1 Kings 8:66 kjv
On the eighth day he sent the people away: and they blessed the king, and went unto their tents joyful and glad of heart for all the goodness that the LORD had done for David his servant, and for Israel his people.
1 Kings 8:66 nkjv
On the eighth day he sent the people away; and they blessed the king, and went to their tents joyful and glad of heart for all the good that the LORD had done for His servant David, and for Israel His people.
1 Kings 8:66 niv
On the following day he sent the people away. They blessed the king and then went home, joyful and glad in heart for all the good things the LORD had done for his servant David and his people Israel.
1 Kings 8:66 esv
On the eighth day he sent the people away, and they blessed the king and went to their homes joyful and glad of heart for all the goodness that the LORD had shown to David his servant and to Israel his people.
1 Kings 8:66 nlt
After the festival was over, Solomon sent the people home. They blessed the king and went to their homes joyful and glad because the LORD had been good to his servant David and to his people Israel.
1 Kings 8 66 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Neh 8:10 | "Then he said to them, 'Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet drink, and send portions... for the joy of the LORD is your strength.'" | Joy in God's goodness, communal sharing. |
| Psa 16:11 | "You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy..." | Fullness of joy in God's presence. |
| Psa 4:7 | "You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and new wine abound." | God-given joy superior to material gain. |
| Deut 12:7 | "And there you shall eat before the LORD your God, and you shall rejoice..." | Rejoicing before the LORD at cultic sites. |
| Phil 4:4 | "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice." | New Covenant continuation of joy in God. |
| Isa 58:14 | "then you shall take delight in the LORD, and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth..." | Delight in God leading to blessed living. |
| Deut 16:15 | "for the LORD your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you will be altogether joyful." | Feast observance, God's blessing leading to joy. |
| 2 Chr 7:10 | "On the twenty-third day of the seventh month he sent the people away to their homes, joyful and glad of heart for the goodness that the LORD had shown to David and to Solomon and to Israel His people." | Parallel account, explicitly mentions Solomon. |
| 2 Sam 7:16 | "And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before Me. Your throne shall be established forever." | God's eternal goodness in the Davidic covenant. |
| 1 Kgs 3:6 | "And Solomon said, 'You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant David my father...'" | Solomon acknowledging God's goodness to David. |
| Josh 21:45 | "Not one word of all the good promises that the LORD had made to the house of Israel had failed..." | God's faithfulness in fulfilling promises. |
| 1 Sam 12:7 | "Now therefore stand still that I may plead with you before the LORD concerning all the righteous deeds of the LORD that He performed for you and for your fathers." | Remembrance of God's past righteous acts. |
| Exod 34:6 | "The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness..." | Description of God's good character. |
| Psa 23:6 | "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life..." | God's constant goodness towards His people. |
| Lam 3:25 | "The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him." | God's goodness to the seeking heart. |
| Matt 1:1 | "The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham." | Jesus, the fulfillment of Davidic promises. |
| Rom 15:13 | "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope." | New Covenant joy rooted in God. |
| Acts 2:46 | "And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts." | Early church's joyful fellowship. |
| Deut 16:7 | "And you shall boil and eat it in the place that the LORD your God chooses. And in the morning you shall turn and go to your tents." | Protocol for pilgrims returning home after feasts. |
| Lev 23:43 | "so that your generations may know that I made the people of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt..." | Basis for Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles). |
| 2 Kgs 10:9 | "...the Lord’s word will stand, which He spoke concerning the house of Ahab." | Emphasizes God's words stand and His promises kept. |
| Psa 98:4 | "Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises!" | Universal call to joyful praise. |
1 Kings 8 verses
1 Kings 8 66 Meaning
On the eighth day following the conclusion of the fourteen-day dedication festival, King Solomon sent the assembled people home. They departed with spirits filled with joy and gladness, for they deeply recognized and celebrated the immense goodness and faithfulness the LORD had displayed towards His servant David and the entire nation of Israel. This profound inner joy stemmed from the experiential understanding of God's fulfilled promises and the established presence of the Divine among them in the newly dedicated Temple.
1 Kings 8 66 Context
1 Kings 8:66 concludes the monumental fourteen-day Temple dedication festival initiated by King Solomon. The preceding verses (1 Kgs 8:65) specify a celebration of "seven days and seven days," totaling fourteen days, marking an extraordinary extension beyond the typical week-long Feasts of Tabernacles (Sukkot). This grand assembly involved "a great assembly, from Lebo-hamath to the Brook of Egypt," representing the vast extent of Solomon's kingdom. Solomon had offered immense sacrifices and delivered a powerful prayer of dedication (1 Kgs 8:22-53), followed by a blessing of the congregation (1 Kgs 8:54-61) and a charge for them to remain faithful (1 Kgs 8:62-64). The feast then culminated with immense peace offerings. The departure on the "eighth day" after this fortnight signified the final moment of the unprecedented convocation, allowing the people to return home having experienced God's glory, hearing His promises reaffirmed, and participating in an event central to Israelite identity. Historically, the occasion solidified Jerusalem as the religious center and the Davidic dynasty as divinely favored.
1 Kings 8 66 Word analysis
- On the eighth day: The Hebrew "bā-yōwm ha-šə·mīnī" (בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁמִינִי).
- Signifies a new beginning or culmination. Many Israelite festivals last seven days, with the eighth day often holding special significance, symbolizing completion and a fresh start (e.g., circumcision on the eighth day, new beginnings after a week of cleansing). Here, it concludes an extended, unprecedented 14-day festival (7 + 7 days).
- he sent the people away: Implies official dismissal by Solomon after the extended assembly. This marked the successful conclusion of the national pilgrimage.
- and they blessed the king: "Way·yə·ḇā·rə·ḵū" (וַיְבָרְכוּ). This is an expression of deep gratitude and respect for Solomon's role in the Temple's construction and dedication. Their blessing reflects their contentment and hope under his rule, acknowledging God's blessing channeled through the king.
- and went to their homes: Signifies the end of their pilgrimage and return to daily life. It emphasizes the temporary nature of such grand assemblies and the people's desire to be reunited with their families.
- joyful and glad of heart: The Hebrew uses two distinct but complementary terms: "śə·mê·ḥîm" (שְׂמֵחִים) meaning "joyful" or "merry," implying outward expression, and "ṭō·ḇê lê·ḇāḇ" (טוֹבֵי לֵבָב) meaning "good of heart" or "glad of heart," signifying an internal state of well-being, satisfaction, and contentment. This deep inner joy, reflecting prosperity and divine favor, comes from encountering God and experiencing His covenant faithfulness.
- for all the goodness: The Hebrew "ʿal kāl-haṭ-ṭō·ḇāh" (עַל כָּל-הַטּוֹבָה). "Tovah" encompasses divine favor, blessing, prosperity, and kindness. It highlights a comprehensive sense of well-being, spiritual and physical, stemming from God. This goodness contrasts with the unreliable prosperity offered by surrounding pagan deities, polemically asserting Yahweh as the sole source of true flourishing.
- that the LORD had shown: Clearly attributes the source of their flourishing and blessed state to Yahweh alone, reinforcing monotheism.
- to David His servant: Reinforces the unconditional nature and enduring significance of the Davidic Covenant (2 Sam 7), which promised an eternal dynasty and the secure presence of God among His people through David's line. This underscores Solomon's legitimacy and the people's hope in the royal line.
- and to Israel His people: Emphasizes that God's goodness extended not just to the king but to the entire nation, fulfilling His covenant promises to Abraham and later at Sinai, establishing them as a favored people.
1 Kings 8 66 Bonus section
The extended nature of the festival (14 days instead of the customary 7 for Sukkot) highlights its singular importance, emphasizing that this was an unprecedented event in Israelite history. This exceptional duration could signify a doubling of God's blessing or an intentional effort to thoroughly commemorate the profound significance of the Temple's completion and dedication, perhaps acknowledging a delay in its construction or its unprecedented scale. The specific mention of "eighth day" might also allude to the symbolism of new creation or resurrection in later theological developments, though primarily rooted in the completion and inauguration context of Jewish rituals.
1 Kings 8 66 Commentary
1 Kings 8:66 serves as the climactic and emotionally resonant conclusion to the Temple dedication. It perfectly encapsulates the people's response to an extraordinary manifestation of divine presence and faithfulness. Their departure, marked by profound inner joy and outer expressions of gratitude, stemmed directly from their experience of God's covenant loyalty. The phrase "joyful and glad of heart for all the goodness that the LORD had shown to David His servant and to Israel His people" captures the essence of this historical moment: God kept His promises, both to the king through the Davidic Covenant and to the nation of Israel as a whole. This specific mention of "David His servant" implicitly connects their present joy to the foundational covenant God made with their great king, thereby affirming the legitimacy and divine backing of the Davidic dynasty and, by extension, Solomon's reign. This joy was not superficial; it was a deep, spiritual contentment resulting from sensing God's favor and acknowledging His sovereign work in establishing the Temple, providing a focal point for their faith, and demonstrating His abiding presence among them. It illustrates how the divine blessing (the "goodness" of the LORD) directly translates into human joy and contentment when experienced collectively by a faithful people.