8:1 Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the
heads of the tribes, the chief of the fathers of the
children of Israel, unto king Solomon in Jerusalem, that
they might a bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD
out of the city of David, which [is] Zion.
(a) For David brought it from Obed-edom, and placed it in
the tabernacle which he made for it in (2Sa 6:17).
8:2 And all the men of Israel assembled themselves unto king
Solomon at the feast in the month b Ethanim, which [is]
the seventh month.
(b) Containing part of September and part of October, in
which they held three solemn feasts, (Nu 29:1).
8:6 And the c priests brought in the ark of the covenant of
the LORD unto his place, into the oracle of the house, to
the most holy [place, even] under the wings of the
cherubims.
8:8 And they d drew out the staves, that the ends of the
staves were seen out in the holy [place] before the oracle,
and they were not seen without: and there they are unto this
day.
(d) They drew them out only far enough to be seen, for they
could not pull them out completely, (Ex 25:15).
8:9 [There was] nothing in the ark e save the two tables of
stone, which Moses put there at Horeb, when the LORD made [a
covenant] with the children of Israel, when they came out of
the land of Egypt.
(e) For it is likely that the enemy when they had the ark in
their hands took away the rod of Aaron and the pot of
manna.
8:13 I have surely built thee an house to dwell in, a settled
place for thee to abide in for f ever.
(f) He spoke according to the tenor of God's promise which
was on the condition that they served him correctly.
8:21 And I have set there a place for the ark, wherein [is] the
g covenant of the LORD, which he made with our fathers,
when he brought them out of the land of Egypt.
(g) The two tables in which the articles of the covenant
were written.
8:23 And he said, LORD God of Israel, [there is] no God like
thee, in heaven above, or on earth beneath, who keepest
covenant and mercy with thy servants that walk before thee
with h all their heart:
(h) Truthfully and without hypocrisy.
8:27i But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the
heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much
less this house that I have builded?
(i) He is ravished with the admiration of God's mercies,
who being incomprehensible and Lord over all will
become familiar with men.
8:31 If any man trespass against his neighbour, k and an oath
be laid upon him to cause him to swear, and the oath come
before thine altar in this house:
(k) That is, the judge or neighbours.
8:32 Then hear thou in heaven, and l do, and judge thy
servants, condemning the wicked, to bring his way upon his
head; and justifying the righteous, to give him according
to his righteousness.
(l) That is, make it known.
8:33 When thy people Israel be smitten down before the enemy,
because they have sinned against thee, and shall turn again
to thee, and m confess thy name, and pray, and make
supplication unto thee in this house:
(m) Acknowledge your just judgment and praise you.
8:35 When heaven is n shut up, and there is no rain, because
they have sinned against thee; if they pray toward this
place, and confess thy name, and turn from their sin, when
thou afflictest them:
(n) So that there is a drought to destroy the fruit of the
land.
8:38 What prayer and supplication soever be [made] by any man,
[or] by all thy people Israel, which shall know every man
the plague of his own o heart, and spread forth his hands
toward this house:
(o) For such are most suitable to receive God's mercies.
8:41 Moreover concerning a p stranger, that [is] not of thy
people Israel, but cometh out of a far country for thy
name's sake;
(p) He means such as should be turned from their idolatry
to serve the true God.
8:43 Hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and do according to
all that the stranger calleth to thee for: that all people
of the earth may know thy name, to fear thee, as [do] thy
people Israel; and that they may know that this house,
which I have builded, is called by thy q name.
(q) That this is the true religion with which you will be
worshipped.
8:47 [Yet] if they shall bethink themselves in the land whither
they were carried captives, and repent, and make
supplication unto thee r in the land of them that carried
them captives, saying, We have sinned, and have done
perversely, we have committed wickedness;
(r) Though the temple was the chief place of prayer, yet he
does not exclude them who being forced by necessity to
call upon him in other places.
8:48 And [so] return unto thee with all their heart, and with
all their soul, in the land of their enemies, which led
them away captive, and pray unto thee toward s their
land, which thou gavest unto their fathers, the city which
thou hast chosen, and the house which I have built for thy
name:
8:50 And forgive thy people that have sinned against thee, and
all their transgressions wherein they have transgressed
against thee, and give them compassion before them who
carried them captive, that they may t have compassion on
them:
(t) He understood by faith, that God of enemies would make
friends with them who converted to him.
8:54 And it was [so], that when Solomon had made an u end of
praying all this prayer and supplication unto the LORD, he
arose from before the altar of the LORD, from kneeling on
his knees with his hands spread up to heaven.
(u) Solomon is a figure of Christ, who continually is the
mediator between God and his Church.
8:58 That he may x incline our hearts unto him, to walk in all
his ways, and to keep his commandments, and his statutes,
and his judgments, which he commanded our fathers.
(x) He concludes that man of himself is enemy to God, and
that all obedience to his law proceeds from his mercy.
8:63 And Solomon offered a sacrifice of peace offerings, which
he offered unto the LORD, two and twenty thousand oxen, and
an hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all
the children of Israel dedicated the y house of the LORD.
(y) Before the oracle where the ark was.
8:65 And at that time Solomon held a feast, and all Israel with
him, a great congregation, from the entering in of z
Hamath unto the river of Egypt, before the LORD our God,
a seven days and seven days, [even] fourteen days.
(z) That is, from North to South: meaning all the country.
(a) Seven days for the dedication, and seven for the feast.
