1 Kings 8:1-8

1 Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the princes of the families of the sons of Israel, unto King Solomon in Jerusalem that they might bring up 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 unto King Solomon in the month Ethanim, which is the seventh month, on the solemn day.

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

4 And they brought up the ark of the LORD and the tabernacle of the testimony and all the holy vessels that were in the tabernacle, which the priests and the Levites carried.

5 And King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel that were assembled unto him were with him before the ark, sacrificing sheep and oxen, that could not be counted nor numbered for multitude.

6 And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the LORD unto his place, into the oracle of the house, in the holy of holies, under the wings of the cherubim.

7 For the cherubim had their wings extended over the place of the ark, and the cherubim covered the ark and its staves from above.

8 And they drew out the staves so that the ends of the staves could be seen out in the holy place in front of the oracle, but they could not be seen from outside, and thus they remained until today.

1 Kings 8:1-8 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.