1 Kings 9:15

King James Version (KJV)

And this is the reason of the levy which king Solomon raised; for to build the house of the Lord, and his own house, and Millo, and the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, and Megiddo, and Gezer.

Adam Clarke
Bible Commentary

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.

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Albert Barnes
Notes on the Whole 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 (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.

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Matthew Henry
Concise Bible Commentary

Here is a further account of Solomon's greatness. He began at the right end, for he built God's house first, and finished that before he began his own; then God blessed him, and he prospered in all his other buildings. Let piety begin, and profit follow; leave pleasure to the last. Whatever pains we take for the glory of God, and to profit others, we are likely to have the advantage. Canaan, the holy land, the glory of all lands, had no gold in it; which shows that the best produce is that which is for the present support of life, our own and others; such things did Canaan produce. Solomon got much by his merchandise, and yet has directed us to a better trade, within reach of the poorest. Wisdom is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold, Pr 3:14.

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SDA Bible Commentary (limited)
Volume 1-7

15. Levy. The rest of this chapter consists of brief historical and explanatory notes, but it contains some items of great value. The levy here referred to was mentioned in ch. 5:13, 14. This labor draft was first for the building of the Temple and then for the palace and other enterprises.

Millo. Thought to be a citadel, terrace, or fortification in Jerusalem. Since David dwelt in the “fort,” or “castle,” of the old Jebusite city captured by him, later known as the “city of David” (2 Sam. 5:7, 9, 1 Chron. 11:5, 7), Millo was probably a strong place in the city when it was taken by David. It was probably situated at the northern end of the city. David (2 Sam. 5:9; 1 Chron. 11:8) and Solomon (1 Kings 9:24; 11:27) added to the early fortification, and later Hezekiah did additional work (2 Chron. 32:5). Others have explained Millo to be the earth filling along the eastern slope south of Moriah.

The wall of Jerusalem. David greatly strengthened and extended the walls of the ancient Jebusite city, building “round about from Millo and inward” (2 Sam. 5:9). Solomon made further repairs and additions, closing up certain weak points of defense in the City of David (1 Kings 11:27).

Later kings continued to make repairs and additions, till the wall eventually ran near the Valley of Hinnom at the south (Jer. 19:2), including a double wall at the southeast near the king’s garden (2 Kings 25:4), a wall outside the City of David on the east, “on the west side of Gihon, in the valley” and which went “about Ophel” and was raised to “a very great height” (2 Chron. 33:14). The gate at the northwest corner was an important gate called the “gate of the corner” (Jer. 31:38). It was a section of this northern wall, “from the gate of Ephraim unto the corner gate, four hundred cubits” (2 Kings 14:13), that was broken down by Jehoash of Israel during the reign of Amaziah. Uzziah repaired and strengthened the wall, building towers at the “the corner gate, and at the valley gate, and at the turning of the wall, and fortified them” (2 Chron. 26:9).

Hazor. This was an important city in the north, on high ground, near the former Lake Huleh. It had been the city of Jabin, head of the northern confederacy (Joshua 11:1). After Joshua’s great victory over this confederacy, he burnt the city (Joshua 11:13), and later signed it to Naphtali (Joshua 19:36). In view of the city’s importance, commanding a vital invasion route from the north, Hazor was fortified by Solomon. In the days of Pekah it was captured by Tiglath-pileser III (2 Kings 15:29).

Megiddo. This was an important stronghold in the southern part of the plain of Esdraelon. It commanded a pass between the plains of Sharon and Esdraelon. The city was assigned to Manasseh, but was not subdued at the time of the division of the land (Joshua 17:11-13). It is mentioned in the account of the battle between the kings of Canaan and Deborah and Barak (Judges 5:19). It was to Megiddo that Ahaziah fled when he was smitten by Jehu, and it was there that he died (2 Kings 9:27). It was also at Megiddo that the death of Josiah took place, as he endeavored to stop the forces of Necho of Egypt on his way north to the Euphrates (2 Kings 23:29). Megiddo has been thoroughly excavated. Among the ruins unearthed are stone stables, cement floored, for nearly 500 horses. These were at first assigned to Solomon’s time, but are now believed to be those of Ahab.

Gezer. This was an important Canaanite town, on a bastion extending out into the maritime plain, 6 1/4 mi. (10 km.) west-northwest of Aijalon, on the boundary of Ephraim (Joshua 16:3). The city was assigned to the Levites (Joshua 21:21), but was not taken at the time of the conquest (Judges 1:29), although it was tributary for a time (Joshua 16:10). It occupied a strategic position in the plain of Aijalon, an important pass, frequently used by the Philistines making their way to the central highlands. It is mentioned on a number of occasions in connection with the battles of David (2 Sam. 5:25; 1 Chron. 14:16; 20:4).

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Ellen G. White
Prophets and Kings, 71

Placed at the head of a nation that had been set as a beacon light to the surrounding nations, Solomon should have used his God-given wisdom and power of influence in organizing and directing a great movement for the enlightenment of those who were ignorant of God and His truth. Thus multitudes would have been won to allegiance to the divine precepts, Israel would have been shielded from the evils practiced by the heathen, and the Lord of glory would have been greatly honored. But Solomon lost sight of this high purpose. He failed of improving his splendid opportunities for enlightening those who were continually passing through his territory or tarrying at the principal cities. PK 71.1

The missionary spirit that God had implanted in the heart of Solomon and in the hearts of all true Israelites was supplanted by a spirit of commercialism. The opportunities afforded by contact with many nations were used for personal aggrandizement. Solomon sought to strengthen his position politically by building fortified cities at the gateways of commerce. He rebuilt Gezer, near Joppa, lying along the road between Egypt and Syria; Beth-horon, to the westward of Jerusalem, commanding the passes of the highway leading from the heart of Judea to Gezer and the seacoast; Megiddo, situated on the caravan road from Damascus to Egypt, and from Jerusalem to the northward; and “Tadmor in the wilderness” (2 Chronicles 8:4), along the route of caravans from the east. All these cities were strongly fortified. The commercial advantages of an outlet at the head of the Red Sea were developed by the construction of “a navy of ships in Ezion-geber, ... on the shore of the Red Sea, in the land of Edom.” Trained sailors from Tyre, “with the servants of Solomon,” manned these vessels on voyages “to Ophir, and fetched from thence gold,” and “great plenty of almug trees, and precious stones.” Verse 18; 1 Kings 9:26, 28; 10:11. PK 71.2

The revenue of the king and of many of his subjects was greatly increased, but at what a cost! Through the cupidity and shortsightedness of those to whom had been entrusted the oracles of God, the countless multitudes who thronged the highways of travel were allowed to remain in ignorance of Jehovah. PK 72.1

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Cross References

A. M. 2989-3029. B.C. 1015-975. the reason

to build

Millo