Solomon Fortifies Cities and Secures Trade

King Solomon finished his primary construction campaigns over a span of twenty years. He shifted his royal focus to expanding regional infrastructure and border security. Work crews rebuilt the northern cities acquired from King Hiram of Tyre. The king then relocated Israelite families to settle these newly restored districts.

The king fortified the oasis of Tadmor deep in the Syrian desert. He established extensive supply depots throughout the entire northern region of Hamath. His royal builders constructed Upper and Lower Beth-horon as massive military strongholds. These fortress cities featured heavy stone walls and gates secured with iron bars.

Solomon moved his Egyptian wife to a separate palace outside the older royal complex. He declared those grounds sacred because the ark of the God of Israel rested there. A naval expedition sailed south from the Red Sea port of Ezion-geber. They returned with nearly 34,000 pounds of gold to enrich the royal treasury.

And they did not turn aside from what the king had commanded the priests concerning any matter.

This vast accumulation of wealth and territory marked the height of the empire around 950 b.c. The nation enjoyed unprecedented stability and direct control over major international trade routes.