1 Kings 9:15

Contextual Overview

¹⁵Here is the account of the forced labor King Solomon conscripted to build the LORD's temple, his own palace, the supporting terraces, the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, Megiddo and Gezer.¹⁵ Here is the account of the forced labor King Solomon conscripted to build the Lord 's temple, his own palace, the terraces, the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, Megiddo and Gezer. ¹⁵Now this is the account of the forced labor which King Solomon raised up to build the house of Yahweh, his own house, the Millo, the wall of Jerusalem, Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer. ¹⁵ Now this is the account of the forced labor which King Solomon levied to build the house of the LORD, his own house, the Millo, the wall of Jerusalem, Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer.¹⁵ (And this is the summe whiche king Solomon raysed for a tribute when he buylded the house of the Lorde, and his owne house, and Millo, and the wall of Hierusalem, and Hazor, and Megeddo, and Gazer. ¹⁵ And this is the reason of the labor force that King Solomon raised, to build the house of Jehovah, and his own house, and Millo, and the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, and Megiddo, and Gezer. ¹⁵ King Solomon forced slaves to work for him to build the Temple and his palace. Then he used these slaves to build many other things. He built the Millo and the city wall around Jerusalem. Then he rebuilt the cities of Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer. ¹⁵ And this is the account of the forced labor which King Solomon levied to build the house of the LORD and his own house and the Millo and the wall of Jerusalem and Hazor and Megid'do and Gezer ¹⁵ This is the reason of the levy which king Solomon raised, to build the house of Yahweh, and his own house, and Millo, and the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, and Megiddo, and Gezer. ¹⁵ And this is the reason of the leuie which king Solomon raised, for to build the house of the Lord, and his owne house, and Millo, and the wall of Ierusalem, and Hazor, and Megiddo, and Gezer.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

am 2989-3029, bc 1015-975

the reason: 1 Kings 9:21, 1 Kings 5:13

to build: 1 Kings 9:10, 1 Kings 6:38, 1 Kings 7:1, 2 Chronicles 8:1

Millo: Millo is said to have been a deep valley, between the ancient city of Jebus and the city of David on mount Zion. This Solomon filled up, and built upon; and it became a fortified place, and a place for public assemblies. 1 Kings 9:24, 1 Kings 11:27, Judges 9:6, Judges 9:20, 2 Samuel 5:9, 2 Kings 12:20

the wall: Psalms 51:18

Hazor: Probably the city Hazor in Naphtali, and the famous capital of Jabin, situated in the lake Merom or Semechon, and placed by Josephus south of Tyre, near Ptolemais. Joshua 11:1, Joshua 19:36, Judges 4:2, 2 Kings 15:29

Megiddo: 1 Kings 4:12, Joshua 17:11, Judges 5:19, 2 Kings 9:27, 2 Kings 23:29, 2 Kings 23:30, 2 Chronicles 35:22, Zechariah 12:11

Gezer: 1 Kings 9:16, 1 Kings 9:17, Joshua 10:33, Joshua 16:10, Joshua 21:21, Judges 1:29, 1 Chronicles 6:67, 1 Chronicles 20:4

Reciprocal: Joshua 16:3 - Bethhoron 1 Samuel 27:8 - the Amalekites 1 Kings 3:1 - the wall 1 Kings 4:6 - tribute 1 Kings 12:4 - our yoke 1 Kings 12:25 - built 1 Chronicles 7:29 - Megiddo 1 Chronicles 11:8 - Millo

Cross-References

Genesis 9:8
Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him:

Genesis 9:8
Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him:

Genesis 9:8
Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying,

Genesis 9:8
Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying,

Genesis 9:8
God spake also vnto Noah, & to his sonnes with hym, saying:

Genesis 9:8
Then God said to Noah and his sons,

Genesis 9:8
Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him,

Genesis 9:8
and to his sones with him, Lo!

Genesis 9:8
And God spake vnto Noah, and to his sonnes with him, saying;

Genesis 9:8
And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying,

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And this is the reason of the levy which King Solomon raised,.... Both of men to work, 1 Kings 5:13, and of money to defray the expense:

it was for to build the house of the Lord; the temple:

and his own house; or palace:

and Millo; which he repaired: 1 Kings 5:13- :.

and the wall of Jerusalem; which, as Abarbinel says, was a large building, there being three walls one within another:

and Hazor; a city in the tribe of Naphtali, and which had been a royal city with the Canaanites; see Joshua 11:1

and Megiddo; which was in the tribe of Manasseh, Joshua 17:11

and Gezer; which was in the tribe of Ephraim, and formerly a royal city of the Canaanites, Joshua 10:33.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Levy - See the marginal reference note.

Millo - See 2 Samuel 5:9 note. The Septuagint commonly render the word ἡ ἄκρα hē akra, “the citadel,” and it may possibly have been the fortress on Mount Zion connected with the Maccabean struggles (1 Macc. 4:41; 13:49-52). Its exact site has not been determined.

And the wall of Jerusalem - David’s fortification 2 Samuel 5:9; 1 Chronicles 11:8 had been hasty, and had now - fifty years later - fallen into decay. Solomon therefore had to “repair the breaches of the city of David” 1 Kings 11:27.

Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer were three of the most important sites in the holy land. For the two first places, compare the marginal references and notes.

Gezer was a main city of the south. It was situated on the great maritime plain, and commanded the ordinary line of approach from Egypt, which was along this low region. The importance of Gezer appears from Joshua 10:33; Joshua 12:12, etc. Its site is near Tell Jezer, and marked now by Abu Shusheh. Though within the lot of Ephraim Joshua 16:3, and especially assigned to the Kohathite Levites Joshua 21:21, it had never yet been conquered from the old inhabitants (marginal references), who continued to dwell in it until Solomon’s time, and apparently were an independent people 1 Kings 9:16.

Pharaoh took it before the marriage of Solomon with his daughter, and gave it “for a present” - i. e., for a dowry. Though in the East husbands generally pay for their wives, yet dower is given in some cases. Sargon gave Cilicia as a dowry with his daughter when he married her to Ambris king of Tubal: and the Persian kings seem generally to have given satrapial or other high offices as dowries to the husbands of their daughters.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Kings 9:15. This is the reason of the levy — That is, in order to pay Hiram the sixscore talents of gold which he had borrowed from him (Hiram not being willing to take the Galilean cities mentioned above; or, having taken them, soon restored them again) he was obliged to lay a tax upon the people; and that this was a grievous and oppressive tax we learn from 1 Kings 12:1-4, where the elders of Israel came to Rehoboam, complaining of their heavy state of taxation, and entreating that their yoke might be made lighter.

And Millo — This is supposed to have been a deep valley between Mount Sion and what was called the city of Jebus, which Solomon filled up, and it was built on, and became a sort of fortified place, and a place for public assemblies.-See Calmet.