Bible Strands
2 Chronicles 7:9
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.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Solomon and the gathered assembly of Israel conclude the seven-day altar dedication and seven-day feast with a formal gathering on the eighth day. The immediate context notes this event occurs on the twenty-third day of the seventh month, immediately before Solomon dismisses the people to their homes (2 Chronicles 7:8-10).
The words — עֲצָרֶת ('a.Tza.ret) translates literally to a formal assembly, while חֲנֻכּ֣ת (cha.nu.Kat) denotes the dedication or consecration of the altar. The verb עָשׂוּ ('a.Su) is used twice to mark the observance of both the seven-day dedication period and the eighth-day gathering.
The thread — The eighth-day assembly follows the pattern established in Leviticus 23:36 and Deuteronomy 16:8, where sacred gatherings conclude seven days of prescribed observance. This chronological structure parallels the dedication account recorded in 1 Kings 8:65.
Why it lands — The text establishes a fixed chronological boundary for Israel's worship, marking the transition from altar consecration to communal dismissal. It requires the reader to track the liturgical sequence and recognize the deliberate pacing of the festival's conclusion.
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
King James Version
And in the eighth day they made a solemn assembly: for they kept the dedication of the altar seven days, and the feast seven days.
Cross-references
- Leviticus 23:36 For seven days you are to present a food offering to the LORD. On the eighth day you are to hold a sacred assembly and present a food offering to the LORD. It is a solemn assembly; you must not do any regular work.
- Deuteronomy 16:8 For six days you must eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day you shall hold a solemn assembly to the LORD your God, and you must not do any work.
- 1 Kings 8:65 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.
- 2 Chronicles 30:23 The whole assembly agreed to observe seven more days, so they observed seven days with joy.
- Nehemiah 8:18 Day after day, from the first day to the last, Ezra read from the Book of the Law of God. The Israelites kept the feast for seven days, and on the eighth day they held an assembly, according to the ordinance.
- Joel 1:14 Consecrate a fast; proclaim a solemn assembly! Gather the elders and all the residents of the land to the house of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD.