1 Kings 8:65 (WEB)

Passage

So Solomon held the feast at that time, and all Israel with him, a great assembly, from the entrance of Hamath to the brook of Egypt, before Yahweh our God, seven days and seven more days, even fourteen days.

Nearby Context

1 Kings 8:63 Solomon offered for the sacrifice of peace offerings, which he offered to Yahweh, twenty two thousand head of cattle, and one hundred twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the children of Israel dedicated Yahweh’s house.

1 Kings 8:64 The same day the king made the middle of the court holy that was before Yahweh’s house; for there he offered the burnt offering, and the meal offering, and the fat of the peace offerings, because the bronze altar that was before Yahweh was too little to receive the burnt offering, the meal offering, and the fat of the peace offerings.

1 Kings 8:65 So Solomon held the feast at that time, and all Israel with him, a great assembly, from the entrance of Hamath to the brook of Egypt, before Yahweh our God, seven days and seven more days, even fourteen days.

1 Kings 8:66 On the eighth day he sent the people away; and they blessed the king, and went to their tents joyful and glad in their hearts for all the goodness that Yahweh had shown to David his servant, and to Israel his people.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "solomon", "held", "feast", "time", "israel", "great", "assembly", and "entrance". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "solomon" and "held", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 64's "The same day the king made the..." into verse 66's "On the eighth day he sent the...", so "solomon" and "held" 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 "solomon" and "held" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.