilt walk so as to do according to all that I have commanded thee, and thou wilt keep my statutes and my judgments, then I will establish the throne of thy royal authority ... " However, another interpretation is that the phrase "so as to do" describes the manner of walk, and that keeping the statutes and the judgments is a consequence of doing the Lord's commands. In this interpretation, the text could be rendered, "if thou wilt walk before me as David thy father walked, and thy walk will be so as to do according to all that I have commanded thee, then thou wilt keep my statutes and my judgments, and I will establish the throne of thy royal authority." It is apparent that the Lord meant both interpretations of his words, for the second interpretation is supported by 1Ki 9:4. This second interpretation is obtained when noticing that 1Ki 9:4 drops the waw conjunction before לעשות "so as to do" and before חקי "my statutes." Thus, 1Ki 9:4-5 has, "And as for thee, if thou wilt walk before me as David thy father walked, so as to do according to all that I have commanded thee, then thou wilt keep my statutes and my judgments, and I will establish the throne of thy royalty ... " Since 2Ch 7:17 is not stated exactly like 1Ki 9:4-5, and since it is naturally understood according to the first interpretation, it could be inferred that 2Ch 7:17 emphasizes the first interpretation. Then, it could be concluded that 2Ch 7:17 states what was expected from Solomon, while 1Ki 9:4 shows what was needed for meeting the expectations (namely, the determination to keep the Lord's commandments.) Once again, it is apparent that the Lord meant both interpretations. [Back] (3) 1Ki 9:5 and 2Ch 7:18 are about the breadth and the depth of the royal authority, respectively. Considering the words ממלכה of 1Ki 9:5 and מלכות of 2Ch 7:18, they do not have exactly the same meaning though both are sometimes translated "kingdom." The word ממלכה can refer to those causing a king to reign, that is, the people of a kingdom, as in 2Ch 14:5(4) and Ps 79:6. It can also refer to the land of a kingdom, as in Nu 32:33. Thus, by means of this word, 1Ki 9:5 speaks about the domain of the royal authority. The word מלכות emphasizes royal authority, such as in Est 1:19, Ps 103:19, and 2Ch 12:1. Thus, by means of this word, 2Ch 7:18 speaks about the depth of the royal authority. In conclusion, 1Ki 9:5 is about breadth, speaking of a royal authority extending over all Israel, and 2Ch 7:18 is about depth, speaking of a royal power over subjects that is never diminished or removed. As for the order in which 1Ki 9:5 and 2Ch 7:18 were spoken, see the note (4) below. [Back] (4) Considering אם in 1Ki 9:6 and ואם in 2Ch 7:19, the absence of the waw conjunction in the former was taken as marking some omitted words. Considering also the order in which 1Ki 9:5 and 2Ch 7:18 were spoken, the order that fits best is that 1Ki 9:5 was spoken first, for in this case the omitted words between 1Ki 9:5 and 1Ki 9:6 consist of (or include) 2Ch 7:18. [Back] (5) Both the phrase שוב תשבון of 1Ki 9:6 and the form תשובון of 2Ch 7:19 add emphasis to the verb שוב "to turn." Both indicate that when the Lord spoke 1Ki 9:6 and 2Ch 7:19, he emphasized the turning away of the people. Now תשובון in 2Ch 7:19 appears to be an abbreviation of שוב תשבון in 1Ki 9:6. [Back] (6) The interpretation here is that the clause ועזבתם חקותי ומצותי "and forsake my statutes and my commandments" of 2Ch 7:19, was spoken before ולא תשמרו מצותי חקתי "and do not keep my commandments, my statutes" in 1Ki 9:6. Thus, the combined text of 2Ch 7:19 and 1Ki 9:6 is understood to be, ואם שוב תשבון אתם ובניכם מאחרי ועזבתם חקותי ומצותי ולא תשמרו מצותי חקתי אשר נתתי לפניכם והלכתם ועבדתם אלהים אחרים והשתחויתם להם "And if ye and your sons turn away indeed from following me, forsaking my statutes and my commandments, so that ye do not keep my commandments, my statutes which I gave before you, and ye go, and serve other gods, and worship them." The order of the clauses ועזבתם חקותי ומצותי "and forsake my statutes and my commandments" (2Ch 7:19) and ולא תשמרו מצותי חקתי "and do not keep my commandments, my statutes" (1Ki 9:6) was determined as follows. In 2Ch 7:19, the verb form תשובון "ye turn," at the imperfect tense, is followed by the verb form עזבתם "forsake," at the perfect tense. The difference in tense was taken as an indication that these two verbs refer to things taking place about the same time. It follows that "and forsake ... " precedes "and do not keep ... ," or else "forsake" would be at the time of "do not keep" and not at the time of "ye turn." [Back] (7) Considering אשליך "I will throw down" in 2Ch 7:20 and אשלח "I will cast out" in 1Ki 9:7, it may be that the Lord put it this way: אשליך ואשלח מעל פני "I will throw down and cast out of my sight." [Back] (8) In view of its context, the ending of 2Ch 7:20 refers to the temple. Note that it is not parallel to the ending of 1Ki 9:7, which is about Israel. [Back] (9) והבית הזה יהיה עליון "And as for the fact that this house was exalted" in 1Ki 9:8 is understood here to abbreviate והבית הזה אשר היה עליון לכל עבר עליו ישם "And this house, which was exalted to all who passed by it, will be desolated" in 2Ch 7:21. Note that the form ישם "will be desolated" of 2Ch 7:21 was derived from the verb שמם "to be desolated, appalled." The meaning "to be appalled" of this verb applies to the form ישם of 1Ki 9:8. [Back] (10) Considering 1Ki 9:8 and 2Ch 7:21, let 1Ki 9:8b denote the second half of the former verse, that is, ואמרו על מה עשה יהוה ככה לארץ הזאת ולבית הזה "and they will say, 'what is the reason the LORD did this to this land and to this house?'" Moreover, let 2Ch 7:21b denote ואמר במה עשה יהוה ככה לארץ הזאת ולבית הזה "and one will say, 'in what situation did the LORD this to this land and to this house?'" Note that 1Ki 9:9 and 2Ch 7:22 correspond to different parts of the message given to Solomon, as shown in note (11). Consequently, it is most natural to assume that 1Ki 9:8b and 2Ch 7:21b do not correspond to the same words of the Lord. Nonetheless, ואמרו "and they will say" in 1Ki 9:8 and ואמר "and one will say" in 2Ch 7:21 could be regarded as equivalent. The former does not imply that everyone seeing the sight would say the words mentioned in 1Ki 9:8 but only that some would say those words. Similarly, in 2Ch 7:21, since no subject is given, ואמר could be translated "and one will say," implying that some will say the words mentioned in 2Ch 7:21. Under the assumption that the first half of 1Ki 9:8 and the first half of 2Ch 7:21 abbreviate the same words of the Lord, it could be concluded that the Lord spoke first 1Ki 9:8b-9 and then 2Ch 7:21b-22. Indeed, in view of 2Ch 7:21, the form ואמר "and one will say" does not have a subject. Then, this form fits after 1Ki 9:8b-9, not before it, for before it there is a subject, namely, the phrase כל עבר עליו "everyone passing by it" of the first half of 1Ki 9:8. [Back] (11) 1Ki 9:9 refers to those living close to the time of the judgment, while 2Ch 7:22 is about all generations of Israel up to the time of the judgment. This could be seen as follows. Where 1Ki 9:9 has אלהיהם אשר הוציא את אבתם מארץ מצרים "their God, who brought their fathers out of the land of Egypt," 2Ch 7:22 has אלהי אבתיהם אשר הוציאם מארץ מצרים "the God of their fathers, who brought them out of the land of Egypt." So, 1Ki 9:9 refers to people living a considerable amount of time after those whom God brought out of Egypt and uses the word "fathers" for those who were brought out of Egypt. However, 2Ch 7:22 mentions people that include those who were brought by God out of Egypt, and likely uses the word "fathers" in reference to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 2Ch 7:22 uses the plural forms ישתחוו "worshiped" and יעבדום "served them," which do not imply that everybody worshiped and served pagan gods. This is consistent with the fact that many who lived after the Israelites left Egypt did not go after pagan gods. However, 1Ki 9:9 uses the singular forms ישתחו "worshiped" and יעבדם "served them," which indicate that virtually everybody worshiped and served pagan gods, pointing to the fact that 1Ki 9:9 refers to people who caused the judgment. A comparison of 1Ki 9:8-9 and 2Ch 7:21-22 appears in the following table. Back] (12) The time of 2Ch 8:1 is one year before 1Ki 9:10. This can be seen by considering the difference between the words קץ "end" and קצה "end." Considering the exact meaning of the former, note that Hebrew slaves had to be released after six years, that is, at the beginning of the seventh year (Ex 21:2). Consequently, in Jer 34:14, the phrase מקץ שבע שנים "at the ... of seven years" must refer to the beginning of the seventh year, that is, the beginning of the end period. Thus, in view of Jer 34:14, it can be seen that קץ does not refer to the very end but to the beginning of the end period. So also in 2Ch 8:1, the text must refer to the beginning of the twentieth year. As for the word קצה "end," in view of להיות ישועתי עד קצה הארץ "that my salvation may be to the ends of the dry land" (Is 49:6), it can be seen that this word refers to the very end. So also in 1Ki 9:10, the text must refer to the very end of the twentieth year. [Back] (13) 2Ch 8:2 mentions cities that Huram gave to Solomon. It does not imply that Huram was still reigning at the time of 2Ch 8:2. See the note (xx) about the kings of Tyre in the sequence of 1Ki 5:1-18 (5:15-32) and 2Ch 2:1-18 (1:18-2:17). [Back] (14) It is apparent that 2Ch 8:4-6 refers to an earlier time than 1Ki 9:17-19. Indeed, in 2Ch 8:6, since כל "all" precedes the phrases ערי הרכב "cities of chariots" and חשק שלמה "that which Solomon desired," and since the word כל "all" admits exceptions, it follows that the cities of chariots and the other building projects of Solomon were nearly completed at the time of 2Ch 8:4-6. However, they were completed by the time of 1Ki 9:17-19, as could be understood from the fact that כל "all" does not precede the aforementioned phrases in 1Ki 9:19. See also the note (12) above. A comparison of 2Ch 8:4-6 and 1Ki 9:17-19 is given in the following table. [Back] (15) Considering 2Ch 8:7 and 1Ki 9:20, the former has מן החתי והאמרי והפרזי והחוי והיבוסי "from the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites," and the latter, מן האמרי החתי הפרזי החוי והיבוסי "from the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites." Thus, 2Ch 8:7 has more emphasis on the fact that the original nations of the land were distinct, while 1Ki 9:20 groups all of them together. An example illustrating names grouped together is Ex 1:2-4, where the first four sons of Leah are grouped together (Ex 1:2), the sons of Bilhah are grouped together (Ex 1:4), the sons of Zilphah are grouped together (Ex 1:4), and Benjamin is placed in a group with the remaining sons of Leah (Ex 1:3). (As for Benjamin being grouped with the youngest sons of Leah, she apparently received him and Joseph as sons after the death of Rachel, for at the time of Ge 37:10, Jacob implied that Leah was Joseph's mother.) For a comparison of 2Ch 8:7 and 1Ki 9:20, see the table of the note (17) below. [Back] (16) A close examination of 2Ch 8:8-9 and 1Ki 9:21-22 reveals that they do not refer to the same time. First, it should be noted that at the time of 2Ch 2:17(16), Solomon took 153,600 foreigners for the needed labor. These were from the remnant of the nations of Canaan that were living in the land Israel; see the note (2) of the sequence of 1Ki 5:1-18 (5:15-32) and 2Ch 2:1-18 (1:18-2:17). It is apparent that those who were too young for the labor were taken later, after they became old enough. Considering 2Ch 8:8-9 and 1Ki 9:21-22, differences between these two passages, as well as their context, imply that they refer to two different instances in which Solomon added new laborers to the labor force. 2Ch 8:8-9 includes, ויעלם שלמה למס עד היום הזה ומן בני ישראל אשר לא נתן שלמה לעבדים למלאכתו "Solomon conscripted them for forced labor to this day, and also some of the sons of Israel that Solomon had not assigned as slaves for his work." However, at the time of 1Ki 9:21-22, ויעלם שלמה למס עבד עד היום הזה ומבני ישראל לא נתן שלמה עבד "Solomon conscripted them for the forced labor of slaves to this day, but of the sons of Israel Solomon made no slave." Earlier, at the time of 1Ki 5:13, Solomon assigned some Israelites to forced labor. In the context of 2Ch 8:1, 4-6, much work was not yet complete (see the note (14) above), and thus Solomon assigned work to certain Israelites who had not been subject to forced labor previously. However, at the time of 1Ki 9:10, 17-19, the work was almost complete (see the note (14) above), and so forced labor from the men of Israel was unnecessary. It is also interesting to note that where 1Ki 9:21 has למס עבד "for the forced labor of a slave," 2Ch 8:8 has just למס "for forced labor." A possible explanation of the latter is that if the former were used in 2Ch 8:8, it would imply that the Israelite laborers were subject to the same kind of forced labor as the conscripted foreigners. Elsewhere in the Scripture, the phrase למס עבד "for the forced labor of a slave" appears twice, being applied also in Jos 16:10 to people from the remnant of the nations of Canaan. In a certain sense, the Israelites were the slaves of their king; in fact, for those carrying out the labor of the construction projects, the phrase לעבדים למלאכתו "slaves for his work" was used. However, since the Israelites were typically not used for this work, it is plain that they were not the same kind of slaves as the conscripted foreigners. Now 2Ch 8:8 has מן בניהם "from their sons" where 1Ki 9:21 has just בניהם "their sons." Thus, 2Ch 8:8 has more emphasis on the fact that Solomon conscripted only some of their sons; it is plain that he conscripted only those who were old enough. For a comparison of 2Ch 8:8-9 and 1Ki 9:21-22, see the table in the note (17) below. The text of 2Ch 8:7-8 is: כל העם הנותר מן החתי והאמרי והפרזי והחוי והיבוסי אשר לא מישראל המה מן בניהם אשר נותרו אחריהם בארץ אשר לא כלום בני ישראל ויעלם שלמה למס עד היום הזה. It is interpreted here according to the following translation: "As for all the people who were left of the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, who were not of Israel, from their sons who were left behind them in the land, since the sons of Israel did not consume them, Solomon raised forced labor to this day." Here, "the people who were left" is understood to refer to the remnant of the nations that inhabited the land when Israel was in Egypt. Moreover, "their sons who were left behind them in the land" is interpreted to refer to persons who had been too young to participate in the labor, and so, remained at home, from whom Solomon conscripted men for labor later, at the time of 2Ch 8:8. Since God did not grant Israel to destroy the remnant of the nations of the land (cf. Jdg 2:3), these had to become slaves of Israel (as in the case of the Gibeonites, in Jos 9:22-27.) Thus, the residents of the land consisted mainly of the Israelites and the nations that had become slaves of the Israelites. Considering also 2Ch 8:9, its text is: ומן בני ישראל אשר לא נתן שלמה לעבדים למלאכתו כי המה אנשי מלחמה ושרי שלישיו ושרי רכבו ופרשיו "and from the sons of Israel, whom Solomon had not assigned as slaves for his work because they were men of war, and commanders of his officers, and commanders of his chariots, and his horsemen." The text is interpreted as stating that the reason Solomon had not assigned them before to the work was that the sons of Israel were "men of war, and commanders of his officers, and commanders of his chariots, and his horsemen." The text of 1Ki 9:20-21 is: כל העם הנותר מן האמרי החתי הפרזי החוי והיבוסי אשר לא מבני ישראל המה בניהם אשר נתרו אחריהם בארץ אשר לא יכלו בני ישראל להחרימם ויעלם שלמה למס עבד עד היום הזה. It is interpreted here according to the translation: "As for all the people who were left of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, who were not of the sons of Israel, as for their sons who were left behind them in the land, since the sons of Israel were unable to devote them to destruction, Solomon conscripted them for the forced labor of slaves to this day." In 1Ki 9:21, note the word עבד "serving" within the phrase למס עבד "for the forced labor of serving," that is, "for the forced labor of slaves." Taking the first occurrence of עבד "slave" in 1Ki 9:22 in the context of עבד "serving" of 1Ki 9:21, the word refers to the slaves performing work related to the construction projects. However, subsequently in 1Ki 9:22, עבדיו "his slaves" must refer to servants who were much closer to the king. An issue that has to be considered is whether 1Ki 9:22 states that the Israelites were not involved in the construction work, or whether it only states that they were not doing the same kind of slave work as the conscripted foreigners. In view of the remarks above on the phrase לעבדים למלאכתו "slaves for his work" of 2Ch 8:9, it is apparent that the term "slave" was applied also to the Israelites working on the construction projects. It follows that 1Ki 9:22 refers to a time when Solomon did not have Israelites performing forced labor for the construction projects. [Back] (17) It is plain that 2Ch 8:10 and 1Ki 9:23 do not refer to the same time. At the time of 2Ch 8:10, Solomon had 250 officials ruling over the people. At the time of 1Ki 9:23, the number of these officials was 550. Considering the context of these two verses, it can be seen that 1Ki 9:23 refers to a later time (see the notes (14) and (16) above). Thus, 1Ki 9:23 implies that sometime after 2Ch 8:10, Solomon appointed 300 more officials. The phrase in 2Ch 8:10 and 1Ki 9:23 that describes the authority of these officials is הרדים בעם "who ruled over the people." Note that a different phrase describes the authority of the overseers mentioned in 2Ch 2:18 (17), namely, מנצחים להעביד את העם "overseeing to make the people work." It is apparent that 2Ch 2:18(17) refers to lower rank overseers. The overseers of 2Ch 2:18(17) were from the peoples of the land, while the officials of 2Ch 8:10 and 1Ki 9:23 were Israelites, as could be inferred from the context. A comparison of 2Ch 8:7-10 and 1Ki 9:20-23 appears in the following table. Back] (18) Considering 2Ch 8:11 and 1Ki 9:24, the former mentions that Solomon brought Pharaoh's daughter to her new house, while the latter that when she went to her new house, Solomon built the Millo. Though focusing on different details, the two verses begin with similar text, as could be seen in the following table. (19) Considering 2Ch 8:18 and 1Ki 9:27-28, it is plain that they refer to two different events. Following the text as written (see the Kethiv), 2Ch 8:18 has the word אוניות which does not appear elsewhere in the Scripture. This word is spelled almost like אניות "ships." However, while אניה "ship" could be derived from a verb אנה, the word אוניות must be derived from a verb און. The noun און "vigor, wealth" appears several times in the Scripture and would suggest that the verb און could mean "to be strong" or "to strengthen." Then, as a plural feminine participle of the verb און, the word אוניות would denote valuable things that were in a certain sense strengthening or being strong. In the context, they may be things that were needed for the trip to Ophir, such as things that could be exchanged for gold. Since Huram sent them to Solomon not directly but ביד עבדיו "by means of his servants" (2Ch 8:18), it would appear that Huram was no longer reigning when this happened. These were probably sent to fulfill a prior agreement that Huram had with Solomon while Huram was reigning. Note that Huram's servants are also mentioned in 2Ch 9:21. As for 1Ki 9:27, it is interpreted here as indicating that Hiram sent more servants to Solomon at a later time. That 2Ch 8:18 and 1Ki 9:27-28 do not describe the same event is plain, for the former refers to a time when Solomon received 450 talents of gold, while the latter to a time when he received 420 talents of gold. A comparison of the two passages appears in the following table. For additional remarks about the kings of Tyre who reigned during Solomon's reign, see the note (xx) in the sequence of 1Ki 5:1-18 (5:15-32) and 2Ch 2:1-18 (1:18-2:17). (1Ki 9:28) ... אופירה ויקחו משם ... (1Ki 9:28) ... זהב ארבע מאות ועשרים ככר ...
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