Commentaire sur Chroniques 2 8:19

Now it came to pass at the end of twenty years The meaning is: at the end of twenty years that the entire construction had been completed: that of the House of the Lord seven years and that of his palace thirteen years, as it is written in I Kings (6:38, 7:1).

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.”

fortified cities Because they stood on the border, they needed to be fortified.

for his work [i.e.] for the work of his building. Why? All the proselytes were [employed] to do his work, but not the men of Israel, because the Israelites served as soldiers and men of war and the officers of his chariots and his horsemen.

two hundred fifty And in I Kings (9:23): “five hundred fifty,” but [in fact], these two are identical, for there Scripture deducts three hundred and then repeats and counts them again, for there it is written (5:30): “Besides Solomon’s chief officers, etc....three thousand and three hundred, who bore rule,” and here it is written above (2:1): “three thousand six hundred.” We find that what is missing in one verse is added in the other verse. Scripture separates them because the three hundred extra were proselytes, and they were appointed over those three thousand three hundred who ruled over the seventy thousand who bore burdens and the eighty thousand hewers in the mountains (I Kings 5:29), and these two hundred fifty were Israelites, appointed over those three hundred proselytes.

Solomon brought up from the City of David That is Zion, for he let her dwell in the City of David when he married her, and she was there until he completed building his palace.

because they are holy The entire city and all the houses.

since the Ark of the Lord came to them because the Ark of the Lord had come to them. [The word] בָּאָה is a feminine expression, similar to (I Sam. 4:17): “and the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord (sic) was taken (נִלְקְחָה).”

on the altar of the Lord This was the copper altar that Solomon built. Some explain that this was the copper altar that Solomon made instead of the copper altar that Moses built, but this is astounding, because it is written (II Kings 16:15): “and the burnt offerings of the entire people of the land, etc. and the blood of every burnt offering, etc. shall be for me to visit,” i.e., the copper altar, which was there heretofore, shall be for me to visit. This proves that Moses’ copper altar was still there.

until this day [from] the founding of the House of the Lord From the day of its founding until its completion.