c The Senators, and Judges, and Rulers. 6 For each Tribe had a. peculiar Head or Governour. «c The chief Perſons of every grear Family in each Tribe. 4 Unto himſelf; the antecedent Noun be- ing put for the relative and reciprocal Pronoun, as is frequent with the Hebrews, e Where the Temple was built, and now finiſhed. f To the top of this high Hill of Miah, upon which it was builr ; whether they werenow to carry the Ark in a ſolemn pomp, that by this their attendance they might make a publick preteſſion of that ſervice and reſpe&, and obedience which they owed unto that God who was graciouſly and gloriouſly preſent in the Ark. g Where David had placed the Ark, 2 Sam: 6: 12, 179. Seeon 1 Kings 2:10; and 3:1. h Which 1s called Zion, becauſe it was built upon that Hill.
2 And all the men. of 1frael ; aflembied themſelves unto king Solomon at the feaft &, in the month Etha- nim, which 7s the ſeventh month 1, _ Fey 5
; Nor only the chief Men who were particularly invited, but a vaſt number of the common People, as being forward to ſee and ro joyn in this great and glorious Solemniry. k Underſtand either firſt, The Feaſt of Tabernacles, Or rather, Secondly, The Fealt of the Dedication; to which S:lomen had invited them, which was before thar Feaft : for that began on the 15th day of the 7:h month, Lev:23: 34: but this began ar the leaſt 7 days before that Feaſt ; for Solomon and the People kept the Feaſt for 14 days. here v. 65. i.e. » days for the dedication of the Temple, and 7 orher days for that of Tabernacles ; and after both thele were finiſhed, he ſenr a!Ithe People ro their homes on the 23 day of the month. See 2 Chran: 7,9, 10, I Which time he choſe with common reſpe& to his Peoples conve- nience, becauſe now they had gathered wnralf their Fruits, and now they were come up to Jeruſalem, to Celebrate the Feaſt of Taber» nacles Queft. The Temple was nor finithtd rill the eighth month, 1 Kings6: 38: how then could he invite themin the ſeventh month ? Anſ. This wasthe ſeventh month of the next Year. For although the Houſe in al its parts was finiſhed the Year before, yet the ureniils of it deſcribed Chap; 7; were not then fully finiſhed, but rook up a conſiderable time afterward ; and many preparations were to be [made for this great and extraordinary occalion.
3 And all the elders of Iliract came, and the prieſts
Frook up the ark 1,
3G 4 > Ecr
Chap. VII
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0% + Heb. fol becauſe they were exceeding many : neither was the ;p. _
ing muliz|
dedicated, eves the filver and the gold y, and the veſ- Holy chings ſels z did he put among the treaſurics of the houſe of Y —
y Either, Firſt, All of it ; and ſo Solemon built it whally at his RES |
and all the heads of che tribes b, the + chief of *2 Chron: !
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ll |
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ap. VIIL. x1 » For although the Levites might do this, Numb; 4: 15: yet the Prieſts did it at this time, partly, for the greater honour of the Solemnity ; and partly, becauſe the Levites mightnor enter into the Holy place, much leſs into the Holy of Holies, where it was to be ntl into which the prieſts themſelves might not have entred if the High-Prieſt alone could have done it. Obj. The Levites arc ſaid to have done this, 2 Chron: 5; 4. Arſe That is moſt true, be- cauſe all the Prieſts were Levites, though all the Lepites were not Prieſts.
4 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 Levites o bring up.
» That made by Moſes, which doubtleſs before this time had been tranſlated from G:#eon to Zion, and now together with other things, was put into the Treaſuries of the Lord's Houle, to prevent all the ſuperſtitious uſe and prophane abuſe of it, and to oblige the peo- ple to come up to Jeruſalem, as the only place where God would now be Worſhipped. o The Priefts carrying ſome, and the Levires others. |
5 And king Solomon, and all the congregation of Iſrael, that were aſſembled unto him, were with him before the ark, ſacrificing ſheep and oxen p that could
not be teld nor numbred for multitude.
p Either, Firſt, In the way, as David did upon the like occa- ſion, 2 S#m: 6: 13, Or, Secondly, When the Ark was come into the Prieſts Court where the Altar ſtood, whence it was ſpeedily to be conveyed to that place where the People could never behold it more. Orrather, Thirdly, When the Ark was ſeated in its place : for although they might in the way or paſſage offer ſome Sacrifices, as David did ; -yet that was not a proper ſeaſon to offer ſo many Sacrifices as could nut be told nor numbred, as theſe are here ſaid to be ; which far berter agrees with what is more particularly related below. Yerſe 62, 63z 64 which is here ſignified in the general by way of anticipation, as is frequently done 1n the Scripture in like Caſes.
6 And the prieſts brought in the ark of the covenant
of the LORD unto his place, into the Oracle of the houſe q, to the moſt holy place, ever under the wings
of the cherubims 7.
q i, ee To that part of the Houſe which is called the Oracle. 1 Kings 6. 5, 16, 19, 23. Or, as it here follows, the moſt Holy Place » To wit, of Solomem's new-made Cherubims, 1 Kings 6. 23, 24, 27. not of the Moſa:cal Cherubims, which were far leſs, and unmovably fixed to the Ark, Exod: 37 7, 8. and therefore together with the Ark, were put under the wings of theſe Cherubims.
7 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.
8 And'they drew out the ftaves /; that the F ends of the ſtaves, were ſeen our in the || holy place t before the Oracle, and they were not ſeen without : and there they
are unto this day. ſ Not wholly, which was expreſly forbidden, Exod: 25: 25;