1 Re 8:2 Commento

The building and furniture of the temple were very glorious, but the dedication of it exceeds in glory as much as prayer and praise, the work of saints, exceed the casting of metal and the graving of stones, the work of the craftsman. The temple was designed for the keeping up of the correspondence between God and his people; and here we have an account of the solemnity of their first meeting there. I. The representatives of all Israel were called together (Kg1 8:1, Kg1 8:2), to keep a feast to the honour of God, for fourteen days (Kg1 8:65). II. The priests brought the ark into the most holy place, and fixed it there (Kg1 8:3-9). III. God took possession of it by a cloud (Kg1 8:10, Kg1 8:11). IV. Solomon, with thankful acknowledgments to God, informed the people touching the occasion of their meeting (Kg1 8:12-21). V. In a long prayer he recommended to God's gracious acceptance all the prayers that should be made in or towards this place (v. 22-53). VI. He dismissed the assembly with a blessing and an exhortation (Kg1 8:54-61). VII. He offered abundance of sacrifices, on which he and his people feasted, and so parted, with great satisfaction (Kg1 8:62-66). These were Israel's golden days, days of the Son of man in type.

INTRODUCTION TO 1 KINGS 8 This chapter gives an account of the introduction of the ark into the temple, Kg1 8:1 of the glory of the Lord filling it, Kg1 8:10 of a speech Solomon made to the people concerning the building of the temple, and how he came to be engaged in it, Kg1 8:12, 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, Kg1 8:22, and of his blessing the people of Israel at the close of it, with some useful exhortations, Kg1 8:54, and of the great number of sacrifices offered up by him, and the feast he made for the people, upon which he dismissed them, Kg1 8:62.

And all the men of Israel assembled themselves unto King Solomon at the feast,.... Not of tabernacles, as the Targum on Ch2 5:3 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 temple, and which was kept before that; since both lasted fourteen days, and the people were dismissed on the twenty third of the month; now not only the above principal persons convened, but a vast number of the common people came to see the solemnity of removing the ark, and of dedicating the temple, and to attend the feast of it, and the more, since in a few days was the time for all the males in Israel to appear there: in the month Ethanim, which is the seventh month; it was, as the Targum says, originally the first month; but upon the children of Israel coming out of Egypt in Ab or Nisan, that became the first month, and this was the seventh from that; and is the same with Tisri, which answers to part of September, and part of October, here called Ethanim; which some render the month of the ancients, others of strong ones; either because of the many feasts that were in it, as some say; or because it was the time of ingathering all the increase and fruits of the earth, which strengthen and support man's life; or rather of "never failing", i.e. waters, showers falling in this month, and the rivers full of water (l); so September is "septimus imber", according to Isidore (m), and the three following months are alike derived; this, by the Egyptians, was called Theuth, and was with them the first month in the year (n); so Porphyry says (o), with the Egyptians the beginning of the year was not Aquarius, as with the Romans, but Cancer; and so the month of September was the first with the Ethiopians (p), and with most people (q); though with the Chinese about the middle of Aquarius (r). Now, though the temple was finished in the eighth month, Kg1 6:38, it was not dedicated until the seventh in the following year; it required time to finish the utensils and vessels, and put them in their proper place, and for the drying of the walls, &c. (l) Vid. Hackman. Praecidan. Sacr. p. 130, 131. (m) Origin. l. 5. c. 33. (n) Lactant. de Fals. Felig. l. 1. c. 6. (o) De Antro Nymph. prope finem. (p) Ludolf. Lexic. Ethiopic. p. 65. & Hist. Ethiop. l. 3. c. 6. (q) Julian. Opera, par. 1. orat. 4. p. 290, 291. (r) Martin. Sinic. Hist. l. 1. p. 22.

The two weeks [of festivity] and the two solemn celebrations were accomplished by the people of the Lord with the greatest joy. The former prefigured the festivals of our church, which Christ began with the mystical dedication of his temple and the transferring of the flesh which he had assumed, to heaven; the latter foreshadowed the last day, the greatest of all solemn days, that will dawn for all saints after the resurrection of the flesh. And the distribution of the ministries and offices in the heavenly and everlasting temple will follow that day.

Solomon assembles the elders of Israel, and brings up the ark, and the holy vessels, and the tabernacle, out of the city of David, and places them in the temple; on which account a vast number of sheep and oxen are sacrificed, Kg1 8:1-8. There was nothing in the ark save the two tables of stone, which Moses put there at Horeb, Kg1 8:9. The cloud of God's glory fills the house, Kg1 8:10, Kg1 8:11. Solomon blesses the people, Kg1 8:12-21. His dedicatory prayer, vv. 22-53. Afterwards he blesses and exhorts the people, Kg1 8:54-61. They offer a sacrifice of twenty-two thousand oxen, and one hundred and twenty thousand sheep, Kg1 8:62, Kg1 8:63. He hallows the middle of the court for offerings; as the brazen altar which was before the Lord was too little, Kg1 8:64. He holds the feast of the dedication for seven days; and for other seven days, the feast of tabernacles; and on the eighth day blesses the people, and sends them away joyful, Kg1 8:65, Kg1 8:66.

At the feast in the month Ethanim - The feast of tabernacles, which was celebrated in the seventh month of what is called the ecclesiastical gear.

THE DEDICATION OF THE TEMPLE. (Kg1 8:1-12) at the feast in the month Ethanim--The public and formal inauguration of this national place of worship did not take place till eleven months after the completion of the edifice. The delay, most probably, originated in Solomon's wish to choose the most fitting opportunity when there should be a general rendezvous of the people in Jerusalem (Kg1 8:2); and that was not till the next year. That was a jubilee year, and he resolved on commencing the solemn ceremonial a few days before the feast of tabernacles, which was the most appropriate of all seasons. That annual festival had been instituted in commemoration of the Israelites dwelling in booths during their stay in the wilderness, as well as of the tabernacle, which was then erected, in which God promised to meet and dwell with His people, sanctifying it with His glory. As the tabernacle was to be superseded by the temple, there was admirable propriety in choosing the feast of tabernacles as the period for dedicating the new place of worship, and praying that the same distinguished privileges might be continued to it in the manifestation of the divine presence and glory. At the time appointed for the inauguration, the king issued orders for all the heads and representatives of the nation to repair to Jerusalem and take part in the august procession [Kg1 8:1]. The lead was taken by the king and elders of the people, whose march must have been slow, as priests were stationed to offer an immense number of sacrifices at various points in the line of road through which the procession was to go. Then came the priests bearing the ark and the tabernacle--the old Mosaic tabernacle which was brought from Gibeon. Lastly, the Levites followed, carrying the vessels and ornaments belonging to the old, for lodgment in the new, house of the Lord. There was a slight deviation in this procedure from the order of march established in the wilderness (Num 3:31; Num 4:15); but the spirit of the arrangement was duly observed. The ark was deposited in the oracle; that is, the most holy place, under the wings of the cherubim--not the Mosaic cherubim, which were firmly attached to the ark (Exo 37:7-8), but those made by Solomon, which were far larger and more expanded.