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What is Jerusalem 2 The Kings?
        JERUSALEM UNDER THE KINGS
        David began immediately to strengthen and to fortify the city by building a wall around it, and to increase the strength of the stronghold by connecting it with the city. This citadel he made his residence. He also brought the ark from Kirjath-jearim to the house of Obed-edom, and thence to the "city of David," 2 Sam 6:2-16, thus making it the political and religious capital of the Israelitish nation. This choice of a capital was made by David, as elsewhere declared, under divine direction, Deut 12:5-21; 1 Kgs 11:36. It was the place where the Lord had chosen to put his name, Ps 78:68, as he may have done with the earlier spiritual capitals, Gilgal, Bethel, Shiloh, and Gibeon. The city of Zion also became the sepulchre of David and of the kings who succeeded him, and his royal gardens were in the valleys below. Under Solomon the city reached its greatest magnificence. His three important additions to the capital as founded by his father, David, were the temple, with its massive east wall, the royal palace, and the extension and strengthening of the walls of the city. The temple was built on the site which David purchased of Araunah the Jebusite, 2 Sam 24:20-25; 1 Chr 21:22-28; 2 Chr 3:1, and which was in Mount Moriah. David had also gathered a large portion of the wealth and of the materials required for erecting this magnificent sanctuary to the Lord, and had designed to build it himself, but was forbidden of the Lord because he had been a man of war. 1 Kgs 8:18-19. In this vast work Solomon was aided by Hiram, king of Tyre, who furnished timber out of Lebanon, and cunning workmen in every kind of metal, and those skilled, no doubt, in the mechanical arts, as the Tyrians are known to have been unsurpassed in their day in this class of work. In seven years the temple was completed and dedicated, and thus Jerusalem became the one central place of all the world to the true worshipper of Jehovah. See Temple. A palace of grandeur corresponding to the extent and power of his empire, Solomon erected for himself within the chosen capital, taking 13 years for its construction; he also built another royal edifice to beautify the city, and which is called the "house of the forest of Lebanon," perhaps from the "pillars of cedar" around it, 1 Kings 7:2-7; a palace was likewise built for the queen, the daughter of Pharaoh. 1 Kgs 7:8. He extended the walls of the city probably around the newly-built portions, added towers, and increased the height of the walls made by David; so that the Jerusalem of that period, with the splendor of Solomon's court, was unsurpassed for magnificence and brilliancy by any of the noted capitals of the East. The fame of it reached unto Sheba, whose queen came to behold it; and she declared that the half of the glory of the kingdom of which Jerusalem was the centre had not been told her, 1 Kgs 10:7; 2 Chr 9:1-12.
        

        The division of the kingdom under Rehoboam, which followed the death of Solomon, exposed the city to attack from foreign foes. Shishak, jealous of the glory of Jerusalem, which had for two generations excelled that of Egypt, tempted by the treasures of the famous city, and perhaps influenced by Jeroboam, who had been an exile in Egypt and was the leader of the revolting tribes, invaded the land and made the southern kingdom tributary to the Pharaohs, bearing away the accumulated treasures of the temple, including 500 golden shields, computed to represent $720,000 -- a vast sum for those days. Thirty years later, under Asa, Jerusalem regained her independence after the great battle with Zerah at Mareshah. 2 Chr 14:9-15. As the fruit of this victory, Asa replaced the vessels of the Lord's house taken by Shishak, rebuilt the altar, and probably added a new court to the temple, 2 Chr 15:5, 2 Chr 15:8; these treasures were soon after granted to the king of Syria to secure his aid in a war against Baasha, king of Israel. 2 Chr 16:1-2.
        

        In the idolatrous and troubled times which followed the alliance of the house of Jehoshaphat with that of the wicked Ahab, the glory of Jerusalem fell into a decline, but it revived for a time under Joash, who repaired the temple, only to despoil it when Hazael of Syria invaded the country and threatened the capital. 2 Chr 24:10-14, 2 Chr 24:23; 2 Kgs 12:17-18, Later, under Amaziah, a large portion of the walls of Jerusalem was broken down by the armies of the northern kingdom of Israel. 2 Chr 25:23. Uzziah repaired the walls and renewed the fortifications of the city, which were still further strengthened by his son Jotham, especially that part of the city on Moriah, Zion, and Ophel. It again declined under the wicked Ahaz, but was improved and made to approach the former magnificence attained in the days of Solomon by the extensive and remarkable works of Hezekiah. 2 Chr 32:30; Isa 22:9-11. Manasseh built a wall outside of the city of David, enclosing Zion, and raised the tower of Ophel to a great height. 2 Chr 33:14. With the ample supply of water provided by Hezekiah through the pools and conduits which he built, and the towers of defence constructed by Manasseh, the city was regarded as very strong, if not impregnable. Compare 2 Kgs 20:20; 2 Chr 33:14; Lam 4:12. The kingdom was, however, subject to Assyria. The subject king revolted; the capital was attacked, and was compelled to surrender to the forces of Nebuchadnezzar, who carried away all the treasures of the temple and the palace, and took as captives the princes, men of wealth, and the skilled artisans, numbering 10,000, so that only the poorest of the people were left in the land, over whom Zedekiah was made king. Trusting to the aid of Pharaoh-hophra, Zedekiah rebelled, and Nebuchadnezzar again laid siege to Jerusalem, erecting forts, mounds, and engines of war to batter down the walls. This siege was temporarily raised by the approach of an Egyptian army, but the Assyrians speedily returned to the city, and invested it more closely than ever. Its inhabitants, shut up within its walls, suffered from all the horrors of famine, pestilence, and war for a year and a half, when the walls were broken and the place taken b.c. 586, the temple, palace, and chief buildings burned, the walls thrown down and the city made a "heap of rubbish" by order of Nebuchadnezzar. The dreadful horrors of this siege and destruction are vividly portrayed by Jeremiah. Lam 2 and Lam 5. For 50 years the city lay in ruins.


Bibliography Information
Schaff, Philip, Dr. "Biblical Definition for 'jerusalem 2 the kings' in Schaffs Bible Dictionary".
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