1 Kings 9:19

1Ki 9:19 And all the cities of store that Solomon had, and cities for his chariots, and cities for his horsemen, and that which Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem, and in Lebanon, and in all the land of his dominion.

Ver. 19. And cities for his chariots.] Which he had ready, in case war should fall out. Queen Elizabeth likewise provided for war, when she was at perfect peace with all men. {a}

And that which Solomon desired.] Heb., The desire of Solomon, which he desired. See on 1Ki 9:1. God alloweth his servants all lawful delights, only they must see to it that they exceed not.

{a} Camden.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Cities for his munitions of war.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

Verse 19. And all the cities of store] Though, by the multitude and splendour of his buildings, Solomon must have added greatly to the magnificence of his reign; yet, however plenteous silver and gold were in his times, his subjects must have been greatly oppressed with the taxation necessary to defray such a vast public expenditure.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(19) That which Solomon desired to build.—See, in Ecc_2:4-10, the description of the vineyards, and gardens, and orchards, in Jerusalem, with trees of all manner of fruits and pools of water, “whatsoever mine eyes desired;” and in Son_2:10-13; Son_4:8; Son_7:11-13, the vivid pictures of the pleasure-gardens of Lebanon. The text seems evidently to refer to these, in contradistinction from the cities of commercial and military importance previously mentioned.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

19. and all the cities of store] In 2Ch_8:4 the expression is store-cities, which reads better here, and is clearer in sense. These places would be provided so that surplus produce which could be preserved, as corn, oil, wine, &c. might be stored in times of plenty to be ready when need should require. We read that Hezekiah made some similar provision (2Ch_32:28).

and cities for his chariots, and cities for his horsemen] Special places must have been needed for these, when we consider the great number of them (see below 1Ki_10:26). In 1Ch_4:31 there is a place called ‘town-of-chariots’ Beth-marcaboth, and another ‘court-of-horses’ Hazar-susim. The injunction of Deu_17:16 against the multiplication of horses by the king was apparently forgotten or disregarded. But the absence of any allusion to the command has been made by some an argument for the later date of Deuteronomy.

and that which Solomon desired to build] The force of the literal rendering on the margin of A. V. ‘the desire of Solomon which he desired to build’ is better brought out in the text of R.V. ‘that which Solomon desired to build for his pleasure.’ The noun is the same as in 1Ki_9:1 of this chapter, and the writer here is evidently distinguishing these later-named works from the former. The first in the list were either fortifications, or strongholds, or store-cities, but the others are for the king’s own pleasure and enjoyment. (Cf. on the whole subject, Ecc_2:4-8.)

and in Lebanon] The place of all others to which for relaxation the king would retire. The scorching heat of the lower plains could there be escaped, while the fragrance of the vegetation made a residence there most enjoyable. The writer of Solomon’s Song paints for us the loveliness of the spot, ‘a fountain of gardens, a well of living waters and streams from Lebanon’ (1Ki_4:15), and again, ‘his countenance is as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars’ (1Ki_5:15), and ‘the smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon’ (1Ki_4:11). But it has been supposed by some that Lebanon is mentioned here as being an important military post.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And all the people that were left of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites,.... Who were not destroyed in the times of Joshua, or since, but dwelt in several cities of the land of Israel from those times; see Jdg 1:1, which were not of the children of Israel; not natives of the land of Israel, though they might be proselytes, at least some of them.

, which were not of the children of Israel; not natives of the land of Israel, though they might be proselytes, at least some of them.

1 Kings 9:21

kg1 9:21

kg1 9:21

kg1 9:21Their children that were left after them in the land,.... The posterity of those left unsubdued in the times of Joshua:

whom the children of Israel also were not able utterly to destroy; in later times, though now it is thought by some it was not for want of power, but because they had made a covenant with them, as the Gibeonites did, and therefore they could not, because it would have been a breach of covenant to have destroyed them; see Ch2 8:8,

upon these did Solomon levy a tribute of bond service unto this day; not a tribute of money, which being poor they were not able to pay, but of service, and which being once laid on was continued, and even to the time of the writing of this book.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

“The cities of store” contained provisions stored up for the troops (compare 2Ch 32:28). They seem to have been chiefly in the north - in Hamath 2Ch 8:4 and Naphtali 2Ch 16:4. On the “cities for his chariots,” see 1Ki 10:26 note.

By “that which Solomon desired to build” (see the margin) seem to be intended “pleasaunces” in or near the capital, and in the Lebanon range, built especially for the enjoyment of the king.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

That....himself. Hebrew, "of store;" or to keep his treasures. (Haydock) --- Literally, "of indigence," designed to counteract the effects of famine. Pharao obliged the Israelites to build such cities for him, (Exodus i. 11.) which are called cities of tabernacles. The word miscenoth is here rendered, were not walled. --- Chariots. See chap. iv. 26. (Calmet) --- Libanus, the temple, (St. Jerome, Trad.) or the palace. (Sa) --- But these were both in Jerusalem. (Haydock) --- Solomon built a great deal at the foot of Libanus, (Salien) as the defile was of great importance. We read of the tower of Libanus, Canticle of Canticles vii. 4. Travellers mention its ruins. (Gabriel. Sionita. p. 6.)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

The cities of store; to lay up arms and ammunition for war, and corn or other provisions against a time of scarcity. See Exo 1:11.

In Lebanon; either in the mountain of Lebanon, which being the border of his land, he might build some forts or a frontier city in it; or in the house of the forest of Lebanon; of which see 1Ki 7:2.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

19. Cities of store — In which were deposited corn, wine, and oil, (2Ch_32:28,) and probably wares for purposes of trade, and provisions for the army.

Cities for his chariots, and cities for his horsemen — Rather, for his cavalry. See note on 1Ki_4:26. These cities for his chariots and his horses were probably “identical in part with the magazine-cities, and several of them situated on the northern boundary of his kingdom in the region of Hamath and on Lebanon, as must be inferred partly from the importance of the northern border to the security of the whole kingdom, partly from the consideration that Solomon had an adversary in Rezon of Damascus, (1Ki_11:23,) who might easily excite to rebellion the northern provinces which were first incorporated into the kingdom by David, and partly from the express statement of 2Ch_16:4, according to which there were magazine-cities in the land of Naphtali.” — Keil.

That which Solomon desired to build — That is, whatever in the way of buildings, gardens, or parks he desired. Compare Ecc_2:1-9.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And all the cities of store that Solomon had cities where the produce of the land was stored for the use of the troops or household, or against a season of scarcity (Gen_41:35; Exo_1:11) or possibly (Ewald) they were emporiums for the development of trade. The fact that these store cities are mentioned in the same breath with Tadmor, is an argument for the identification of that place with Palmyra, which Solomon could only have built as a means of gaining or retaining control over the caravan trade between the East and the Mediterranean. Cf. 2Ch_17:12 2Ch_32:28, and Gen_41:48. They would seem to have been chiefly on the northern frontier, 2Ch_8:4 ("in Hamath" 2Ch_16:4) speaks of "the store cities of Napthali." It should be remembered that Solomon had an adversary in Damascus and cities for his chariots, and cities for his horsemen. (Cf. 1Ki_4:26) These were not so much fortresses (vers. 15-18) as places adapted to accommodate his cavalry, etc. For horsemen we should perhaps read horses, See note on 1Ki_5:6 and that which Solomon desired to build Heb. and the desire of Solomon which he desired; cf. ver. 1.

The use of the cognate verb refutes the idea that Solomon"s "desire" isanother name for pleasure buildings or pleasaunces, as does also "desire" in ver. 11. It is certain, however, that such buildings were erected, and it is probable that they are referred to here in Jerusalem and in Lebanon It is highly probable that pleasure houses were built in Lebanon, (Son_7:4, passim) for which Solomon may well have had a strong affection, and pleasure gardens in Jerusalem. (Ecc_2:4-7) See Stanley, pp. 197-199); and we may reasonably imagine (with Ewald) that in these latter he sought to grow specimens of the plants, etc., about which he "spoke" (ch. 4:33; cf. Ecc_2:5) "It is a curious fact that in the ground hard by the "fountains of Solomon" near Bethlehem, which exhibit manifest traces of an ancient garden, and where the intimations of Josephus would lead us to suppose that Solomon had a rural retreat, are still to be found a number of plants self sown from age to age, which do not exist in any other part of the Holy Land" (Kitto, "Bib. Illus." vol. 4. p. 101). Some of Solomon"s journeys to these favourite resorts, we can hardly doubt, are referred to in Son_3:6-10 Son_4:8 Son_6:11 and in all the land of his dominion.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The store cities. [Targum Yonoson rendered,] “cities used for storage.”

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.