Tadmor

Tadmor, or Palmyra, is a site famous for its beautiful archaeological ruins (many of which have been wontanly destroyed in recent years by the Islamic State) some 200km north of Damascus, Syria. The ancient city had a long history of at least three millennium, being a major trade center between the Mesopotamian uplands in the east and the Mediterranean and Europe in the west.

Tadmor is mentioned oncee or twice (depending on which translation you use) in the OT: 1 Ki 9:18 and 2 Chron 8:4. KJV, NKJ and NIV include both, while NASB, RSV and NRS have 'Tamar' at 1 Ki 9:18 instead. The problem arises from a difficulty in deciding which of two possible readings of the ancient Hebrew manuscripts (one takes the qere, the other the ketib). As reflected in the translations, it is certain that Palmyra is properly identified in 2 Chron 8:4. The reference to "within his land" (NIV) or "within the land" (most other translations) in 1 Ki 9:18 suggests that this refers not to Palmyra but to a local site.

The difficulty, however, is not fatal; both texts refer to the place incidentally as the towns and cities that Solomon fortified or built up.