1 Kings 8:64

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.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Solomon acts as king immediately after dedicating the temple with 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep (1 Kings 8:63). He consecrates the central courtyard area before the LORD's house while a massive assembly from Lebo-hamath to the Brook of Egypt prepares for a fourteen-day feast (1 Kings 8:65).

The words — The narrative centers on קִדַּ֨שׁ (ki.Dash, he consecrated) and תּ֣וֹךְ (Tokh, the middle of) the court. These terms are anchored by הַ/ה֗וּא (ha./Hu', that same day) to mark the precise moment of the ritual expansion.

The thread — This act of consecrating the courtyard's middle is recorded in parallel in 2 Chronicles 7:7. The bronze altar noted as too small in 1 Kings 8:64 is described separately in 2 Chronicles 4:1.

Why it lands — The text states the bronze altar was physically insufficient for the volume of burnt, grain, and peace offerings, forcing Solomon to consecrate an adjacent courtyard space. Readers must note this logistical shift before the narrative proceeds to the fourteen-day feast in 1 Kings 8:65.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

בַּיּ֣וֹםba/i.Yomon the/ day הַה֗וּאha./Hu'<the>/ that קִדַּ֨שׁki.Dashhe consecrated הַמֶּ֜לֶךְha./Me.lekhthe/ king אֶת־'et-<obj.>תּ֣וֹךְTokh[the] middle of הֶחָצֵ֗רhe./cha.Tzerthe/ court אֲשֶׁר֙'a.Sherwhich לִפְנֵ֣יli/f.Nei[was] <to>/ before בֵית־veit-[the] house of יְהוָ֔הYah.wehYahweh כִּי־ki-for עָ֣שָׂה'A.sahhe offered שָׁ֗םShamthere אֶת־'et-<obj.>הָֽעֹלָה֙ha./'o.Lahthe/ burnt offering וְאֶת־ve./'Etand/ <obj.>הַמִּנְחָ֔הha./min.Chahthe/ grain offering וְאֵ֖תve./'Etand/ <obj.>חֶלְבֵ֣יchel.Vei[the] fat<s> of הַשְּׁלָמִ֑יםha./she.la.Mimthe/ peace offerings כִּֽי־ki-for מִזְבַּ֤חmiz.Bach[the] altar of הַנְּחֹ֙שֶׁת֙ha./ne.Cho.shet<the>/ bronze אֲשֶׁ֣ר'a.Sherwhich לִפְנֵ֣יli/f.Nei[was] <to>/ before יְהוָ֔הYah.wehYahweh קָטֹ֗ןka.Ton[was too] small מֵֽהָכִיל֙me./ha.Khilfor/ containing אֶת־'et-<obj.>הָעֹלָ֣הha./'o.Lahthe/ burnt offering וְאֶת־ve./'Etand/ <obj.>הַמִּנְחָ֔הha./min.Chahthe/ grain offering וְאֵ֖תve./'Etand/ <obj.>חֶלְבֵ֥יchel.Vei[the] fat<s> of הַשְּׁלָמִֽים׃ha./she.la.Mimthe/ peace offerings

King James Version

The same day did the king hallow the middle of the court that was before the house of the Lord: for there he offered burnt offerings, and meat offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings: because the brasen altar that was before the Lord was too little to receive the burnt offerings, and meat offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings.

Cross-references

2 Chronicles 4:1 He made a bronze altar twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and ten cubits high.
2 Chronicles 7:7 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 hold all these offerings.