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1 Kings Chapter
Eight
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO 1 KINGS 8
This
chapter gives an account of the introduction of the ark into the temple
1 Kings 8:1 of the
glory of the Lord filling it
1 Kings 8:10 of a
speech Solomon made to the people concerning the building of the temple
and
how he came to be engaged in it
1 Kings 8:12
of a
prayer of his he put up on this occasion
requesting
that what supplications
soever were made at any time
or on any account
by Israelites or strangers
might be accepted by the Lord
1 Kings 8:22
and
of his blessing the people of Israel at the close of it
with some useful
exhortations
1 Kings 8:54
and
of the great number of sacrifices offered up by him
and the feast he made for
the people
upon which he dismissed them
1 Kings 8:62.
1 Kings 8:1 Now
Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes
the
chief fathers of the children of Israel
to King Solomon in Jerusalem
that
they might bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord from the City
of David
which is Zion.
YLT
1Then doth Solomon assemble
the elders of Israel
and all the heads of the tribes
princes of the fathers
of the sons of Israel
unto king Solomon
to Jerusalem
to bring up the ark of
the covenant of Jehovah from the city of David -- it [is] Zion;
Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel
.... The judges
in the several cities
or senators of the great sanhedrim
as others; though it
is a question whether as yet there was such a court:
and all the heads of the tribes; the princes of the
twelve tribes:
the chief of the fathers of the children of Israel; the principal
men of the ancient families in every tribe:
unto King Solomon in Jerusalem; these he summoned
together to himself there where the temple was built:
that they might bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord out
of the city of David
which is Zion; whither David brought
it
when he had taken that fort
so called
and dwelt in it; and from this
mountain Solomon proposed to bring it up to the temple
on a higher mountain
Moriah
not far from one another.
1 Kings 8:2 2 Therefore all the men of
Israel assembled with King Solomon at the feast in the month of Ethanim
which is
the seventh month.
YLT
2and all the men of Israel
are assembled unto king Solomon
in the month of Ethanim
in the festival --
[is] the seventh month.
And all the men of Israel assembled themselves unto King Solomon
at the feast
.... Not of tabernacles
as the Targum on 2 Chronicles 5:3
and so Jarchi; though that was in the same month next mentioned
and began on
the fifteenth of it
and held seven days; wherefore this must be the feast of
the dedication of the temple
and which was kept before that; since both lasted
fourteen days
and the people were dismissed on the twenty third of the month;
now not only the above principal persons convened
but a vast number of the
common people came to see the solemnity of removing the ark
and of dedicating
the temple
and to attend the feast of it
and the more
since in a few days
was the time for all the males in Israel to appear there:
in the month Ethanim
which is the seventh month; it was
as
the Targum says
originally the first month; but upon the children of Israel
coming out of Egypt in Ab or Nisan
that became the first month
and this was
the seventh from that; and is the same with Tisri
which answers to part of
September
and part of October
here called Ethanim; which some render the
month of the ancients
others of strong ones; either because of the many feasts
that were in it
as some say; or because it was the time of ingathering all the
increase and fruits of the earth
which strengthen and support man's life; or
rather of "never failing"
i.e. waters
showers falling in this
month
and the rivers full of waterF12Vid. Hackman. Praecidan. Sacr.
p. 130
131. ; so September is "septimus imber"
according to IsidoreF13Origin.
l. 5. c. 33.
and the three following months are alike derived; this
by the
Egyptians
was called Theuth
and was with them the first month in the yearF14Lactant.
de Fals. Felig. l. 1. c. 6. ; so Porphyry saysF15De Antro Nymph.
prope finem.
with the Egyptians the beginning of the year was not Aquarius
as with the Romans
but Cancer; and so the month of September was the first
with the EthiopiansF16Ludolf. Lexic. Ethiopic. p. 65. & Hist.
Ethiop. l. 3. c. 6.
and with most peopleF17Julian. Opera
par. 1.
orat. 4. p. 290
291. ; though with the Chinese about the middle of AquariusF18Martin.
Sinic. Hist. l. 1. p. 22. . Now
though the temple was finished in the eighth
month
1 Kings 6:38
it
was not dedicated until the seventh in the following year; it required time to
finish the utensils and vessels
and put them in their proper place
and for
the drying of the walls
&c.
1 Kings 8:3 3 So all the elders of
Israel came
and the priests took up the ark.
YLT
3And all the elders of
Israel come in
and the priests lift up the ark
And all the elders of Israel came
.... To Zion
the city of
David:
and the priests took up the ark; from thence; in 2 Chronicles 5:4 it
is said the Levites did it
whose business it was
Deuteronomy 31:25
and so the priests might be called; for every priest was a Levite
though every
Levite was not a priest
and the priests did at all times bear the ark; see Joshua 3:15.
1 Kings 8:4 4 Then they brought up the
ark of the Lord
the tabernacle of meeting
and all the holy furnishings that were in the
tabernacle. The priests and the Levites brought them up.
YLT
4and bring up the ark of
Jehovah
and the tent of meeting
and all the holy vessels that [are] in the
tent
yea
the priests and the Levites bring them up.
And they brought up the ark of the Lord
.... From the
city of David to the temple:
and the tabernacle of the congregation; not the tent
David made for the ark
though that might be brought also
but the tabernacle
of Moses
which had been many years at Gibeon; but now removed to Zion
and
from thence to the temple
where it was laid up
as having been a sacred thing;
that it might not be put to common or superstitious uses
and to prevent the
being of more places than one for worship:
and all the holy vessels that were in the tabernacle; as the
candlestick
shewbread table
incense altar
&c.
even those did the priests and the Levites bring up; some brought
one
and some another; the priests brought the ark
and the Levites the
vessels.
1 Kings 8:5 5 Also King Solomon
and all
the congregation of Israel who were assembled with him
were with him
before the ark
sacrificing sheep and oxen that could not be counted or
numbered for multitude.
YLT
5And king Solomon and all
the company of Israel who are met unto him [are] with him before the ark
sacrificing sheep and oxen
that are not counted nor numbered for multitude.
And King Solomon
and all the congregation of Israel
that were
assembled together
.... On this solemn occasion:
were with him before the ark; while it was in the
court of the priests
before it was carried into the most holy place:
sacrificing sheep and oxen
that could not be told nor numbered
for multitude; the phrase seems to be hyperbolical
and designed to denote a
great number.
1 Kings 8:6 6 Then the priests brought
in the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its place
into the
inner sanctuary of the temple
to the Most Holy Place
under the wings
of the cherubim.
YLT
6And the priests bring in
the ark of the covenant of Jehovah unto its place
unto the oracle of the
house
unto the holy of holies
unto the place of the wings of the cherubs;
And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the Lord
unto his place
.... Destined for it
the like to which it had in the tabernacle:
into the oracle of the house
to the most holy place; that part of
the house where the divine oracle was
the holy of holies; for though into it
none but the high priest might enter
and he but once a year; yet in case of
necessity
as for the repair of it
which the JewsF19Vid. Maimon.
Hilchot Beth Habechirah
c. 7. sect. 23. gather from hence
other priests might
enter
as was the case now; an high priest could not carry in the ark himself
and therefore it was necessary to employ others; and besides
as yet the divine
Majesty had not taken up his residence in it:
even under the wings of the cherubim; the large
ones which Solomon had made
1 Kings 6:23 not
those of Moses.
1 Kings 8:7 7 For the cherubim spread their
two wings over the place of the ark
and the cherubim overshadowed the ark and
its poles.
YLT
7for the cherubs are
spreading forth two wings unto the place of the ark
and the cherubs cover over
the ark
and over its staves from above;
For the cherubim spread forth their two wings over the
place of the ark
.... The most holy place where the ark stood
even from wall to
wall:
and the cherubim covered the ark
and the staves thereof above; so that
neither could be seen.
1 Kings 8:8 8 The poles extended so that
the ends of the poles could be seen from the holy place
in front of the
inner sanctuary; but they could not be seen from outside. And they are there to
this day.
YLT
8and they lengthen the staves
and the heads of the staves are seen from the holy [place] on the front of the
oracle
and are not seen without
and they are there unto this day.
And they drew out the staves
.... Not made them
larger
as Ben Gersom
than those in the tabernacle of Moses
this place being
larger than that; nor did they draw them wholly out
and lay them up in the
sanctuary
there being no further use for them
the ark having now a fixed
place
and not to be removed; which would have been contrary to Exodus 25:15 but
they drew them out some little way:
that the ends of the staves were seen out in the holy place before
the oracle; not in that part of the temple commonly called the holy place
in distinction from the most holy
for that seems to be denied in the next
clause; nor could they be seen there
since there was a wall and a vail between
them; though some think they might be seen when the door was opened
and the
vail turned aside; and these also pushing against the vail
might be seen
prominent
like the breasts of a woman under a covering
as the Jews express
it; but the sense is
that the ends of these were seen out of the ark from
under the wings of the cherubim
being a little drawn
in that part of the most
holy place which is before the oracle or mercy seat:
and they were not seen without; neither quite out of the
ark
nor without the most holy place
nor in the holy place; but were only seen
by the high priest when he went in on the day of atonement
and served as a
direction to him to go between them before the ark
and there perform his workF20Vid.
Misn. Yoma
c. 5. sect. 1. ; which
through the darkness of the place
and the
ark being covered with the wings of the cherubim
he could not otherwise
discern the exact place where it stood:
and there they are unto this day: when the writer of this
book lived
even in the same situation.
1 Kings 8:9 9 Nothing was in the
ark except the two tablets 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.
YLT
9There is nothing in the
ark
only the two tables of stone which Moses put there in Horeb
when Jehovah
covenanted with the sons of Israel in their going out of the land of Egypt.
There was nothing in the ark
save the two tables of stone which
Moses put there at Horeb
.... That is
there were no other writings; or
as Ben Gersom
says
no other part of the law
but the decalogue otherwise he observes there
were in it Aaron's rod and the pot of manna
according to Hebrews 9:4 though
the particle there may be rendered "at"
or "with"
or "by";
see Gill on Hebrews 9:4 and so
they might be not within it
but in some place on the sides of it
see Deuteronomy 31:26
when the Lord made a covenant with the children of Israel
when
they came out of the land of Egypt; about two months after.
1 Kings 8:10 10 And it came to pass
when
the priests came out of the holy place
that the cloud filled the house
of the Lord
YLT
10And it cometh to pass
in
the going out of the priests from the holy [place]
that the cloud hath filled
the house of Jehovah
And it came to pass
when the priests were come out of the holy
place
.... The most holy place
having set up the ark of the Lord
there
who were all sanctified that were there
and did not wait by course as
at other times
see 2 Chronicles 5:11
where in 2 Chronicles 5:12
it is said
that at this time
the Levites
who were singers of the families of
Asaph
Heman
and Jeduthun
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 for ever: and then it was
that the cloud filled the house of the Lord; the whole
temple
both the holy of holies and the holy place
and the court of the
priests; so that it was visible to all
and was a token of the divine presence
of God
of his taking possession of his house
and of his taking up his
residence in it.
1 Kings 8:11 11 so that the priests could
not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the
house of the Lord.
YLT
11and the priests have not
been able to stand to minister because of the cloud
for the honour of Jehovah
hath filled the house of Jehovah.
So that the priests could not stand to minister
because of the
cloud
.... Either through the darkness it first caused
or through the
light that broke out of it
which was dazzling to them
or through the terror
it struck their minds with; they could neither minister in the holy place
by
offering incense there; and as for the most holy place
none but the high priest
could minister there
and that on one day only; nor in the court of the
priests
at the altar of burnt offerings:
for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of the Lord; a bright and
glorious stream came forth from the cloud
and spread itself all over the
house
and then took up its abode in the most holy place as in the tabernacle
Exodus 40:34.
1 Kings 8:12 12 Then Solomon spoke: “The Lord said He would
dwell in the dark cloud.
YLT
12Then said Solomon
`Jehovah
hath said to dwell in thick darkness;
And 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
spake 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; this was done for the greater awe of
the divine Majesty
and to denote the darkness of the former dispensation;
reference may be had to Leviticus 16:2 or
rather this was now said by the Lord
that is
it appeared to be his resolution
and determination to dwell in this manner; the Targum is
"the
Lord is pleased to cause his Shechinah or divine Majesty to dwell in
Jerusalem
'
in
the temple there. This was imitated by the Heathens; hence the Lacedemonians
had a temple dedicated to Jupiter Scotitas
or the dark
as PausaniasF21Laconica
sive
I. 3. p. 178. relates; and the Indian Pagans to this day affect darkness
in their temples
and are very careful that no light enter into them but by the
door
which is commonly strait and low
and by little crevices in the windowsF23Agreement
of Customs between the East-Indians and Jews
art. 5. p. 35. .
1 Kings 8:13 13 I have surely built You an
exalted house
And a place for You to dwell in forever.”
YLT
13I have surely built a house
of habitation for Thee; a fixed place for Thine abiding to the ages.'
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 for ever; which is
observed in distinction from the tabernacle of Moses
which was often removed
from place to place
otherwise this did not continue for ever; though Solomon
might hope it would
at least unto the times of the Messiah; and indeed such a
building on this spot
for such use
did continue so long
excepting the
interval of the seventy years' captivity in Babylon.
1 Kings 8:14 14 Then the king turned
around and blessed the whole assembly of Israel
while all the assembly of
Israel was standing.
YLT
14And the king turneth round
his face
and blesseth the whole assembly of Israel; and all the assembly of
Israel is standing.
And the king turned his face about
.... He was before the
altar
1 Kings 8:22
with
his face to that first
and looking towards the holy and the most holy place
filled with the cloud and glory; and now he turned himself and stood with the
altar behind him
and looking to the court of the people:
and 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 honour and favour to them:
and all the congregation of Israel stood: ready to
receive the king's blessing
and in honour of him
and reverence to the divine
Being. The Jews say
none might sit in the court but the kings of the house of
David.
1 Kings 8:15 15 And he said: “Blessed be
the Lord
God of Israel
who spoke with His mouth to my father David
and with His hand
has fulfilled it
saying
YLT
15And he saith
`Blessed [is]
Jehovah
God of Israel
who spake by His mouth with David my father
and by His
hand hath fulfilled [it]
saying
And he said
blessed be the Lord God of Israel
.... All
praise and glory
honour 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:
which spake with his mouth to David my father
and hath with his
hand fulfilled it; who graciously promised him he should have a son that should
build an house for him
and which he had by his power and providence faithfully
performed; or rather which spake concerning David
so NoldiusF24Ebr.
Concord. Part. p. 117. No. 596. So Sept. ; for God did not speak with his mouth
to David
but to Nathan
of him: saying; as follows.
1 Kings 8:16 16 ‘Since the day that I
brought My people Israel out of Egypt
I have chosen no city from any tribe of
Israel in which to build a house
that My name might be there; but I
chose David to be over My people Israel.’
YLT
16From the day that I brought
out My people
even Israel
from Egypt
I have not fixed on a city out of all
the tribes of Israel
to build a house for My name being there; and I fix on
David to be over My people Israel.
Since the day that I brought forth my people Israel out of Egypt
.... Which was
now about four hundred and eighty eight years ago; see 1 Kings 6:1.
I chose no city out of all the tribes of Israel to build an house
that my name might be therein; he had chosen one in his mind from all
eternity; but he had not made known this choice
nor the place he had chosen;
he gave hints by Moses
that there was a place which he should choose
or
declare he had chosen to put his name in
but did not express it
Deuteronomy 12:5
but now it was a clear case that he had chosen Jerusalem
and that was the city
he always had in view
see 2 Chronicles 6:6
but 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
1 Chronicles 22:1
and he chose no man
and his family with him
before him
to rule over Israel
and be concerned in such a work
see 2 Chronicles 6:5.
1 Kings 8:17 17 Now it was in the heart of
my father David to build a temple[a] for the
name of the Lord
God of Israel.
YLT
17`And it is with the heart
of David my father to build a house for the name of Jehovah
God of Israel
And it was in the heart of David my father
.... His mind
was disposed to it
his heart was set upon it
he had taken up a resolution:
to build an house for the name of the Lord God of Israel; for his
worship and service
for his honour and glory
2 Samuel 7:3.
1 Kings 8:18 18 But the Lord said to my
father David
‘Whereas it was in your heart to build a temple for My name
you
did well that it was in your heart.
YLT
18and Jehovah saith unto
David my father
Because that it hath been with thy heart to build a house for
My name
thou hast done well that it hath been with thy heart;
And the Lord said unto David my father
.... By Nathan
the prophet:
whereas it was in thine heart to build an house unto my name
thou
didst well that it was in thine heart; his design was good
and
so far it was acceptable to the Lord
that he thought of such a thing
though
it was not his pleasure that should do it
as follows.
1 Kings 8:19 19 Nevertheless you shall not
build the temple
but your son who will come from your body
he shall build the
temple for My name.’
YLT
19only
thou dost not build
the house
but thy son who is coming out from thy loins
he doth build the
house for My name.
Nevertheless
thou shall not build the house
.... Which is
implied in the question in 2 Samuel 7:5.
but thy son that shall come forth out of thy loins
he shall build
the house unto my name; which is expressed in 2 Samuel 7:12.
1 Kings 8:20 20 So the Lord has fulfilled
His word which He spoke; and I have filled the position of my father David
and
sit on the throne of Israel
as the Lord promised; and I have
built a temple for the name of the Lord God of Israel.
YLT
20`And Jehovah doth establish
His word which He spake
and I am risen up instead of David my father
and sit
on the throne of Israel
as Jehovah spake
and build the house for the name of
Jehovah
God of Israel
And the Lord hath performed his word that he spake
.... To David
concerning his son's building the temple:
and I am risen up in the room of David my father
and sit on the
throne of Israel
as the Lord promised; succeeded him in the
kingdom:
and have built an house for the name of the Lord God of Israel; the temple he
had now finished; and thus the promise to David was punctually fulfilled
that
he should have a son that should succeed him in the throne
and build the house
of the Lord.
1 Kings 8:21 21 And there I have made a
place for the ark
in which is the covenant of the Lord which He made
with our fathers
when He brought them out of the land of Egypt.”
YLT
21and set there a place for
the ark
where [is] the covenant of Jehovah which He made with our fathers in
His bringing them out from the land of Egypt.'
And I have set there a place for the ark
.... The most
holy place:
wherein is the covenant of the Lord; the two tables of stone
on which were the covenant of the Lord
as the Targum:
which he made with our fathers
when he brought them out of the
land of Egypt; as in 1 Kings 8:9.
1 Kings 8:22 22 Then Solomon stood before
the altar of the Lord
in the presence of all the assembly of Israel
and spread out his hands toward
heaven;
YLT
22And Solomon standeth before
the altar of Jehovah
over-against all the assembly of Israel
and spreadeth
his hands towards the heavens
And 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 2 Chronicles 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:
in the presence of all the congregation of Israel; who stood in
the great court before him
called the court of Israel:
and spread forth his hands toward heaven; and hence it
appears
that though Solomon stood before the altar
he did not lay hold on it
with his hands
as the Heathens did when they prayed; for they sayF25Macrob.
Saturnal. l. 3. c. 2. Vid. Sperling. de Baptism. Ethiac
c. 6. p. 103.
that
prayer alone does not appease the Deity
unless he that prays also lays hold on
the altar with his hands; hence altars
at first
as we are toldF26Varro
Rer. Divin. l. 5. apud ib.
were called "ansae"; and lifting up or
spreading the hands towards heaven was a proper gesture with the Greeks and
RomansF1Homer. Iliad. 3. ver. 275. & 6. ver. 301. Vid. Barth.
Animadv. ad Claudian. in Rufin. l. 2. ver. 205. .
1 Kings 8:23 23 and he said: “Lord God of Israel
there is no God in heaven above or on earth below like You
who keep Your
covenant and mercy with Your servants who walk before You with all their
hearts.
YLT
23and saith
`Jehovah
God of
Israel
there is not a God like Thee
in the heavens above
and on the earth
beneath
keeping the covenant and the kindness for Thy servants
those walking
before Thee with all their heart
And he said
Lord God of Israel
.... Their covenant God
and Father
whereby he was distinguished from all the gods of the Gentiles:
there is no god like thee; in heaven above or on earth beneath; none among
the angels in heaven
nor among kings and civil magistrates on earth
who both
are sometimes called "Elohim" gods; but only in a figurative sense
and not to be compared with the one only true God
for the perfection of his
nature
or the works of his hands:
who keepest covenant and mercy with thy servants that walk before
thee with all their heart; performs his promises
by which he both
declares his mercy or goodness and his faithfulness to such who walk before
him
in his ways
and according to his word
in the sincerity and uprightness
of their hearts.
1 Kings 8:24 24 You have kept what You
promised Your servant David my father; You have both spoken with Your mouth and
fulfilled it with Your hand
as it is this day.
YLT
24who hast kept for Thy
servant David my father that which Thou spakest to him; yea
Thou speakest with
Thy mouth
and with Thy hand hast fulfilled [it]
as [at] this day.
Who hast kept with thy servant David my father that thou
promisedst him..... Concerning a son
his successor
and the builder of the
temple:
thou
spakest also with thy mouth
and hast fulfilled it with
thine hand
as it is this day; the temple being now finished by him
see 1 Kings 8:15.
1 Kings 8:25 25 Therefore
Lord God of Israel
now keep what You promised Your servant David my father
saying
‘You shall not
fail to have a man sit before Me on the throne of Israel
only if your sons
take heed to their way
that they walk before Me as you have walked before Me.’
YLT
25`And now
Jehovah
God of
Israel
keep for Thy servant David my father that which Thou spakest to him
saying
There is not cut off to thee a man from before Me
sitting on the
throne of Israel -- only
if thy sons watch their way
to walk before Me as
thou hast walked before Me.
Therefore now
Lord God of Israel
keep with thy servant David my
father that thou promisedst him
.... That as he had fulfilled one part of
his promise respecting himself
his immediate successor
so that he would
fulfil the other respecting his more remote offspring:
saying
there shall not fail thee a man in my sight
to sit on the
throne of Israel; one of David's posterity to inherit his throne and kingdom
but
with this proviso:
so that thy children takes heed to their way; in what way
they walk
and how they walk in it:
that they walk before me as thou hast walked before me; meaning as
David walked
see Psalm 132:11.
1 Kings 8:26 26 And now I pray
O God of
Israel
let Your word come true
which You have spoken to Your servant David my
father.
YLT
26`And now
O God of Israel
let it be established
I pray Thee
Thy word which Thou hast spoken to Thy
servant
David my father.
And now
O God of Israel
let thy word
I pray thee
be verified
.... Truly
made good
and punctually performed:
which thou spakest unto thy servant David my father; the same
request in other words
repeated to show his ardent and vehement desire to have
it fulfilled.
1 Kings 8:27 27 “But will God indeed dwell
on the earth? Behold
heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You. How
much less this temple which I have built!
YLT
27But
is it true? -- God
dwelleth on the earth! lo
the heavens
and the heavens of the heavens do not
contain Thee
how much less this house which I have builded!
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
John 2:19.
behold
the heaven
and the heaven of heavens
cannot contain thee; 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:
how much less this house that I have builded? Though
temples built for idols contain them
and are large enough
yet Solomon had no
notion
when he built his temple
though it was for the name of God
that he
was restrained to it
but dwelt everywhere
filling heaven and earth with his
presence.
1 Kings 8:28 28 Yet regard the prayer of
Your servant and his supplication
O Lord my God
and listen to the
cry and the prayer which Your servant is praying before You today:
YLT
28`Then thou hast turned unto
the prayer of Thy servant
and unto his supplication
O Jehovah my God
to
hearken unto the cry and unto the prayer which Thy servant is praying before
Thee to-day
Yet have thou respect to the prayer of thy servant
and to his
supplication
O Lord my God
.... Meaning himself
who
though a king
acknowledged himself
and esteemed it an honour to be the servant of the Lord
and who was also an humble suppliant of his
and desired his prayers and
supplications might be attended to:
to hearken unto the cry and to the prayer which thy servant
prayeth before thee this day; the particulars of which follow.
1 Kings 8:29 29 that Your eyes may be open
toward this temple night and day
toward the place of which You said
‘My name
shall be there
’ that You may hear the prayer which Your servant makes toward
this place.
YLT
29for Thine eyes being open
towards this house night and day
towards the place of which Thou hast said
My
Name is there; to hearken unto the prayer which Thy servant prayeth towards
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
Psalm 33:14 even
towards the place of which thou hast my name shall be there; there should be
some displays of his presence
power
and providence
of goodness
grace
and
mercy:
that thou mayest hearken unto the prayer which thy servant shall
make towards this place; not only to what he should make in it
but to what he should
make in his own house
with his face directed towards this
as would be
and
was the practice of good people in later times
yea
even when the temple lay
in ruins; see Daniel 6:10
figuring the respect gracious souls have to Christ by faith in their prayers
in whom the Godhead dwells bodily
see Jonah 2:4 and it is
observable
according to a Jewish canonF2Schulchan Aruch
par. 1. c.
94. sect. 1.
one at a distance
in another land
was not only to turn his
face to the land of Israel
but direct his heart to Jerusalem
and the temple
and the holy of holies; and if in the land
to Jerusalem
&c. and if in
Jerusalem
not only to the temple
and holy of holies
but if behind the mercy
seat
he was to turn his face to it; which was a symbol of Christ
the
propitiatory and throne of grace
to be looked unto by faith
Romans 3:25.
1 Kings 8:30 30 And may You hear the
supplication of Your servant and of Your people Israel
when they pray toward
this place. Hear in heaven Your dwelling place; and when You hear
forgive.
YLT
30`Then Thou hast hearkened
unto the supplication of Thy servant
and of Thy people Israel
which they pray
towards this place; yea
Thou dost hearken in the place of Thy dwelling
in the
heavens -- and Thou hast hearkened
and hast forgiven
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:
and 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.
1 Kings 8:31 31 “When anyone sins against
his neighbor
and is forced to take an oath
and comes and takes an oath
before Your altar in this temple
YLT
31that which a man sinneth
against his neighbour
and he hath lifted up upon him an oath to cause him to
swear
and the oath hath come in before Thine altar in this house
If any man trespass against his neighbour
.... By being
unfaithful in a trust committed to him
or the like:
and an oath be laid upon him to cause him to swear; he denying
that ever anything was committed to his trust
and there being no witnesses of
it
the judge obliges him to take an oath he never had any:
and the oath come before thine altar in this house; where it was
taken
as in the presence of God
and as appealing to him: hence in corrupt times
they came to swear by the altar
Matthew 23:20 and
so the Heathens used to take their oaths in the temples of their gods
and at
their altars
as the instances of CallicratesF3Cornel. Nep. Vit.
Dion. l. 10. c. 8. and HannibalF4Ib. Hannibal. l. 23. c. 2. show
and others Grotius refers to; yea
they also laid hold on the altar
at least
touched it when they sworeF5Vid. Lydii Dissert de Jurament. c. 4.
sect. 7. to give the greater sanction to the oath.
1 Kings 8:32 32 then hear in heaven
and
act
and judge Your servants
condemning the wicked
bringing his way on his
head
and justifying the righteous by giving him according to his
righteousness.
YLT
32then Thou dost hear in the
heavens
and hast done
and hast judged Thy servants
to declare wicked the
wicked
to put his way on his head
and to declare righteous the righteous
to
give him according to his righteousness.
Then hear thou in heaven
.... When the injured
person makes supplication to have justice done him:
and do
and judge thy servants; contending with one
another
the one affirming
the other denying
condemning the wicked
by bringing his way upon his head: inflicting
upon him the punishment imprecated by him in his oath:
and justifying the righteous
to give him according to his
righteousness; by making it appear that his cause is just.
1 Kings 8:33 33 “When Your people Israel
are defeated before an enemy because they have sinned against You
and when
they turn back to You and confess Your name
and pray and make supplication to
You in this temple
YLT
33`In Thy people Israel being
smitten before an enemy
because they sin against Thee
and they have turned
back unto Thee
and have confessed Thy name
and prayed
and made 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
and was
though now 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:
and shall turn again to thee; to thy worship
as the
Targum
having fallen into idolatry
which was generally the case when they
fell before their enemies:
and 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:
and pray and make supplication unto thee in this house; not the
captives
unless it should be rendered
as it may
"toward this
house"F6So Pool and Patrick. ; but those that escaped
or their
brethren that went not out to battle
who should pray for them here.
1 Kings 8:34 34 then hear in heaven
and
forgive the sin of Your people Israel
and bring them back to the land which
You gave to their fathers.
YLT
34then thou dost hear in the
heavens
and hast forgiven the sin of Thy people Israel
and brought them back
unto the ground that Thou gavest to their fathers.
Then hear thou in heaven
and forgive the sin of thy people Israel
.... It being
not personal
but public sins
which would be the cause of such a calamity:
and bring them again unto the land which thou gavest unto their
fathers; as had been often their case in the time of the judges.
1 Kings 8:35 35 “When the heavens are shut
up and there is no rain because they have sinned against You
when they pray
toward this place and confess Your name
and turn from their sin because You
afflict them
YLT
35`In the heavens being
restrained
and there is no rain
because they sin against Thee
and they have
prayed towards this place
and confessed Thy name
and from their sin turn
back
for Thou dost afflict them
When heaven is shut up
.... As it may be said to
be when the air is quite serene
and not a cloud in it:
and there is no rain; in its season
neither
the former nor the latter
as it was in the times of Elijah:
because they have sinned against thee; want of rain
was threatened in case of sin
and was always the effect of it
Leviticus 26:19
if they pray towards this place; in any part of the
country where they were; for it sometimes rained on one city
and not on
another
Amos 4:7.
and confess thy name; own his power and his
providence
and the justness of his dealings with them:
and turn from their sin
when thou afflictest them; their
affliction being made useful
to bring them to a sense of their sin
and to
repentance for it
and reformation from it; or
"when thou hearest"
or "answerest them"F7כי תענם "cum exaudieris eos"
Vatablus. ; so the
Targum
receives their prayer; thus the goodness of God leads to repentance.
1 Kings 8:36 36 then hear in heaven
and
forgive the sin of Your servants
Your people Israel
that You may teach them
the good way in which they should walk; and send rain on Your land which You
have given to Your people as an inheritance.
YLT
36then Thou dost hear in the
heavens
and hast forgiven the sin of Thy servants
and of Thy people Israel
for Thou directest them the good way in which they go
and hast given rain on
Thy land which Thou hast given to Thy people for inheritance.
Then hear thou in heaven
and forgive the sin of thy servants
and
of thy people Israel
.... By removing the judgment of drought upon them:
that 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
good things being enjoyed by them that walk therein; 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
Psalm 104:19 where
the same phrase is differently rendered:
and give rain upon the land which thou hast given to thy people
for an inheritance; as he did at the prayer of Elijah
James 5:18.
1 Kings 8:37 37 “When there is famine in
the land
pestilence or blight or mildew
locusts or
grasshoppers; when their enemy besieges them in the land of their cities;
whatever plague or whatever sickness there is;
YLT
37`Famine -- when it is in
the land; pestilence -- when it is; blasting
mildew
locust; caterpillar --
when it is; when its enemy hath distressed it in the land [in] its gates
any
plague
any sickness
--
Through
want of rain
or any other cause
as there had been a three years' famine in
the time of David
and it is supposed it might be again
though Canaan was a
land flowing with milk and honey:
if there be pestilence; as there had been
for
David's numbering the people:
blasting; or blights
occasioned by the east wind:
mildew; a kind of clammy dew
which falling on plants
corn
&c.
corrupts and destroys them
see Amos 4:9
locust
or
if there be caterpillar; creatures very
pernicious to the fruits of the earth
and cause a scarcity of them
see Joel 1:4
if their enemy besiege them in the land of their cities; so that they
cannot go out to gather the increase of the earth
or till their land:
whatsoever plague
whatsoever sickness there be; whatever
stroke from the hand of God
or what judgment or calamity soever befalls.
1 Kings 8:38 38 whatever prayer
whatever
supplication is made by anyone
or by all Your people Israel
when each
one knows the plague of his own heart
and spreads out his hands toward this
temple:
YLT
38any prayer
any
supplication that [is] of any man of all Thy people Israel
who know each the
plague of his own heart
and hath spread his hands towards this house
What prayer and supplication soever
.... On account of any of
the above things
or any other:
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; see Luke 18:10 or by
the public congregation:
which shall know every man the plague of his own heart; be sensible
of his sin as the cause of his distress
and own it
though ever so privately
committed
which none knows but God and his own heart; and which may be only an
heart sin
not actually committed; as all sin is originally in the heart
and
springs from it
that is the source of all wickedness; it may respect the corruption
of nature
indwelling sin
which truly deserves this name
and which every good
man is led to observe
confess
and bewail
Psalm 51:4. In 2 Chronicles 6:29
it is
shall know his own sore and his own grief; what
particularly affects him
and gives him pain and sorrow
as every man best
knows his own affliction and trouble
and so can best represent his own case to
the Lord:
and spread forth his hands towards this house; pray with his
face towards it
and his hands spread out
a prayer gesture
and what was now
used by Solomon
1 Kings 8:22.
1 Kings 8:39 39 then hear in heaven Your
dwelling place
and forgive
and act
and give to everyone according to all his
ways
whose heart You know (for You alone know the hearts of all the sons of
men)
YLT
39then Thou dost hear in the
heavens
the settled place of Thy dwelling
and hast forgiven
and hast done
and hast given to each according to all his ways
whose heart Thou knowest
(for Thou hast known -- Thyself alone -- the heart of all the sons of man)
Then hear thou in heaven thy dwellingplace
.... Which was
more properly so than this Solomon had built
and the Lord had taken possession
of:
and forgive; remove the calamity and distress
be it what it may:
and do
and 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:
(for thou
even 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 the reins
see Jeremiah 17:9.
1 Kings 8:40 40 that they may fear You all
the days that they live in the land which You gave to our fathers.
YLT
40so that they fear Thee all
the days that they are living on the face of the ground that Thou hast given to
our fathers.
That they may fear thee
.... For his goodness
sake in hearing their prayer
removing their affliction
and bestowing his
blessings on them
particularly in forgiving their sins
see Psalm 130:4.
all the days that they live in the land which thou gavest unto our
fathers; 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
Isaiah 1:19.
1 Kings 8:41 41 “Moreover
concerning a
foreigner
who is not of Your people Israel
but has come from a far
country for Your name’s sake
YLT
41`And also
unto the
stranger who is not of Thy people Israel
and hath come from a land afar off
for Thy name's sake –
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:
but cometh out of a far country for thy name's sake; as the
Ethiopian eunuch did
to pray to him
worship him
and offer such sacrifices as
were allowed a Gentile to do
Leviticus 22:18 led
thereunto by the fame of him
as follows.
1 Kings 8:42 42 (for they will hear of
Your great name and Your strong hand and Your outstretched arm)
when he comes
and prays toward this temple
YLT
42(for they hear of Thy great
name
and of Thy strong hand
and of Thy stretched-out arm) -- and he hath come
in and prayed towards this house
(For they shall hear
of thy great name
.... Of his great name
Jehovah; of him as the eternal
immutable
and self-existent Being; of the perfections of his nature
as
displayed in his mighty works:
and 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
see Acts 21:19.
1 Kings 8:43 43 hear in heaven Your dwelling
place
and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You
that all
peoples of the earth may know Your name and fear You
as do Your people
Israel
and that they may know that this temple which I have built is called by
Your name.
YLT
43Thou dost hear in the
heavens
the settled place of Thy dwelling
and hast done according to all that
the stranger calleth unto Thee for
in order that all the peoples of the earth
may know Thy name
to fear Thee like Thy people Israel
and to know that Thy name
hath been called on this house which I have builded.
Hear thou in heaven thy dwellingplace
.... The
prayer of the stranger:
and 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 all people of the earth may know thy name
to fear thee
as
do thy people Israel; might know him to be a God
hearing and answering prayer
forgiving sin
and bestowing favours
which might lead them to fear him and his
goodness
as Israel did:
and that they may know that this house
which I have builded
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.
1 Kings 8:44 44 “When Your people go out
to battle against their enemy
wherever You send them
and when they pray to
the Lord
toward the city which You have chosen and the temple which I have built for
Your name
YLT
44`When Thy people doth go
out to battle against its enemy
in the way that Thou dost send them
and they
have prayed unto Jehovah the way of the city which thou hast fixed on
and of
the house which I have builded for Thy name;
If thy people go out to battle against their enemy
.... In a
foreign country
threatening to invade them
or having trespassed on 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:
and shall pray unto the Lord toward the city which thou hast
chosen
and toward the house I have built for thy name: 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.
1 Kings 8:45 45 then hear in heaven their
prayer and their supplication
and maintain their cause.
YLT
45then Thou hast heard in the
heavens their prayer and their supplication
and hast maintained their cause.
Then hear thou in heaven their prayer and their supplication
.... For
success:
and maintain their cause; do them justice
and
avenge their injuries
as the Targum; let it appear that their cause is right
by giving them victory.
1 Kings 8:46 46 “When they sin against You
(for there is no one who does not sin)
and You become angry with them
and deliver them to the enemy
and they take them captive to the land of the
enemy
far or near;
YLT
46`When they sin against Thee
(for there is not a man who sinneth not)
and Thou hast been angry with them
and hast given them up before an enemy
and they have taken captive their
captivity unto the land of the enemy far off or near;
If they sin against thee
.... The same persons
when they were gone forth to battle
not observing the divine commands as they
should:
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
Ecclesiastes 7:20.
and thou be angry with them; for their sins
and
resent their conduct:
so as to deliver them to the enemy
so that they carry them away
captive unto the land of the enemy
far or near; as into Assyria or
Babylon
whither they were carried.
1 Kings 8:47 47 yet
when they come to themselves in the land where they were carried captive
and
repent
and make supplication to You in the land of those who took them
captive
saying
‘We have sinned and done wrong
we have committed wickedness’;
YLT
47and they have turned [it]
back unto their heart in the land whither they have been taken captive
and
have turned back
and made supplication unto Thee
in the land of their
captors
saying
We have sinned and done perversely -- we have done wickedly;
Yet if they shall bethink themselves in the land whither they were
carried captives
.... Or
"return to their heart"F1והשיבו אל לבן
"et reversi fuerint ad cor suum"
Pagninas
Montanus
Vatablus. ;
remember their sins
the cause of their captivity
and reflect upon them:
and repent of them
and make supplication unto thee in the land of
them that carried them captives; though and while they are in such a state:
saying
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.
1 Kings 8:48 48 and when they
return to You with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their
enemies who led them away captive
and pray to You toward their land which You
gave to their fathers
the city which You have chosen and the temple which I
have built for Your name:
YLT
48yea
they have turned back
unto Thee
with all their heart
and with all their soul
in the land of their
enemies who have taken them captive
and have prayed unto Thee the way of their
land
which Thou gavest to their fathers
the city which Thou hast chosen
and
the house which I have builded for Thy name:
And so return unto thee
with all their heart
and with all their
soul
.... In the most sincere and cordial manner
with great ingenuity
and uprightness; the Targum is
"return
unto thy worship;'
relinquishing
false worship they had given into
and serve the Lord in the best manner they
could:
in the land of their enemies
which led them away captive; and so at a
distance from that temple
and the service of it
which
1 Kings 8:49 49 then hear in heaven Your
dwelling place their prayer and their supplication
and maintain their cause
YLT
49`Then Thou hast heard in
the heavens
the settled place of Thy dwelling
their prayer and their
supplication
and hast maintained their cause
Then hear thou their prayers
and their supplication
in heaven
thy dwellingplace
.... For their deliverance out of captivity: and maintain their
cause; plead it
and do them justice
avenge their injuries
and deliver them.
1 Kings 8:50 50 and forgive Your people
who have sinned against You
and all their transgressions which they have
transgressed against You; and grant them compassion before those who took them
captive
that they may have compassion on them
YLT
50and hast forgiven Thy
people who have sinned against Thee
even all their transgressions which they
have transgressed against Thee
and hast given them mercies before their
captors
and they have had mercy [on] them –
And forgive thy people that have sinned against thee
and all
their transgressions wherein they have transgressed against thee
.... By
returning them to their own land; by which it would appear that the Lord had
forgiven their trespasses
as well as by what follows:
and give them compassion before them who carried them captive
that they may have compassion on them; for it is in the power
of God to work upon the affections of men
and dispose their minds to use his
people well
and to pity them under their distresses
as the Chaldeans did the
Jews in Babylon
Psalm 106:46.
1 Kings 8:51 51 (for they are Your
people and Your inheritance
whom You brought out of Egypt
out of the iron
furnace)
YLT
51(for Thy people and Thy
inheritance [are] they
whom Thou didst bring out of Egypt
out of the midst of
the furnace of iron) –
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; see Deuteronomy 7:6.
which thou broughtest forth out of Egypt
from the midst of the
furnace of iron; hard and cruel bondage in Egypt: See Gill on Deuteronomy 4:20.
1 Kings 8:52 52 that Your eyes may be open
to the supplication of Your servant and the supplication of Your people Israel
to listen to them whenever they call to You.
YLT
52for Thine eyes being open
unto the supplication of Thy servant
and unto the supplication of Thy people
Israel
to hearken unto them in all they call unto Thee for;
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:
and unto the supplication of thy people Israel
to hearken unto
them in all that they call unto thee: at any time
and upon
any account; so far as may be agreeable to his will
make for his glory
and
their good; see Deuteronomy 4:7.
1 Kings 8:53 53 For You separated them
from among all the peoples of the earth to be Your inheritance
as You
spoke by Your servant Moses
when You brought our fathers out of Egypt
O Lord God.”
YLT
53for Thou hast separated
them to Thyself for an inheritance
out of all the peoples of the earth
as
Thou didst speak by the hand of Moses Thy servant
in Thy bringing out our
fathers from Egypt
O Lord Jehovah.'
For thou didst separate them from among all people of the earth to
be thine inheritance
.... 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
when thou
broughtest our fathers out of Egypt
O Lord our God; it was he
that spake this to Moses
and by him to the people
Exodus 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 2 Chronicles 6:1
some things are added at the close of it
and some omitted.
1 Kings 8:54 54 And so it was
when
Solomon had finished praying all this prayer and supplication to the Lord
that he arose
from before the altar of the Lord
from kneeling on his
knees with his hands spread up to heaven.
YLT
54And it cometh to pass
at
Solomon's finishing to pray unto Jehovah all this prayer and supplication
he
hath risen from before the altar of Jehovah
from bending on his knees
and his
hands spread out to the heavens
And it was so
that
when
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 attar
Revelation 8:3
he arose from before the altar of the Lord; the altar of
burnt offering
over against which he was:
from kneeling on his knees; upon the brasen
scaffold; see 2 Chronicles 6:13
in which posture he was during this long prayer:
with his hands spread up to heaven; which gesture he had
used in his prayer
and now continued in blessing the people.
1 Kings 8:55 55 Then he stood and blessed
all the assembly of Israel with a loud voice
saying:
YLT
55and he standeth and blesseth
all the assembly of Israel [with] a loud voice
saying
And he stood and blessed
all the congregation of Israel with a loud voice
.... Turning himself the
altar
and his face to the people
giving them his benediction
not only as the
father of his people
but as preacher in Jerusalem
closing it with a word of
exhortation to them:
saying: as follows.
1 Kings 8:56 56 “Blessed be the Lord
who has given
rest to His people Israel
according to all that He promised. There has not
failed one word of all His good promise
which He promised through His servant
Moses.
YLT
56`Blessed [is] Jehovah who
hath given rest to His people Israel
according to all that He hath spoken;
there hath not fallen one word of all His good word
which He spake by the hand
of Moses his servant.
Blessed be the Lord
that
hath given rest unto his people Israel
according
to all that he promised.... A land of
rest
and rest in the land from all enemies; see Deuteronomy 12:9
there hath not failed one word of all his good promises
which he
promised by the hand of Moses his servant: so Joshua observed a
little before his death
Joshua 23:14 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.
1 Kings 8:57 57 May the Lord our God be
with us
as He was with our fathers. May He not leave us nor forsake us
YLT
57`Jehovah our God is with us
as He hath been with our fathers; He doth not forsake us nor leave 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; the Targum is
"let
the Word of the Lord our God be for our help
as he was for the help of our
fathers:'
let him not leave us
nor forsake us: this was no
doubt a prayer of faith
founded upon a divine promise
Joshua 1:5.
1 Kings 8:58 58 that He may incline our
hearts to Himself
to walk in all His ways
and to keep His commandments and
His statutes and His judgments
which He commanded our fathers.
YLT
58to incline our heart unto
Himself
to walk in all His ways
and to keep His commands
and His statutes
and His judgments
which He commanded our fathers;
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:
to walk in all his ways; he has prescribed and
directed to:
and to keep his commandments
and his statutes
and his judgments
which he commanded our fathers; all his laws
moral
ceremonial
and
judicial.
1 Kings 8:59 59 And may these words of
mine
with which I have made supplication before the Lord
be near the Lord our God day
and night
that He may maintain the cause of His servant and the cause of His
people Israel
as each day may require
YLT
59and these my words with
which I have made supplication before Jehovah
are near unto Jehovah our God by
day and by night
to maintain the cause of His servant
and the cause of His
people Israel
the matter of a day in its day;
And let these my words
wherewith I have made supplication before the Lord
.... At this
time:
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:
and 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:
as the matter shall require; as they should stand in
need of assistance
direction
and protection.
1 Kings 8:60 60 that all the peoples of
the earth may know that the Lord is God; there
is no other.
YLT
60for all the peoples of the
earth knowing that Jehovah
He [is] God; 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
or nominal ones; he only is the one living
and true God.
1 Kings 8:61 61 Let your heart therefore
be loyal to the Lord
our God
to walk in His statutes and keep His commandments
as at this day.”
YLT
61and your heart hath been
perfect with Jehovah our God
to walk in His statutes
and to keep His
commands
as [at] this day.'
Let your heart therefore
be perfect with the Lord your God
.... Sincere in their
love to him
united in their worship of him
and constant in their obedience to
him:
to walk in his statutes
and to keep his commandments
as at this
day: as they did that day
neither king nor people having as yet
fallen into idolatry
but showing by their then present appearance a zeal for
God
his house
and worship.
1 Kings 8:62 62 Then the king and all
Israel with him offered sacrifices before the Lord.
YLT
62And the king and all Israel
with him are sacrificing a sacrifice before Jehovah;
And the king and all
Israel with him 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
pleasedness 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
2 Chronicles 7:1.
1 Kings 8:63 63 And Solomon offered a
sacrifice of peace offerings
which he offered to the Lord
twenty-two
thousand bulls and one hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all
the children of Israel dedicated the house of the Lord.
YLT
63and Solomon sacrificeth the
sacrifice of peace-offerings
which he hath sacrificed to Jehovah
oxen
twenty
and two thousand
and sheep
a hundred and twenty thousand; and the king and
all the sons of Israel dedicate the house of Jehovah.
And Solomon offered a
sacrifice of peace offerings
which he offered unto the Lord
.... Part of
which belonged to the offerer
and with those Solomon feasted the people all
the days of the feast of the dedication
if not of tabernacles also; for the
number was exceeding large
as follows:
22
000 oxen
and 120
000 sheep; which
as suggested
might be the number for all the fourteen days; nor need it seem incredible
since
as JosephusF2De Bello Jud. l. 6. c. 9. sect. 3. says
at a
passover celebrated in the times of Cestius the Roman governor
at the evening
of the passover
in two hours time 256
500 lambs were slain; however
this was
a very munificent sacrifice of Solomon's
in which he greatly exceeded the Heathens
whose highest number of sacrifices were hecatombs
or by hundreds
but his by
thousands:
so the king and all the children of Israel dedicated the house of
the Lord; devoted it to divine and religious worship by these sacrifices:
hence in imitation of this sprung the dedication of temples with the Heathens;
the first of which among the Romans was that in the capitol at RomeF3Vid.
Liv. Hist. Decad. 1. l. 1. p. s. & l. 2. p. 33. by Romulus; the rites and
ceremonies used therein by them may be read in Cicero
Livy
Tacitus
and
othersF4Vid. Hospinian. de Templis
l. 4. c. 2. p. 451. & Alex.
ab Alex. Genial. Dier. l. 6. c. 14. .
1 Kings 8:64 64 On the same day the king
consecrated the middle of the court that was in front of the house of
the Lord;
for there he offered burnt offerings
grain offerings
and the fat of the peace
offerings
because the bronze altar that was before the Lord was too
small to receive the burnt offerings
the grain offerings
and the fat of the
peace offerings.
YLT
64On that day hath the king
sanctified the middle of the court that [is] before the house of Jehovah
for
he hath made there the burnt-offering
and the present
and the fat of the
peace-offerings; for the altar of brass that [is] before Jehovah [is] too
little to contain the burnt-offering
and the present
and the fat of the
peace-offerings.
The same day did the king
hallow the middle of the court that was before the house of the Lord
.... The court
of the priests that was before the holy place
adjoining to it
in which was
the altar of burnt offering; this
or
however
the middle part of it
he
sanctified for present use
to offer sacrifices on
for a reason hereafter
given:
for there he offered burnt offerings and meat offerings
and the
fat of the peace offerings; which was the reason why the middle of the
great court was for this time set apart for this service.
1 Kings 8:65 65 At that time Solomon held
a feast
and all Israel with him
a great assembly from the entrance of Hamath
to the Brook of Egypt
before the Lord our God
seven days and
seven more days—fourteen days.
YLT
65And Solomon maketh
at that
time
the festival -- and all Israel with him
a great assembly from the
entering in of Hamath unto the brook of Egypt -- before Jehovah our God
seven
days and seven days; fourteen days.
And at that time Solomon
held a feast
and all Israel with him
.... Partaking of the
parts of the peace offerings which belonged to him
and were offered by way of
thanksgiving on the occasion
together with whatsoever he might as a liberal
prince provide for this entertainment:
for it was for a great congregation
from the entering in of
Hamath unto the river of Egypt; consisting of a number of people
gathered
together from Hamath
which was on the northern border of the land of Israel
to the river of Egypt; either the Nile
or Rhinoculura
a branch of it
which
lay on the southern border of the land: and this was kept
before the Lord; as in his presence
with thankfulness to
him
and with a view to his glory:
seven days and seven days
even fourteen days; seven days
for the dedication of the house
and seven days for the feast of tabernacles
as the Targum; which agrees with 2 Chronicles 7:9
the feast of dedication was first
and began perhaps on the seventh day of the
month
as the feast of tabernacles did on the fifteenth: within this time
namely
on the tenth
was a fast day
the day of atonement; which was either
observed between the two feasts
or was omitted
which is not likely; or they
did not eat and drink until the evening of that day. The Septuagint version
according to the Vatican copy
reads "seven days" only once; see 2 Chronicles 7:8.
1 Kings 8:66 66 On the eighth day he sent
the people away; and they blessed the king
and went to their tents joyful and
glad of heart for all the good that the Lord had done for His servant
David
and for Israel His people.
YLT
66On the eighth day he hath
sent the people away
and they bless the king
and go to their tents
rejoicing
and glad of heart for all the good that Jehovah hath done to David His servant
and to Israel His people.
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 dismission was made
or they had leave to go
but they did not until the twenty third
according to 2 Chronicles 7:10.
and they blessed the king; returned him thanks for
his care
and charge
and pains
in building the temple; for prayers for them
and the feast he had now made
and wished all health and happiness to him:
and went unto their tents joyful and glad of heart; or to their
cities
as the Targum
to their several habitations; being greatly delighted
with what they had seen and heard
and partook of especially:
for all the goodness the Lord had done for David his servant
and
for Israel his people; in 2 Chronicles 7:10
it is added
"unto Solomon"; for David
in giving him such a son and
successor
who according to promise had built the house of the Lord; and for
Solomon
in raising him up to such dignity
and enabling him to build such a
temple for the worship of God and his glory; and for the people of Israel
in
giving them such a king to rule over them
under whom they enjoyed so much
peace and prosperity
and the full and free exercise of the true religion
with
such accommodations
and in such a splendid manner as now.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)