Back to 1 Kings 8

1 Kings 8:3-11

All the elders of Israel came, and the priests picked up the ark. They brought up Yahweh’s ark, the Tent of Meeting, and all the holy vessels that were in the Tent. The priests and the Levites brought these up. King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, who were assembled to him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing sheep and cattle, that could not be counted or numbered for multitude. The priests brought in the ark of Yahweh’s covenant to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the house, to the most holy place, even under the cherubim’s wings. For the cherubim spread their wings out over the place of the ark, and the cherubim covered the ark and its poles above. The poles were so long that the ends of the poles were seen from the holy place before the inner sanctuary; but they were not seen outside. They are there to this day. There was nothing in the ark except the two stone tablets which Moses put there at Horeb, when Yahweh made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt. It came to pass, when the priests had come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled Yahweh’s house, so that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud; for Yahweh’s glory filled Yahweh’s house.

World English Bible · Public Domain
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1 Kings 8:3-11 sits inside this longer paragraph.

Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, with all the heads of the tribes, the princes of the fathers’ households of the children of Israel, to king Solomon in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of Yahweh’s covenant out of David’s city, which is Zion. All the men of Israel assembled themselves to king Solomon at the feast, in the month Ethanim, which is the seventh month. All the elders of Israel came, and the priests picked up the ark. They brought up Yahweh’s ark, the Tent of Meeting, and all the holy vessels that were in the Tent. The priests and the Levites brought these up. King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, who were assembled to him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing sheep and cattle, that could not be counted or numbered for multitude. The priests brought in the ark of Yahweh’s covenant to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the house, to the most holy place, even under the cherubim’s wings. For the cherubim spread their wings out over the place of the ark, and the cherubim covered the ark and its poles above. The poles were so long that the ends of the poles were seen from the holy place before the inner sanctuary; but they were not seen outside. They are there to this day. There was nothing in the ark except the two stone tablets which Moses put there at Horeb, when Yahweh made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt. It came to pass, when the priests had come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled Yahweh’s house, so that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud; for Yahweh’s glory filled Yahweh’s house. Then Solomon said, “Yahweh has said that he would dwell in the thick darkness. I have surely built you a house of habitation, a place for you to dwell in forever.”

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Parallel Translations

  • WEB World English Bible

    All the elders of Israel came, and the priests picked up the ark.

    They brought up Yahweh’s ark, the Tent of Meeting, and all the holy vessels that were in the Tent. The priests and the Levites brought these up.

    King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, who were assembled to him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing sheep and cattle, that could not be counted or numbered for multitude.

    The priests brought in the ark of Yahweh’s covenant to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the house, to the most holy place, even under the cherubim’s wings.

    For the cherubim spread their wings out over the place of the ark, and the cherubim covered the ark and its poles above.

    The poles were so long that the ends of the poles were seen from the holy place before the inner sanctuary; but they were not seen outside. They are there to this day.

    There was nothing in the ark except the two stone tablets which Moses put there at Horeb, when Yahweh made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt.

    It came to pass, when the priests had come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled Yahweh’s house,

    so that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud; for Yahweh’s glory filled Yahweh’s house.

  • KJV King James Version

    And all the elders of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark.

    And they brought up the ark of the LORD, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and all the holy vessels that were in the tabernacle, even those did the priests and the Levites bring up.

    And king Solomon, and all the congregation of Israel, that were assembled unto him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing sheep and oxen, that could not be told nor numbered for multitude.

    And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the LORD unto his place, into the oracle of the house, to the most holy place, even under the wings of the cherubims.

    For the cherubims spread forth their two wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubims covered the ark and the staves thereof above.

    And they drew out the staves, that the ends of the staves were seen out in the holy place before the oracle, and they were not seen without: and there they are unto this day.

    There was nothing in the ark save the two tables of stone, which Moses put there at Horeb, when the LORD made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt.

    And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD,

    So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of the LORD.

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  • JPS JPS Tanakh (1917)

    And all the elders of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark.

    And they brought up the ark of the LORD, and the tent of meeting, and all the holy vessels that were in the Tent; even these did the priests and the Levites bring up.

    And king Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, that were assembled unto him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing sheep and oxen, that could not be told nor numbered for multitude.

    And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the LORD unto its place, into the Sanctuary of the house, to the most holy place, even under the wings of the cherubim.

    For the cherubim spread forth their wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim covered the ark and the staves thereof above.

    And the staves were so long that the ends of the staves were seen from the holy place, even before the Sanctuary; but they could not be seen without; and there they are unto this day.

    There was nothing in the ark save the two tables of stone which Moses put there at Horeb, when the LORD made a covenant with the children of Israel when they came out of the land of Egypt.

    And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD,

    so that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD.

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Cross-references (74)

  • Exodus 25:21 (v9) You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the covenant that I will give you.
  • Exodus 40:34-35 (vv9–10) Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and Yahweh’s glory filled the tabernacle. Moses wasn’t able to enter into the Tent of Meeting,…
  • 2 Chronicles 7:1-2 (v10) Now when Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and Yahweh’s glory…
  • Hebrews 9:4 (v9) having a golden altar of incense, and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, in which was a golden pot holding the manna,…
  • Exodus 40:20 (vv8–9) He took and put the covenant into the ark, and set the poles on the ark, and put the mercy seat above on the ark.
Show all 71 cross-references
  • 2 Samuel 6:13 (v5) When those who bore Yahweh’s ark had gone six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fattened calf.
  • 1 Kings 3:4 (v4) The king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there; for that was the great high place. Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar.
  • 2 Chronicles 1:3 (v4) So Solomon, and all the assembly with him, went to the high place that was at Gibeon; for God’s Tent of Meeting was there, which Yahweh’s…
  • Ezekiel 43:4-5 (v11) Yahweh’s glory came into the house by the way of the gate which faces toward the east. The Spirit took me up, and brought me into the inner…
  • Ezekiel 44:4 (v11) Then he brought me by the way of the north gate before the house; and I looked, and behold, Yahweh’s glory filled Yahweh’s house; so I fell…
  • Leviticus 9:23 (v11) Moses and Aaron went into the Tent of Meeting, and came out, and blessed the people; and Yahweh’s glory appeared to all the people.
  • Deuteronomy 10:2-5 (v9) I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets which you broke, and you shall put them in the ark.” So I made an ark…
  • Deuteronomy 31:9 (v3) Moses wrote this law and delivered it to the priests the sons of Levi, who bore the ark of Yahweh’s covenant, and to all the elders of…
  • Joshua 3:6 (v3) Joshua spoke to the priests, saying, “Take up the ark of the covenant, and cross over before the people.” They took up the ark of the…
  • 2 Samuel 6:17 (v6) They brought in Yahweh’s ark, and set it in its place, in the middle of the tent that David had pitched for it; and David offered burnt…
  • 1 Kings 6:19 (v6) He prepared an inner sanctuary in the middle of the house within, to set the ark of Yahweh’s covenant there.
  • 1 Kings 6:27 (v6) He set the cherubim within the inner house. The wings of the cherubim were stretched out, so that the wing of the one touched the one wall,…
  • 2 Corinthians 3:18 (v11) But we all, with unveiled face seeing the glory of the Lord as in a mirror, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even…
  • 2 Corinthians 4:6 (v11) seeing it is God who said, “Light will shine out of darkness,” who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory…
  • Exodus 25:13-15 (v8) You shall make poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold. You shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry…
  • Exodus 26:33-34 (v6) You shall hang up the veil under the clasps, and shall bring the ark of the covenant in there within the veil. The veil shall separate the…
  • Exodus 34:27-28 (v9) Yahweh said to Moses, “Write these words; for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.” He was there…
  • Exodus 37:4-5 (v8) He made poles of acacia wood, and overlaid them with gold. He put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, to bear the ark.
  • Numbers 4:15 (v3) “When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the furniture of the sanctuary, as the camp moves forward; after…
  • Deuteronomy 4:13 (v9) He declared to you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even the ten commandments. He wrote them on two stone tablets.
  • Joshua 3:3 (v3) and they commanded the people, saying, “When you see the ark of Yahweh your God’s covenant, and the Levitical priests bearing it, then…
  • 2 Chronicles 5:10 (v9) There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets which Moses put at Horeb, when Yahweh made a covenant with the children of Israel, when…
  • 2 Chronicles 7:1-3 (v9) Now when Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and Yahweh’s glory…
  • Ezekiel 43:2 (v11) Behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east. His voice was like the sound of many waters; and the earth was…
  • John 1:14 (v11) The Word became flesh, and lived among us. We saw his glory, such glory as of the one and only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.
  • Revelation 21:23 (v11) The city has no need for the sun or moon to shine, for the very glory of God illuminated it, and its lamp is the Lamb.
  • Joshua 4:9 (vv3, 8) Joshua set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests who bore the ark of the covenant stood;…
  • Exodus 13:21 (v9) Yahweh went before them by day in a pillar of cloud, to lead them on their way, and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light, that…
  • Exodus 14:24 (v9) In the morning watch, Yahweh looked out on the Egyptian army through the pillar of fire and of cloud, and confused the Egyptian army.
  • Exodus 16:10 (v9) As Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the children of Israel, they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, Yahweh’s glory appeared…
  • Exodus 16:33 (v9) Moses said to Aaron, “Take a pot, and put an omer-full of manna in it, and lay it up before Yahweh, to be kept throughout your generations.”
  • Exodus 24:7-8 (v9) He took the book of the covenant and read it in the hearing of the people, and they said, “We will do all that Yahweh has said, and be…
  • Exodus 24:16-18 (v9) Yahweh’s glory settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days. The seventh day he called to Moses out of the middle of the…
  • Exodus 25:20-22 (v6) The cherubim shall spread out their wings upward, covering the mercy seat with their wings, with their faces toward one another. The faces…
  • Exodus 37:9 (v6) The cherubim spread out their wings above, covering the mercy seat with their wings, with their faces toward one another. The faces of the…
  • Exodus 40:2-33 (v4) “On the first day of the first month you shall raise up the tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting. You shall put the ark of the covenant in it,…
  • Exodus 40:20-21 (v6) He took and put the covenant into the ark, and set the poles on the ark, and put the mercy seat above on the ark. He brought the ark into…
  • Leviticus 9:6 (v11) Moses said, “This is the thing which Yahweh commanded that you should do; and Yahweh’s glory shall appear to you.”
  • Leviticus 16:2 (v9) and Yahweh said to Moses, “Tell Aaron your brother not to come at just any time into the Most Holy Place within the veil, before the mercy…
  • Numbers 7:9 (v3) But to the sons of Kohath he gave none, because the service of the sanctuary belonged to them; they carried it on their shoulders.
  • Numbers 9:15 (v9) On the day that the tabernacle was raised up, the cloud covered the tabernacle, even the Tent of the Testimony. At evening it was over the…
  • Numbers 17:10 (v9) Yahweh said to Moses, “Put back the rod of Aaron before the covenant, to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion; that you…
  • Deuteronomy 31:26 (v9) “Take this book of the law, and put it by the side of the ark of Yahweh your God’s covenant, that it may be there for a witness against you.
  • Joshua 3:14-15 (v3) When the people moved from their tents to pass over the Jordan, the priests who bore the ark of the covenant being before the people, and…
  • Joshua 6:6 (v3) Joshua the son of Nun called the priests, and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of…
  • 1 Samuel 4:4 (v6) So the people sent to Shiloh, and they brought from there the ark of the covenant of Yahweh of Armies, who sits above the cherubim; and the…
  • 2 Samuel 6:2 (v6) David arose, and went with all the people who were with him, from Baale Judah, to bring up from there God’s ark, which is called by the…
  • 1 Kings 8:4 (v6) They brought up Yahweh’s ark, the Tent of Meeting, and all the holy vessels that were in the Tent. The priests and the Levites brought…
  • 1 Kings 8:21 (v9) There I have set a place for the ark, in which is Yahweh’s covenant, which he made with our fathers, when he brought them out of the land…
  • 1 Kings 8:62-63 (v5) The king, and all Israel with him, offered sacrifice before Yahweh. Solomon offered for the sacrifice of peace offerings, which he offered…
  • 1 Chronicles 15:2 (v3) Then David said, “No one ought to carry God’s ark but the Levites. For Yahweh has chosen them to carry God’s ark, and to minister to him…
  • 1 Chronicles 15:11-15 (v3) David called for Zadok and Abiathar the priests, and for the Levites, for Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab, and said to…
  • 1 Chronicles 16:1 (v5) They brought in God’s ark, and set it in the middle of the tent that David had pitched for it; and they offered burnt offerings and peace…
  • 2 Chronicles 5:5-8 (v3) and they brought up the ark, the Tent of Meeting, and all the holy vessels that were in the Tent; these the Levitical priests brought up.…
  • 2 Chronicles 5:7 (v6) The priests brought in the ark of Yahweh’s covenant to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the house, to the most holy place, even under…
  • 2 Chronicles 5:9 (v8) The poles were so long that the ends of the poles were seen from the ark in front of the inner sanctuary; but they were not seen outside;…
  • 2 Chronicles 5:13-14 (v9) when the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking Yahweh; and when they lifted up their…
  • Psalms 80:1 (v6) Hear us, Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock, you who sit above the cherubim, shine out.
  • Psalms 99:1 (v6) Yahweh reigns! Let the peoples tremble. He sits enthroned among the cherubim. Let the earth be moved.
  • Isaiah 37:16 (v6) “Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel, who is enthroned among the cherubim, you are the God, even you alone, of all the kingdoms of the…
  • Ezekiel 10:4 (v9) Yahweh’s glory mounted up from the cherub, and stood over the threshold of the house; and the house was filled with the cloud, and the…
  • Ezekiel 10:5 (v6) The sound of the wings of the cherubim was heard even to the outer court, as the voice of God Almighty when he speaks.
  • Matthew 28:15 (v8) So they took the money and did as they were told. This saying was spread abroad among the Jews, and continues until today.
  • Acts 7:55 (v11) But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, looked up steadfastly into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of…
  • Revelation 15:8 (v9) The temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power. No one was able to enter into the temple until the seven…
  • Revelation 21:11 (v11) having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, as if it were a jasper stone, clear as crystal;

71 distinct cross-references across this passage (74 total citations).

Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)

Explain this passage (18 sources)

Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.

Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv6, 8, 9 That is, the Kohathites, Num. 4:5.

That is, the Kohathites, Num. 4:5.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.

John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv3–11 1Ki 8:3 And all the elders of Israel came,…
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11 For although the Levites might do this, Num 4:15,…
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv3–11 And all the elders of Israel came,.... To Zion,…
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10 The priests - For although the Levites might do…
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv4, 8, 9, 10, 11 Verse 4. They brought up - the tabernacle] It…
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10 1Ki 8:3. The priests took up the ark —…
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv3, 4, 8, 9, 10, 11 In 2Ch 5:4, ““the Levites” took up the ark;”…
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 Priests, who were also Levites, as it is expressed…
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv8–10 they drew out the staves--a little way, so as…
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10 3. The priests took up the ark — According…
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv3–11 3. all the elders] The other representative persons mentioned…
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11 (3) The priests took up the ark.—To bear the…
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv3–11 And all the elders of Israel came Not a…
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary 1892 · Public Domain On v10 1Ki_8:12. Dwell in the thick darkness—A deeply solemn gloom…
C. I. Scofield 1917 · Public Domain On v10 1Ki 8:10; 1Ki 8:11. (See Scofield "Exo 40:34")
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv3, 6, 9 all the assembly of Israel
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv3, 5, 8, 9, 10 8:3-4 The priests and Levites brought up the Ark…
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