9:15 Here are the details concerning the work crews 1 King Solomon conscripted 2 to build the Lord’s temple, his palace, the terrace, the wall of Jerusalem, 3 and the cities of 4 Hazor, 5 Megiddo, 6 and Gezer. 9:16 (Pharaoh, king of Egypt, had attacked and captured Gezer. He burned it and killed the Canaanites who lived in the city. He gave it as a wedding present to his daughter, who had married Solomon.) 9:17 Solomon built up Gezer, lower Beth Horon, 9:18 Baalath, Tadmor in the wilderness, 7 9:19 all the storage cities that belonged to him, 8 and the cities where chariots and horses were kept. 9 He built whatever he wanted in Jerusalem, Lebanon, and throughout his entire kingdom. 10 9:20 Now several non-Israelite peoples were left in the land after the conquest of Joshua, including the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. 11 9:21 Their descendants remained in the land (the Israelites were unable to wipe them out completely). Solomon conscripted them for his work crews, and they continue in that role to this very day. 12 9:22 Solomon did not assign Israelites to these work crews; 13 the Israelites served as his soldiers, attendants, officers, charioteers, and commanders of his chariot forces. 14
1 sn The work crews. This Hebrew word מַס (mas) refers to a group of laborers conscripted for royal or public service.
2 tn Heb “raised up.”
3 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
4 tn The words “the cities of” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
5 map For location see Map1-D2; Map2-D3; Map3-A2; Map4-C1.
6 map For location see Map1-D4; Map2-C1; Map4-C2; Map5-F2; Map7-B1.
7 tn The Hebrew text has “in the wilderness, in the land.”
8 tn Heb “to Solomon.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“him”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
9 tn Heb “the cities of the chariots and the cities of the horses.”
10 tn Heb “and the desire of Solomon which he desired to build in Jerusalem and in Lebanon and in all the land of his kingdom.”
11 tn Heb “all the people who were left from the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, who were not from the sons of Israel.”
12 tn Heb “their sons who were left after them in the land, whom the sons of Israel were unable to wipe out, and Solomon raised them up for a crew of labor to this day.”
13 sn These work crews. The work crews referred to here must be different than the temporary crews described in 5:13-16.
14 tn Heb “officers of his chariots and his horses.”