1Ki 8 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for 1Kgs 8:1-66: 8:1-66 Solomon’s building activities climaxed with the Ark’s move to the newly erected Temple. The king offered both prayer (8:22-53 ) and words of praise and blessing (8:56-61 ) to dedicate the Temple for the Lord’s service. After the dedication, the assembled gathering enjoyed the great Festival of Shelters. The focus of the account is on Solomon praising God and blessing the people (8:12-61 ). 8:1 The Ark was being kept in a tent in the City of David (2 Sam 6:3-17 ; 1 Chr 13:7-14 ; 15:1–16:43 ). Solomon had gone there earlier to sacrifice after the Lord appeared to him in a dream in Gibeon (1 Kgs 3:4-15 ).

Summary for 1Kgs 8:1-66: 8:1-66 ^a Solomon’s building activities climaxed with the Ark’s move to the newly erected Temple. The king offered both prayer (8:22-53 ^b) and words of praise and blessing (8:56-61 ^c) to dedicate the Temple for the Lord’s service. After the dedication, the assembled gathering enjoyed the great Festival of Shelters. The focus of the account is on Solomon praising God and blessing the people (8:12-61 ^d). 8:1 ^e The Ark was being kept in a tent in the City of David (2 Sam 6:3-17 ^f; 1 Chr 13:7-14 ^g; 15:1–16:43 ^h). Solomon had gone there earlier to sacrifice after the Lord appeared to him in a dream in Gibeon (1 Kgs 3:4-15 ⁱ).
8:2 ^j Although the Temple was completed in the eighth month (6:38 ^k), Solomon apparently delayed the dedication until the following year so it could take place at the annual Festival of Shelters, which is held in early autumn in the month of Ethanim. This schedule allowed time to prepare for the spectacular celebration and gave the occasion double significance. As prescribed in the law, Solomon and the people expressed their gratitude to God for the completed harvest season. They also celebrated the fulfillment of Moses’ song of deliverance, which promised that God would one day settle his people in the Promised Land and make his dwelling there (Exod 15:17 ^l; Deut 12:10-14 ^m). Solomon’s dedicatory prayer and blessing may indicate that he was consciously leading his people in covenantal renewal, as prescribed in Deut 31:10-13 ⁿ, in the seventh month of the seventh year of his reign.
Summary for 1Kgs 8:3-4: 8:3-4 ^o The priests and Levites brought up the Ark of the Lord as prescribed in the law (Exod 25:14-15 ^p; Num 4:5-8 ^q; cp. 2 Sam 6:1-15 ^r).
8:5 ^s The incalculable sacrifices by the Israelites marked both the joy and the solemnity of this occasion.
8:8 ^t In accordance with the law (Exod 25:15 ^u), the carrying poles were required to stay with the Ark.
8:9 ^v The focus on the two stone tablets that Moses placed in the Ark (cp. 8:21 ^w; see Exod 25:21 ^x; Deut 31:26 ^y) suggests that Solomon had in mind both a renewal of the Mosaic covenant and the Temple dedication.
Summary for 1Kgs 8:10-11: 8:10-11 ^z As the priests came out of the Holy Place, they were greeted with music praising the Lord (2 Chr 5:11-14 ^aa). Previously, the glorious presence of the Lord had filled the Tabernacle (Exod 40:34-35 ^ab). Now it filled the Temple to show that God was again dwelling among his people. Ezekiel recorded its later departure from the Temple (Ezek 10:18-19 ^ac), to return at a blessed future time (Ezek 43:1-5 ^ad). In the New Testament, John wrote that God dwells among his people through his son, Jesus Christ (John 1:14 ^ae). Paul affirmed that Christ now dwells in each believer (Col 1:27 ^af) as a foretaste of a future when “God’s home is ... among his people” (Rev 21:3 ^ag).
Summary for 1Kgs 8:12-21: 8:12-21 ^ah Solomon began with prayer (8:12-13 ^ai), then blessed the people while praising God for fulfilling his promises (8:14-21 ^aj). As in many praise psalms, Solomon elevated God, subordinated himself, and testified to God’s great goodness.
Summary for 1Kgs 8:12-13: 8:12-13 ^ak thick cloud of darkness: Solomon recognized the cloud filling the inner sanctuary as a manifestation of God’s presence, but he also understood that God could not be contained in a man-made Temple (see 8:27 ^al). Solomon fulfilled his commission to build the Temple (8:19 ^am; 1 Chr 28:10 ^an), believing the promises that God would dwell in the sanctuary (see Exod 15:17 ^ao).
Summary for 1Kgs 8:14-16: 8:14-16 ^ap Solomon’s blessing was expressed as praise to God, who had kept his covenant promises and blessed his people (see 2 Sam 7:12-16 ^aq; cp. 2 Chr 6:1-11 ^ar).
Summary for 1Kgs 8:22-61: 8:22-61 ^as Like Solomon’s preceding prayer, his prayer of dedication for the Temple praised God and blessed the people. He emphasized God’s covenant faithfulness and his own role in building the Temple and prayed for God’s continued response to their prayers (8:22-30 ^at). Solomon then made seven distinct petitions to God (8:31-53 ^au) and concluded with a blessing (8:54-61 ^av). 8:22 ^aw As Solomon prayed, he lifted his hands toward heaven and knelt before the Lord on a platform erected in clear view of the congregation (8:54 ^ax; 2 Chr 6:13 ^ay). Jesus condemned hypocritical individuals who displayed religiosity without true, heartfelt belief (Matt 6:5-8 ^az). But Solomon’s public piety was genuine, leading his people in worship and encouraging them to live in full dependence upon God. The nation that knows and obeys the Lord, and whose leaders rule in righteousness, is particularly blessed (2 Chr 7:14 ^ba; Pss 33:12 ^bb; 45:6-7 ^bc; 144:15 ^bd; Prov 29:2 ^be; Isa 11:1-5 ^bf).
Summary for 1Kgs 8:23-26: 8:23-26 ^bg Solomon’s prayer affirmed God’s incomparable nature and the fulfillment of his promises to David. Solomon also prayed that God would keep his promise that David’s descendants ... will always sit on the throne.
Summary for 1Kgs 8:29-51: 8:29-51 ^bh Solomon asked God to hear the prayers of his people from the Temple. He then addressed specific instances in which they would need God’s answers.
Summary for 1Kgs 8:31-32: 8:31-32 ^bi Solomon asked that God render the proper decision and carry out justice in court cases when the litigant’s innocence could not be determined due to a lack of witnesses (cp. Exod 22:7-12 ^bj). Perhaps Solomon realized that later officials would not have the special wisdom God had given him (1 Kgs 3:12 ^bk; e.g., 3:16-27 ^bl).
Summary for 1Kgs 8:33-34: 8:33-34 ^bm Solomon asked concerning future situations when the people of Israel sinned and God allowed the enemy to defeat them (see Lev 26:14-17 ^bn; Deut 28:15 ^bo, 25-26 ^bp, 45 ^bq, 49 ^br; Josh 7 ^bs) and then the people genuinely repented. Solomon asked that God honor his covenant and forgive them (Lev 26:39-42 ^bt).
Summary for 1Kgs 8:35-36: 8:35-36 ^bu Solomon prayed about drought brought on by the people’s sin (Lev 26:19 ^bv; Deut 28:23-24 ^bw). Solomon prayed that if the people confessed and truly repented, God would forgive them and restore fertility to the land so that the people would learn to live righteously before God.
Summary for 1Kgs 8:37-40: 8:37-40 ^bx Solomon prayed concerning various disasters caused by individual or corporate sin (Lev 26:16 ^by, 19-26 ^bz; Deut 28:21-22 ^ca, 38-40 ^cb, 42 ^cc, 58-61 ^cd). Solomon again asked that if God’s people confessed and truly repented, God would deal justly so that all might live in reverence before him (Deut 8:6 ^ce; 2 Chr 7:14 ^cf; Prov 1:7 ^cg; 9:10 ^ch; 15:33 ^ci).
Summary for 1Kgs 8:41-43: 8:41-43 ^cj Solomon asked that non-Israelites would learn to fear the Lord and live in relationship with him. Solomon realized that Israel must properly represent the Lord to those outside the covenant (see Gen 12:7 ^ck; Ps 102:15 ^cl; Hab 2:14 ^cm; Matt 28:19 ^cn).
Summary for 1Kgs 8:44-45: 8:44-45 ^co On behalf of those without access to the Temple, particularly when far away fighting for God’s cause (Lev 26:7-8 ^cp; Deut 20:1-4 ^cq), Solomon asked that God hear their prayers directed toward the Lord and his Temple in Jerusalem (see Dan 6:10 ^cr).
Summary for 1Kgs 8:46-51: 8:46-51 ^cs Solomon prayed concerning a time when Israel might be carried away captive (Lev 26:33 ^ct). Solomon prayed that if the people genuinely repented and confessed their sin, God would listen, forgive them, and grant them favor with their captors (Lev 26:40-45 ^cu; 2 Kgs 25:27-30 ^cv; Dan 6:10 ^cw; 9:3-19 ^cx).
Summary for 1Kgs 8:52-53: 8:52-53 ^cy Solomon concluded his prayer of dedication with a general petition for God to be accessible to all of Israel and respond to their requests. Returning to the theme of the Exodus (8:16 ^cz), Solomon reminded God that he had selected Israel as his special possession (Exod 19:5 ^da; Deut 7:6 ^db; 14:1-2 ^dc; 26:18 ^dd; Ps 135:4 ^de; cp. Titus 2:11-14 ^df; 1 Pet 2:9-10 ^dg).
Summary for 1Kgs 8:54-56: 8:54-56 ^dh Solomon praised God’s faithfulness and goodness to Israel in giving the people rest as promised (see Josh 21:43-45 ^di; 23:14 ^dj; 2 Sam 7:1 ^dk). Some Israelites failed to appropriate the rest that only God provides (Ps 95:10-11 ^dl; Heb 3:7-19 ^dm; 4:1-11 ^dn).
Summary for 1Kgs 8:57-61: 8:57-61 ^do Solomon asked that God continue to be with his people and mold them into an obedient and faithful nation. Through God’s grace and their faithfulness, Israel could experience God’s righteous justice and teach people all over the earth that the Lord alone is God.
Summary for 1Kgs 8:62-66: 8:62-66 ^dp The closing sacrifices (see Deut 12:5-14 ^dq) and the observance of the Festival of Shelters close the narrative frame that was opened with the sacrifices made when the Ark was installed in the Most Holy Place (1 Kgs 8:1-11 ^dr; cp. 2 Chr 7:1-6 ^ds).
8:65 ^dt Lebo-hamath to the north in Aram and the Brook of Egypt (Wadi al Arish) to the south are the geographic boundaries that defined the Promised Land (Josh 13:5 ^du; 15:4 ^dv).

• seven days for the dedication of the altar and seven days for the Festival of Shelters: When the seven days for the dedication were completed, the Festival of Shelters was observed for another seven days.