1 Kings 8:1

1 Solomon then summoned to Jerusalem the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes—the leaders of the ancestral families of the Israelites. They were to bring the Ark of the LORD ’s Covenant to the Temple from its location in the City of David, also known as Zion.

1 Kings 8:1 Meaning and Commentary

1 Kings 8:1

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 8:1 In-Context

1 Solomon then summoned to Jerusalem the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes—the leaders of the ancestral families of the Israelites. They were to bring the Ark of the LORD ’s Covenant to the Temple from its location in the City of David, also known as Zion.

2 So all the men of Israel assembled before King Solomon at the annual Festival of Shelters, which is held in early autumn in the month of Ethanim.

3 When all the elders of Israel arrived, the priests picked up the Ark.

4 The priests and Levites brought up the Ark of the LORD along with the special tent and all the sacred items that had been in it.

5 There, before the Ark, King Solomon and the entire community of Israel sacrificed so many sheep, goats, and cattle that no one could keep count!