Bible Strands
2 Chronicles 8:4
He built Tadmor in the wilderness, in addition to all the store cities that he had built in Hamath.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrative places Solomon’s construction activity immediately after his capture of Hamath-zobah and before his fortification of Beth-horon. The account functions as a logistical record of his territorial administration.
The words — The verb וַיִּבֶן (va.yi.ven) literally means "and he built," indicating deliberate construction. The proper noun תַּדְמֹר (Tadmor) names the specific wilderness settlement, distinguished from the עָרֵי הַמִּסְכְּנוֹת (store cities) previously established in Hamath.
The thread — This infrastructure project aligns with the building campaigns recorded in 1 Kings 9:17. Both passages document Solomon’s systematic reinforcement of Gezer, Beth-horon, and northern storage networks.
Why it lands — The text reports a factual expansion of royal infrastructure without theological commentary or moral evaluation. It requires the reader to acknowledge the administrative mechanics of territorial control before drawing further conclusions about the reign.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And he built Tadmor in the wilderness, and all the store cities, which he built in Hamath.
Cross-references
- 1 Kings 9:17 So Solomon rebuilt Gezer, Lower Beth-horon,