1 Raja-raja 8:1-5

Solomon Moves the Ark into the Temple

8:1 ¹ Then Solomon convened in Jerusalem ²  Israel’s elders, all the leaders of the Israelite tribes and families, so they could witness the transferal of the ark of the Lord’s covenant from the city of David (that is, Zion). ³  8:2 All the men of Israel assembled before King Solomon during the festival ⁴  in the month Ethanim ⁵  (the seventh month). 8:3 When all Israel’s elders had arrived, the priests lifted the ark. 8:4 The priests and Levites carried the ark of the Lord, the tent of meeting, ⁶  and all the holy items in the tent. ⁷  8:5 Now King Solomon and all the Israelites who had assembled with him went on ahead of the ark and sacrificed more sheep and cattle than could be counted or numbered. ⁸ 

¹ tc The Old Greek translation includes the following words at the beginning of ch. 8: “It so happened that when Solomon finished building the Lord’s temple and his own house, after twenty years.”

² map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

³ tn Heb “Then Solomon convened the elders of Israel, the heads of the tribes, the chiefs of the fathers belonging to the sons of Israel to King Solomon [in] Jerusalem to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord from the city of David (it is Zion).”

⁴ sn The festival. This was the Feast of Tabernacles, see Lev 23:34.

⁵ sn The month Ethanim. This would be September-October in modern reckoning.

⁶ tn Heb “the tent of assembly.”

sn The tent of meeting. See Exod 33:7-11.

⁷ tn Heb “and they carried the ark of the Lord…. The priests and the Levites carried them.”

⁸ tn Heb “And King Solomon and all the assembly of Israel, those who had been gathered to him, [were] before the ark, sacrificing sheep and cattle which could not be counted or numbered because of the abundance.”