This chapter gives an account of the introduction of the ark into the temple, 1 Kings 8:1–9 of the glory of the Lord filling it, 1 Kings 8:10, 1 Kings 8:11 of a speech Solomon made to the people concerning the building of the temple, and how he came to be engaged in it, 1 Kings 8:12–21, of a prayer…

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…

And all the men of Israel assembled themselves unto King Solomon at the feast Not of tabernacles, as the Targum on and so Jarchi; though that was in the same month next mentioned, and began on the fifteenth of it, and held seven days; wherefore this must be the feast of the dedication of the…

And all the elders of Israel came To Zion, the city of David: and the priests took up the ark; from thence; in it is said the Levites did it, whose business it was, , and so the priests might be called; for every priest was a Levite, though every Levite was not a priest, and the priests did at all…

And they brought up the ark of the Lord From the city of David to the temple: and the tabernacle of the congregation; not the tent David made for the ark, though that might be brought also, but the tabernacle of Moses, which had been many years at Gibeon; but now removed to Zion, and from thence to…

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…

And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the Lord unto his place Destined for it, the like to which it had in the tabernacle: into the oracle of the house, to the most holy place; that part of the house where the divine oracle was, the holy of holies; for though into it none but the…

For the cherubim spread forth their two wings over the place of the ark The most holy place where the ark stood, even from wall to wall: and the cherubim covered the ark, and the staves thereof above; so that neither could be seen.

And they drew out the staves Not made them larger, as Ben Gersom, than those in the tabernacle of Moses, this place being larger than that; nor did they draw them wholly out, and lay them up in the sanctuary, there being no further use for them, the ark having now a fixed place, and not to be…

There was nothing in the ark, save the two tables of stone which Moses put there at Horeb That is, there were no other writings; or, as Ben Gersom says, no other part of the law, but the decalogue otherwise he observes there were in it Aaron’s rod and the pot of manna, according to though the…

And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place The most holy place, having set up the ark of the Lord there, who were all sanctified that were there, and did not wait by course as at other times, see , where in (2 Chron. 5:12, 2 Chron.

So that the priests could not stand to minister, because of the cloud Either through the darkness it first caused, or through the light that broke out of it, which was dazzling to them, or through the terror it struck their minds with; they could neither minister in the holy place, by offering…

And then spake Solomon Perceiving by this symbol that the Lord was come into his house, to take up his dwelling in it, and seeing the priests and people in consternation at it, spake the following words to their comfort: the Lord said that he would dwell in the thick darkness; and now was…

I have surely built thee an house to dwell in Turning himself from the priests and people, he quieted with a few words, he addressed the Lord; having built an house for him, for his worship and glory, with this view, that he might dwell in it, he was now, by the above token, fully assured it would…

And the king turned his face about He was before the altar, , with his face to that first, and looking towards the holy and the most holy place, filled with the cloud and glory; and now he turned himself and stood with the altar behind him, and looking to the court of the people: and blessed all…

And he said, blessed be the Lord God of Israel All praise and glory, honour and blessing, be ascribed to the Lord; who had afresh shown himself to be Israel’s covenant God, by taking up his residence among them in the temple he had filled with his glory: which spake with his mouth to David my…

Since the day that I brought forth my people Israel out of Egypt Which was now about four hundred and eighty eight years ago; see (1 Kings 6:1, 1 Kings 6:38) .

And it was in the heart of David my father His mind was disposed to it, his heart was set upon it, he had taken up a resolution: to build an house for the name of the Lord God of Israel; for his worship and service, for his honour and glory, .

And the Lord said unto David my father By Nathan the prophet: whereas it was in thine heart to build an house unto my name, thou didst well that it was in thine heart; his design was good, and so far it was acceptable to the Lord, that he thought of such a thing, though it was not his pleasure that…

Nevertheless, thou shall not build the house Which is implied in the question in but thy son that shall come forth out of thy loins, he shall build the house unto my name; which is expressed in .

And the Lord hath performed his word that he spake To David, concerning his son’s building the temple: and I am risen up in the room of David my father, and sit on the throne of Israel, as the Lord promised; succeeded him in the kingdom: and have built an house for the name of the Lord God of…

And I have set there a place for the ark The most holy place: wherein is the covenant of the Lord; the two tables of stone, on which were the covenant of the Lord, as the Targum: which he made with our fathers, when he brought them out of the land of Egypt; as in .

And Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord The altar of the burnt offering in the court of the priests, where he prayed the following prayer; and which altar was typical of Christ, who is always to be in sight in prayer, and through whom all sacrifices of prayer and praise become acceptable to…

And he said, Lord God of Israel Their covenant God and Father, whereby he was distinguished from all the gods of the Gentiles: there is no god like thee; in heaven above or on earth beneath; none among the angels in heaven, nor among kings and civil magistrates on earth, who both are sometimes…

Who hast kept with thy servant David my father that thou promisedst him. &c.] Concerning a son, his successor, and the builder of the temple: thou, spakest also with thy mouth, and hast fulfilled it with thine hand, as it is this day; the temple being now finished by him, see .

Therefore now, Lord God of Israel, keep with thy servant David my father that thou promisedst him That as he had fulfilled one part of his promise respecting himself, his immediate successor, so that he would fulfil the other respecting his more remote offspring: saying, there shall not fail thee a…

And now, O God of Israel, let thy word, I pray thee, be verified Truly made good, and punctually performed: which thou spakest unto thy servant David my father; the same request in other words, repeated to show his ardent and vehement desire to have it fulfilled.

But will God indeed dwell on the earth? &c.] Is it true? Can any credit be given to it? Who could ever have thought it, that so great and glorious a Being, who inhabits eternity, dwells in the highest heavens, should ever condescend to dwell on earth? Such was the amazing condescension of Christ,…

Yet have thou respect to the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplication, O Lord my God Meaning himself, who, though a king acknowledged himself, and esteemed it an honour to be the servant of the Lord, and who was also an humble suppliant of his, and desired his prayers and supplications might…

That thine eyes may be open towards this house night and day, &c.] That is, to the people that pray in it, as they are to his righteous ones, even towards the place of which thou hast my name shall be there; there should be some displays of his presence, power, and providence, of goodness, grace,…

And hearken thou to the supplication of thy servant, and of thy people Israel, when they shall pray towards this place Not only he desires his prayers might be heard, but those of the people of Israel, then, and at all times in succeeding ages, whenever they should look towards the temple, and to…

If any man trespass against his neighbour By being unfaithful in a trust committed to him, or the like: and an oath be laid upon him to cause him to swear; he denying that ever anything was committed to his trust, and there being no witnesses of it, the judge obliges him to take an oath he never…

Then hear thou in heaven When the injured person makes supplication to have justice done him: and do, and judge thy servants; contending with one another, the one affirming, the other denying condemning the wicked, by bringing his way upon his head: inflicting upon him the punishment imprecated by…

When thy people Israel shall be smitten down before the enemy, &c.] Beaten and routed, many slain, and others carried captive; which had been their case, and might be again, and was, though now a time of peace: because they have sinned against thee; which always was the reason of their being given…

Then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of thy people Israel It being not personal, but public sins, which would be the cause of such a calamity: and bring them again unto the land which thou gavest unto their fathers; as had been often their case in the time of the judges.

When heaven is shut up As it may be said to be when the air is quite serene, and not a cloud in it: and there is no rain; in its season, neither the former nor the latter, as it was in the times of Elijah: because they have sinned against thee; want of rain was threatened in case of sin, and was…

Then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of thy servants, and of thy people Israel By removing the judgment of drought upon them: that thou teach them the good way wherein they should walk; the way of worship and duty prescribed by the Lord which was good in itself, and good for them, good…

If there be in the land famine Through want of rain, or any other cause, as there had been a three years’ famine in the time of David, and it is supposed it might be again, though Canaan was a land flowing with milk and honey: if there be pestilence; as there had been, for David’s numbering the…

What prayer and supplication soever On account of any of the above things, or any other: be made by any man, or by all the people Israel; by a private man, for such an one might go to the temple and pray by himself; see (Luke 18:10, Luke 18:11) or by the public congregation: which shall know every…

Then hear thou in heaven thy dwellingplace Which was more properly so than this Solomon had built, and the Lord had taken possession of: and forgive; remove the calamity and distress, be it what it may: and do, and give to every man according to his ways, whose heart thou knowest: that his prayer…

That they may fear thee For his goodness sake in hearing their prayer, removing their affliction, and bestowing his blessings on them, particularly in forgiving their sins, see all the days that they live in the land which thou gavest unto our fathers; not only for the present, while the mercy is…

Moreover, concerning a stranger that is not of thy people Israel One of another country, not belonging to any of the tribes of Israel, yet having some knowledge of, and disposition to, the true worship of God: but cometh out of a far country for thy name’s sake; as the Ethiopian eunuch did, to pray…

(For they shall hear of thy great name Of his great name, Jehovah; of him as the eternal, immutable, and self-existent Being; of the perfections of his nature, as displayed in his mighty works: and of thy strong hand, and of thy stretched out arm); which had done formerly such mighty works in…

Hear thou in heaven thy dwellingplace The prayer of the stranger: and do according to all that the stranger calleth to thee for; which were consistent with the will of God and his glory, and for the good of the stranger; this is more absolutely and unconditionally expressed than the requests for…

If thy people go out to battle against their enemy In a foreign country, threatening to invade them, or having trespassed on their borders, or some way or other infringed on their liberties and privileges, and so given them just occasion to go to war with them: whithersoever thou shalt send them;…

Then hear thou in heaven their prayer and their supplication, &c.] For success: and maintain their cause; do them justice, and avenge their injuries, as the Targum; let it appear that their cause is right, by giving them victory.

If they sin against thee The same persons when they were gone forth to battle, not observing the divine commands as they should: for there is no man that sinneth not; such are the depravity of human nature, the treachery of the heart, and the temptations of Satan, of which Solomon had early notice,…

Yet if they shall bethink themselves in the land whither they were carried captives Or, “return to their heart” [[0]]; remember their sins, the cause of their captivity, and reflect upon them: and repent of them, and make supplication unto thee in the land of them that carried them captives; though…

And so return unto thee, with all their heart, and with all their soul In the most sincere and cordial manner, with great ingenuity and uprightness; the Targum is, “return unto thy worship;” relinquishing false worship they had given into, and serve the Lord in the best manner they could: in the…

Then hear thou their prayers, and their supplication, in heaven thy dwellingplace For their deliverance out of captivity: and maintain their cause; plead it, and do them justice, avenge their injuries, and deliver them.

And forgive thy people that have sinned against thee, and all their transgressions wherein they have transgressed against thee By returning them to their own land; by which it would appear that the Lord had forgiven their trespasses, as well as by what follows: and give them compassion before them…

For they be thy people, and thine inheritance Whom the Lord had chosen above all people, to be a special people to him, and to be his portion and possession; see which thou broughtest forth out of Egypt, from the midst of the furnace of iron; hard and cruel bondage in Egypt: (See Gill on Deut.

That thine eyes may be open to the supplication of thy servant That is, attentive to it, meaning himself and his present supplication; or any other he should hereafter put up in this place: and unto the supplication of thy people Israel, to hearken unto them in all that they call unto thee: at any…

For thou didst separate them from among all people of the earth to be thine inheritance By his choice of them in his own mind, by the redemption of them out of Egypt, by the peculiar laws he gave them, and by the special blessings he conferred upon them: as thou spakest by the hand of Moses thy…

And it was so, that, when Solomon had made an end of praying all this prayer and supplication unto the Lord In which he was a type of Christ, praying and interceding for his people before the golden attar, (Rev. 8:3, Rev.

And he stood and blessed all the congregation of Israel with a loud voice Turning himself the altar, and his face to the people, giving them his benediction, not only as the father of his people, but as preacher in Jerusalem, closing it with a word of exhortation to them: saying: as follows.

Blessed be the Lord, that hath given rest unto his people Israel, according, to all that he promised &c.] A land of rest, and rest in the land from all enemies; see (Deut. 12:9, Deut.

The Lord our God be with us as he was with our fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and those that came out of Egypt, and especially that entered into the land of Canaan under Joshua, and subdued it; as the Lord had been with them to guide and direct them, protect and defend them, succeed and prosper…

That he may incline our hearts unto him By his Spirit, to love, fear, and serve him; to attend to his worship, word, and ordinances: to walk in all his ways; he has prescribed and directed to: and to keep his commandments, and his statutes, and his judgments, which he commanded our fathers; all his…

And let these my words, wherewith I have made supplication before the Lord At this time: be nigh unto the Lord our God day and night; be continually remembered and regarded by him, that so gracious answers might always be returned to those who supplicated in this place: that he maintain the cause…

That all the people of the earth may know that the Lord is God By chastising the people of Israel when they sinned; by bearing and answering their prayers when they prayed unto him; by forgiving their sins, and delivering them out of their troubles; by maintaining their cause, and protecting them…

Let your heart therefore be perfect with the Lord your God, &c.] Sincere in their love to him, united in their worship of him, and constant in their obedience to him: to walk in his statutes, and to keep his commandments, as at this day: as they did that day, neither king nor people having as yet…

And the king and all Israel with him offered sacrifice before the Lord. ] For burnt offerings, which having been laid upon the altar, as soon as the king had done praying to God, and blessing the people, and exhorting them, fire came down from heaven, and consumed them; which showed the Lord’s…

And Solomon offered a sacrifice of peace offerings, which he offered unto the Lord Part of which belonged to the offerer, and with those Solomon feasted the people all the days of the feast of the dedication, if not of tabernacles also; for the number was exceeding large, as follows: 22,000 oxen,…

The same day did the king hallow the middle of the court that was before the house of the Lord The court of the priests that was before the holy place, adjoining to it, in which was the altar of burnt offering; this, or, however, the middle part of it, he sanctified for present use, to offer…

And at that time Solomon held a feast, and all Israel with him Partaking of the parts of the peace offerings which belonged to him, and were offered by way of thanksgiving on the occasion, together with whatsoever he might as a liberal prince provide for this entertainment: for it was for a great…

On the eighth day he sent the people away That is, of the feast of tabernacles, the eighth from the first of that, which was a solemn day, and fell on the twenty second of the month; at the close of which the dismission was made, or they had leave to go, but they did not until the twenty third,…