וְהֶעָרִ֗ים אֲשֶׁ֨ר נָתַ֤ן חוּרָם֙ לִשְׁלֹמֹ֔ה בָּנָ֥ה שְׁלֹמֹ֖ה אֹתָ֑ם וַיּ֥וֹשֶׁב שָׁ֖ם אֶת־בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃
that the cities which Huram had given to Solomon, Solomon built them, and caused the children of Israel to dwell there.
From David to Destruction
Mr. Oz does not consider the extensive layers of classic interpretation of the Pasuk that describes Shlomo HaMelech ceding the Galilean cities to Chiram. Most important, in the complementary version of the story in Divrei HaYamim II 8:2, Chiram is described as having given Shlomo HaMelech twenty cities. This leads Ralbag to understand the situation as a land exchange between the two monarchs. In fact, Ralbag even comments “Lo Yitachein LaMelech LaMa’eit Eretz Yisrael,” “it cannot be that a Jewish king would diminish Eretz Yisrael.”