The Holy Bible: Revised Common Version

1 Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the chief of the fathers of the children of Israel, to king Solomon in Jerusalem, so that they might bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of the city of David, which is Zion. 2 And all the men of Israel assembled themselves to king Solomon at the feast in the month of Ethanim, which is the seventh month. 3 And all the elders of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark. 4 And they brought the ark of the LORD, the Tabernacle of the Congregation, and all the holy vessels that were in the tabernacle, even those the priests and the Levites brought. 5 And king Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, who were assembled to him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing sheep and oxen that could not be told nor numbered for multitude. 6 And the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the LORD to its place, into the oracle of the house, to the most holy place, even under the wings of the cherubim. 7 For the cherubim spread forth their two wings over the place of the ark and the cherubim covered the ark and the staffs thereof above. 8 And they drew out the staffs so that the ends of the staffs were seen out in the holy place before the oracle, and they were not seen outside. And they are there to this day. 9 There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets of stone, which Moses deposited there at Horeb when the LORD made a covenant with the children of Israel when they came out of the land of Egypt. 10 And it came to pass, when the priests had come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD, 11 So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of the LORD.

12 Then Solomon spoke, "The LORD said that he would dwell in the thick darkness.

13 I have surely built you a house to dwell in, a settled place for you to abide in forever."

14 And the king turned his face around and blessed all the congregation of Israel. And all the congregation of Israel was standing. 15 And he said, "Blessed be the LORD God of Israel who spoke with his mouth to David my father and has with his hand fulfilled it, saying, 16 'Since the day that I brought forth my people Israel from Egypt, I have chosen no city out of all the tribes of Israel to build a house so that my name might be therein, but I chose David to be over my people Israel.' 17 And it was in the heart of David my father to build a house for the name of the LORD God of Israel. 18 And the LORD said to David my father, 'Whereas it was in your heart to build a house to my name, you did well that it was in your heart. 19 Nevertheless, you shall not build the house, but your son who shall come forth out of your loins, he shall build the house to my name.' 20 And the LORD has performed his word that he spoke, and I have risen in place of David my father and sit on the throne of Israel, as the LORD promised, and have built a house for the name of the LORD God of Israel. 21 And I have set a place for the ark there, in which is the covenant of the LORD which he made with our fathers when he brought them from the land of Egypt."

22 And Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the congregation of Israel and spread forth his hands toward Heaven. 23 And he said, "LORD God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth beneath, who keeps covenant and mercy with your servants who walk before you with all their heart, 24 Who have kept with your servant David my father that which you promised him. You spoke also with your mouth and have fulfilled it with your hand, as it is this day. 25 Now therefore, LORD God of Israel, keep with your servant David my father that which you promised him, saying, 'There shall not fail you a man in my sight to sit on the throne of Israel, provided your children take heed to their way, that they walk before me as you have walked before me.' 26 And now, O God of Israel, let your word, I pray you, be verified which you spoke to your servant David my father.

27 "But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain you. How much less this house that I have built? 28 Yet have respect to the prayer of your servant and to his supplication, O LORD my God, to listen to the cry and to the prayer which your servant prays before you this day, 29 So that your eyes may be open toward this house night and day, even toward the place of which you have said, 'My name shall be there,' so that you may listen to the prayer which your servant makes toward this place. 30 And listen to the supplication of your servant and of your people Israel when they pray toward this place. And hear in heaven your dwelling-place. And when you hear, forgive.

31 "If any man trespasses against his neighbor, and an oath is laid upon him to cause him to swear, and the oath comes before your altar in this house, 32 Then hear in heaven and do, and judge your servants, condemning the wicked to bring his way upon his head, and justifying the righteous to give him according to his righteousness.

33 "When your people Israel are smitten before the enemy because they have sinned against you, and they turn back to you, confess your name, pray, and make supplication to you in this house, 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.

35 "When heaven is shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against you, if they pray toward this place, confess your name, and turn from their sin when you afflict them, 36 Then hear in heaven and forgive the sin of your servants and of your people Israel so that you may teach them the good way in which they should walk and give rain upon your land which you have given to your people for an inheritance.

37 "If there is famine in the land, if there is pestilence, blight, mildew, swarming-locust, or if there is ravaging-locust, if their enemy besieges them in the land of their cities, whatever plague, whatever sickness there is, 38 Whatever prayer and supplication is made by any man or by all your people Israel, who shall each know the plague of his own heart, and spread forth his hands toward this house, 39 Then hear in heaven your dwelling-place, and forgive, do, and give to each according to his ways, whose heart you know (for you, even you only, know the hearts of all the children of men), 40 So that they may fear you all the days that they live in the land which you gave to our fathers.

41 "Moreover, concerning a stranger who is not of your people Israel, but comes out of a far country for your name's sake 42 (For they shall hear of your great name, of your strong hand, and of your out-stretched arm) when he comes and prays toward this house, 43 Then hear in heaven your dwelling-place and do according to all that the stranger calls to you for so that all people of the earth may know your name to fear you, as do your people Israel, and that they may know that this house which I have built is called by your name.

44 "If your people go out to battle against their enemy, wherever you send them, and pray to the LORD toward the city which you have chosen and toward the house that I have built for your name, 45 Then hear in heaven their prayer and their supplication and maintain their cause.

46 "If they sin against you (for there is no man who does not sin), and you are angry with them and deliver them to the enemy so that they carry them away captives to the land of the enemy, far or near, 47 Yet if they repent themselves in the land where they were carried captives and repent and make supplication to you in the land of those who carried them captives, saying, 'We have sinned and have done perversely, we have committed wickedness,' 48 And so 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 house which I have built for your name, 49 Then hear their prayer and their supplication in heaven your dwelling-place, maintain their cause, 50 And forgive your people who have sinned against you, and all their transgressions in which they have transgressed against you, and give them compassion before those who carried them captive so that they may have compassion on them 51 (For they are your people and your inheritance which you brought out of Egypt, from the midst of the furnace of iron), 52 So that your eyes may be open to the supplication of your servant and to the supplication of your people Israel to listen to them in all their supplications to you. 53 For you separated them from among all the people of the earth to be your inheritance, as you spoke by the hand of Moses your servant when you brought our fathers out of Egypt, O Lord GOD."

54 And it was so, that when Solomon had made an end of praying all this prayer and supplication to the LORD, he arose from before the altar of the LORD, from kneeling on his knees, with his hands spread up to heaven. 55 And he stood and blessed all the congregation of Israel with a loud voice, saying,

56 "Blessed be the LORD who has given rest to his people Israel, according to all that he promised. There has not failed one word of all his good promise which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant. 57 May the LORD our God be with us, as he was with our fathers. May he not leave us, nor forsake us, 58 So that he may incline our hearts to him to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments, his statutes, and his judgments which he commanded our fathers. 59 And let these words of mine with which I have made supplication before the LORD be near to the LORD our God day and night so that he may maintain the cause of his servant and the cause of his people Israel at all times, as the matter shall require, 60 So that all the people of the earth may know that the LORD is God and that there is no one else. 61 Let your heart therefore be perfect with the LORD our God to walk in his statutes and to keep his commandments, as at this day."

62 And the king, and all Israel with him, offered sacrifice before the LORD. 63 And Solomon offered a sacrifice of peace-offerings which he offered to the LORD: twenty-two thousand oxen and one hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the children of Israel dedicated the house of the LORD. 64 The same day the king consecrated the middle of the court that was before the house of the LORD, for there he offered burnt-offerings, food-offerings, and the fat of the peace-offerings, because the brazen altar that was before the LORD was too little to receive the burnt-offerings, food-offerings, and the fat of the peace-offerings.

65 And at that time Solomon held a feast, and all Israel with him, a great congregation, from the entrance into Hamath to the river of Egypt, before the LORD our God, seven days and seven days, even fourteen days. 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 goodness that the LORD had done for David his servant and for Israel his people.

Commentary

Matthew Henry Commentary - 1st Kings, Chapter 8^[➚]

Notes

[v.9] - "nothing in the ark save the two tablets of stone, which Moses deposited there at Horeb" - Reference, Exodus 40:20. God commands this to be done earlier as He is giving the ordinance for building the ark (Exodus 25:10-22).

[v.16a] - "the day that I brought forth my people Israel from Egypt" - Reference, Exodus 12:51.

[v.16b] - "I have chosen no city out of all the tribes of Israel to build a house, so that my name might be therein" - Reference, Deuteronomy 12:5, 11.

[v.16c] - "I chose David to be over my people Israel" - Reference, 1st Samuel 16:1, 12-13.

[v.17] - "it was in the heart of David my father to build a house" - Reference, 2nd Samuel 7:1-2.

[v.19] - Reference, 2nd Samuel 7:12-13.

[v.25] - Reference, 2nd Samuel 7:12-16.

[v.29] - "My name shall be there" - Reference, Deuteronomy 12:11.

[v.37] - "swarming-locust... ravaging-locust" - See the note for Joel 1:4.

[v.46] - "there is no man who does not sin" - Reference, Psalm 14:1, 53:1-3. See also, Romans 3:23.

[v.53] - "you separated them from among all the people of the earth, to be your inheritance" - Reference, Exodus 19:5-6; Deuteronomy 9:26, 32:9. See also, 1st Peter 2:9.

[v.57] - "May he not leave us, nor forsake us" - Reference, Deuteronomy 31:6; Joshua 1:5.

Top