In addition to the cities mentioned previously, the author mentions unnamed cities for Solomon’s chariots and as storage cities. The grammar seems to indicate that the cities mentioned by name may also have been either cities for the chariots or storage cities for Solomon’s wealth.
When we asked the question for the reason for the mention of all these building projects, the answer raises additional questions. The short answer is that in the ancient world a ruler demonstrated the glory of his reign either by mentioning the battles and conquests that he had fought or the works of building in his dominion for which he was responsible. That forces us to ask, however, why Solomon followed in the model of the other kings of the nations. Why did he seek to emulate what the Gentile kings of neighbouring countries did to demonstrate their glory? We do not mean to suggest that Solomon was responsible for this being written in the book of 1 Kings, but that it showed that his desire was to follow the example of the kings of the nations. This was exactly the example that the law of Moses had forbidden for the kings of Israel, namely, that they were not to be like the kings of the surrounding nations.
We will see that this question has further significance in the verses that follow. Nevertheless, before moving to those verses, it is necessary to make other comments about the building or rebuilding of these cities. The chariot cities had a strategic purpose that was military in nature, and the store cities had a purpose that was economic in nature, both in the storage of food and other material but also for the defence of the trade routes that passed through Israel. Therefore, we cannot wholly criticize Solomon in this regard. One of his duties was the defence of his realm.
19 and all the store cities that Solomon had, and the cities for his chariots, and the cities for his horsemen, and whatever Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and in all the land of his dominion.