1 Kings 8:3 (YLT)

Passage

And all the elders of Israel come in, and the priests lift up the ark,

Nearby Context

1 Kings 8:1 Then doth Solomon assemble the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, princes of the fathers of the sons of Israel, unto king Solomon, to Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of Jehovah from the city of David--it <FI>is<Fi> Zion;

1 Kings 8:2 and all the men of Israel are assembled unto king Solomon, in the month of Ethanim, in the festival--<FI> is<Fi> the seventh month.

1 Kings 8:3 And all the elders of Israel come in, and the priests lift up the ark,

1 Kings 8:4 and bring up the ark of Jehovah, and the tent of meeting, and all the holy vessels that <FI>are<Fi> in the tent, yea, the priests and the Levites bring them up.

1 Kings 8:5 And king Solomon and all the company of Israel who are met unto him <FI>are<Fi> with him before the ark, sacrificing sheep and oxen, that are not counted nor numbered for multitude.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "elders", "israel", "come", "priests", and "lift". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "elders" 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 the men of Israel are..." into verse 4's "and bring up the ark of Jehovah...", so "elders" 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 "elders" and "israel" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.