1 Kings 8:3 (DRB)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

1 Kings 8:1 Then all the ancients of Israel, with the princes of the tribes, and the heads of the families of the children of Israel, were assembled to king Solomon, in Jerusalem: that they might carry the ark of the covenant of the Lord, out of the city of David, that is, out of Sion.

1 Kings 8:2 And all Israel assembled themselves to king Solomon, on the festival day, in the month of Ethanim, the same is the seventh month.

1 Kings 8:3 And all the ancients of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark,

1 Kings 8:4 And carried the ark of the Lord, and the tabernacle of the covenant, and all the vessels of the sanctuary, that were in the tabernacle: and the priests and the Levites carried them.

1 Kings 8:5 And king Solomon, and all the multitude of Israel, that were assembled unto him, went with him before the ark, and they sacrificed sheep and oxen, that could not be counted or numbered.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "ancients", "israel", "came", "priests", and "took". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "ancients" and "israel", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "And all Israel assembled themselves to king..." into verse 4's "And carried the ark of the Lord...", so "ancients" and "israel" belong inside that flow. In 1 Kings context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "ancients" and "israel" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.