וַיְהִי מִקֵּץ עֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה אֲשֶׁר בָּנָה שְׁלֹמֹה אֶת־בֵּית ה' וְאֶת־בֵּיתוֹ

It was at the end of twenty years, during which Solomon had built the House of the Lord, and his own house,

וְהֶעָרִים אֲשֶׁר נָתַן חוּרָם לִשְׁלֹמֹה בָּנָה שְׁלֹמֹה אֹתָם וַיּוֹשֶׁב שָׁם אֶת־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל

and the cities that Huram had given to Solomon; Solomon built them, and settled the children of Israel there. These are apparently the cities that Solomon gave to Huram king of Tyre, rather than the opposite. However, according to the book of Kings, Huram was dissatisfied with these places, as they produced little of value. The transfer of these areas to Huram’s control was in payment for some of Solomon’s debts. Solomon took them back from the king of Tyre, built and settled them, and was able to pay Huram what he owed him from their agricultural produce.

וַיֵּלֶךְ שְׁלֹמֹה חֲמָת צוֹבָה וַיֶּחֱזַק עָלֶיהָ

Solomon went to Hamat Tzova, and overcame it. There was no actual war waged there. Solomon merely stabilized his control there.

וַיִּבֶן אֶת־תַּדְמֹר בַּמִּדְבָּר וְאֵת כָּל־עָרֵי הַמִּסְכְּנוֹת אֲשֶׁר בָּנָה בַּחֲמָת

He built Tadmor in the wilderness. If this is the same place as modern-day Tadmor, it is a desert oasis in the Syrian Desert, in eastern Syria. Solomon built a large city there, and indeed it had always been an important commercial center. And he built all the storehouse cities, which were also trade centers, which he built in Hamat, in the north of the land.

וַיִּבֶן אֶת־בֵּית חוֹרוֹן הָעֶלְיוֹן וְאֶת־בֵּית חוֹרוֹן הַתַּחְתּוֹן עָרֵי מָצוֹר חוֹמוֹת דְּלָתַיִם וּבְרִיחַ

He built Upper Beit Horon and Lower Beit Horon, rural settlements that Solomon transformed into fortified cities, with walls, gates, and bars,

וְאֶת־בַּעֲלָת וְאֵת כָּל־עָרֵי הַמִּסְכְּנוֹת אֲשֶׁר־הָיוּ לִשְׁלֹמֹה וְאֵת כָּל־עָרֵי הָרֶכֶב וְאֵת עָרֵי הַפָּרָשִׁים וְאֵת כָּל־חֵשֶׁק שְׁלֹמֹה אֲשֶׁר חָשַׁק לִבְנוֹת בִּירוּשָׁלִַם וּבַלְּבָנוֹן וּבְכֹל אֶרֶץ מֶמְשַׁלְתּוֹ

and Baalat, a city in the south, and all the storehouse cities that Solomon had, and all the cities for chariots, the cities where the chariots were stationed, and the cities for his horsemen, cities of horse stables, and all of Solomon’s ventures that he ventured to build in Jerusalem, and in the Lebanon, and in all the land of his dominion. Solomon constructed buildings, walls, and cities throughout his kingdom. These massive construction projects led to an increase in the tax burden (see 10:4).

כָּל־הָעָם הַנּוֹתָר מִן־הַחִתִּי וְהָאֱמֹרִי וְהַפְּרִזִּי וְהַחִוִּי וְהַיְבוּסִי אֲשֶׁר לֹא מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל הֵמָּה

After describing the fortifications and the extensive construction projects, the chronicler turns to the levy: From all the remaining people of the Canaanite nations; from the Hitites, the Emorites, the Perizites, the Hivites, and the Yevusites, who were not of Israel,

מִן־בְּנֵיהֶם אֲשֶׁר נוֹתְרוּ אַחֲרֵיהֶם בָּאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר לֹא־כִלּוּם בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיַּעֲלֵם שְׁלֹמֹה לְמַס עַד הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה

Solomon raised a levy of bondservants to this day from their children who remained after them in the land, whom the children of Israel had been commanded to expel from the Land of Israel, but had not eradicated. They were conscripted by Solomon as laborers for the king’s construction projects.

וּמִן־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר לֹא־נָתַן שְׁלֹמֹה לַעֲבָדִים לִמְלַאכְתּוֹ כִּי־הֵמָּה אַנְשֵׁי מִלְחָמָה וְשָׂרֵי שָׁלִישָׁיו וְשָׂרֵי רִכְבּוֹ וּפָרָשָׁיו

But it was from the children of Israel, in contrast, that Solomon did not make slaves for his labor, as they were his men of war, and the captains of his military officials, and the captains of his chariots and of his horsemen. The king did not want to entrust those positions to foreigners; therefore, the strangers who lived in the land worked mainly as construction workers and simple porters.

וְאֵלֶּה שָׂרֵי הַנִּצָּבִים אֲשֶׁר־לַמֶּלֶךְ שְׁלֹמֹה חֲמִשִּׁים וּמָאתָיִם הָרֹדִים בָּעָם

These people of the children of Israel were not merely captains of the army; they were also the chief officials of King Solomon, in charge of supervising the work of the many laborers, and of general civil responsibilities, two hundred and fifty men who ruled over the people.

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 ה'

Solomon took the daughter of Pharaoh up from the City of David to the house that he had built for her. As she was the daughter of a great ruler, Solomon’s marriage to Pharaoh’s daughter was undoubtedly a significant diplomatic achievement, and she enjoyed elevated status among his many wives and concubines. However, once the ark was in the City of David, he transferred her to a house in a different location, as he said: A wife of mine will not dwell in houses of David king of Israel, because they are sacred, as the Ark of the Lord has come there.

אָז הֶעֱלָה שְׁלֹמֹה עֹלוֹת לַה' עַל מִזְבַּח ה' אֲשֶׁר בָּנָה לִפְנֵי הָאוּלָם

Then Solomon presented burnt offerings to the Lord on the altar of the Lord, which he had built before the Hall,

וּבִדְבַר יוֹם בְּיוֹם לְהַעֲלוֹת כְּמִצְוַת מֹשֶׁה לַשַּׁבָּתוֹת וְלֶחֳדָשִׁים וְלַמּוֹעֲדוֹת שָׁלוֹשׁ פְּעָמִים בַּשָּׁנָה בְּחַג הַמַּצּוֹת וּבְחַג הַשָּׁבֻעוֹת וּבְחַג הַסֻּכּוֹת

and the matter of each day on its day, to present the daily offerings, in accordance with the commandment of Moses, and the offerings brought on the Sabbaths, and on the New Moons, and at the appointed times, three times a year: On the Festival of Unleavened Bread, and on the Festival of Weeks, and on the Festival of Tabernacles.

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

He appointed, in accordance with the practice of David his father, the divisions of the priests for their service, and the Levites for their watches, to praise and to serve opposite the priests, the matter of each day on its day; the gatekeepers were in their divisions at each and every gate, as so was the commandment of David, man of God.

וְלֹא סָרוּ מִצְוַת הַמֶּלֶךְ עַל־הַכֹּהֲנִים וְהַלְוִיִּם לְכָל־דָּבָר ול אֹצָרוֹת

They did not deviate from the commandment of the king to the priests and Levites for any matter, or for the matters of the treasures.

וַתִּכֹּן כָּל־מְלֶאכֶת שְׁלֹמֹה עַד־הַיּוֹם מוּסַד בֵּית־ה' וְעַד־כְּלֹתוֹ שָׁלֵם בֵּית ה'

All the labor of Solomon was arranged, performed in the proper manner and established, from the day of the laying of the foundation of the House of the Lord and until its completion. The House of the Lord was complete.

אָז הָלַךְ שְׁלֹמֹה לְעֶצְיוֹן־גֶּבֶר וְאֶל־אֵילוֹת עַל־שְׂפַת הַיָּם בְּאֶרֶץ אֱדוֹם

The text mentions another royal project that testifies to the expanse and power of Solomon’s kingdom: Then Solomon went to Etzyon Gever, and to Eilot, on the seashore of the Red Sea, in the land of Edom.

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

Huram sent to him, by means of his servants, ships and servants who were knowledgeable of the sea, experienced seamen. It is possible that Solomon himself did not yet have his own experienced sailors, and therefore he hired sailors from the major maritime cities of Tyre and Sidon. And they came with the servants of Solomon, military men who led the expedition, to Ofir, apparently located in East Africa, and took from there four hundred and fifty talents of gold, and brought them to King Solomon. This was another source of the great wealth amassed by King Solomon.