1 Kings 8:65

65 So Solomon held ¹the feast at that time, and all Israel with him, a great assembly, from ²Lebo-hamath to ³the Brook of Egypt, before the LORD our God, seven days.^[a]

1 Kings 8:65 Meaning and Commentary

1 Kings 8:65

And at that time Solomon held a feast, and all Israel with
him
Partaking of the parts of the peace offerings which belonged to him, and were offered by way of thanksgiving on the occasion, together with whatsoever he might as a liberal prince provide for this entertainment:

for it was for a great congregation, from the entering in of Hamath
unto the river of Egypt;
consisting of a number of people, gathered together from Hamath, which was on the northern border of the land of Israel, to the river of Egypt; either the Nile, or Rhinoculura, a branch of it, which lay on the southern border of the land: and this was kept

before the Lord;
as in his presence, with thankfulness to him, and with a view to his glory:

seven days and seven days, even fourteen days;
seven days for the dedication of the house, and seven days for the feast of tabernacles, as the Targum; which agrees with ( 2 Chronicles 7:9 ) , the feast of dedication was first, and began perhaps on the seventh day of the month, as the feast of tabernacles did on the fifteenth: within this time, namely, on the tenth, was a fast day, the day of atonement; which was either observed between the two feasts, or was omitted, which is not likely; or they did not eat and drink until the evening of that day. The Septuagint version, according to the Vatican copy, reads "seven days" only once; see ( 2 Chronicles 7:8 ) .

1 Kings 8:65 In-Context

63 Solomon offered as peace offerings to the LORD 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. So the king and all the people of Israel dedicated the house of the LORD.

64 The same day the king consecrated the middle of the court that was before the house of the LORD, for there he offered the burnt offering and the grain offering and the fat pieces of the peace offerings, because the bronze altar that was before the LORD was too small to receive the burnt offering and the grain offering and the fat pieces of the peace offerings.

65 So Solomon held the feast at that time, and all Israel with him, a great assembly, from Lebo-hamath to the Brook of Egypt, before the LORD our God, seven days.

66 On the eighth day he sent the people away, and they blessed the king and went to their homes joyful and glad of heart for all the goodness that the LORD had shown to David his servant and to Israel his people.

Cross References

• 1. ver. 2; Leviticus 23:34
• 2. Numbers 13:21; Numbers 34:8
• 3. Numbers 34:5; 2 Kings 24:7

Footnotes

• [a]. Septuagint; Hebrew seven days and seven days, fourteen days