Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, the chief of the fathers of the children of Israel, unto king Solomon in Jerusalem, that they might bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of the city of David, which is Zion.
And all the men of Israel assembled themselves unto king Solomon at the feast in the month Ethanim, which is the seventh month.
2-6. at the feast in the month
Ethanim—The public and formal inauguration of this national
place of worship did not take place till eleven months after the
completion of the edifice. The delay, most probably, originated in
Solomon's wish to choose the most fitting opportunity when there
should be a general rendezvous of the people in Jerusalem (); and that was not till the next year. That was a jubilee
year, and he resolved on commencing the solemn ceremonial a few days
before the feast of tabernacles, which was the most appropriate of
all seasons. That annual festival had been instituted in
commemoration of the Israelites dwelling in booths during their stay
in the wilderness, as well as of the tabernacle, which was then
erected, in which God promised to meet and dwell with His people,
sanctifying it with His glory. As the tabernacle was to be superseded
by the temple, there was admirable propriety in choosing the feast of
tabernacles as the period for dedicating the new place of worship,
and praying that the same distinguished privileges might be continued
to it in the manifestation of the divine presence and glory. At the
time appointed for the inauguration, the king issued orders for all
the heads and representatives of the nation to repair to Jerusalem
and take part in the august procession []. The lead was taken by the king and elders of the people,
whose march must have been slow, as priests were stationed to offer
an immense number of sacrifices at various points in the line of road
through which the procession was to go. Then came the priests bearing
the ark and the tabernacle—the old Mosaic tabernacle which was
brought from Gibeon. Lastly, the Levites followed, carrying the
vessels and ornaments belonging to the old, for lodgment in the new,
house of the Lord. There was a slight deviation in this procedure
from the order of march established in the wilderness (Numbers 3:31;
Numbers 4:15); but the spirit of the
arrangement was duly observed. The ark was deposited in the oracle;
that is, the most holy place, under the wings of the cherubim—not
the Mosaic cherubim, which were firmly attached to the ark (Exodus 37:7;
Exodus 37:8), but those made by
Solomon, which were far larger and more expanded.
And all the elders of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark.
And they brought up the ark of the LORD, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and all the holy vessels that were in the tabernacle, even those did the priests and the Levites bring up.
And king Solomon, and all the congregation of Israel, that were assembled unto him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing sheep and oxen, that could not be told nor numbered for multitude.
And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the LORD unto his place, into the oracle of the house, to the most holy place, even under the wings of the cherubims.
For the cherubims spread forth their two wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubims covered the ark and the staves thereof above.
And they drew out the staves, that the ends of the staves were seen out in the holy place before the oracle, and they were not seen without: and there they are unto this day.
8. they drew out the staves—a
little way, so as to project (see on ; ); and they were
left in that position. The object was, that these projecting staves
might serve as a guide to the high priest, in conducting him to that
place where, once a year, he went to officiate before the ark;
otherwise he might miss his way in the dark, the ark being wholly
overshadowed by the wings of the cherubim.
There was nothing in the ark save the two tables of stone, which Moses put there at Horeb, when the LORD made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt.
9. There was nothing in the ark save
the two tables of stone—Nothing else was ever in the ark, the
articles mentioned (Hebrews 9:4)
being not in, but by it, being laid in the most holy
place before the testimony (Exodus 16:33;
Numbers 17:10).
And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD,
10, 11. the cloud filled the house
of the Lord—The cloud was the visible symbol of the divine
presence, and its occupation of the sanctuary was a testimony of
God's gracious acceptance of the temple as of the tabernacle (). The dazzling brightness, or rather, perhaps, the dense
portentous darkness of the cloud, struck the minds of the priests, as
it formerly had done Moses, which such astonishment and terror
(Leviticus 16:2-13; Deuteronomy 4:24;
Exodus 40:35) that they could not
remain. Thus the temple became the place where the divine glory was
revealed, and the king of Israel established his royal residence.
Exodus 40:35. SOLOMON'S
BLESSING.
So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of the LORD.
Then spake Solomon, The LORD said that he would dwell in thick darkness.
12. Then spake Solomon—For the
reassurance of the priests and people, the king reminded them that
the cloud, instead of being a sign ominous of evil, was a token of
approval.
The Lord said—not in
express terms, but by a continuous course of action (Exodus 13:21;
Exodus 24:16; Numbers 9:15).
I have surely built thee an house to dwell in, a settled place for thee to abide in for ever.
13. I have surely built thee an
house—This is an apostrophe to God, as perceiving His approach
by the cloud, and welcoming Him to enter as guest or inhabitant of
the fixed and permanent dwelling-place, which, at His command, had
been prepared for His reception.
And the king turned his face about, and blessed all the congregation of Israel: (and all the congregation of Israel stood;)
14. the king turned his face
about—From the temple, where he had been watching the movement
of the mystic cloud, and while the people were standing, partly as
the attitude of devotion, partly out of respect to royalty, the king
gave a fervent expression of praise to God for the fulfilment of His
promise (2 Samuel 7:6-16).
2 Samuel 7:6-10. HIS PRAYER.
And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, which spake with his mouth unto David my father, and hath with his hand fulfilled it, saying,
Since the day that I brought forth my people Israel out of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the tribes of Israel to build an house, that my name might be therein; but I chose David to be over my people Israel.
And it was in the heart of David my father to build an house for the name of the LORD God of Israel.
And the LORD said unto David my father, Whereas it was in thine heart to build an house unto my name, thou didst well that it was in thine heart.
Nevertheless thou shalt not build the house; but thy son that shall come forth out of thy loins, he shall build the house unto my name.
And the LORD hath performed his word that he spake, and I am risen up in the room of David my father, and sit on the throne of Israel, as the LORD promised, and have built an house for the name of the LORD God of Israel.
And I have set there a place for the ark, wherein is the covenant of the LORD, which he made with our fathers, when he brought them out of the land of Egypt.
And Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven:
22. Solomon stood before the
altar—This position was in the court of the people, on a brazen
scaffold erected for the occasion (), fronting the altar of burnt offering, and surrounded by a
mighty concourse of people. Assuming the attitude of a suppliant,
kneeling (1 Kings 8:54; compare 1 Kings 8:54) and with uplifted hands, he performed the solemn act of
consecration—an act remarkable, among other circumstances, for
this, that it was done, not by the high priest or any member of the
Aaronic family, but by the king in person, who might minister about,
though not in, holy things. This sublime prayer [1 Kings 8:54], which breathes sentiments of the loftiest piety blended
with the deepest humility, naturally bore a reference to the national
blessing and curse contained in the law—and the burden of it—after
an ascription of praise to the Lord for the bestowment of the former,
was an earnest supplication for deliverance from the latter. He
specifies seven cases in which the merciful interposition of God
would be required; and he earnestly bespeaks it on the condition of
people praying towards that holy place. The blessing addressed to the
people at the close is substantially a brief recapitulation of the
preceding prayer [1 Kings 8:54].
1 Kings 8:54. HIS SACRIFICE
OF PEACE OFFERING.
And he said, LORD God of Israel, there is no God like thee, in heaven above, or on earth beneath, who keepest covenant and mercy with thy servants that walk before thee with all their heart:
Who hast kept with thy servant David my father that thou promisedst him: thou spakest also with thy mouth, and hast fulfilled it with thine hand, as it is this day.
Therefore now, LORD God of Israel, keep with thy servant David my father that thou promisedst him, saying, There shall not fail thee a man in my sight to sit on the throne of Israel; so that thy children take heed to their way, that they walk before me as thou hast walked before me.
And now, O God of Israel, let thy word, I pray thee, be verified, which thou spakest unto thy servant David my father.
But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded?
Yet have thou respect unto the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplication, O LORD my God, to hearken unto the cry and to the prayer, which thy servant prayeth before thee to day:
That thine eyes may be open toward this house night and day, even toward the place of which thou hast said, My name shall be there: that thou mayest hearken unto the prayer which thy servant shall make toward this place.
And hearken thou to the supplication of thy servant, and of thy people Israel, when they shall pray toward this place: and hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place: and when thou hearest, forgive.
If any man trespass against his neighbour, and an oath be laid upon him to cause him to swear, and the oath come before thine altar in this house:
Then hear thou in heaven, and do, and judge thy servants, condemning the wicked, to bring his way upon his head; and justifying the righteous, to give him according to his righteousness.
When thy people Israel be smitten down before the enemy, because they have sinned against thee, and shall turn again to thee, and confess thy name, and pray, and make supplication unto thee in this house:
Then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of thy people Israel, and bring them again unto the land which thou gavest unto their fathers.
When heaven is shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against thee; if they pray toward this place, and confess thy name, and turn from their sin, when thou afflictest them:
Then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of thy servants, and of thy people Israel, that thou teach them the good way wherein they should walk, and give rain upon thy land, which thou hast given to thy people for an inheritance.
If there be in the land famine, if there be pestilence, blasting, mildew, locust, or if there be caterpiller; if their enemy besiege them in the land of their cities; whatsoever plague, whatsoever sickness there be;
What prayer and supplication soever be made by any man, or by all thy people Israel, which shall know every man the plague of his own heart, and spread forth his hands toward this house:
Then hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and do, and give to every man according to his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou, even thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men;)
That they may fear thee all the days that they live in the land which thou gavest unto our fathers.
Moreover concerning a stranger, that is not of thy people Israel, but cometh out of a far country for thy name's sake;
(For they shall hear of thy great name, and of thy strong hand, and of thy stretched out arm;) when he shall come and pray toward this house;
Hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and do according to all that the stranger calleth to thee for: that all people of the earth may know thy name, to fear thee, as do thy people Israel; and that they may know that this house, which I have builded, is called by thy name.
If thy people go out to battle against their enemy, whithersoever thou shalt send them, and shall pray unto the LORD toward the city which thou hast chosen, and toward the house that I have built for thy name:
Then hear thou in heaven their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause.
If they sin against thee, (for there is no man that sinneth not,) and thou be angry with them, and deliver them to the enemy, so that they carry them away captives unto the land of the enemy, far or near;
Yet if they shall bethink themselves in the land whither they were carried captives, and repent, and make supplication unto thee in the land of them that carried them captives, saying, We have sinned, and have done perversely, we have committed wickedness;
And so return unto thee with all their heart, and with all their soul, in the land of their enemies, which led them away captive, and pray unto thee toward their land, which thou gavest unto their fathers, the city which thou hast chosen, and the house which I have built for thy name:
Then hear thou their prayer and their supplication in heaven thy dwelling place, and maintain their cause,
And forgive thy people that have sinned against thee and all their transgressions wherein they have transgressed against thee, and give them compassion before them who carried them captive, that they may have compassion on them:
For they be thy people, and thine inheritance, which thou broughtest forth out of Egypt, from the midst of the furnace of iron:
That thine eyes may be open unto the supplication of thy servant, and unto the supplication of thy people Israel, to hearken unto them in all that they call for unto thee.
For thou didst separate them from among all the people of the earth, to be thine inheritance, as thou spakest by the hand of Moses thy servant, when thou broughtest our fathers out of Egypt, O Lord GOD.
And it was so, that when Solomon had made an end of praying all this prayer and supplication unto the LORD, he arose from before the altar of the LORD, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread up to heaven.
And he stood, and blessed all the congregation of Israel with a loud voice, saying,
Blessed be the LORD, that hath given rest unto his people Israel, according to all that he promised: there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant.
The LORD our God be with us, as he was with our fathers: let him not leave us, nor forsake us:
That he may incline our hearts unto him, to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and his statutes, and his judgments, which he commanded our fathers.
And let these my words, wherewith I have made supplication before the LORD, be nigh unto the LORD our God day and night, that he maintain the cause of his servant, and the cause of his people Israel at all times, as the matter shall require:
That all the people of the earth may know that the LORD is God, and that there is none else.
Let your heart therefore be perfect with the LORD our God, to walk in his statutes, and to keep his commandments, as at this day.
And the king, and all Israel with him, offered sacrifice before the LORD.
62. the king, and all Israel . . .
offered sacrifice before the Lord—This was a burnt offering
with its accompaniments, and being the first laid on the altar of the
temple, was, as in the analogous case of the tabernacle, consumed by
miraculous fire from heaven (see ). On remarkable occasions, the heathens sacrificed hecatombs
(a hundred animals), and even chiliombs (a thousand animals), but the
public sacrifices offered by Solomon on this occasion surpassed all
the other oblations on record, without taking into account those
presented by private individuals, which, doubtless, amounted to a
large additional number. The large proportion of the sacrifices were
peace offerings, which afforded the people an opportunity of festive
enjoyment.
And Solomon offered a sacrifice of peace offerings, which he offered unto the LORD, two and twenty thousand oxen, and an hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the children of Israel dedicated the house of the LORD.
63. So the king and all the children
of Israel dedicated the house of the Lord—The dedication was
not a ceremony ordained by the law, but it was done in accordance
with the sentiments of reverence naturally associated with edifices
appropriated to divine worship. [See on .]
The same day did the king hallow the middle of the court that was before the house of the LORD: for there he offered burnt offerings, and meat offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings: because the brasen altar that was before the LORD was too little to receive the burnt offerings, and meat offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings.
64. The same day did the king hallow
the middle of the court—that is, the whole extent of the
priests' court—the altar of burnt offerings, though large (), being totally inadequate for the vast number of sacrifices
that distinguished this occasion. It was only a temporary erection to
meet the demands of an extraordinary season, in aid of the
established altar, and removed at the conclusion of the sacred
festival. [See on .]
. THE PEOPLE
JOYFUL.
And at that time Solomon held a feast, and all Israel with him, a great congregation, from the entering in of Hamath unto the river of Egypt, before the LORD our God, seven days and seven days, even fourteen days.
65. from the entering in of Hamath
unto the river of Egypt—that is, from one extremity of the
kingdom to the other. The people flocked from all quarters.
seven days and seven days,
even fourteen days—The first seven were occupied with the
dedication, and the other seven devoted to the feast of tabernacles
(2 Chronicles 7:9). The particular form
of expression indicates that the fourteen days were not continuous.
Some interval occurred in consequence of the great day of atonement
falling on the tenth of the seventh month (2 Chronicles 7:9), and the last day of the feast of tabernacles was on the
twenty-third (2 Chronicles 7:10), when
the people returned to their homes with feelings of the greatest joy
and gratitude "for all the goodness that the Lord had done for
David his servant, and for Israel his people."
On the eighth day he sent the people away: and they blessed the king, and went unto their tents joyful and glad of heart for all the goodness that the LORD had done for David his servant, and for Israel his people.
