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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)