1 Kings 8:2
And all the men of Israel came together to King Solomon at the feast in the seventh month, the month of Ethanim.
all the men of Israel
This phrase signifies the unity and collective identity of the Israelites. In the Hebrew context, "all the men" (כָּל־אִישׁ) emphasizes the inclusivity of the gathering, representing the twelve tribes of Israel. This assembly underscores the importance of the event, as it was not just a local or tribal gathering but a national one. Historically, such gatherings were significant for maintaining the unity and religious identity of the nation, especially under the leadership of a king like Solomon, who was known for his wisdom and dedication to God.

came together
The Hebrew root for "came together" (וַיִּקָּהֲלוּ) is "kahal," which means to assemble or gather. This term is often used in the Old Testament to describe a sacred assembly or congregation, particularly for worship or significant religious events. The act of coming together in this context is not merely physical but also spiritual, as the people unite in purpose and devotion to God. It reflects the communal aspect of worship in ancient Israel, where the collective participation of the people was essential in religious observances.

to King Solomon
King Solomon, the son of David, is a central figure in this narrative. His reign is marked by peace, prosperity, and the construction of the Temple in Jerusalem. Solomon's wisdom and leadership are pivotal in bringing the people together for this momentous occasion. The mention of "King Solomon" highlights his role as a divinely appointed leader who guides the nation in spiritual matters. His kingship is a fulfillment of God's promise to David, and his actions in this chapter are seen as aligning with God's will for Israel.

at the feast
The "feast" referred to here is likely the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot), one of the major Jewish festivals. This feast, celebrated in the seventh month, is a time of thanksgiving for the harvest and a remembrance of the Israelites' journey through the wilderness. It is a time of joy and communal celebration, reflecting God's provision and faithfulness. The gathering at this feast signifies a time of renewal and dedication, as the people come together to honor God and celebrate His blessings.

in the month of Ethanim
Ethanim is the ancient name for the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar, later known as Tishri. This month is significant in the Jewish religious calendar, as it includes several important festivals, such as Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot. The use of the name "Ethanim" connects the narrative to the ancient traditions and practices of Israel, emphasizing the continuity of their faith and the importance of this time in their religious life.

which is the seventh month
The seventh month, Tishri, is a sacred time in the Jewish calendar, marked by reflection, repentance, and celebration. It is a time when the Israelites would have been particularly focused on their relationship with God, making it an appropriate time for the dedication of the Temple. The mention of the "seventh month" underscores the spiritual significance of the timing, as seven is often associated with completion and perfection in the Bible. This timing reflects God's perfect plan and the fulfillment of His promises to His people.

Persons / Places / Events
1. King Solomon
The son of King David and Bathsheba, Solomon is known for his wisdom and for building the First Temple in Jerusalem. In this passage, he is the central figure orchestrating the gathering of Israel for the dedication of the Temple.

2. Men of Israel
This refers to the representatives of the tribes of Israel who gathered for the significant event of the Temple's dedication. Their presence signifies the unity and collective worship of the nation.

3. Feast
The feast mentioned is likely the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot), a major Jewish festival that occurs in the seventh month, Ethanim. It is a time of thanksgiving and remembrance of God's provision.

4. Ethanim
The seventh month in the Hebrew calendar, corresponding to September-October in the Gregorian calendar. It is a time marked by several important Jewish festivals, including the Feast of Tabernacles.

5. Temple Dedication
This event marks the culmination of Solomon's efforts to build a house for the Lord, fulfilling a promise made to his father, David. It is a pivotal moment in Israel's history, symbolizing God's dwelling among His people.
Teaching Points
Unity in Worship
The gathering of all the men of Israel signifies the importance of unity in worship. As believers, we are called to come together in worship, setting aside differences to honor God collectively.

Significance of God's Timing
The event occurs during the Feast of Tabernacles, a time of thanksgiving. This reminds us of the importance of aligning our significant life events with God's timing and purposes.

Fulfillment of Promises
Solomon's dedication of the Temple is a fulfillment of God's promise to David. This teaches us to trust in God's faithfulness to fulfill His promises in His perfect timing.

God's Presence Among His People
The dedication of the Temple symbolizes God's desire to dwell among His people. Today, as believers, we are the temple of the Holy Spirit, and God desires to dwell within us.

Celebration and Remembrance
The Feast of Tabernacles is a time of celebration and remembrance of God's provision. We are encouraged to regularly celebrate and remember God's faithfulness in our lives.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the gathering of all the men of Israel for the Temple dedication reflect the importance of community in worship today?

2. In what ways can we ensure that our significant life events align with God's timing and purposes, as seen in the timing of the Temple dedication?

3. How does the fulfillment of God's promise to David through Solomon's Temple encourage us to trust in God's promises in our own lives?

4. What does it mean for us today that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit, and how should this impact our daily lives?

5. How can we incorporate regular times of celebration and remembrance of God's faithfulness into our personal and communal worship practices?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Exodus 23:16
This verse discusses the Feast of Ingathering, which is another name for the Feast of Tabernacles, connecting the timing of the event in 1 Kings 8:2 to the established Jewish festivals.

Leviticus 23:34-36
These verses provide instructions for the Feast of Tabernacles, highlighting its significance and the command for all Israelites to gather, which parallels the gathering in 1 Kings 8:2.

2 Chronicles 5:3
This passage is a parallel account of the same event, providing additional details about the gathering and the dedication of the Temple.
A King Dedicates a Church1 Kings 8:1-9
A Royal PriestJ. Parker, D. D.1 Kings 8:1-9
People
David, Israelites, Levites, Solomon
Places
Brook of Egypt, Egypt, Holy Place, Horeb, Jerusalem, Lebo-hamath, Most Holy Place, Zion
Topics
Assembled, Ethanim, Eth'anim, Feast, Festival, Month, Seventh, Solomon, Themselves
Dictionary of Bible Themes
1 Kings 8:2

     4951   month
     7400   New Year, the
     7467   temple, Solomon's

1 Kings 8:1-6

     7306   ark of the covenant

Library
'The Matter of a Day in Its Day'
'At all times, as the matter shall require.'--1 KINGS viii. 59. I have ventured to diverge from my usual custom, and take this fragment of a text because, in the forcible language of the original, it carries some very important lessons. The margin of our Bible gives the literal reading of the Hebrew; the sense, but not the vigorous idiom, of which is conveyed in the paraphrase in our version. 'At all times, as the matter shall require,' is, literally, 'the thing of a day in its day'; and that is
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The King 'Blessing' his People
And it was so, that when Solomon had made an 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. 55. And he stood, and blessed all the congregation of Israel with a loud voice, saying, 56. Blessed be the Lord, that hath given rest unto His people Israel, according to all that He promised: there hath not failed one word of all His good promise, which He promised by the hand of Moses
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Blighted Blossoms
In our yard, a few feet from the door, stands an apple-tree. In the early spring I watched its swelling buds from day to day. Soon they burst forth into snowy blossoms, beautifying the tree, and filling the air with their fragrance. There was the promise of a bountiful crop of fruit. In a few days the petals had fallen like a belated snow. As the leaves unfolded and grew larger, there appeared here and there a little apple that gave promise of maturing into full-ripened fruit. But, alas! how few
Charles Wesley Naylor—Heart Talks

The Next Words Are, which Art in Heaven. ...
The next words are, WHICH ART IN HEAVEN. From this we are not to infer that he is enclosed and confined within the circumference of heaven, as by a kind of boundaries. Hence Solomon confesses, "The heaven of heavens cannot contain thee" (1 Kings 8:27); and he himself says by the Prophet, "The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool" (Isa. 56:1); thereby intimating, that his presence, not confined to any region, is diffused over all space. But as our gross minds are unable to conceive of
John Calvin—Of Prayer--A Perpetual Exercise of Faith

In the Dungeon of Giant Discourager
IN THE DUNGEON OF GIANT DISCOURAGER I feel very discouraged at times, and sometimes the spells of discouragement hang on for a long while. I wonder if I am sanctified. From unaccountable sources, bad feelings of every description depress my soul, and along with these bad feelings come doubts that cast gloom over me. I have prayed and prayed that these feelings of discouragement might leave me; but they have not done so. I despair of prayer bringing me the help I need. Really, I know not what to do.
Robert Lee Berry—Adventures in the Land of Canaan

Whether the Old Law Enjoined Fitting Precepts Concerning Rulers?
Objection 1: It would seem that the Old Law made unfitting precepts concerning rulers. Because, as the Philosopher says (Polit. iii, 4), "the ordering of the people depends mostly on the chief ruler." But the Law contains no precept relating to the institution of the chief ruler; and yet we find therein prescriptions concerning the inferior rulers: firstly (Ex. 18:21): "Provide out of all the people wise [Vulg.: 'able'] men," etc.; again (Num. 11:16): "Gather unto Me seventy men of the ancients of
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

Sanctification.
VI. Objections answered. I will consider those passages of scripture which are by some supposed to contradict the doctrine we have been considering. 1 Kings viii. 46: "If they sin against thee, (for there is no man that sinneth not,) and thou be angry with them, and deliver them to the enemy, so that they carry them away captives unto the land of the enemy, far or near," etc. On this passage, I remark:-- 1. That this sentiment in nearly the same language, is repeated in 2 Chron. vi. 26, and in Eccl.
Charles Grandison Finney—Systematic Theology

The New Temple and Its Worship
'And the elders of the Jews builded, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo: and they builded, and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia. 15. And this house was finished on the third day of the month Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king. 16. And the children of Israel, the priests, and the Levites, and the
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Law Given, not to Retain a People for Itself, but to Keep Alive the Hope of Salvation in Christ Until his Advent.
1. The whole system of religion delivered by the hand of Moses, in many ways pointed to Christ. This exemplified in the case of sacrifices, ablutions, and an endless series of ceremonies. This proved, 1. By the declared purpose of God; 2. By the nature of the ceremonies themselves; 3. From the nature of God; 4. From the grace offered to the Jews; 5. From the consecration of the priests. 2. Proof continued. 6. From a consideration of the kingdom erected in the family of David. 7. From the end of the
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion

"If we Confess Our Sins, He is Faithful and Just to Forgive us Our Sins, and to Cleanse us from all Unrighteousness. If we Say We
1 John i. 9, 10.--"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar," &c. And who will not confess their sin, say you? Who doth not confess sins daily, and, therefore, who is not forgiven and pardoned? But stay, and consider the matter again. Take not this upon your first light apprehensions, which in religion are commonly empty, vain, and superficial, but search the scriptures, and
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

Entire Sanctification
By Dr. Adam Clarke The word "sanctify" has two meanings. 1. It signifies to consecrate, to separate from earth and common use, and to devote or dedicate to God and his service. 2. It signifies to make holy or pure. Many talk much, and indeed well, of what Christ has done for us: but how little is spoken of what he is to do in us! and yet all that he has done for us is in reference to what he is to do in us. He was incarnated, suffered, died, and rose again from the dead; ascended to heaven, and there
Adam Clarke—Entire Sanctification

The Whole Heart
LET me give the principal passages in which the words "the whole heart," "all the heart," are used. A careful study of them will show how wholehearted love and service is what God has always asked, because He can, in the very nature of things, ask nothing less. The prayerful and believing acceptance of the words will waken the assurance that such wholehearted love and service is exactly the blessing the New Covenant was meant to make possible. That assurance will prepare us for turning to the Omnipotence
Andrew Murray—The Two Covenants

The Gospel of John
As we turn to the fourth Gospel we come to entirely different ground from that which we have traversed in the other three. True, the period of time which is covered by it, is the same as in the others; true, that some of the incidents that have already been looked at will here come before us again; and true it is that he who has occupied the central position in the narratives of the first three Evangelists, is the same One that is made preeminent by John; but otherwise, everything here is entirely
Arthur W. Pink—Why Four Gospels?

Scriptural Types.
1. The material world is full of analogies adapted to the illustration of spiritual things. No teacher ever drew from this inexhaustible storehouse such a rich variety of examples as our Saviour. His disciples are the salt of the earth, the light of the world, and a city set on a hill. From the ravens which God feeds and the lilies which God clothes, he teaches the unreasonableness of worldly anxiety. The kingdom of heaven is like seed sown in different soils, like a field of wheat and tares
E. P. Barrows—Companion to the Bible

Its Meaning
Deliverance from the condemning sentence of the Divine Law is the fundamental blessing in Divine salvation: so long as we continue under the curse, we can neither be holy nor happy. But as to the precise nature of that deliverance, as to exactly what it consists of, as to the ground on which it is obtained, and as to the means whereby it is secured, much confusion now obtains. Most of the errors which have been prevalent on this subject arose from the lack of a clear view of the thing itself, and
Arthur W. Pink—The Doctrine of Justification

The Promises of the Law and the Gospel Reconciled.
1. Brief summary of Chapters 15 and 16. Why justification is denied to works. Argument of opponents founded on the promises of the law. The substance of this argument. Answer. Those who would be justified before God must be exempted from the power of the law. How this is done. 2. Confirmation of the answer ab impossibili, and from the testimony of an Apostle and of David. 3. Answer to the objection, by showing why these promises were given. Refutation of the sophistical distinction between the intrinsic
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion

The Fact of the Redeemer's Return had a Spectacular Setting Forth on the Mount of Transfiguration.
The Transfiguration of Christ is perhaps as familiar as any of the leading events recorded in the four Gospels, yet is it less understood than the other great crises in His blessed life. The purpose and meaning of the Transfiguration is defined in the closing verse of Matthew 16--"Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of Man coming in His Kingdom." This is a verse which has puzzled many Bible readers, yet its meaning is simple if
Arthur W. Pink—The Redeemer's Return

How to Make Use of Christ for Taking the Guilt of Our Daily Out-Breakings Away.
The next part of our sanctification is in reference to our daily failings and transgressions, committed partly through the violence of temptations, as we see in David and Peter, and other eminent men of God; partly through daily infirmities, because of our weakness and imperfections; for, "in many things we offend all," James iii. 2; and, "if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us," 1 John i. 8; "a righteous man falleth seven times," Prov. xxiv. 16; "there is not
John Brown (of Wamphray)—Christ The Way, The Truth, and The Life

The Doctrine of God
I. THE EXISTENCE OF GOD: (Vs. Atheism). 1. ASSUMED BY THE SCRIPTURES. 2. PROOFS OF THE EXISTENCE OF GOD. a) Universal belief in the Existence of God. b) Cosmological:--Argument from Cause. c) Teleological:--Argument from Design. d) Ontological:--Argument from Being. e) Anthropological:--Moral Argument. f) Argument from Congruity. g) Argument from Scripture. II. THE NATURE OF GOD: (Vs. Agnosticism) 1. THE SPIRITUALITY OF GOD: (Vs. Materialism). 2. THE PERSONALITY OF GOD: (Vs. Pantheism). 3. THE UNITY
Rev. William Evans—The Great Doctrines of the Bible

Every Thing Proceeding from the Corrupt Nature of Man Damnable.
1. The intellect and will of the whole man corrupt. The term flesh applies not only to the sensual, but also to the higher part of the soul. This demonstrated from Scripture. 2. The heart also involved in corruption, and hence in no part of man can integrity, or knowledge or the fear of God, be found. 3. Objection, that some of the heathen were possessed of admirable endowments, and, therefore, that the nature of man is not entirely corrupt. Answer, Corruption is not entirely removed, but only inwardly
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion

The Work of Jesus Christ as an Advocate,
CLEARLY EXPLAINED, AND LARGELY IMPROVED, FOR THE BENEFIT OF ALL BELIEVERS. 1 John 2:1--"And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." By JOHN BUNYAN, Author of "The Pilgrim's Progress." London: Printed for Dorman Newman, at the King's Arms, in the Poultry, 1689. ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. This is one of the most interesting of Bunyan's treatises, to edit which required the Bible at my right hand, and a law dictionary on my left. It was very frequently republished;
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

The Song of Solomon.
An important link in the chain of the Messianic hopes is formed by the Song of Solomon. It is intimately associated with Ps. lxxii., which was written by Solomon, and represents the Messiah as the Prince of Peace, imperfectly prefigured by Solomon as His type. As in this Psalm, so also in the Song of Solomon, the coming of the Messiah forms the subject throughout, and He is introduced there under the name of Solomon, the Peaceful One. His coming shall be preceded by severe afflictions, represented
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

The Fact of the Redeemer's Return was Typified in the Lives of Joseph and Solomon.
In the Old Testament there are numerous references to the Second Coming of Christ, references both direct and typical, but in every instance it was His return to the earth which was in view. The secret coming of Christ into the air, to catch up the saints to Himself, was an event quite unknown to the Old Testament prophets, an event kept secret until revealed by God to the apostle Paul who, when writing to the Corinthians upon this particular aspect of our subject, said, "Behold, I show you a mystery
Arthur W. Pink—The Redeemer's Return

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