Also he built Bethhoron the upper, and Bethhoron the nether, fenced cities, with walls, gates, and bars;

2 CHRONICLES 8:5KJV
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2 Chronicles 8:5 (KJV)

What does 2 Chronicles 8:5 mean?

2 Chronicles 8:5 says that Solomon built up two towns, Upper Bethhoron and Lower Bethhoron, making them strong cities with walls, gates, and bars. This verse highlights Solomon’s work in fortifying important locations during his reign.

Solomon, the king of Israel, is the main figure here, and the verse is part of a larger section describing his building projects after completing the temple. The two towns, Bethhoron the upper and Bethhoron the nether, were strategically located on a key route west of Jerusalem. The verse emphasizes Solomon’s focus on defense and infrastructure, showing his efforts to secure his kingdom.

The Hebrew behind 2 Chronicles 8:5

  • בָּנָה (banah, “built”): This word points to more than just constructing buildings; it often includes the idea of establishing or strengthening a place, which fits Solomon’s intention here.
  • עָלִיּוֹן (elyon, “upper”) and תַּחְתּוֹן (takhton, “nether”): These words clarify that there were two separate towns named Bethhoron, one higher up (upper) and one lower down (nether), marking their positions on a hillside or ridge.
  • מִבְצָר (mivtzar, “fenced”): This word means fortified or made strong, showing that Solomon wasn’t just building ordinary towns but turning them into defensive strongholds.
  • דֶּלֶת (delet, “gates”) and בָּרִיחַ (bariyach, “bars”): These terms refer to the security features of the cities, with gates and bars meaning strong doors and locking mechanisms to protect against attack.

Why 2 Chronicles 8:5 matters

  • This verse shows that Solomon’s building projects went beyond religious structures like the temple and included practical measures to protect his people and territory.
  • The mention of both Upper and Lower Bethhoron highlights the strategic importance of these towns, which guarded a main approach to Jerusalem.
  • The details about walls, gates, and bars reveal the level of planning and resources Solomon invested in national security, giving a fuller picture of his reign’s priorities.

Where else these words appear

“Bethhoron” Hebrew H1032 · used in 13 verses

  • Joshua 10:10 And the LORD discomfited them before Israel, and slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and chased them along the way that goeth up to Bethhoron, and smote them to Azekah, and unto Makkedah.
  • Joshua 18:13 And the border went over from thence toward Luz, to the side of Luz, which is Bethel, southward; and the border descended to Atarothadar, near the hill that lieth on the south side of the nether Bethhoron.
  • 1 Kings 9:17 And Solomon built Gezer, and Bethhoron the nether,

“nether” Hebrew H8481 · used in 13 verses

  • Joshua 16:3 And goeth down westward to the coast of Japhleti, unto the coast of Bethhoron the nether, and to Gezer: and the goings out thereof are at the sea.
  • 1 Chronicles 7:24 (And his daughter was Sherah, who built Bethhoron the nether, and the upper, and Uzzensherah.)
  • Ezekiel 41:7 And there was an enlarging, and a winding about still upward to the side chambers: for the winding about of the house went still upward round about the house: therefore the breadth of the house was still upward, and so increased from the lowest chamber to the highest by the midst.

“fenced” Hebrew H4692 · used in 25 verses

  • Deuteronomy 20:19 When thou shalt besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to take it, thou shalt not destroy the trees thereof by forcing an axe against them: for thou mayest eat of them, and thou shalt not cut them down(for the tree of the field is man's life) to employ them in the siege:
  • 2 Chronicles 32:10 Thus saith Sennacherib king of Assyria, Whereon do ye trust, that ye abide in the siege in Jerusalem?
  • Ezekiel 4:7 Therefore thou shalt set thy face toward the siege of Jerusalem, and thine arm shall be uncovered, and thou shalt prophesy against it.

“bars” Hebrew H1280 · used in 37 verses

  • Exodus 26:26 And thou shalt make bars of shittim wood; five for the boards of the one side of the tabernacle,
  • Numbers 4:31 And this is the charge of their burden, according to all their service in the tabernacle of the congregation; the boards of the tabernacle, and the bars thereof, and the pillars thereof, and sockets thereof,
  • Psalms 107:16 For he hath broken the gates of brass, and cut the bars of iron in sunder.