Then the king and all the people offered sacrifices before the LORD. And King Solomon offered a sacrifice of 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. So the king and all the people dedicated the house of God. The priests stood at their posts, as did the Levites with the musical instruments of the LORD, which King David had made for giving thanks to the LORD and with which David had offered praise, saying, “For His loving devotion endures forever.” Across from the Levites, the priests sounded trumpets, and all the Israelites were standing. Then Solomon consecrated the middle of the courtyard in front of the house of the LORD, and there he offered the burnt offerings and the fat of the peace offerings, since the bronze altar he had made could not contain all these offerings. So at that time Solomon and all Israel with him—a very great assembly of people from Lebo-hamath to the Brook of Egypt—kept the feast for seven days. On the eighth day they held a solemn assembly, for the dedication of the altar had lasted seven days, and the feast seven days more. On the twenty-third day of the seventh month, Solomon sent the people away to their homes, joyful and glad of heart for the good things that the LORD had done for David, for Solomon, and for His people Israel.
Then the king and all Israel with him offered sacrifices before the LORD. And Solomon offered as peace offerings to the LORD 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. So the king and all the Israelites dedicated the house of the LORD. On that same day the king consecrated the middle of the courtyard in front of the house of the LORD, and there he offered the burnt offerings, the grain offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings, since the bronze altar before the LORD was too small to contain all these offerings. So at that time Solomon and all Israel with him—a great assembly of people from Lebo-hamath to the Brook of Egypt—kept the feast before the LORD our God for seven days and seven more days—fourteen days in all. On the fifteenth day Solomon sent the people away. So they blessed the king and went home, joyful and glad in heart for all the good things that the LORD had done for His servant David and for His people Israel.
Significance
These are parallel accounts of the massive dedication sacrifices and the Festival of Tabernacles (Sukkot) following the temple dedication. Both texts record Solomon's sacrifice of 22,000 cattle and 120,000 sheep, and the fourteen-day celebration encompassing both the dedication and the festival. The Chronicler follows 1 Kings 8:62-66 closely but adds the detail that Solomon "consecrated the middle of the court" for overflow sacrifices because the bronze altar was too small (2 Chr 7:7). The convergence of temple dedication with the Feast of Tabernacles (chag hassukot) connects the permanent temple to the wilderness tabernacle, bridging God's mobile presence with His settled dwelling. The vast tally of 22,000 cattle and 120,000 sheep are specified as peace offerings (שְׁלָמִים, shelamim), fellowship sacrifices shared in the festal joy.
