"For he had dominion over all the region west of the Euphrates from Tiphsah to Gaza, over all the kings west of the Euphrates; and he had peace on all sides round about him." — The *political stability* under Solomon is emphasized: *ki hu yoshel et-kol-asher me-ever ha-nahar*. His *dominion extended from Tiphsah* (in the north, on the Euphrates) *to Gaza* (in the south, on the Philistine border). The phrase *shalom lo saviv mekol-tzidav* (peace on all sides round about him) suggests not merely military victory but *stability and absence of conflict* during his reign. This *pax Solomonica* allows for the building projects and trade relationships that characterized his era.

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