The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Kings — Section 149

can hardly belie,e, considering the natural the more popular proceedings of David, who eagerness nnd impatience of men, that the " gathered t1igether all the chosen men of tiibes of Israel, or their ambitious monarch, Israel, thirty thousand (2 Se.m. vi. 1), o.nd would, of their own choice, defer the con- the statelier, more nristocratic system of his secration for an indefinite number of years. son, who merely sn=ons the chief men ; " It would appear consequently that it is the for Solomon's "elders," &c. (Deut. xvi. 18; view that the dedication was postponed for 1 Sam. xvi. 4; xxx. 26-31), may well have thirteen years " hardly needs discussion " equalled David's" chosen men" in number. (see below on eh. ix. 1). And the same con- It is quite likely that there was more for- siderations apply, though perhaps with mality and stateliness in this latter case, diminished force, to their waiting one year. but it was practically the same class of For if it be said that the delay was occa- persons, i.e., the leading men by birth, sioned by the desire to connect the dedica- talents, or prowess, that were present on both tion mtb the feast of tabernacles, which was • occasions. In fact, it was the J ewisb Church par excell~nce tM feast of the year PQtJ) by representation) unto King Solomon 1D. the answer is that it is more likely that the Jerusalem, that they might bring up [Heb. work would be hurried on by the employ- w bring up] the ark of the covenant of the ment of additional bands, if need be, or that Lord [so ea.lied because it contained the the edifice would be consecrated, though not tables of the covenant which the Lord made complete in all its details, at the feast of with the children of Israel (ver. 9). The the ele,enth year, than that, for the sake of temple being really, or principe.Ily, a re- one month, they should wait eleven months. ceptacle for the ark, the removal of this And if the objection be raised that a feeling venerated relic to its place in the oracle is of religions awe would forbid the dedication narrated first, as being of the first import- of an imperfect bnilding, or of a perfect ance] out of the city of David, which is bnilding with imperfect arrangements, it is Zion. [Cf. 2 Sam. vi. 12, 17.J easy to reply that both bnilding and fur- Ver. 2.-And all the men of Israel [not niture may have been practically complete, all the heads of the tribes just mentioned and may have been believed at the time to (ver.1),asKeil, butallwbocametothefeast, be perfect, but that the experience of the as every male Israelite was under obligation first few days suggested a few alterations or to do (Deut. xvi. 16)] assembled themselves additions which threw the completion of the unto King Solomon at the feast [the Heb, work in all its particalars into the eighth word )r;Jq (with the art.) always means the month. It is worthy of notice that J oaephns feast of tabernacles. The same word is need distinctly states that the dedication was in of the feast of passover (Exod.II xxiii. 16) the seventh month of the eighth year (Ant. and pentecost (ib. ver. 16), bnt tM feast" here can only mean that of tabernacles. As viii. 4. 1)] Solomon assembled &tii?~- See the II feast of ingathering" (Exod. xxiii.16), Ewald, 233 b] the elders of Israel and all the as commemorating the deliverance from heads of the tribes, the chief [Heb. princes] Egypt (Levit. xxiii. 43), and as peculiarly o. of the fathers of the clllidren of Israel. social festival (ib. vera. 40-42; Num. xxix. [This great assembly (compare Dan. iii. 2) 12 eqq.), it was the most joyous as well as cn.n hardly be said to have been suggested. the greatest (fopn) ay,wrar'I ical µ£ylani, to Solomon by the precedent afforded by Jos., Ant. viii. 4. 1) gathering of the year. David (Keil), when bringing np the ark (Compare the Jewish saying of o. le.ter (2 Sam. vi. 1), for it was only natural that date : "He who be.a never seen the rejoic- he should summon the representatives of ing e.t the pouring out of the water of the people to witness an event of encb pro- Siloam, has never seen rejoicing in bis life.") found importance in the national history, It was doubtless for this reason that taber- as the dedication, after years of waiting nacles was selected for the dedication. A (2 Sam. vii. 6-13), of a national sanctuary special feast of dedication, however, was intended to supersede the tabernacle, at held for seven days before the feast of taber. which for five centuries their forefathers nacles proper commenced (see on ver. 66). had worshipped. And the more so, as they It did not displace that great fe:i.st, however bud been called together by David to con- (Stanley), but simply preceded it. It is sult about the erection (1 Chron. xxviii. 1), worthy of notico tho.t Jeroboam selected the and bad offered willingly of their treasures so.me fee.at (eh. xii. 32) for the ine.ugumtion (ib. xxix. 6-9) towards its decoration. It of bis new cultue. The idea. of Josephus, is inconceivable, therefore, that the temple that the feast of taberno.cles "happened to of the Jews could have been formally coincide with the dedioation" hardly seems opened, except in the presence of the probable] 1D. the month Etha.Dim [variously "elders and heads of the tribes." Nor ce.n interpreted to meon gifta, i.e., fruits we (with Rawlinson) see a conmst between (Theniue), jwwing atreamB (Oesenins)-it oa. vm.1-68.] THE FIRST BOOK OF KINGS. 14'7