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2 Chronicles 8 · a question people ask

Why did Solomon move Pharaoh's daughter out of David's city?

In the text

The chapter gives Solomon's own words and nothing more: "My wife shall not dwell in the house of David king of Israel, because the places where the LORD’s ark has come are holy" (8:11). 1 Kings tells when she came: "He took Pharaoh’s daughter and brought her into David’s city until he had finished building his own house, the LORD’s house, and the wall around Jerusalem" (1 Kings 3:1). It tells of the move without Solomon's words: "But Pharaoh’s daughter came up out of David’s city to her house which Solomon had built for her" (1 Kings 9:24). Only 2 Chronicles gives the reason Solomon said. The verse doesn't say what else he thought of the marriage, or what she thought, and these notes don't guess.

The verses

“Solomon brought up Pharaoh’s daughter out of David’s city to the house that he had built for her; for he said, “My wife shall not dwell in the house of David king of Israel, because the places where the LORD’s ark has come are holy.””
2 Chronicles 8:11 · World English Bible
“Solomon made a marriage alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt. He took Pharaoh’s daughter and brought her into David’s city until he had finished building his own house, the LORD’s house, and the wall around Jerusalem.”
1 Kings 3:1 · World English Bible
“But Pharaoh’s daughter came up out of David’s city to her house which Solomon had built for her. Then he built Millo.”
1 Kings 9:24 · World English Bible

From Favor's study of 2 Chronicles 8

2 Chronicles 8: So the house was completed

"So the LORD’s house was completed" (8:16) uses the word 2 Chronicles also uses for a heart "perfect toward him" (16:9). And Solomon built "storage cities" (8:4), as Israel once built "storage cities for Pharaoh" (Exodus 1:11), but "of the children of Israel, Solomon made no servants for his work" (8:9).

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Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Every answer cites the verses it rests on. What we believe · All Bible questions