1 Kings 8

REVIEW OF CHAPTER SEVEN

I. FACTS TO MASTER

1. Five calamities which might befall Israel if unfaithful.

2. Duration of the dedication activities (1 Kings 8:65).

3. The identity of the feast which followed the dedication ceremonies (1 Kings 8:65).

4. Number of sacrifices offered during the dedication (1 Kings 8:63).

5. Boundaries of the land of Israel on the north and south (1 Kings 8:65).

6. Time of the second dream appearance to Solomon (1 Kings 9:1).

7. Those sacred objects deposited by priests and Levites in the new Temple.

8. That which remained in the ark at this time.

9. The meaning of Ethanim.

10. The spot where God originally made a covenant with Israel.

II. QUESTIONS TO PONDER

1. How many prayer postures are alluded to in this section? What has posture to do with effective prayer?

2. In Solomon’s dedicatory prayer, what receives the most emphasis: praise, petition or thanksgiving?

3. Is there anything in this section to suggest that Solomon was a prophet like his father David?

4. What promise made to David had already been fulfilled at the time of the Temple dedication?

5. What is the special significance of the term your servant used several times in this section?

6. Many writers speak of the Universalism in Solomon’s prayer. What is the element of Universalism?

7. What is the significance of the three words for prayer used in 1 Kings 8:28?

8. What is the plague of his own heart in 1 Kings 8:38?

9. Can you think of examples in Old Testament history of foreigners who embraced the worship of the true God?

10. What is meant by fear God?

11. What evidence is there that Solomon did not think of God as confined to the Temple or to Jerusalem?

12. What is the significance of the use of the two words for sin in 1 Kings 8:50?

13. What are some reasons Solomon suggested as to why God should answer his prayer for Israel? 1 Kings 8:51-53

14. What are the promises made by Moses that Solomon regarded as already fulfilled? 1 Kings 8:56

15. What condition is attached to the continued divine sup port for the Davidic dynasty?

16. In 1 Kings 8:27 Solomon the Temple builder raised a basic question about the construction of temples which was later echoed by Stephen (Acts 7:47 ff.). What should be the Christian attitude regarding the spending of large sums of money to construct lavish places of worship?

1 Kings 8:1-13

I. THE DEDICATION OF THE TEMPLE 8:1-66

Because of its importance in the history of redemption, the sacred historian devotes considerable space to the dedication of Solomon’s Temple. For centuries God had been worshiped at a portable shrine, a tent which, with the passage of time, had become tattered and torn. Now the great day predicted by Moses and anticipated by David had finally come. Thousands of people flocked to Jerusalem to share in the paramount event. No doubt there was an air of expectancy throughout Jerusalem as people contemplated the possibility of a supernatural manifestation of God’s approval of the new edifice. Without question the dedication of Solomon’s Temple was the grandest ceremony ever performed under the Mosaic dispensation.[218] The solemn dedicatory transaction consisted of five acts: (1) a processional (1 Kings 8:1-14); (2) a speech (1 Kings 8:12-21); (3) a lengthy prayer (1 Kings 8:22-53); (4) a benediction (1 Kings 8:54-61); and (5) a celebration (1 Kings 8:62-66).

[218] Smith, OTH, p. 521.

A. THE DEDICATORY PROCESSIONAL 8:1-13

This unit again breaks down into two unequal divisions; (1) the installation of the ark (1 Kings 8:1-4); and (2) the declaration of Solomon (1 Kings 8:12-13).

1. THE INSTALLATION OF THE ARK (1 Kings 8:1-11)

**TRANSLATION

(1) Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the princes of the fathers of the children of Israel, unto King Solomon in Jerusalem for the purpose of bringing up the ark of the covenant of the LORD from the city of David which is Zion. (2) And all the men of Israel assembled themselves unto King Solomon at the feast, in the month Ethanim, which is the seventh month. (3) And all the elders of Israel came, and the priests carried the ark. (4) And they brought up the ark of the LORD and the tabernacle of meeting and all the holy vessels which were in the tent, even them did the priests and Levites bring up. (5) And King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel which were assembled unto him before the ark, were sacrificing sheep and oxen which could not be counted or numbered for multitude. (6) And the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the LORD unto its place, unto the Debir of the house, the most holy place, beneath the wings of the cherubim. (7) For the cherubim spread forth their wings unto the place of the ark, and the cherubim covered the ark and its staves from above. (8) And they drew out the staves, and the tips of the staves were seen from the holy place before the Debir, but they were not seen without; and they are there unto this day. (9) There was nothing in the ark except the two tables of stone which Moses placed there at Horeb where the LORD made a covenant with the children of Israel when they came out of the land of Egypt. (10) And it came to pass when the priests went out from the Holy Place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD, (11) so that the priests were not able to stand and minister because of the cloud, because the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD.

COMMENTS**

When the work on the Temple for all practical purposes was completed, Solomon summoned all the leaders of the nation to Jerusalem to share in the dedication ceremonies. It is only natural that Solomon would want the representatives of the people present to witness this historic and momentous event. After years of waiting, a national sanctuary was to be dedicated which would supersede the Tabernacle of Moses at which their forefathers had worshiped for five centuries. The first order of business was the transfer of the ark of the covenant from Zion, the city of David,[219] to its permanent resting place in the Debir of the Temple on Mt. Moriah. As the repository of the tables of law, the ark became a symbol of the covenant between God and Israel, and for this reason is here called the ark of the covenant (1 Kings 8:1). Because it housed the sacred ark, the newly-built Temple enjoyed the sanctity and national prestige of the sanctuary in Shiloh which had been destroyed by the Philistines about a hundred years earlier.

[219] Originally Zion was restricted to the Jebusite fortress (city of David) on the southern and lower part of the hill on which the Temple had been built. In later times the name Zion denoted the Temple hill (Amos 1:2; Isaiah 8:18 etc.) and the entire city of Jerusalem (Amos 6:1; Isaiah 10:24 etc.).

In addition to the princes summoned by Solomon all the men of Israel also came to Jerusalem to participate in the feast. Under the Law of Moses every adult male was obligated to attend the three major annual feastsPassover, Pentecost and Tabernacles. Since this gathering took place in the month of Ethanim,[220] the seventh month (1 Kings 8:2), the particular feast must have been the Feast of Tabernacles. This feast was the feast of ingathering (Exodus 23:16), and commemorated as well the deliverance from Egypt (Leviticus 23:43). As a social festival (Leviticus 23:40-42), Tabernacles was the greatest and most joyous gathering of the year. It was doubtless for this reason that Tabernacles was chosen as the time for the dedication.

[220] Ethanim means running water. The early rains which began to fall during the month caused the dry brooks to flow constantly. In later times this month was called Tishri. It corresponds to October-November on the present calendar.

While the month of the Temple dedication is certain, the precise year is in dispute. The author has already indicated that the Temple was finished in the eighth month of the eleventh year of Solomon’s reign (1 Kings 6:38). Some have argued that the dedication was in the seventh month of that same year (Hammond). Others hold that Solomon waited until the seventh month of the year following (Gray). In the former case the dedication took place one month prior to the completion of the construction;[221] in the latter case, eleven months after completion. Keil regards 1 Kings 9:1-10 as a clue to dating the dedication. These verses relate that the answer to Solomon’s dedicatory prayer came after he had finished his building projects, thirteen years after he had finished the Temple. If God’s answer came shortly after the petition was made, then one is forced to conclude that the dedication did not take place until twenty years after the building was begun, or thirteen years after it was finished.

[221] The completion of the Temple in 1 Kings 6:38 may have been reckoned from the completion of the dedication which lasted for fourteen days and therefore, continued into the eighth month. This suggestion by Honor (JCBR, p. 113), would eliminate the difficulty of having the Temple dedicated one month before it was completed.

While either the immediate dedication view or the delayed dedication view can be harmonized with the Biblical data, the former explanation seems preferable. Preparations for building extended back into the preceding reign (1 Chronicles 28-29) and consequently the dedication had long been eagerly anticipated. Furthermore, the prodigious number of laborers employed on the project is evidence that the work had been carried forward as rapidly as possible. It would be almost inconceivable that after these energetic measures had been taken, the king or his subjects would have been content to allow this grand facility to go unused for thirteen years, while the royal palace complex was completed. It is more likely that Solomon, wishing to connect the dedication with the Feast of Tabernacles, ordered the services to be conducted in the seventh month of his eleventh year, one month before the completion of the final details of the building. It would not be inconsistent with the usual procedure of sacred writers to describe the Temple as finished when in reality it was incomplete in a few minor particulars.

As on former occasions of extraordinary solemnity, the priests rather than the Levites (cf. Number 1 Kings 4:15; 1 Kings 7:9) carried the ark of the covenant (1 Kings 8:3).[222] The parallel verse in Chronicles states that the Levites took up the ark (2 Chronicles 5:4). All priests were of the tribe of Levi and might properly be designated as Levites. But the Chronicler removes any possibility of contradiction with Kings by going on to state that it was the priests (1 Kings 8:7) and the Levitical priests (1 Kings 8:5) who brought in the ark.

[222] The priests carried the ark at the crossing of the Jordan (Joshua 3:6 ff.) and at the siege of Jericho (Joshua 6:6).

For nearly forty years the ark had been kept in a special tent erected for it on Mt. Zion by David (2 Samuel 6:17). The Tabernacle erected by Moses (Exodus 33:7-10) had for many years been located at Gibeon (1 Kings 3:4; 2 Chronicles 1:3). The ark and the Tabernacle were now reunited in the Temple of Solomon. The holy vessels of the Tabernaclethe bronze altar, the altar of incense, the table of showbread, the lampstandwere preserved in the storage areas of the Temple as relics of the past. While the priests carried the ark, apparently the Levites transported the Tabernacle and the holy vessels (1 Kings 8:4).[223]

[223] In contrast to the frequent allusion to Levites in Chronicles, this is the only reference to them in Kings.

The priestly processional occasionally halted en route to the Temple so that Solomon and the congregation, following the precedent of David (2 Samuel 6:13), could offer sacrifices[224] (1 Kings 8:5). These innumerable sacrifices were intended to express the grateful joy of the populace that a house of cedars (2 Samuel 7:7) had now been provided for the ark which had dwelt in curtains for five hundred years. The sacrifices may also have been intended to avert the divine wrath against any possible errors and imperfections in the transportation operation. Those who planned this phase of the dedicatory service would be keenly aware of the past tragedies connected with the removal of the ark.[225] Josephus adds that a vast quantity of incense was burnt and men preceded the ark, singing and dancing until it reached its destination.[226]

[224] Keil (BCOT, p. 120) thinks the sacrifices were made in the Temple courtyard when the ark was set down there either in front of or within the sanctuary.

[225] Cf. 1 Samuel 4:17; 1 Samuel 6:19; 2 Samuel 6:7.

[226] Antiquities VIII, 4.1.

The priests deposited the ark in its assigned place in the Debirthe Holy of Holiesunder the wings of the two giant cherubim which dominated that place in the Temple (1 Kings 8:6). The wings of the cherubim completely covered the ark so that it was enveloped in darkness[227] (1 Kings 8:7). As it was forbidden to remove the staves from the rings at the corners of the ark (Exodus 25:12-15), they drew the staves forward toward the front end of the ark. These staves could be seen by one who might be standing in the Holy Place or area of the Temple immediately in front of the Debir, but outside the Holy Placein the porch or courtyardthe staves could not be seen. It is impossible to determine whether the author means that the staves could constantly be seen by those priests ministering in the Holy Place, or that they occasionally could be seen as when the curtain was pulled aside to allow the high priest to enter the Debir on the Day of Atonement.[228]

[227] If the outspread wings of the cherubim threw a shade not only over the ark, but over its poles, the ark was probably so placed that the poles ran from north to south (Keil, BCOT, p. 121). [228] Hammond (PC, p. 148) argues persuasively for the latter view. The traditional Jewish view is that the staves pressed against the veil which hung before the Debir.

The expression unto this day (1 Kings 8:8) occurs several times in Kings (1 Kings 9:21; 1 Kings 12:19; 2 Kings 8:22). This expression refers not to the date of the publication of the Book of Kings at which time the Temple had already been destroyed, but to the date of the source which the author of Kings used for the history of Solomon.

At the time the ark was placed in the Temple it contained only the two tables of stone which had been put there by Moses at Horeb (1 Kings 8:9). Horeb refers to the mountain range, Sinai to the particular peak where the law was given. The golden pot of manna and Aaron’s rod that budded which had formerly been in the ark (Hebrews 9:4; Exodus 16:34; Numbers 17:10) were probably removed by the Philistines when they had temporary possession of the ark (1 Samuel 5-6). The sacrilege of the Philistines was probably discovered by the men of Beth-shemesh when they peered into the ark (1 Samuel 6:19).

As the priests withdrew from the Debir, here designated as the Holy Place (cf. Ezekiel 41:23), and were preparing to minister[229] in the sanctuary the cloud which was indicative of the divine presence filled the house of the Lord[230] (1 Kings 8:10). This is the same cloud which rested on the Tabernacle when it was dedicated (Exodus 40:34) and which accompanied that sacred tent in its journeys (Exodus 40:38). At certain critical points in the history of Israel that cloud had made itself manifest (Numbers 12:5; Numbers 12:10; Numbers 16:42; Deuteronomy 31:15). The cloud was the acknowledged symbol of God’s presence, and its appearance at the Temple dedication served to indicate that God now accepted the Temple as His shrine and dwelling place. The appearance of this cloud in the house was so awe-inspiring that the priests could not stand in its presence to conduct their ministration[231] (1 Kings 8:11). This marvelous manifestation took place only at the dedication; after that, the cloud of divine glory was visible only in the Debir on the great Day of Atonement when the high priest entered.

[229] Chronicles is even more precise in identifying the moment the cloud appeared: It was when the singers and trumpeters, standing at the east end of the altar, began their service of praise. The reappearance of the priest may well have been the signal for them to begin (2 Chronicles 5:13).

[230] At the dedication of the Tabernacle, the cloud of divine glory filled the sanctuary so that Moses could not enter (Exodus 40:34-35).

[231] Exodus 40:34 seems to distinguish between the cloud which abode upon the tent of meeting and the glory of the Lord which filled the interior of the tent. Hammond (PC, p. 150) thinks the glory of the Lord in 1 Kings 8:11 was a brilliant light that was resident in the cloud but not always luminous.

2. THE DECLARATION OF SOLOMON (1 Kings 8:12-13)

**TRANSLATION

(12) Then Solomon said, the LORD has intended to dwell in thick darkness. (13) I have surely built a house for You, a settled place for You to dwell in forever.

COMMENTS**

As Solomon witnessed this divine manifestation, he was stirred to the depths of his being. That glorious cloud proved that his work of piety had been accepted. The almighty God, creator of heaven and earth, would enter the earthly shrine he had prepared and would continue to abide there! He recalled to mind the divine utterance of Lev 16:2, I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat, and he knew that he was witnessing a theophany (1 Kings 8:12).[232] He could only turn his eyes heavenward and utter a prayer of declaration in which he affirmed anew his purpose in building the Temple. It was intended to be a house in which God might dwell among His people; a settled place in contrast to the portable shrine of the Tabernacle (1 Kings 8:13). The Temple was a shrine for the ark, and God dwelt between the cherubim of the mercy seat of that ark.

[232] Other passages which speak of God appearing in thick darkness or in a cloud: Exodus 19:9; Exodus 20:21; Deuteronomy 4:11; Deuteronomy 5:22. Some think that the thick darkness here is an allusion to the fact that the Debir was windowless.

1 Kings 8:14-21

B. THE DEDICATORY SPEECH 8:14-21

**TRANSLATION

And the king turned his face, and blessed the whole congregation of Israel, while all the congregation of Israel stood. And he said, Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who spake with his mouth unto David my father and with His hand has fulfilled it, saying, (16) Since the day when I brought My people Israel out of Egypt I did not choose a city from all the tribes of Israel to build a house that My name might be there; but I chose David to be over My people Israel. (17) And it was in the heart of David my father to build a house for the name of the LORD God of Israel. (18) And the LORD said unto David my father, Whereas it was in your heart to build a house for My name, you did well that it was in your heart. (19) Nevertheless, you shall not build the house for My name; but your son who comes out of your loins, he shall build the house for My name. (20) And the LORD has established the word which he has spoken; for I have arisen in my father David’s stead, and sit upon the throne of Israel, as the LORD spoke, and have built the house for the name of the LORD, God of Israel. (21) And I have set there a place for the ark, in which is the covenant of the LORD, which he made with our fathers when He brought them out from the land of Egypt.

COMMENTS**

Turning his gaze from the house where the cloud appeared, Solomon faced the congregation assembled there and perhaps gestured to them that they might stand up. The king then blessed, i.e., greeted the people (1 Kings 8:14), and addressed them. His speech is primarily a summary recapitulation of Nathan’s oracle to David in 2 Samuel 7:12-16. He first burst forth into praise for God because that which He had spoken with his mouth unto David He had brought to pass by His hand or power (1 Kings 8:15). The word blessed when spoken of God indicates joyous thanksgiving to the Giver of every blessing. That which was spoken through a prophet is here viewed as being spoken directly by the mouth of God.

In 1 Kings 8:16-21 Solomon rapidly reviews the circumstances leading up to the building of the Temple. He took note of the fact that the selection of David to rule over Israel took precedence over the selection of a site for the national shrine, the implication being that God was looking for the right man to build the Temple (1 Kings 8:16). David desired to build a house for the name of the Lord (1 Kings 8:17), and God approved of that desire (1 Kings 8:18). Nevertheless, God decreed that David’s son would have the honor of being the Temple builder (1 Kings 8:19). To God belongs the credit for raising up Solomon to succeed his father and for aiding the young king to bring the Temple project to completion (1 Kings 8:20). Thus it was that Solomon was able to construct this beautiful house for the ark which contained the written covenant that God had made with the forefathers almost five centuries earlier (1 Kings 8:21).

1 Kings 8:22-53

C. THE DEDICATORY PRAYER 8:22-53

The dedicatory prayer of Solomon is one of the most beautiful passages in the Bible. No doubt the author of Kings copied this composition from the book of the acts of Solomon (1 Kings 11:41), or possibly from the book of Nathan (2 Chronicles 9:29). Modern critics have attacked the authenticity of the prayer on the dubious grounds that it contains too many references to the Pentateuch! Of course if the Pentateuch in its entirety be regarded as Mosaic in origin, there is no reason in the world why Solomon could not or would not have alluded to it frequently.

It is interesting to note that in the entire prayer there is not one reference to offering sacrifice in the Temple. The concept of the Temple as a house of prayer was not, then, a postexilic evolutionary development as critics are wont to maintain. The prayer consists of three parts: (1) adoration of God (1 Kings 8:22-30); (2) special petitions (1 Kings 8:31-50); and (3) a general conclusion and final appeal (1 Kings 8:51-53).

1. ADORATION OF GOD (1 Kings 8:22-30)

**TRANSLATION

(22) And Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and he spread out his hands to heaven. (23) And he said, O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on the earth beneath, who keeps covenant and mercy with Your servants who walk before You with all their heart, (24) Who has kept with your servant David that which You spoke to him; and You have spoken with Your mouth, and with Your hand You have fulfilled it as it is this day. (25) And now O LORD, God of Israel, keep with Your servant David my father that which You spoke unto him, saying, A man shall not be cut off to you from before Me sitting upon the throne of Israel if only your sons keep their way to walk before Me as you walked before Me. (26) And now, O God of Israel, let Your word, I pray you, be faithful, which You spoke to Your servant David my father. (27) Should God really dwell upon the earth? Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You, much less this house which I have built. (28) Yet have respect unto the prayer of Your servant and unto his supplication, O LORD my God, to hearken unto the cry and unto the prayer which Your servant prays before You today, (29) that Your eyes may be open unto this house night and day, unto the place of which You said, My name shall be there, to hearken unto the prayer which Your servant prays unto this place. (30) And hearken unto the prayer of Your servant and Your people Israel which they shall pray toward this place, may You hear in Your dwelling place in heaven, and when You hear, forgive.

COMMENTS**

An appropriate caption for 1 Kings 8:22-30 might well be, How Great Thou Art! Solomon makes the point that God is greater than any other godgreater than the universegreat in mercygreat in faithfulnessgreat in condescensiongreat in forgiveness. Solomon began his prayer in a standing position with his hands spread forth toward heaven (1 Kings 8:22). This posture was so often employed for prayer by the ancients that the phrase lift up the hands came to be a synonym for supplication.[233] Chronicles adds that he stood upon a bronze platform 4½ feet high which was set in the midst of the Temple courtyard before the altar of the Lord (2 Chronicles 6:13). Using language which had been previously employed by Moses (Exodus 15:11) and David (Psalms 86:8), Solomon declared that no other god in heaven or earth compared to the Lord God of Israel. This expression does not imply that other gods really exist, but in effect means that the Lord is the only God (cf. 1 Kings 8:60). The thing that distinguished God from the non-entities worshiped by other peoples is that the Lord kept His covenantal word and extended mercy to those who sincerely tried to live by the terms of that covenant (1 Kings 8:23).

[233] Exodus 9:29; Exodus 9:33; Psalms 44:20; Psalms 143:6; Isaiah 1:15; Isaiah 65:2.

As a particular example of God’s faithfulness, Solomon mentioned the promises made to David, which, in view of his own succession and the completion of the Temple, he regarded as fulfilled (1 Kings 8:24; cf. 1 Kings 8:15). But God had also promised that the succession would continue in the line of David so long as David’s descendants continued to keep His commandments (cf. 1 Kings 2:4). Solomon’s first petition was that God would keep this promise just as He had kept the other promises made to David in 2Samuel 7 (1 Kings 8:25).

Again in 1 Kings 8:26 Solomon called upon God to keep the words which He had spoken to David. The king knew that God is infinitethat He cannot be contained, i.e., shut up, within a man-made building. Even the heaven of heavens, i.e., the highest heavens, cannot contain Him! (1 Kings 8:27). Yet he prayed that his God would pay attention to the prayer, supplication and cry being addressed to Him by His servant[234] (1 Kings 8:28). He prayed that this great God would condescend to take notice of the earnest worship and prayer offered to Him at the Temple. That this petition is not presumptuous is indicated by the fact that God had designated the Temple as the place where His name would dwell,[235] and had indicated His acceptance of the house by the cloud theophany. Now that God had revealed His presence in the Temple, an Israelite, wherever he might be, would pray toward that sacred spot (1 Kings 8:29).

[234] Your servant in 1 Kings 8:28 is probably more than the customary form of deferential address. Here as elsewhere in the Old Testament the term denotes one who represents the religious community before God (Gray, OTL, p. 205).

[235] The reference may be to 2 Samuel 7:13 (He shall build a house for My name) or to some other revelation made to David concerning the sanctuary which has not been preserved. Rawlinson thinks the reference is to the many passages in Deuteronomy where God speaks of a place which he shall choose to set His name (e.g., Deuteronomy 12:5; Deuteronomy 12:11; Deuteronomy 12:18 etc.).

The general petition concluded with an appeal that God in heaven would hear those prayers which the king and people henceforth would bring before Him in the Temple, and that He would respond to those prayers of penitence by forgiving whatever trespass had been committed (1 Kings 8:30). The Temple was the divinely appointed bridge for the gap between the distant heavenly God and His people’s desire for knowledge of His nearness.[236]

[236] Wright, BAR, 1, 180-81.

2. SPECIAL PETITIONS (1 Kings 8:31-53)

**TRANSLATION

(31) If a man shall sin against his neighbor, and an oath is laid upon him to cause him to swear, and he come, and swear before the altar in this house, (32) then hear in heaven, and act, and judge Your servants, punishing the wicked by bringing his way on his head, and vindicating the innocent by giving to him according to his righteousness. (33) When Your people Israel are smitten before an enemy because they have sinned against You, and they turn unto You, and praise Your name, and they pray, and make supplication in this house, (34) then hear in heaven, and forgive the sin of Your people Israel, and cause them to return unto the land which You gave to their fathers. (35) When the heavens are shut up, and there is no ram because they have sinned against You, and they pray toward this place, and praise Your name, and they turn from their sin because You have afflicted them, (36) then hear in heaven, and forgive the sin of Your servants and Your people Israel, because You teach them the good way in which they should walk. And give rain upon Your land which You have given to Your people for an inheritance. (37) If there be famine in the land, if there be pestilence, blasting, mildew, if there be a devouring locust; if his enemy besiege him in the land of his gates, whatever plague, whatever sickness, (38) whatever the prayer, whatever the supplication which any individual or all Your people Israel have, when every man shall know the plague of his heart and shall spread forth his hands toward this house, (39) then hear in heaven, Your dwelling place, and forgive, and act, and give to each man according to all his ways because You know his heart, for You alone know the heart of all the children of men. (40) In order that they may fear You all the days that they live in the land which You gave to our fathers. (41) And also unto a stranger who is not of Your people Israel, but comes from a distant land for the sake of Your name, (42) for they shall hear of Your great name and of Your strong hand and of Your outstretched arm, when he conies and prays toward this house, (43) hear in heaven, Your dwelling place, and act according to all which the stranger shall call unto You, in order that all the peoples of the earth might know Your name, to fear You as Your people Israel, and that they might know that Your name is called over this house which I have built. (44) If Your people go out to war against their enemy in the way in which You send them, and they pray unto the LORD toward the city which You have chosen and the house which I have built for Your name, (45) then hear in heaven their prayer and supplication, and execute justice on their behalf. (46) If they sin against You (for there is no man who does not sin), and You become angry with them, and give them to the enemy, so that they take them captive unto the land of the enemy far or near, (47) and they come to then- senses in the land to which they were carried captive, and repent, and pray unto You in the land of their captivity, saying, We have sinned, we have committed iniquity, we have done wickedness, (48) and they turn unto You with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their enemies which took them captive, and pray unto You toward their land which You gave to their fathers, the city which You have chosen and the house which I have built for Your name, (49) hear in heaven, Your dwelling place, their prayer and their supplication, and execute justice on their behalf, (SO) and forgive Your people who have sinned against You, and all their rebellions which they have committed against You, and give them compassion before those who took them captive that they may have compassion upon them.

COMMENTS**

From the general, Solomon moved to the particular in 1 Kings 8:31-53 by introducing seven special petitions concerning specific conditions that could be expected to arise in the future. Each situation is cast in the if. then framework. Frequently Solomon alludes to God in heaven; four times praying toward the Temple is mentioned.

1. The first petition (1 Kings 8:31-32) has reference to oaths. Under certain circumstances disputes between two persons were settled with finality before the altar, the accused party being required to take a solemn oath that he was innocent (1 Kings 8:31). Solomon prayed that God would hear every such oath taken before His altar and actively intervene to punish the guilty and justify the innocent (1 Kings 8:32). The phrase bring his way on his head means to cause the merited punishment to fall upon him. A false oath taken in God’s name dishonored that name and polluted the sanctuary dedicated to that name. Consequently the false swearer had to be punished.

2. The second petition concerned military defeat and exile (1 Kings 8:33-34). Such calamities were recognized as judgment which came as the result of national sin. When the chastened nation repented, confessed transgression and came into the Temple with prayers of supplication offered by priestly intercessors, Solomon petitioned God to hearken, to forgive and to restore to the homeland those individuals who had been taken into exile.

3. The third petition concerns the plague of drought (1 Kings 8:35-36). More than once God had threatened to shut up the heavens if His people were unfaithful to Him (Leviticus 26:19; Deuteronomy 11:17 etc.). Under such circumstances contrite people all over the land would direct their prayers toward the Temple in Jerusalem. Because of the disciplinary nature of such natural disasters, God must forgive His people when they recognize the punishment as a divine chastisement and come to Him with penitential prayer.

4. The fourth petition (1 Kings 8:37-40) refers to other plagues which might fall upon the land because of rebellion. Pestilence is the plague of man and beast which might be a consequence of shortage and pollution of water, or might be an infection brought in from neighboring lands. Mildew (lit., greenness, paleness) is caused by excessive dew of spring and summer in consequence of the heavy condensation on the high mountains of the interior, the paleness being caused by a parasite fungus which exhausts the nutritive substances on which the plant depends. Blasting is the premature desiccation of the plant in consequence of the desert winds which sweep across Palestine usually in May and October. Usually these winds, called the sirocco, come during or after the harvest, but if they come earlier than usual, growth is immediately arrested. Locusts were a pest to which Palestine is particularly susceptible owing to its proximity to the desert where the locusts breed. During such times of national trial, each man would experience the plague of his own heartthe painful agony of stricken conscienceand would spread forth his hands in desperate prayer toward the Temple (1 Kings 8:38). Solomon prayed that God would hear these prayers and give to every man according to his way. God alone can fairly deal with each person, for He alone knows what is hidden in the heart (1 Kings 8:39). The forgiveness and goodness of God would (or at least should) result in godly fear on the part of His people (1 Kings 8:40).

5. Having first prayed to God on behalf of his fellow country men, Solomon made intercession for foreigners in his fifth petition (1 Kings 8:41-43). The king assumed that strangers would come and worship before the Lord in His Temple (1 Kings 8:41) once they had heard of His fame, His strong and outstretched arm, i.e., the wondrous manifestations of divine power on behalf of Israel. Solomon pleaded that God would answer such prayers so that all people of the earth might come to fear (i.e., worship and serve) the Lord and realize that the Temple was His special habitation (1 Kings 8:43). Representatives of foreign governments and neighboring aliens whose business led them to Palestine may have been attracted to the higher worship of the God of Israel.

6. The last two petitions concern prayers directed towards the Temple by those far distant from Jerusalem. The sixth petition refers to those who might be called upon to go into war at the appointment of God (1 Kings 8:44-45). Wherever they might be, if they prayed toward Jerusalem and the Temple, Solomon called upon God to hear their supplication in heaven and intervene on their behalf to defend their cause.

7. In the last petition, Solomon contemplated the captivity of the Hebrew nation (1 Kings 8:46-50). Long before, Moses had warned of the possibility of Israel going into captivity if the nation persisted in disobedience (Leviticus 26:33; Leviticus 26:44; Deuteronomy 28:25; Deuteronomy 28:36; Deuteronomy 28:64). Solomon’s plea is that God might show mercy to those captives when they (1) came to their senses, (2) made supplication unto the Lord, confessing their iniquity, (1 Kings 8:47) and (3) returned unto their God with all their heart and soul (1 Kings 8:48). Divine mercy in this case would take the form of intervening on their behalf (1 Kings 8:49), and causing their captors to have compassion upon them. God would thereby demonstrate that He had forgiven their sins and their rebellions (1 Kings 8:50).[237]

[237] In 1 Kings 8:50 Solomon uses two terms to describe the reason for the captivity: (1) Their sins (Heb. chata-’)which may denote an unwitting or unwilling delinquency; and (2) their rebellions (Heb. pesha-’)a stronger word indicating rebellion against the known will of God. Note also in 1 Kings 8:47 to do iniquity (lit., twist, distort) and to do wickedness (lit., be loose, disjointed, abnormal).

3. GENERAL CONCLUSION AND FINAL APPEAL (1 Kings 8:51-53).

**TRANSLATION

(51) (For they are Your people, and Your inheritance whom You brought out from Egypt, from the midst of the furnace of iron), (52) that Your eyes may be opened unto the supplication of Your servant, and unto the supplication of Your people Israel, to hearken unto them in all that they cry unto You. (53) For You separated them to Yourself for an inheritance from all the peoples of the earth, as You spoke by the hand of Moses Your servant, when You brought our fathers out from Egypt, O Lord GOD.

COMMENTS**

1 Kings 8:51-53 are a fitting conclusion to this magnificent prayer. Here Solomon recited several reasons why God should hearken to the present prayer and all future prayers which God’s servant (i.e., a special intercessor) or the people of Israel should offer before Him (1 Kings 8:52). Israel is God’s people (Deuteronomy 4:10), His inheritance among the nations of the earth (cf. Deuteronomy 32:8 f). God had rescued them from the furnace of Egyptian bondage and He could not well forsake them now (1 Kings 8:51). The Lord had set them apart from all other peoples (Leviticus 20:24; Leviticus 20:26) and had declared, by His servant Moses, that they were His special possession (1 Kings 8:53). In Chronicles this prayer closes with an appeal to the Lord to cause salvation and grace to go forth from the Temple over His people (2 Chronicles 6:40-42).

1 Kings 8:54-61

C. THE DEDICATORY BENEDICTION 8:54-61

**TRANSLATION

(54) And it came to pass when Solomon had finished praying unto the LORD all of this prayer and supplication, he arose from before the altar of the LORD, from kneeling upon his knees with his hands spread toward heaven. (55) And he stood, and blessed all the congregation of Israel with a loud voice, saying, (56) Blessed be the LORD, who has given rest to His people Israel according to all which He has spoken. There has not failed one word from all His good word which He spoke by the hand of Moses His servant. (57) May the LORD our God be with us as He was with our fathers; may He not leave or forsake us, (58) that He may cause our hearts to incline unto Himself, to walk in all His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes and His judgments which He commanded our fathers. (59) And may these my words, with which I have made supplication before the LORD, come near unto the LORD our God day and night, that He may execute justice for His servant, and justice for His people Israel in every situation, (60) so that all peoples of the land may know that the LORD is God; there is no other. (61) Therefore, let your heart be perfect with the LORD our God to walk in His statutes, and to keep His commandments as at this day.

COMMENTS**

The service of dedication concluded as it commenced with a benediction[238] (cf. 1 Kings 8:14). At the conclusion of his prayer, Solomon rose up from his knees and, with hands spread toward heaven (1 Kings 8:54) blessed the congregation (1 Kings 8:55). According to 1 Kings 8:22, Solomon stood before the altar when he began his prayer. It must be assumed from this verse that at some point during the course of the prayer, he changed his posture from standing to kneeling.

[238] The benediction is absent from the account in 2Chronicles 6.

The blessing began with praise to the Lord for the fulfillment of His promises. God had promised His people rest, and then the appointment of a place of sacrifice (Deuteronomy 12:9-11). God had already given Israel a measure of rest when the land of Canaan was conquered by Joshua (Joshua 21:44); but it was only after the victories of David that rest was fully secured. Solomon apparently regarded the dedication of the Temple as proof that the promised rest was at last fully attained. No other promise of God made through Moses had failed to be fulfilled either (1 Kings 8:56).

Solomon summed up all his wishes for the good of his kingdom in 1 Kings 8:57-61. 1 Kings 8:57 indicates two ways in which God might bring Israel to His commandments: (1) by positive guidance such as He had given to the fathers at Sinai; (2) by way of punishmentleaving or forsaking Israel. Solomon accordingly prayed that God would choose the former method. He prays that God might incline their hearts toward Him so that they might obey His commandments and thus meet the prerequisite for further divine blessing (1 Kings 8:58). He prayed that the words of his dedicatory prayer might ever be before the Lord that He might execute justice (i.e., secure the right) of both the king and the people of Israel (1 Kings 8:59). He prayed that Israel would be so blessed of God that all people of the earth would recognize that He alone was God (1 Kings 8:60).

Solomon’s concluding remarks ended with a brief exhortation that the people continue to demonstrate the piety and loyalty to the Lord which they demonstrated in dedicating the Temple. Solomon exhorted, Let your heart be perfect with the Lord; of this king a few years later it would be said his heart was not perfect with the Lord (1 Kings 11:4). Having preached to others he himself became a castaway! According to Chronicles, it was at this moment that fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the house (2 Chronicles 7:1).

1 Kings 8:62-66

D. THE DEDICATORY CELEBRATION 8:62-66

**TRANSLATION

(62) And the king and all Israel with him offered sacrifice before the LORD. (63) And Solomon offered for a sacrifice of peace offerings, which he offered unto the LORD, twenty-two thousand oxen and a hundred twenty thousand sheep. So did the king and all the children of Israel dedicate the house of the LORD. (64) In that day the king sanctified the middle court which was before the house of the LORD, for there he made burnt offerings and meal offerings and the fat of peace offerings, because the bronze altar which was before the LORD was too small to contain the burnt offerings and the meal offerings and the fat of peace offerings. (65) And at that time Solomon made a great feast, and all Israel with him, a great congregation from the entrance of Hamath to the brook of Egypt, before the LORD our God, for seven days and seven days, fourteen days. (66) On the eighth day he sent the people away and they blessed the king. Then they went to their tents rejoicing and glad of heart because of all the goodness which the LORD had done for David His servant and for Israel His people.

COMMENTS**

The dedication ceremonies were followed by a magnificent sacrifice offered by the king and people alike (1 Kings 8:62). Apart from their religious use and significance, these sacrifices testified to the religious devotion of the worshiper. The sacrifices also provided meat for the prolonged feast by which this glorious day was celebrated. The peace offering alone consisted of twenty-two thousand oxen and a hundred thousand sheep.[239] Critics have attacked these figures as being an exaggeration, but the following considerations argue in favor of their credibility:

[239] Even Gray (OTL, p. 216) concedes that the numbers may be near the truth, though of course round numbers.

1. Josephus relates that on one occasion during the reign of Nero the priests slaughtered two hundred fifty thousand paschal lambs between the ninth and eleventh hours.[240] If that many lambs could be slaughtered in three hours of the afternoon, there can be no difficulty in accepting the figures here.

[240] Wars VI, 9.3.

2. The sacrifices were made over the course of at least seven days and more likely fourteen days. This would mean that only 1,565 oxen and 8,572 sheep would have been offered each day.

3. The number of Levites qualified for service in the days of David was thirty-eight thousand. A reasonable assumption is that there were at least two or three thousand priests. But if only five hundred priests officiated during the dedicatory services, each would only have had to attend to sacrifice of three oxen and eighteen sheep each of the fourteen days of celebration.

4. According to the law in Leviticus 1, 3, the slaughtering, flaying and preparation of the sacrificial animal could be performed by any Israelite. Only the sprinkling of the blood upon the altar and the burning of the sacrificial piecesthe fat pieceson the altar were the exclusive prerogative of the priests.

5. By the very lowest computations there could hardly be less than a hundred thousand heads of houses present at the feast, and the figures given in David’s census suggest that there may have been four or five times that number (2 Samuel 24:9). Every Israelite would doubtless offer his sacrifice of thanksgiving on such an occasion as this.

6. In the peace offering only the fat was burned on the altar and the rest of the sacrificial animal was eaten. Thus enormous numbers of animals would have been required to feed the vast multitudes which gathered for the dedication. Even though the bronze altar in the Temple courtyard had a top surface of one hundred square yards, it was not large enough to accommodate the offering at the Temple dedication. In addition to the enormous number of peace offerings just mentioned, burnt offerings and meal offerings appropriate to such an occasion were being made. The burnt offering was entirely consumed in the altar fire. The meal offering contained incense and oil in addition to meal. Because of all these sacrifices, Solomon sanctified the middle court, i.e., the entire area of the court of priests, which was before the house (1 Kings 8:64). Probably the court and its objects were sprinkled with the holy anointing oil as Moses had done to the Tabernacle and the furnishings (Exodus 40:1-15). The whole space may have been regarded as one huge altar (Rawlinson), or temporary altars may have been erected all over the courtyard (Keil).

A great congregation had assembled from as far as the entrance (or district) of Hamath in the north on the Orontes river to the Wadi of Egypt (Wadi el-Arish) in the south, i.e., from one end of the land to the other. These worshipers joined Solomon in a seven day feast of dedication which was in turn followed by the seven day Feast of Tabernacles (1 Kings 8:65; cf. 2 Chronicles 7:9-10). On the eighth day of the second feast, the twenty-second day of the seventh month,[241] Solomon dismissed the multitude. The crowd reciprocated by blessing (i.e., saluting) their king, and on the morrow, departed for their tents (i.e., dwellings) full of joy and gladness because of what the Lord had done for His servant David and His people Israel (1 Kings 8:66). David is mentioned in 1 Kings 8:66 because the Temple was part of the fulfillment of the divine promise given to him.

[241] The Feast of Tabernacles lasted from the fifteenth to the twenty-first of the seventh month. On the eighth day, that is the twenty-second of the month, Solomon dismissed the people, and on the next morning, the twenty-third of the month the people took their journey home (2 Chronicles 7:10).