What is the meaning of 2 Chronicles 8:7? As for all the people who remained – Solomon is now decades into his reign, and the Chronicler pauses to describe how he handled those Canaanite groups still living inside Israel’s borders. – This phrase looks back to earlier commands: God had ordered Israel to drive out the Canaanites (Deuteronomy 7:1-2; Joshua 23:12-13). Yet pockets of them “remained,” a reminder of Israel’s incomplete obedience (Judges 1:27-36). – By mentioning “all the people,” the text stresses Solomon’s comprehensive census (2 Chronicles 2:17) and the intentional governance decisions that followed. of the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites – These five nations are listed repeatedly in Scripture as key Canaanite peoples (Exodus 23:23; Joshua 3:10). – Their presence traces back to Abraham’s day (Genesis 15:19-21). God promised that one day Israel would possess their land, a promise now largely fulfilled under Solomon. – Bullet-point snapshot of each group’s history: • Hittites – first appear as landowners near Hebron (Genesis 23). • Amorites – formidable mountain dwellers defeated by Joshua (Joshua 10). • Perizzites – agrarian villagers noted in Judges 1:5. • Hivites – the Gibeonites tricked Joshua into a treaty (Joshua 9). • Jebusites – original inhabitants of Jerusalem until David captured it (2 Samuel 5:6-9). – By naming them, the Chronicler reminds readers of God’s faithfulness: every enemy He listed centuries earlier is now under Israelite authority (1 Kings 9:20-21). (these people were not Israelites)— – The parenthetical note clarifies identity and covenant status. They remained ethnically distinct and outside the covenant community. – Solomon did not treat them as fellow Israelites but as a labor force “subject to forced labor as it is to this day” (2 Chronicles 8:8). This fulfills but also moderates earlier commands, shifting from extermination to servitude (see Joshua 16:10). – Cross-references show the practical outworking: • 1 Kings 5:13-18 – Solomon organized labor for temple and palace projects. • 2 Samuel 8:2 – David similarly placed conquered peoples under tribute. – Spiritually, the note warns Israel to guard covenant purity while also highlighting God’s mercy: these non-Israelites were preserved, echoing Rahab and the Gibeonites who found a place among God’s people (Joshua 6:25; 9:27). summary 2 Chronicles 8:7 records how Solomon dealt with the surviving Canaanite populations. They were the leftover nations Israel had once failed to expel. By listing each group, the Chronicler underscores God’s long-standing promises and Israel’s belated but real dominance. Yet the verse also distinguishes covenant insiders from outsiders, reminding readers that God’s people must remain distinct while showing measured restraint toward those who live among them. |
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