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And all the men of Israel assembled themselves unto king Solomon at the feast in the month Ethanim, which is the seventh month.
1 Kings 8:2 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB All the men of Israel assembled themselves to king Solomon at the feast, in the month Ethanim, which is the seventh month.
  • BSB And all the men of Israel came together to King Solomon at the feast in the seventh month, the month of Ethanim.
  • NKJV Therefore all the men of Israel assembled with King Solomon at the feast in the month of Ethanim, which is the seventh month.
  • NASB So all the men of Israel assembled themselves before King Solomon at the feast, in the month Ethanim, that is, the seventh month.
  • NLT So all the men of Israel assembled before King Solomon at the annual Festival of Shelters, which is held in early autumn in the month of Ethanim.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

All Israel gathered to King Solomon at the feast in the month Ethanim, the seventh month. The dedication coincided with a major appointed festival.

Overview

The seventh month, Ethanim, was the time of the Feast of Tabernacles, when Israel celebrated God's dwelling among them in the wilderness. Bringing the ark into the temple during this feast fittingly joined the nation's joy in God's presence to His covenant memory. The timing underscored that the temple was the place where God would now tabernacle with His people.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 11

  • Lev 23:34Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the LORD.
  • 2 Chr 7:8–10Also at the same time Solomon kept the feast seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great congregation, from the entering in of Hamath unto the river of Egypt.
  • Neh 8:14–18And they found written in the law which the LORD had commanded by Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in booths in the feast of the seventh month:
  • Num 29:12–40And on the fifteenth day of the seventh month ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work, and ye shall keep a feast unto the LORD seven days:
  • Zech 14:16–19And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.
  • John 7:37In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.
  • 1 Kgs 8:65And at that time Solomon held a feast, and all Israel with him, a great congregation, from the entering in of Hamath unto the river of Egypt, before the LORD our God, seven days and seven days, even fourteen days.
  • John 7:2Now the Jews’ feast of tabernacles was at hand.
  • Deut 16:13Thou shalt observe the feast of tabernacles seven days, after that thou hast gathered in thy corn and thy wine:
  • Ezra 3:4They kept also the feast of tabernacles, as it is written, and offered the daily burnt offerings by number, according to the custom, as the duty of every day required;
  • 2 Chr 5:3Wherefore all the men of Israel assembled themselves unto the king in the feast which was in the seventh month.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (3)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — 1 Kings videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on 1 Kings 8:2YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on 1 KingsMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

Solomon's glory, wisdom, and temple where God's presence dwells are a shadow of the greater Son of David — 'one greater than Solomon is here' — and of the true Temple, Christ himself.

How 1 Kings 8:2 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.