2 Chronicles 8:4

2Ch 8:4 And he built Tadmor in the wilderness, and all the store cities, which he built in Hamath.

Ver. 4. And he built Tadmor, &c.] See 1Ki 9:18-19.

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.

8:4 The Chronicler describes the northern reaches of Solomon’s kingdom. Tadmor later became Palmyra, an oasis city in Syria along the desert trade routes with Mesopotamia, 120 miles northeast of Damascus. It is not mentioned elsewhere in the Bible. At some point, it came to be identified with the list of fortified cities in Solomon’s kingdom (cp. 1 Kgs 9:18, where Tamar/Tadmor indicates a city in southeast Judah).

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Meaning, of Munitions and treasures for the war.

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

Verse 4. Tadmor] Palmyra. 1Kg 9:18, for an account of this superb city.

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

(4) And he built Tadmor in the wilderness.—That is, Palmyra, in the wilderness, on the traders’ route between the coast and Thapsacuson the Euphrates. See 1Ki_9:18, where Tamar or Tammor of the Heb. text is explained by the margin to mean Tadmor; and the epithet, “in the wilderness,” seems certainly to identify the two names. That Solomon was the founder of Palmyra is the tradition of the country to this day.

And all the store cities, which he built in Hamath.—1Ki_9:19 mentions these cities, but not their locality. They were no doubt “places of arms,” and served as outposts against the hostile neighbouring kingdom of Zobah-Damascus. (See 1Ki_11:23-25.) So far as they lay on the caravan route, they would serve also as victualling stations. (Comp. 2Ch_32:28.)

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

4. Tadmor in the wilderness] Palmyra (Bädeker, p. 364) is meant, a city on an oasis N.E. of Damascus half way between Damascus and the Euphrates. Apart from this passage of Chron. it first appears in history in b.c. 34, when it was threatened with attack by Mark Antony. This silence of history for a thousand years casts a doubt on the belief that Tadmor (Palmyra) is as old as the time of Solomon, and the doubt is strengthened by a reference to the parallel passage (1Ki_9:18), for there (1) the text (C’thib) has “Tamar,” with “Tadmor” as marginal reading (K’ri), and (2) Tamar (Tadmor) is associated with Gezer, Bethhoron, and Baalath, cities either in Judah or on its borders. Probably therefore the marginal reading Tadmor in 1 Kin. is due to the influence of 2 Chr., and the text of 1 Kin. (“Tamar”) is correct. The city built by Solomon was probably a Tamar in the south of Judah.

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.

Also he built Bethhoron the upper, and Bethhoron the nether,.... Only mention is made of the latter in Kg1 9:17,

fenced cities, with walls, gates, and bars; fortified cities in the tribe of Ephraim.

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

Strong. Hebrew, "the cities of tents," Exodus i. 11. (Calmet) --- Protestants, "store cities," (Haydock) for corn, &c.

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).

Of this and the following verses, See Poole "1Ki 9:17", &c.

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

Tadmor in the wilderness. Tadmor, one with the classical Palmyra, lay in the desert of Syria, about half-way between the rivers Orontes and Euphrates, and distant from Damascus about a hundred and forty miles to its east-north-east. Stanley ("Sinai and Palestine," p. 8, note 1) says, "Is it quite certain that "Tadmor" and "Palmyra" are words derived from the (palms)? A palm is in Hebrew tamar and in Greek phoenix. " Solomon was probably not the originator, but rather re-builder, of the place. Its fame was great under Zenobia, the Queen of Odenathus; she was taken captive by the Emperor Aurelian, A.D. 273, when the city was subdued. It is now little better than the haunt of a few Arabs Splendid ruins remain, specially of the great temple of the sun. The Hebrew text of 1Ki_9:18 has apparently Tamer, or Tamar, and it has been suggested by Movers on that passage that possibly a Tamar in the south, and that is found in the neighbourhood of some of the other places, such as Baalath, Beth-heron, and Gezer, all in the south, (Eze_47:19 Eze_48:28 2Ch_20:2) is intended. Our text, however, in the present place offers no choice, while that in Kings (compare Chethiv and Keri) is doubtful. And finally, our writer is here evidently in the neighbourhood of Hamath, which of course best suits Tadmor. Although there is an apparent disjointedness between this and the parallel, closer notice may rather bring confirmation of substantial agreement between them. For instance, the store cities here spoken of as belonging to Hamath (but not individually named here and not corresponding with those that are named in Kings) are accounted for by the words, "and in Lebanon," in 1Ki_9:19.

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

And he built Tadmor in the desert In I Kings (9:18) it [the name] is written “Tamar,” but read, “Tadmor.” This accounts for that which we learned in Tractate Jebamoth (16a): We may not accept proselytes from the Tarmodites; and in Genesis Rabbah (56:11), in the portion dealing with the binding [of Isaac] it is explained that they aided Israel’s enemies, and because they changed themselves and became worse, the word תָּמָר is used in Kings, an expression of exchange (תְּמוּרָה), for they should have repaid Israel for the kindness that Solomon bestowed upon them, for he built the city of Tadmor for them. Because of Solomon, it is not written here “Tamar,” but “Tadmor,” i.e., an important city, in deference to Solomon’s honor, for it is no honor to Solomon to say here that he built a city which rebelled against him and sinned against him. Therefore, it is written, “Tadmor,” and not “Tamar.”

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.