1 Kings 8:5

5 And King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, who were assembled to him, ¹were with him before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and oxen they could not be counted or numbered.

1 Kings 8:5 Meaning and Commentary

1 Kings 8:5

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 8:5 In-Context

3 Then all the elders of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark.

4 They brought up the ark of the LORD and the tent of meeting and all the holy utensils, which were in the tent, and the priests and the Levites brought them up.

5 And King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, who were assembled to him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and oxen they could not be counted or numbered.

6 Then the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the LORD to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the house, to the most holy place, under the wings of the cherubim.

7 For the cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim made a covering over the ark and its poles from above .

Cross References

• 1. 2 Samuel 6:13; 2 Chronicles 1:6

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit "sheep and oxen...numbered for multitude"