h.
The dedication of the temple
8:1-66
1)
The tabernacle being merged with the temple
vv. 1-11
1 Kings 8
:1
8:1
aThen Solomon assembled the elders of Israel
and all the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the fathers’
houses of the children of Israel, before King Solomon in Jerusalem in order to bring up the
bArk of the Covenant of Jehovah from the city of David, which is Zion.
1 Kings 8
:2
8:2
And all the men of Israel assembled themselves before King Solomon at the
afeast in the month of Ethanim, which is the seventh month.
1 Kings 8
:3
8:3
And when all the elders of Israel came, the priests took up the Ark;
1 Kings 8
:4
8:4
And they brought up the Ark of Jehovah and the
1Tent of Meeting and all the holy vessels that were in the tent; and the priests and Levites brought them up.
1 Kings 8
:5
8:5
And King Solomon and all the assembly of Israel, who had assembled before him
and were with him before the Ark, were sacrificing sheep and oxen which could not be counted or numbered for multitude.
1 Kings 8
:6
8:6
And the priests brought the Ark of the Covenant of Jehovah to its place, into the innermost sanctuary of the house, into the
aHoly of Holies under the wings of the cherubim.
1 Kings 8
:7
8:7
For the cherubim had
their wings spread out over the place of the Ark, and the cherubim covered the Ark and its poles overhead.
1 Kings 8
:8
8:8
And the poles extended out so that the ends of the poles could be seen from the Holy Place before the innermost sanctuary, but they were not seen outside; and they are there to this day.
1 Kings 8
:9
8:9
There was nothing in the Ark except the two stone
atablets, which Moses placed there at Horeb when Jehovah made a covenant with the children of Israel when they came out of the land of Egypt.
1 Kings 8
:10
8:10
aAnd when the priests came out of the Holy Place, the cloud filled the house of Jehovah;
1 Kings 8
:11
8:11
And the priests were not able to stand and minister because of the cloud, for the
1aglory of Jehovah filled the house of Jehovah.
2)
Solomon's blessing and declaration to the people
vv. 12-21
1 Kings 8
:12
8:12
aThen Solomon said, Jehovah has said that He would dwell in
bdeep darkness.
1 Kings 8
:13
8:13
I have surely
abuilt You a lofty house, a place for You to
bdwell in forever.
1 Kings 8
:14
8:14
And the king turned about and blessed all the congregation of Israel while all the congregation of Israel stood.
1 Kings 8
:15
8:15
And he said, Blessed be Jehovah the God of Israel, who spoke with His mouth to David my father and fulfilled
it with His hand, saying,
1 Kings 8
:16
8:16
Since the day when I brought My people Israel out from Egypt, I have not chosen a city out of all the tribes of Israel to build a house for My
aname that it might be there; but I
bchose David to be over My people Israel.
1 Kings 8
:17
8:17
And it was on David my father’s
aheart to build a house for the name of Jehovah the God of Israel;
1 Kings 8
:18
8:18
But Jehovah said to David my father, Because it was on your heart to build a house for My name, you have done well that it was on your heart;
1 Kings 8
:19
8:19
However you will not
abuild the house, but your
1son, who will come forth from your loins, he will build the house for My name.
1 Kings 8
:20
8:20
And Jehovah has established His word which He spoke; for I have risen up in the place of David my father, and I sit upon the
athrone of Israel, as Jehovah promised, and I have built the house for the name of Jehovah the God of Israel.
1 Kings 8
:21
8:21
And there I have set a place for the
aArk, in which is the covenant of Jehovah, which He made with our fathers when He brought them out from the land of Egypt.
3)
Solomon's prayer
vv. 22-53
1 Kings 8
:22
8:22
Then Solomon stood before the altar of Jehovah in front of all the congregation of Israel and spread his hands toward heaven.
1 Kings 8
:23
8:23
And he said, O Jehovah, God of Israel, there is no god like You, in heaven above or on the earth below, who keeps covenant and lovingkindness with Your servants who walk before You with all their heart;
1 Kings 8
:24
8:24
You who have kept with Your servant David my father that which You have promised him; indeed You have spoken with Your mouth and have fulfilled with Your hand this day.
1 Kings 8
:25
8:25
And now, O Jehovah, God of Israel, keep with Your servant David my father that which You promised him, saying,
aThere shall not fail you a man in My sight to sit upon the throne of Israel, if only your children keep their way by walking before Me as you have walked before Me.
1 Kings 8
:26
8:26
Now therefore, O God of Israel, may Your word that You spoke to Your servant David my father be confirmed.
1 Kings 8
:27
8:27
But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, the
aheavens and the heaven of heavens are not able to contain You; how much less this
bhouse which I have built.
1 Kings 8
:28
8:28
Yet have regard to the prayer of Your servant and to his supplication, O Jehovah my God, and listen to the cry and to the prayer which Your servant is praying before You today;
1 Kings 8
:29
8:29
That Your eyes may be open toward this house night and day, toward the place of which You have said, My
aname will be there, to
blisten to the prayer which Your servant will pray toward this place.
1 Kings 8
:30
8:30
And listen to the supplication of Your servant and of Your people Israel when they pray toward this place. Hear then in Your dwelling place in the
1heavens; and when You hear, forgive.
1 Kings 8
:31
8:31
If a man sins against his neighbor and is made to take an oath, and he comes
and takes an oath before Your altar in this house;
1 Kings 8
:32
8:32
Then hear in the heavens and act and judge Your servants, condemning the wicked by bringing his way on his head and justifying the righteous by giving to him according to his righteousness.
1 Kings 8
:33
8:33
When Your people Israel are defeated before an enemy because they have sinned against You, and they turn to You and confess Your name and pray and make supplication to You in this house;
1 Kings 8
:34
8:34
Then hear in the heavens, and forgive the sin of Your people Israel, and bring them back to the land which You gave to their fathers.
1 Kings 8
:35
8:35
When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against You, and they pray toward this place and confess Your name and turn from their sin when You afflict them;
1 Kings 8
:36
8:36
Then hear in the heavens and forgive the sin of Your servants and of Your people Israel; indeed teach them the good way in which they should walk, and bring rain upon Your land, which You have given to Your people for an inheritance.
1 Kings 8
:37
8:37
If there is famine in the land, if there is pestilence, if there is blight
or mildew, swarming locust
or consuming locust, if their enemy besieges them in the land of their cities, whatever plague, whatever sickness
there is;
1 Kings 8
:38
8:38
Whatever prayer, whatever supplication, which will be made by any man of all Your people Israel, each knowing the plague of his own heart, when he spreads out his hands toward this house;
1 Kings 8
:39
8:39
Then hear in the heavens Your dwelling place, and forgive and act and render to each man according to all his ways, whose heart You know; for You, You alone know the hearts of all the children of men;
1 Kings 8
:40
8:40
That they may
afear You all the days that they live in the land which You have given to our fathers.
1 Kings 8
:41
8:41
And also concerning the foreigner, who is not of Your people Israel but comes from a distant country for the sake of Your name
1 Kings 8
:42
8:42
(For they will hear about Your great name and Your strong hand and Your outstretched arm), when he comes and prays toward this house;
1 Kings 8
:43
8:43
Then hear in the heavens Your dwelling place, and act according to all that the foreigner calls upon You for, that all the peoples of the earth may know Your name
and that they may fear You, as do Your people Israel, and that they may know that this house which I have built is called by Your name.
1 Kings 8
:44
8:44
If Your people go out to battle against their enemy by the way which You have sent them, and they pray to Jehovah toward the city which You have chosen and the house which I have built for Your name;
1 Kings 8
:45
8:45
Then hear their prayer and their supplication in the heavens and maintain their cause.
1 Kings 8
:46
8:46
If they have sinned against You (for there is no man who does not
asin) and You are angry with them and deliver them up to the enemy, so that they are carried away captive unto the land of the enemy, far away or nearby;
1 Kings 8
:47
8:47
But if they take it to heart in the land where they were carried captive, and they repent and make supplication
ato You in the land of those who carried them away captive, saying, We have sinned and committed iniquity
and acted wickedly;
1 Kings 8
:48
8:48
And if they return to You with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their enemies, who have carried them captive, and they pray to You toward their
1land that You have given to their fathers, the
1city that You have chosen, and the
1house that I have built for Your name;
1 Kings 8
:49
8:49
Then hear their prayer and their supplication in the heavens Your dwelling place and maintain their cause,
1 Kings 8
:50
8:50
And forgive Your people who have sinned against You and all their transgressions which they have transgressed against You, and grant them compassion in the sight of those who lead them captive, that they might have compassion on them
1 Kings 8
:51
8:51
(For they are Your people and Your inheritance, whom You brought out from Egypt, from the midst of an iron
afurnace);
1 Kings 8
:52
8:52
That Your eyes may be open to the supplication of Your servant and to the supplication of Your people Israel to listen to them whenever they call upon You.
1 Kings 8
:53
8:53
For You have
aseparated them from all the peoples of the earth to be Your
binheritance, as You spoke through Moses Your servant, when You brought our fathers out from Egypt, O Lord Jehovah.
4)
Solomon's further blessing to the people
vv. 54-61
1 Kings 8
:54
8:54
aAnd when Solomon had finished praying all this prayer and supplication to Jehovah, he rose up from before the altar of Jehovah, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread toward the heavens.
1 Kings 8
:55
8:55
And he stood and blessed the whole congregation of Israel with a loud voice, saying,
1 Kings 8
:56
8:56
Blessed be Jehovah, who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He promised. Not one word of all His good promises which He spoke through Moses His servant has failed.
1 Kings 8
:57
8:57
May Jehovah our God be with us, as He was with our fathers; let Him not forsake us nor abandon us,
1 Kings 8
:58
8:58
That He may incline our hearts to Himself, to walk in all His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His ordinances, which He commanded our fathers.
1 Kings 8
:59
8:59
And let these words of mine, with which I made supplication to Jehovah, be near to Jehovah our God day and night to maintain the cause of His servant and the
1cause of His people Israel as each day requires;
1 Kings 8
:60
8:60
That all the peoples of the earth may know that
aJehovah is God; there is none else.
1 Kings 8
:61
8:61
Let your heart therefore be perfect with Jehovah our God, to walk in His statutes and to keep His commandments as on this day.
5)
Solomon and the people offering a vast quantity of sacrifices to God
vv. 62-64
1 Kings 8
:62
8:62
aAnd the king and all Israel with him offered sacrifices before Jehovah.
1 Kings 8
:63
8:63
And Solomon offered a sacrifice of peace offerings, which he offered to Jehovah: twenty-two thousand oxen and one hundred and twenty thousand sheep. Thus the king and all the children of Israel dedicated the house of Jehovah.
1 Kings 8
:64
8:64
aOn that day the king sanctified the middle of the court that was before the house of Jehovah, for there he offered the
1burnt offering and the
1meal offering and the fat of
1peace offerings because the bronze altar which was before Jehovah was too small to receive the burnt offering and the meal offering and the fat of peace offerings.
6)
Solomon and his people holding a feast for fourteen days
vv. 65-66
1 Kings 8
:65
8:65
And Solomon held a feast at that time and all Israel with him, a great congregation, from the entrance of Hamath to the brook of Egypt, before Jehovah our God, seven days and seven
more days, fourteen days
in all.
1 Kings 8
:66
8:66
On the eighth day he sent the people away, and they blessed the king and went to their tents joyful and happy in heart for all the goodness which Jehovah had shown to David His servant and to Israel His people.
