Catholic Commentary on 2 Chronicles 8

"All the work Solomon had done from the day the foundation of the temple of the LORD was laid until its completion was finished. The temple of the LORD was completed." (2 Chronicles 8:16)

Solomon's Additional Achievements

After the Temple's completion, Solomon's building projects and administrative achievements are summarised. He builds Hazor, Megiddo, and Lower Beth-horon as fortified cities. He settles the descendants of the Canaanites who survived as forced labourers but does not make slaves of the Israelites. He moves his Egyptian wife from the city of David because no woman is to live in the palace of David since the places where the ark has been are holy. He appoints the priests, Levites, and gatekeepers according to the divisions David had established. All the work Solomon had done from the day the foundation of the temple of the LORD was laid until its completion was finished. The temple of the LORD was completed.

The Catechism notes the completion of the Temple as the moment toward which all of David's preparations pointed: the generation that gathers the materials is not the generation that completes the work, but both are necessary (CCC 1350).

Living the Word

Brothers and sisters, the work of the Temple took seven years and involved two generations. David prepared; Solomon built. The Kingdom of God is always built across generations. What you are preparing today will be completed by those who come after you. Trust the relay. Keep gathering the materials.

Prayer

Lord God, the Temple was completed because David gathered and Solomon built. Let our generation faithfully hand the work to the next, and the next generation faithfully complete what we began. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

8
Solomon’s Additional Achievements
(1 Kings 9:10-28)
1 Now at the end of the twenty years during which Solomon had built the house of the LORD and his own palace, 2 Solomon rebuilt the cities Hiram * 8:2 Hebrew Huram, a variant of Hiram; also in verse 18 had given him and settled Israelites there.
 
3 Then Solomon went to Hamath-zobah and captured it. 4 He built Tadmor in the wilderness, in addition to all the store cities that he had built in Hamath. 5 He rebuilt Upper and Lower Beth-horon as fortified cities with walls, gates, and bars, 6 as well as Baalath, all the store cities that belonged to Solomon, and all the cities for his chariots and horses † 8:6 Or horsemen or charioteers-whatever he desired to build in Jerusalem, Lebanon, and throughout the land of his dominion.
 
7 As for all the people who remained of the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites (the people who were not Israelites)- 8 their descendants who remained in the land, those whom the Israelites were unable to destroy-Solomon conscripted these people to be forced laborers, as they are to this day.
 
9 But Solomon did not consign any of the Israelites to slave labor, because they were his men of war, his officers and captains, and the commanders of his chariots and cavalry. 10 They were also the chief officers for King Solomon: 250 supervisors.
 
11 Solomon brought the daughter of Pharaoh up from the City of David to the palace he had built for her. For he said, “My wife must not live in the house of David king of Israel, because the places the ark of the LORD has entered are holy.”
 
12 At that time Solomon offered burnt offerings to the LORD on the altar of the LORD he had built in front of the portico. 13 He observed the daily requirement for offerings according to the commandment of Moses for Sabbaths, New Moons, and the three annual appointed feasts-the Feast of Unleavened Bread,‡ 8:13 That is, the seven-day period after the Passover during which no leaven may be eaten; see Exodus 12:14-20. the Feast of Weeks,§ 8:13 That is, Shavuot, the late spring feast of pilgrimage to Jerusalem; it is also known as the Feast of Harvest (see Exodus 23:16) or the Feast of Pentecost (see Acts 2:1). and the Feast of Tabernacles.* 8:13 That is, Sukkot, the autumn feast of pilgrimage to Jerusalem; also translated as the Feast of Booths or the Feast of Shelters and originally called the Feast of Ingathering (see Exodus 23:16 and Exodus 34:22).
 
14 In keeping with the ordinances of his father David, Solomon appointed the divisions of the priests over their service, and the Levites for their duties to offer praise and to minister before the priests according to the daily requirement. He also appointed gatekeepers by their divisions at each gate, for this had been the command of David, the man of God. 15 They did not turn aside from the king’s command regarding the priests or the Levites or any matter concerning the treasuries.
 
16 Thus all the work of Solomon was carried out, from the day the foundation was laid for the house of the LORD until it was finished. So the house of the LORD was completed.
 
17 Then Solomon went to Ezion-geber and to Eloth † 8:17 Eloth is a variant of Elath; see LXX, 2 Kings 14:22, and 2 Kings 16:6. on the coast of Edom.‡ 8:17 That is, along the shore of the Red Sea in the land of Edom 18 So Hiram sent him ships captained by his servants, along with crews of experienced sailors. They went with Solomon’s servants to Ophir and acquired from there 450 talents of gold,§ 8:18 450 talents is approximately 17 tons or 15.4 metric tons of gold. which they delivered to King Solomon.

*8:2 8:2 Hebrew Huram, a variant of Hiram; also in verse 18

†8:6 8:6 Or horsemen or charioteers

‡8:13 8:13 That is, the seven-day period after the Passover during which no leaven may be eaten; see Exodus 12:14-20.

§8:13 8:13 That is, Shavuot, the late spring feast of pilgrimage to Jerusalem; it is also known as the Feast of Harvest (see Exodus 23:16) or the Feast of Pentecost (see Acts 2:1).

*8:13 8:13 That is, Sukkot, the autumn feast of pilgrimage to Jerusalem; also translated as the Feast of Booths or the Feast of Shelters and originally called the Feast of Ingathering (see Exodus 23:16 and Exodus 34:22).

†8:17 8:17 Eloth is a variant of Elath; see LXX, 2 Kings 14:22, and 2 Kings 16:6.

‡8:17 8:17 That is, along the shore of the Red Sea in the land of Edom

§8:18 8:18 450 talents is approximately 17 tons or 15.4 metric tons of gold.

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