1 Kings 8:1-6

The Ark Brought into the Temple

1 ¹Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all ²the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the fathers' households of the sons of Israel, to King Solomon in Jerusalem, ³to bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD from ⁴the city of David, which is Zion.

2 All the men of Israel assembled themselves to King Solomon at ⁵the feast, in the month Ethanim, which is the seventh month.

3 Then all the elders of Israel came, and ⁶the priests took up the ark.

4 They brought up the ark of the LORD and ⁷the 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, ⁸were with him before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and oxen they could not be counted or numbered.

6 Then ⁹the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the LORD ¹⁰to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the house, to the most holy place, ¹¹under the wings of the cherubim.

1 Kings 8:1-6 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO 1 KINGS 8

This chapter gives an account of the introduction of the ark into the temple, 1Ki 8:1-9 of the glory of the Lord filling it, 1Ki 8:10,11 of a speech Solomon made to the people concerning the building of the temple, and how he came to be engaged in it, 1Ki 8:12-21, 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, 1Ki 8:22-53, and of his blessing the people of Israel at the close of it, with some useful exhortations, 1Ki 8:54-61, and of the great number of sacrifices offered up by him, and the feast he made for the people, upon which he dismissed them, 1Ki 8:62-66.

Cross References

• 1. 2 Chronicles 5:2-10
• 2. Numbers 1:4; Numbers 7:2
• 3. 2 Samuel 6:12-17; 1 Chronicles 15:25-29
• 4. 2 Samuel 5:7
• 5. Leviticus 23:34; 1 Kings 8:65; 2 Chronicles 7:8-10
• 6. Numbers 7:9; Deuteronomy 31:9; Joshua 3:3, 6
• 7. 1 Kings 3:4; 2 Chronicles 1:3
• 8. 2 Samuel 6:13; 2 Chronicles 1:6
• 9. 1 Kings 8:3
• 10. 1 Kings 6:19
• 11. 1 Kings 6:27

Footnotes

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