1Ki 8:1 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.
Then Solomon
assembled - Solomon deferred the dedication of the temple to the following
year after it was finished, because that year was a jubilee.
This solemn transaction consisted of three parts, and the
chapter arranges itself in three sections accordingly: a) the conveyance of the
ark and the tabernacle, together with its vessels, into the temple, with the
words spoken by Solomon on the occasion (vv. 1-21); b) Solomon's dedicatory
prayer (vv. 22-53); c) the blessing of the congregation, and the offering of
sacrifice and observance of a feast (1Ki_8:54-66). The parallel account to this
is in 2 Chron 5:2-7:10.
The year in which this took place is not given. But as
the building of the temple was finished, according to 1Ki_6:38, in the eighth
month of the eleventh year of Solomon's reign, the dedication which followed in
the seventh month cannot have taken place in the same year as the completion of
the building.
the chief of the
fathers of the children of Israel - the principal men of the ancient
families in every tribe:
that they might
bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of the city of David, which is
Zion - Where David had placed the ark, which is called Zion, because it was
built upon that hill; and from this mountain Solomon proposed to bring it up to
the temple, on a higher mountain, Moriah, not far from one another.
1Ki 8:2 And all the
men of Israel assembled themselves unto king Solomon at the feast in the month
Ethanim, which is the seventh month.
The feast in the
month Ethanim - the Feast of Tabernacles, or the Feast of Ingathering, the
commemoration of the dwelling in booths at the time of the Exodus, and the
festival of thanksgiving on account of the completion of harvest Exo_23:16 Also
the Feast of Harvest, the first-fruits of your labors, which you have sown in
the field. Also the Feast of Ingathering, in the end of the year, when you have
gathered in your labors out of the field. Lev_23:39
Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month,
when you have gathered in the fruit of the land, you shall keep a feast to the
LORD seven days. On the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day
shall be a sabbath. Deu_16:13 You shall keep
the Feast of Tabernacles seven days after you have gathered in your grain floor
and your wine press. It was one
of the three on which the people were required to “appear before the Lord.”
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 (1Ki_8:2); 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
[1Ki_8:1]. 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 (Num_3:31; Num_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 (Exo_37:7, Exo_37:8),
but those made by Solomon, which were far larger and more expanded.
All Israel -
Not only the chief men, but a vast number of the common people.
1Ki 8:3 And all the
elders of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark.
the priests took
up the ark - In 2Ch_5:4 And all the elders of Israel came. And the Levites took
up the ark. ““the Levites” took
up the ark;” and by the Law the ark was the special charge of the Kohathites Num_3:30-31 And
the ruler of the house of the father of the families of the Kohathites shall be
Elizaphan the son of Uzziel. And their charge shall be the ark, and the table,
and the lampstand, and the altars, and the vessels of the sanctuary with which
they minister, and the veil, and all the service of it. Num_4:15 And when Aaron and his sons have made an end of covering
the sanctuary, and all the vessels of the sanctuary, when the camp is to set
forward, then after that the sons of Kohath shall come to carry it . But they
shall not touch any holy thing lest they die. These are the burden of the sons
of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation. But all priests were Levites Jos_3:3, though all
Levites were not priests. And as Joshua had done Jos_3:6; Jos_6:6, so Solomon
called upon the priests to bear the holy structure, allowing to mere Levites
only the inferior honor of helping to transport the tabernacle and the vessels
of the sanctuary.
The priests -
For although the Levites might do this, Num_4:15, yet the priests did it at
this time, for the greater honor of the solemnity; and because the Levites
might not enter into the holy - place, much less into the holy of holies, where
it was to be placed, into which the priests themselves might not have entered,
if the highpriest alone could have done it.
1Ki 8:4 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 the tabernacle
of the congregation - Not the tented structure erected for the ark on Mount
Zion 2Sa_6:17 by David, but the original tabernacle made by Moses, which had
hitherto remained at Gibeon. The tabernacle and its holy vessels were probably
placed in the treasury.
1Ki 8:5 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.
were with him
before the ark - while it was in the court of the priests, before it was
carried into the most holy place:
that could not be
told nor numbered for multitude - the phrase seems to be hyperbolical, and
designed to denote a great number.
1Ki 8:6 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.
even under the
wings of the cherubim - the large ones which Solomon had made, 1Ki_6:23 of
the Mosaic cherubim, which were far less, and unmovably fixed to the ark.
1Ki 8:7 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.
1Ki 8:8 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.
they drew out the
staves - It was forbidden to withdraw the staves wholly from the rings; but
they appear to have been now drawn forward in such a way that their ends or
heads could be seen from the holy place, or great chamber of the temple, though
without their being visible from the porch or vestibule. Either the doorway
into the holy of holies was not exactly opposite the ark, but a little on one
side; or, though that doorway was in the middle, opposite the ark, the doorway
from the porch into the main chamber was not opposite to it. It is suggested
that the withdrawal of the staves was intended as a sign that the ark had
reached “the place of its rest,” and was not to be borne about anymore.
There they are
unto this day - This is a quotation from an author who lived while the temple
was still standing. This proves that the book was written before the
destruction of the first temple, but how long before we cannot tell.
And they drew out
the staves - Not wholly, which was expressly forbidden Exo_25:15 And the staves shall be in the
rings of the ark. They shall not be taken from it. They drew them out some little way:
1Ki 8:9 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.
There was nothing
in the ark save the two tables of stone — Nothing else was ever in the ark,
the articles mentioned Heb_9:4 having a golden
altar of incense, and the ark of the covenant overlaid all around with gold, in
which was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the
tablets of the covenant. were not
in it but rather by it, being laid in the most holy place before the testimony.
Exo_16:33-34
And Moses said to Aaron, Take a pot and put an omer full of manna in it, and
lay it up before the LORD, to be kept for your generations. As the LORD
commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept. Num_17:10
And the LORD said to Moses, Bring Aaron's rod again
before the testimony, to be kept as a token against the rebels. And you shall
completely take away their murmurings from Me so that they do not die. Deu_31:26
Take this book of the law, and put it in the side
of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, so that it may be there for a
witness against you. The pot of
manna, and Aaron's rod were by it, in the most holy place, before the ark of
the testimony, where God commanded Moses to put them.
1Ki 8:10 And it came
to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud
filled the house of the LORD,
The cloud -
the visible symbol of the divine presence - the Shechinah - which halt been
promised before the ark was begun Exo_29:42-45
This shall
be a burnt offering forever throughout your generations, at the door of the
tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD, where I will meet you, to speak
there to you. And there I will meet with the sons of Israel, and Israel shall
be sanctified by My glory. And I will sanctify the tabernacle of the
congregation and the altar. I will also sanctify both Aaron and his sons to
minister to Me in the priest's office. And I will dwell among the sons of
Israel, and will be their God. and
had filled the tabernacle as soon as it was completed Exo_40:34-35 And the cloud covered the
tabernacle of the congregation, and the glory of the LORD filled the
tabernacle.
35 And Moses was not able to enter into the tabernacle of
the congregation because the cloud stayed on it, and the glory of the LORD
filled the tabernacle. and which had probably been seen from time to
time during the long interval when we have no express mention of it, now once
more appeared in full magnificence, and took, as it were, possession of the
building which Solomon was dedicating. The presence of God in the temple
henceforth was thus assured to the Jews, and His approval of all that Solomon
had done was signified.
the cloud filled
the house of the Lord - it was visible to all, and was a token of the
divine presence of God. Its occupation of the sanctuary was a testimony of
God’s gracious acceptance of the temple as of the tabernacle. Thus the temple
became the place where the divine glory was revealed, and the king of Israel
established his royal residence. This marvelous manifestation of the glory of
God took place only at the dedication; after that the cloud was only visible in
the Most Holy Place on the great day of atonement, when the high priest entered
it.
When the priests
were come out - That is, after having carried the ark into the holy of
holies, before any sacred service had yet commenced. 2Ch_5:11-14 gives greater
detail with the Levites arrayed in fine linen, with their musical instruments
in their hands, stood at the east end of the altar of burnt offering, and one
hundred and twenty priests, blowing their trumpets, praised the Lord together
with one sound, declaring his goodness and his mercy, which endure forever.
1Ki 8:11 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.
The glory of the
Lord had filled the house - The cloud, the symbol of the Divine glory and
presence, appears to have filled not only the holy of holies, but the whole
temple, court and all, and to have become evident to the people; and by this
Solomon knew that God had honored the place with his presence, and taken it for
his habitation in reference to the people of Israel.
1Ki 8:12 Then spake
Solomon, The LORD said that he would dwell in the thick darkness.
then spake Solomon
- Perceiving by this symbol that the Lord was come into his house, to take
up his dwelling in it, and seeing the priests and people in consternation at
it, spoke the following words to their comfort:
the Lord said that
He would dwell in the thick darkness - and now was fulfilling His promise,
and therefore to be considered not as a token of His displeasure, but of His
gracious presence.
1Ki 8:13 I have
surely built thee an house to dwell in, a settled place for thee to abide in
for ever.
I have surely
built thee a house - He was now fully convinced that the thing pleased God,
and that He had taken this place for His settled habitation.
I have surely
built thee an house to dwell in - Turning himself from the priests and
people, he quieted with a few words, he addressed the Lord; having built an
house for Him, for His worship and glory, with this view, that He might dwell
in it, He was now, by the above token, fully assured it would be an habitation
for Him:
a settled place
for thee to abide in forever - which is observed in distinction from the
tabernacle of Moses, which was often removed from place to place.
1Ki 8:14 And the king
turned his face about, and blessed all the congregation of Israel: (and all the
congregation of Israel stood;)
the king turned
his face about - Solomon had spoken the preceding words, addressed to God,
with his face directed to the holy of holies. He now turned around and looked
outward toward the people. The people “stood” to hear him the attitude of
respect and attention.
blessed all the
congregation of Israel - either blessed the Lord before them, or prayed for
blessings for them, or congratulated them upon the Lord's taking up His
residence in the temple, which was so great an honor and favor to them.
all the
congregation of Israel stood - ready to receive the king's blessing, and in
honor of him, and reverence to the divine Being.
1Ki 8:15 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,
The exact words of 2 Sam. 7 are not reproduced; only
their general sense is given. In 1Ki_8:18, what was merely tacitly implied was
regarded as actually “said.”
blessed be the
Lord God of Israel - All praise and glory, honor and blessing, be ascribed
to the Lord; who had afresh shown Himself to be Israel's covenant God, by
taking up His residence among them in the temple He had filled with His glory:
1Ki 8:16 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.
Since the day -
Mention is here made of one place and one person preferred before all others;
and the preference is that of Jerusalem to other places, and of David to other
men. The passage in 2Ch_6:5-6 gives his speech in greater detail.
Since the day that
I brought forth my people Israel out of Egypt - Which was now about four
hundred and eighty eight years prior.
I chose no city
out of all the tribes of Israel - He had chosen one in His mind from all
eternity; but He had not made known this choice; He gave hints by Moses, that
there was a place which He should choose, or declare He had chosen to put His
name in, Deu_12:5 But you shall seek to the place which the LORD your God
shall choose out of all your tribes to put His name there, even to His dwelling
place you shall seek, and there you shall come. but now it was a
clear case that he had chosen Jerusalem, and that was the city he always had in
view, 2Ch_6:6 But
now I have chosen Jerusalem, so that My name might be there, and now I have
chosen David to be over My people Israel.
The choice of Jerusalem as the place seems to have been made by special
revelation to David. Psa_78:68 but chose the tribe of Judah, the mount Zion which He
loved. Psa_132:13 The LORD has chosen Zion;
He has desired it for His dwelling-place.
I chose David to
be over my people Israel - to be their king, and to him he gave the first
hint of the place where the temple was to be built, 1Ch_22:1 Then David said, This is the house of the LORD God, and
this is the altar of the burnt offering for Israel.
1Ki 8:17 And it was
in the heart of David my father to build an house for the name of the LORD God
of Israel.
1Ki 8:18 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.
the Lord said unto
David - By Nathan the prophet:
1Ki 8:19 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.
1Ki 8:20 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 the Lord hath
performed his word that he spake - To David, concerning his son's building
the temple: God had caused Solomon to take possession of the throne of David;
and Solomon had built the temple and prepared a place there for the ark of the
covenant. The ark is thereby declared to be the kernel and star of the temple,
because it was the throne of the glory of God.
1Ki 8:21 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.
Wherein is the
covenant of the Lord - The tables of the covenant, wherein the conditions
of God's covenant with Israel are written. As it is said, 1Ki_8:9, that there
was nothing in the ark but the two tables of stone, consequently these are
called the Covenant, a sign of the covenant; as our Lord calls the cup the new
covenant in His blood, that is, the sign of the new covenant: for This is my
body implies, This is the sign or emblem of my body.
1Ki 8:22 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:
In this excellent prayer, Solomon does as we should do in
every prayer; he gives glory to God.
Solomon stood before
the altar of the Lord - The altar of the burnt offering in the court of the
priests, where he prayed the following prayer; and which altar was typical of
Christ, who is always to be in sight in prayer, and through whom all sacrifices
of prayer and praise become acceptable to God. In 2Ch_6:13 he is said to stand
upon a scaffold of brass, five cubits long, five broad, and three high, which
stood in the midst of the court; it was a sort of a pulpit, round, as a laver,
for which the word is sometimes used, and on which he kneeled:
Solomon stood
before the altar — 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
[1Ki_8:22-35], 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 [1Ki_8:56-61].
1Ki 8:23 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:
Lord God of Israel
- Their covenant God and Father, whereby he was distinguished from all the
gods of the Gentiles:
1Ki 8:24 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.
Who has kept with
thy servant David - This is in reference to 2Sa_7:13, where God promises to
David that Solomon shall build a house for the name of the Lord. The temple
being now completed, this promise was literally fulfilled.
1Ki 8:25 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.
that thou
promisedst him - That as He had fulfilled one part of His promise
respecting himself, his immediate successor, so that He would fulfill the other
respecting his more remote offspring:
1Ki 8:26 And now, O
God of Israel, let thy word, I pray thee, be verified, which thou spakest unto
thy servant David my father.
1Ki 8:27 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?
heaven of heavens
- not only the visible heavens, but the third heaven, where the throne of
God is, and is the habitation of angels and saints; though there God makes the
most glorious displays of Himself yet He is so immense and infinite, that He is
not to be comprehended and circumscribed in any place whatever:
heaven of heavens
- It seems to mean the heaven in its most extended compass. Solomon
combines with his belief in the Lord’s special presence in the temple, the
strongest conviction that He is no local or finite deity, but is ever present
everywhere.
But will God
indeed dwell on the earth - Is it true? Can any credit be given to it? Who
could ever have thought it, that so great and glorious a Being, who inhabits
eternity, dwells in the highest heavens, should ever condescend to dwell on
earth? Such was the amazing condescension of Christ, the Son of God, to
tabernacle in human nature with men on earth, to which Solomon perhaps might
have respect; His temple being the figure of His body, in which the Godhead
dwells.
1Ki 8:28 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:
1Ki 8:29 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.
That thine eyes
may be open towards this house night and day - That is, to the people that
pray in it, as they are to His righteous ones.
1Ki 8:30 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.
And when thou
hearest, forgive - literally, “both hear and forgive” - i. e., “hear the
prayer, and forgive the sin” which alone causes God to chasten men or to
withhold from them His choicest blessings.
Toward this place
- Both tabernacle and temple were types of our Lord Jesus, or of God
manifested in the flesh; and He was and is the Mediator between God and man.
All prayer, to be acceptable, and to be entitled to a hearing, must go to God
through Him. The human nature of Christ is the temple in which dwelt all the
fullness of the Godhead bodily; therefore with propriety all prayer must be
offered to God through Him.
And hearken thou
to the supplication of thy servant, and of thy people Israel, when they shall
pray towards this place - Not only he desires his prayers might be heard,
but those of the people of Israel, then, and at all times in succeeding ages,
whenever they should look towards the temple, and to Him that was typified by
it; to whose blood, righteousness, sacrifice and mediation, the acceptance of
prayers with God is to be ascribed:
hear thou in
heaven thy dwellingplace - for though He condescended to take up His
residence in the temple, yet His more proper and more glorious dwelling was in
heaven, and from whence, notwithstanding the distance of it, He could hear the
prayers of His people, and does:
and when thou
hearest, forgive - manifest and apply pardoning grace and mercy on account
of sins confessed, and repented of; or remove calamities and distresses on
account of sin, which sometimes is meant, and frequently in this prayer, by the
forgiveness of sin.
In heaven -
Which he adds to direct them in their addresses to God in this temple, to lift
up their eyes above it, even to heaven, where God's most true, and most
glorious dwelling - place is.
1Ki 8:31 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:
The oath come
before - “The oath” is equivalent to “the man who swears the oath.” He the
accused goes and swears before the altar, The threats and the promises, the
punishments and calamities of 1Ki_8:31-38 were distinctly named in the Law.
If any man
trespass against his neighbor - Solomon puts here seven cases, in all of
which the mercy and intervention of God would be indispensably requisite; and
he earnestly bespeaks that mercy and intervention on condition that the people
pray towards that holy place, and with a feeling heart make earnest
supplication.
If any man
trespass against his neighbor - The First case is one where a man has been
sinned against, and charges it on a suspected person, though not able to bring
direct evidence of the fact, the accused is permitted to come before the altar
of God, and purge himself by his personal oath. Solomon prays that God may not
permit a false oath to be taken, but that He will discover the truth, so that
the wicked shall be condemned, and the righteous justified.
an oath be laid
upon him to cause him to swear = he denying that ever he did wrongdoing,
and there being no witnesses of it.
the oath come
before thine altar in this house - where it was taken, as in the presence
of God, and as appealing to Him: compare to Matthew, where Jesus condemns the
Pharisees for swearing oaths on the gold on the altar, ignoring the presence of
God.
Mat 23:16 Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall
swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of
the temple, he is a debtor!
Mat 23:17 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or
the temple that sanctifieth the gold?
Mat 23:18 And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing;
but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty.
Mat 23:19 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or
the altar that sanctifieth the gift?
Mat 23:20 Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it,
and by all things thereon.
Mat 23:21 And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and
by him that dwelleth therein.
Mat 23:22 And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne
of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.
Laid on him -
Either by the judge, or by the party accusing him, or by the accused person
himself: which was usual, when there were no witnesses.
Thine altar - For
here God, who was appealed to as witness, was especially present.
This general prayer is then particularized from 1Ki_8:31
onwards by the introduction of seven special petitions for an answer in the
different cases in which, in future, prayers may be offered to God in the
temple. The first prayer (1Ki_8:31, 1Ki_8:32) has reference to the oaths sworn
in the temple, the sanctity of which God is asked to protect. The prayer refers
to the cases mentioned in Exo_22:6-12
Exo 22:6 If fire break out, and catch in thorns, so that the
stacks of corn, or the standing corn, or the field, be consumed therewith; he
that kindled the fire shall surely make restitution.
Exo 22:7 If a man shall deliver unto his neighbour money or stuff
to keep, and it be stolen out of the man's house; if the thief be found, let
him pay double.
Exo 22:8 If the thief be not found, then the master of the house
shall be brought unto the judges, to see whether he have put his hand unto his
neighbour's goods.
Exo 22:9 For all manner of trespass, whether it be for ox, for
ass, for sheep, for raiment, or for any manner of lost thing, which another
challengeth to be his, the cause of both parties shall come before the judges;
and whom the judges shall condemn, he shall pay double unto his neighbour.
Exo 22:10 If a man deliver unto his neighbour an ass, or an ox, or
a sheep, or any beast, to keep; and it die, or be hurt, or driven away, no man
seeing it:
Exo 22:11 Then shall an oath of the LORD be between them both, that
he hath not put his hand unto his neighbour's goods; and the owner of it shall
accept thereof, and he shall not make it good.
when property entrusted to any one had been lost or
injured, or when a thing had been found and the finding was denied, or when an
act of fraud had been committed; in which cases the law required not only
compensation with the addition of a fifth of its value, but also a
trespass-offering as an expiation of the sin committed by taking a false oath.
But as this punishment could only be inflicted when the guilty person
afterwards confessed his guilt, many false oaths might have been sworn in the
cases in question and have remained unpunished, so far as men were concerned.
Solomon therefore prays that the Lord will hear every such oath that shall have
been sworn before the altar, and work, actively interpose, and judge His
servants, to punish the guilty and justify the innocent.
1Ki 8:32 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.
condemning the
wicked - inflicting upon him punishment
justifying the
righteous - to give him according to his righteousness; by making it appear
that his cause is just.
1Ki 8:33 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:
When thy people
Israel shall be smitten down before the enemy - Beaten and routed, many
slain, and others carried captive; which had been their case, and might be
again, though now was a time of peace:
because they have
sinned against thee - which always was the reason of their being given up
into the hands of their enemies:
confess thy name -
own Him to be the true God, acknowledge His justice in their punishment,
confess their sin, repent of it, and give Him glory:
The second petition, refers to the warnings in Lev_26:13-17
and Deu_28:25 where the nation is threatened with defeat and subjugation on the
part of enemies, who shall invade the land, in which case prisoners of war are
carried away into foreign lands, but the mass of the people remain in the land,
so that they who are beaten can pray to the Lord in the temple, that He will
forgive them their sin, save them out of the power of the enemy, and bring back
the captives and fugitives into their fatherland.
Lev 26:13 I am the LORD your God, which brought you forth out of
the land of Egypt, that ye should not be their bondmen; and I have broken the
bands of your yoke, and made you go upright.
Lev 26:14 But if ye will not hearken unto me, and will not do all
these commandments;
Lev 26:15 And if ye shall despise my statutes, or if your soul
abhor my judgments, so that ye will not do all my commandments, but that ye
break my covenant:
Lev 26:16 I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over
you terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and
cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies
shall eat it.
Lev 26:17 And I will set my face against you, and ye shall be slain
before your enemies: they that hate you shall reign over you; and ye shall flee
when none pursueth you.
Deu 28:15 But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto
the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his
statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon
thee, and overtake thee:
Deu 28:25 The LORD shall cause thee to be smitten before thine
enemies: thou shalt go out one way against them, and flee seven ways before
them: and shalt be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth.
1Ki 8:34 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.
forgive the sin of
thy people Israel - It being not personal, but public sins, which would be
the cause of such a calamity:
1Ki 8:35 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:
When the heaven is
shut up, and there is no rain - The Third case. When, because of their sin,
and their ceasing to walk in the good way in which they should have walked, God
refuses to send the early and latter rain, so that the appointed weeks of
harvest come in vain, as there is no crop.
Deu 11:16 Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived,
and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them;
Deu 11:17 And then the LORD'S wrath be kindled against you, and he
shut up the heaven, that there be no rain, and that the land yield not her
fruit; and lest ye perish quickly from off the good land which the LORD giveth
you.
The third prayer refers to the remission of the
punishment of drought threatened against the land, when the heaven is shut up,
according to Lev_26:19; Deu_11:17; Deu_28:23. Because God teaches His people
and seeks by means of chastisements to bring them back to the good way when
they fail to keep His commandments, He must forgive when they recognize the
punishment as a divine chastisement and come to Him with penitential prayer. Heb 12:5-6
And ye have forgotten the exhortation which
speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of
the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he
chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
1Ki 8:36 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.
forgive the sin of
thy people Israel - By removing the judgment of drought upon them:
thou teach them
the good way wherein they should walk - the way of worship and duty
prescribed by the Lord which was good in itself, and good for them; and this
the Lord sometimes teaches by afflictions, as well as by His word; but whenever
He does it, it is by His Spirit, and then afflictions are blessings, Psa_104:19
where the same phrase is differently rendered:
1Ki 8:37 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;
In the land of
their cities - literally, “in the land of their gates.” Another reading
gives “in one of their cities.”
The fourth prayer relates to the removal of other
land-plagues: famine (Lev_26:19-20, and Lev_26:26; Deu_28:23); pestilence
(Lev_26:25); blight and mildew in the corn (Deu_28:22); locusts (Deu_28:38);
oppression by enemies in their own land; lastly, plagues and diseases of all
kinds, such as are threatened against the rebellious in Lev_26:16 and
Deu_28:59-61.
1Ki 8:38 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:
Know every man the
plague of his own heart - perceive one’s sinfulness, or recognize one’s
sufferings as divine chastisements, and sin as their cause.
The plague -
His sin, which may be called the plague of his heart, in opposition to the
other plagues here mentioned; so the sense is, who, by their afflictions are
brought to a true and serious sense of their worse and inward plague of their
sins, which are most fitly called the plague of the heart, because that is both
the principal seat of sin, and the fountain from whence all actual sins flow.
be made by any
man, or by all the people Israel - by a private man, for such an one might
go to the temple and pray by himself; or by the public congregation:
spread forth his
hands towards this house - pray with his face towards it, and his hands
spread out, a prayer gesture.
1Ki 8:39 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;)
give to every man
according to his ways, whose heart thou knowest - that his prayer is
cordial and sincere, his confession and repentance genuine, and that he is
truly sensible of his sin, and sorry for it, and is pure in his intentions and
resolutions, through divine grace, to depart from it for the future:
thou only knowest
the hearts of all the children of men - He knows all men, the hearts of
them all, what is in them, what comes out of them, and is according to them;
omniscience belongs only to God; it is His prerogative to know the heart and
search therein. Jer 17:9-10 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately
wicked: who can know it? I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to
give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.
Thou knowest -
Not only the plagues of their hearts, their several wants and burdens, but the
desire and intent of the heart, the sincerity or hypocrisy of it.
1Ki 8:40 That they
may fear thee all the days that they live in the land which thou gavest unto
our fathers.
That they may fear
thee – a reverential attitude. For His goodness sake in hearing their
prayer, removing their affliction, and bestowing His blessings on them,
particularly in forgiving their sins, Psa
130:4 But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou
mayest be feared.
all the days that
they live in the land - not only for the present, while the mercy is fresh,
but all the days of their lives; to which they were the more obliged by the
good land they possessed as a divine gift, and which they held by the tenure of
their obedience, Isa_1:19.
1Ki 8:41 Moreover
concerning a stranger, that is not of thy people Israel, but cometh out of a
far country for thy name's sake;
Moreover,
concerning a stranger - Nothing is more remarkable in the Mosaic Law than
its liberality with regard to strangers, both in general
Exo 22:21 Thou shalt neither vex a stranger, nor oppress him: for
ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.
Lev 25:35 And if thy brother be waxen poor, and fallen in decay
with thee; then thou shalt relieve him: yea, though he be a stranger, or a
sojourner; that he may live with thee.
Deu 10:19 Love ye therefore the stranger: for ye were strangers in
the land of Egypt.
and in religious matters
Num_15:14-16 And if a stranger sojourn with you, or whosoever be among
you in your generations, and will offer an offering made by fire, of a sweet
savour unto the LORD; as ye do, so he shall do. One ordinance shall be both for
you of the congregation, and also for the stranger that sojourneth with you, an
ordinance for ever in your generations: as ye are, so shall the stranger be
before the LORD. One law and one manner shall be for you, and for the stranger
that sojourneth with you.
Deu 31:12 Gather the people
together, men, and women, and children, and thy stranger that is within thy
gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the LORD your God,
and observe to do all the words of this law:
It is quite in the spirit of these enactments that
Solomon, having first prayed to God on behalf of his fellow-countrymen, should
next go on to intercede for the strangers, and to ask for their prayers the
same acceptance which he had previously begged for the prayers of faithful
Israelites.
Moreover,
concerning a stranger that is not of thy people Israel - One of another
country, not belonging to any of the tribes of Israel, yet having some
knowledge of, and disposition to, the true worship of God:
The Fifth case relates to gentiles coming from other
countries with the design to become proselytes to the true religion; that they
might be received, blessed, and protected as the true Israelites, that the name
of the Lord might be known over the face of the earth.
The fifth prayer has reference to the hearing of the
prayers of foreigners, who shall pray in the temple. Solomon assumes as certain
that foreigners will come and worship before the Lord in His temple; even Moses
himself had allowed the foreigners living among the Israelites to offer
sacrifice at the temple (Num_15:14.), and the great name and the arm of the
Lord, that had manifested itself in deeds of omnipotence, had become known in the
times of Moses to the surrounding nations (Exo_15:14; Exo_18:1; Jos_5:1), and
the report of this had reached Balaam even in Mesopotamia.
1Ki 8:42 (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;
For they shall
hear of thy great name - Of His
great name; of Him as the eternal, immutable, and self-existent Being; of the
perfections of His nature, as displayed in His mighty works:
of thy strong
hand, and of thy stretched out arm - which had done formerly such mighty
works in Egypt, at the Red sea, in the wilderness, in the land of Canaan, in
the times of David, and still under the reign of Solomon, and even in future
ages, besides the works of creation and providence in general:
when he shall come
and pray towards this house - not being admitted into it, only into a
court, which in later times was called the court of the Gentiles.
1Ki 8:43 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.
That all people of
the earth may know thy name, to fear thee - Solomon prays that the result
of the Lord’s hearing the prayers of gentiles addressed toward the temple may
be the general conversion of the world to the worship of Him.
do according to
all that the stranger calleth to thee for - which were consistent with the
will of God and His glory, and for the good of the stranger; this is more
absolutely and unconditionally expressed than the requests for the Israelites;
it is not desired that He would do by them according to their ways, and if they
turned from their sins, or knew the plague of their hearts; the reason of which
is supposed to be, because the Israelites knew the will of God, when the
strangers did not; and therefore it is desired that, notwithstanding their
ignorance, and their non-compliance with the divine will, through that, they
might be heard and answered:
that they may know
that this house is called by thy name - that He dwelt in it, granted His
presence, heard and received the supplications of men, answered their requests,
and accepted of their sacrifices here. Solomon seems to have had knowledge of
the calling of the Gentiles, and to desire it.
do according to
all that the stranger calleth to thee for - Agreeable to His will and word.
It is observable, that his prayer for the strangers is more large, and
comprehensive, than for the Israelites; that thereby he might both encourage
strangers to the worship of the true God. Thus early were the indications of
God's favor, toward the sinners of the Gentiles. As there was then one law for
the native and for the stranger, so there was one gospel for both.
1Ki 8:44 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:
If thy people go
out to battle - The Sixth case refers to wars undertaken by Divine
appointment: for in no other wars could they expect the blessing and
concurrence of the Lord; in none other could the God of truth and justice
maintain their cause.
If thy people go
out to battle against their enemy - In a foreign country, threatening to
invade them, or having cross over their borders, or some way or other infringed
on their liberties and privileges, and so given them just occasion to go to war
with them:
whithersoever thou
shalt send them - this case supposes their asking counsel of God, or having
a direction and commission from Him by a prophet, or some other way, to engage
in war with the enemy:
shall pray unto
the Lord - for, notwithstanding the
justness of their cause, and having a warrant from God to go to war, yet they
were to pray to Him for success when at a distance, even in a foreign land, and
about to engage the enemy; and this they were to do, turning their faces
towards the city of Jerusalem, and the temple there; declaring thereby that
their dependence was upon the Lord that dwelt there, and their expectation of
victory was only from Him.
shall pray unto
the Lord - Whereby he instructs
them, that they should not trust, either to the strength or justice of their
arms, but only to God's help and blessing.
Towards the house
- For to it they were to turn their faces in prayer; to profess themselves
worshippers of the true God, in opposition to idols; and to strengthen their
faith in God's promises and covenant, the tables whereof were contained in that
house. Soldiers in the field must not think it enough that others pray for
them: they must pray for themselves. And they are here encouraged to expect a
gracious answer.
The sixth case, in 1Ki_8:44, 1Ki_8:45, is, if Israel
should be engaged in war with an enemy by the appointment of God; and the
seventh, in 1Ki_8:46-50, is, if it should be carried away by enemies on account
of its sins.
1Ki 8:45 Then hear
thou in heaven their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause.
maintain their
cause - do them justice, and avenge their injuries; let it appear that
their cause is right, by giving them victory
1Ki 8:46 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;
If they sin
against thee - This Seventh case must refer to some general defection from
truth, to some type of false worship, idolatry, or corruption of the truth and
ordinances of the Most High; as for it they are here stated to be delivered
into the hands of their enemies and carried away captive, which was the general
punishment for idolatry, and what is called, 1Ki_8:47, acting perversely and
committing wickedness.
for there is no
man that sinneth not - such are the depravity of human nature, the
treachery of the heart, and the temptations of Satan, of which Solomon had
early notice, and was afterwards still more confirmed in the truth of, Ecc 7:20 For
there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.
Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the
glory of God; 1Jn 1:8-10 If we say that we
have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess
our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us
from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a
liar, and His Word is not in us.
In the seventh prayer, it is discussed what happens if
Israel should be given up to its enemies on account of its sins and carried
away into the land of the enemy, Solomon had the warnings in Lev_26:33,
Lev_26:44 in his eye, though he does not confine his prayer to the exile of the
whole nation foretold in that passage and in Deu_28:45., Deu_28:64, and
Deu_30:1-5, but extends it to every case of transportation to an enemy's land.
1Ki 8:47 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;
Bethink themselves
- literally, “reflect,” “consider seriously.” Or, "return to their
heart" and remember their sins, the cause of their captivity, and reflect
upon them.
We have sinned,
and have done perversely, we have committed wickedness - The words here
used seem to have become the standard form of expressing contrition when the
time of the captivity arrived and the Israelites were forcibly removed to
Babylon. The three expressions are thought to form a climax, rising from
negative to positive guilt, and from mere wrongful acts to depravation of the
moral character.
we have sinned,
and have done perversely, we have committed wickedness - which phrases
include all their sins, with all the aggravated circumstances of them, and
their sense of them, and contrition for them.
1Ki 8:48 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:
And so return unto
thee, with all their heart, and with all their soul –Deu 6:4-5 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou
shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and
with all thy might. Mar 12:29-30 And Jesus
answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord
our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart,
and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this
is the first commandment. This is how we are to love the Lord, with
all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Solomon mentions Israel returning
to the Lord with all their heart and soul, a deep indication of how Israel is
to respond to God.
1Ki 8:49 Then hear
thou their prayer and their supplication in heaven thy dwelling place, and
maintain their cause,
1Ki 8:50 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:
give them
compassion before them who carried them captive - Not merely such
compassion as Evil-Merodach showed toward Jehoiachin 2Ki_25:27-30;
Jer_52:31-34, but such as Cyrus and Artaxerxes showed in allowing the captive
Jews to return to their own land Ezr_1:3; Neh_2:6.
And give them
compassion before them who carried them captive - He does not pray that
they may be delivered out of that captivity, but that their enemies may use
them well; and that they may, as formerly, be kept a separate and distinct
people.
And forgive thy
people - By returning them to their own land; by which it would appear that
the Lord had forgiven their trespasses.
1Ki 8:51 For they be
thy people, and thine inheritance, which thou broughtest forth out of Egypt, from
the midst of the furnace of iron:
The furnace of
iron - Egypt is so called as a place of severe trial and affliction. From
the hard and cruel bondage in Egypt.
For they be thy
people, and thine inheritance - Whom
the Lord had chosen above all people, to be a special people to him, and to be
his portion and possession; Deu 7:6 For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the
LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all
people that are upon the face of the earth.
1Ki 8:52 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.
That thine eyes
may be open to the supplication of thy servant - That is, attentive to it,
meaning himself and his present supplication; or any other he should hereafter
put up in this place:
1Ki 8:53 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.
For thou didst
separate them from among all people of the earth - By His choice of them in
His own mind, by the redemption of them out of Egypt, by the peculiar laws He
gave them, and by the special blessings He conferred upon them:
as thou spakest by
the hand of Moses thy servant - it was He that spake this to Moses, and by
him to the people, Exo_19:5 and it was He that did it, namely, separate them
from all nations, to be His people and peculiar treasure: in this and the two
preceding verses Solomon makes use of arguments taken from what the people of
Israel were to the Lord, and He had done for them, to engage Him to hearken to
their supplications, and here ends his long prayer; in 2Ch_6:1 some things are
added at the close of it, and some omitted.
1Ki 8:54 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.
Solomon had made
an end of praying all this prayer and supplication unto the Lord - In which he was a type of Christ, praying and
interceding for his people before the golden altar, Rev_8:3,
he arose from
before the altar of the Lord - the altar of burnt offering.
Concluding Act of the dedication of the temple.
1Ki_8:54-61. Blessing the congregation. - After the conclusion of the prayer,
Solomon rose up from his knees and blessed all the assembled congregation. The
blessing begins with praise to the Lord for the fulfilment of His promises
(1Ki_8:16), and consists in the petition that the Lord will always fulfil his
(Solomon's) prayers, and grant His people the promised salvation.
1Ki 8:55 And he
stood, and blessed all the congregation of Israel with a loud voice, saying,
1Ki 8:56 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.
that hath given
rest unto his people – He had already given Israel rest by means of Joshua
when the land of Canaan was taken; but since many parts of the land still
remained in the hands of the Canaanites, this rest was only fully secured to
them by David's victories over all their enemies.
there hath not
failed one word of all his good promises - so Joshua observed a little
before his death, Jos 23:14 And, behold, this day I am going the way of all the
earth: and ye know in all your hearts and in all your souls, that not one thing
hath failed of all the good things which the LORD your God spake concerning
you; all are come to pass unto you, and not one thing hath failed thereof.
to which Solomon seems to have respect; and who lived to see a greater
accomplishment of the gracious promises of God, and his faithfulness therein,
both in the times of his father David, and his own.
1Ki 8:57 The LORD our
God be with us, as he was with our fathers: let him not leave us, nor forsake
us:
The Lord our God
be with us as he was with our fathers - Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and
those that came out of Egypt, and especially that entered into the land of
Canaan under Joshua, and subdued it; as the Lord had been with them to guide
and direct them, protect and defend them, succeed and prosper them, so Solomon
desires He might be with them: nothing is more desirable than the presence of
God; Solomon could not have prayed for a greater blessing for himself and his
people.
let him not leave
us, nor forsake us - this was no doubt a prayer of faith, founded upon a
divine promise, Jos 1:5 There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all
the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not
fail thee, nor forsake thee.
1Ki 8:58 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.
Incline our hearts
- That He may not only bless us with outward prosperity, but especially,
with spiritual blessings: and that as He hath given us His word to teach and
direct us, so He would by His holy Spirit, effectually incline us to obey it.
That he may
incline our hearts unto him - By His Spirit, to love, fear, and serve Him;
to attend to His worship, word, and ordinances:
1Ki 8:59 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:
And let these my
words - This and the following verse is a sort of supplement to the prayer
which ended 1Ki_8:53; but there is an important addition to this prayer in the
parallel place, 2Ch_6:41-42 Now therefore arise, O LORD God, into thy resting place,
thou, and the ark of thy strength: let thy priests, O LORD God, be clothed with
salvation, and let thy saints rejoice in goodness. O LORD God, turn not away
the face of thine anointed: remember the mercies of David thy servant.
be nigh unto the
Lord our God day and night - be continually remembered and regarded by Him,
that so gracious answers might always be returned to those who supplicated in
this place:
that he maintain
the cause of his servant - of himself and his successors in the throne,
that they may continue to possess it in peace, to the glory of God, and the
good of the people:
the cause of his
people Israel at all times - that their rights and privileges might be
continued, and they supported in them; and both his cause and theirs be
regarded:
1Ki 8:60 That all the
people of the earth may know that the LORD is God, and that there is none else.
That all the
people of the earth may know that the Lord is God - By chastising the
people of Israel when they sinned; by bearing and answering their prayers when
they prayed unto Him; by forgiving their sins, and delivering them out of their
troubles; by maintaining their cause, and protecting them in the enjoyment of
their blessings: and that there is "none else"; no God besides Him;
all being else fictitious deities; He only is the one living and true God.
1Ki 8:61 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.
Let your heart
therefore be perfect - Be sincere in your faith, be irreproachable in your
conduct. Sincere in their love to Him, united in their worship of Him, and
constant in their obedience to Him:
Let your heart
therefore be perfect - Let your obedience be universal, without dividing;
upright, without dissembling; and constant, without declining.
1Ki 8:62 And the
king, and all Israel with him, offered sacrifice before the LORD.
offered sacrifice
before the Lord - For burnt offerings, which having been laid upon the
altar, as soon as the king had done praying to God, and blessing the people,
and exhorting them, fire came down from heaven, and consumed them; which showed
the Lord's acceptance of the sacrifices, and was another confirmation, besides
the cloud, of the Lord's well pleasure with the temple, and of His taking
possession of it to reside in it; upon which the people bowed and worshipped,
and praised the Lord for His goodness and mercy, 2Ch 7:1-2 Now when Solomon had made an end
of praying, the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and
the sacrifices; and the glory of the LORD filled the house. And the priests
could not enter into the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD had filled
the LORD'S house.
1Ki 8:63 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.
These numbers have been thought incredible, but they are
not impossible. At least 100, 000, or 120, 000 men 1Ki_8:65 were assembled; and
as they all offered sacrifice with the king 1Ki_8:62, the number must have been
enormous. Part of the flesh of so many animals would be eaten; but much of the
meat may have been privately burned Lev
19:6 It shall be eaten the same day ye offer it,
and on the morrow: and if ought remain until the third day, it shall be burnt
in the fire. the object of the
sacrifice being the glory of God, and not the convenience of the people.
Profusion was a usual feature of the sacrifices of antiquity.
Two and twenty
thousand oxen - This was the whole amount of the animals that had been
offered during the fourteen days; i.e., the seven days of the dedication, and
the seven days of the feast of tabernacles.
And Solomon
offered a sacrifice of peace offerings - Part of which belonged to the one
offering the sacrifice, and with those Solomon feasted the people all the days
of the feast.
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.
1Ki 8:64 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.
The middle of the
court - Or, “the whole area of the court “ - all the “mid” space within the
enclosing walls, which thus became one huge altar, on any part of which victims
might be offered at one and the same time.
Did the king
hallow the middle of the court - The great altar of burnt-offerings was not
sufficient for the number of sacrifices which were then made; therefore the
middle of the court was set apart, and an altar erected there for the same
purpose. 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.
1Ki 8:65 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.
Solomon held a
feast - A feast necessarily accompanied such a sacrifice as Solomon was
holding. On the present occasion there was a double festival - first, the Feast
of the Dedication, from the 8th to the 15th of the month Ethanim (or Tisri),
and then the Feast of tabernacles, from the 15th to the 22nd. On the day after
this, “the eighth day,” counting from the commencement of the second seven, and
the twenty-third day of the month, Solomon dismissed the people to their homes.
The entering in of
Hamath - The phrase marks the extreme northern boundary of the holy land. Supposed
to be Antioch of Syria.
The river of Egypt
– likely the Rhinocorura Rhinoculura; in the south: from one extremity of
the land to the other.
seven days and
seven days, even fourteen days - seven days for the dedication of the
house, and seven days for the feast of tabernacles. It seems to be expressed in
this manner, to intimate, that these fourteen days of rejoicing, were not
altogether, but that there was some interval between them, which indeed was
necessary, because the day of atonement was on the tenth day of this month,
Lev_23:27. And because these fourteen days ended on the twenty - second day,
2Ch_7:10, it may seem most probable, that the feast of the dedication was kept
before the tenth day: and the feast of tabernacles some days after it.
1Ki 8:66 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.
Their tents -
i. e. “their homes.” The word “tents” was used for “houses” from an old habit
of speech, which had come down from the time when the Israelites were a nomadic
nation.
They blessed the
king - Wished him all spiritual and temporal happiness. They were contented
with their king, at peace among themselves, and happy in their God; so that
they returned to their houses magnifying their God for all His bounty to them,
their country, and their king. How happy must these people have been, and how
prosperous, had their king continued to walk uprightly before God! But alas!
the king fell, and the nation followed his example.
On the eighth day
he sent the people away - That is, of the feast of tabernacles, the eighth
from the first of that, which was a solemn day, and fell on the twenty second
of the month; at the close of which the dismissal was made, or they had leave
to go, but they did not until the twenty third, according to 2Ch 7:10 And on
the three and twentieth day of the seventh month he sent the people away into
their tents, glad and merry in heart for the goodness that the LORD had shewed
unto David, and to Solomon, and to Israel his people.
