1 Kings 8:1-7, 9-13
Chapter 8
Dedication of the Temple
Then Solomon assembled before him in Jerusalem the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, as well as the leaders of the ancestral houses of the Israelites, to bring up the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord from the city of David, which is Zion.All the Israelites assembled near King Solomon in the seventh month of Ethanim.
When all the elders of Israel arrived, the priests carried the Ark of the Lord
and brought it up with the Tent of Meeting and all the holy vessels in the tent. After the priests and Levites had brought them up,
King Solomon assembled the entire congregation of Israel before him. He was with him before the Ark, and he sacrificed so many sheep and oxen that they could neither be counted nor numbered.
Then the priests laid the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord in its place in the inner Sanctuary of the house—the Most Holy Place—underneath the cherubim’s wings.
The cherubim had their wings spread out over the place of the ark, providing a covering above the Ark and its poles.
There was nothing in the Ark except the two tablets of stone, which Moses placed there at Horeb, where the Lord made a Covenant with the Israelites when they came out of the land of Egypt.
And when the priests came out of the Holy Place, such a cloud filled the Lord’s house
that the priests could not continue to minister. Indeed, the glory of the Lord filled his house.
Then Solomon said: “The Lord has said that he would dwell in thick darkness.
So the house I have built will be your house, a place for you to dwell in forever.”
Commentaries
Dedication of the Temple.
The Ark of the Covenant found its dwelling and final resting place in the temple. Except for processions on liturgical occasions (cf. Ps 132), the Ark, or rather the Glory of God, would not leave the sanctuary until 587, when, with the city and temple destroyed, the Lord went into exile with the exiles on their way to Babylon (cf. Ez 11:22-24). Ezekiel himself (cf. Ez 43:1-12) describes the return of the Glory or divine presence to its dwelling in Jerusalem. The following themes are highlighted in the Deuteronomistic prayer: first, fidelity. Biblical history is primarily built on the “promise-fulfillment” pattern. From the very beginning, sacred history is marked by a series of promises that are fulfilled over varying lengths of time.
This pattern highlights two theological concepts: on one side, God’s faithfulness in fulfilling His promises, and on the other, the power of divine words or promises, which serve as the dynamic and motivating force of salvation history. The theme of divine transcendence is expressed as: “Is it possible for God to dwell on earth? If you cannot fill heaven and the highest heavens, how much less this temple I have built for you!” (27). This reflects the eternal tension between transcendence and immanence.
Finally, the prayer frequently appeals to God’s condescension and mercy: “Hear the supplication of your servant and your people, Israel, when they pray in this place; hear from your dwelling place in heaven, hear and forgive” (30). The universalist openness (41-43) reflects the time of exile (Second Isaiah) and the post-exilic period. Third Isaiah (cf. Is 56:6) provides an appropriate context for framing these verses of Solomon’s prayer. The theme of Jerusalem and the temple as the focal point for all the peoples of the earth gives rise to many compositions and poems (cf. Zech 8:20-22).