1 Kings 8:63
New International Version
Solomon offered a sacrifice of fellowship offerings to the LORD: twenty-two thousand cattle and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep and goats. So the king and all the Israelites dedicated the temple of the LORD.

New Living Translation
Solomon offered to the LORD a peace offering of 22,000 cattle and 120,000 sheep and goats. And so the king and all the people of Israel dedicated the Temple of the LORD.

English Standard Version
Solomon offered as peace offerings to the LORD 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. So the king and all the people of Israel dedicated the house of the LORD.

Berean Standard Bible
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.

King James Bible
And Solomon offered a sacrifice of peace offerings, which he offered unto the LORD, two and twenty thousand oxen, and an hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the children of Israel dedicated the house of the LORD.

New King James Version
And Solomon offered a sacrifice of peace offerings, which he offered to the LORD, twenty-two thousand bulls and one hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the children of Israel dedicated the house of the LORD.

New American Standard Bible
And Solomon offered for the sacrifice of peace offerings, which he offered to the LORD, twenty-two thousand oxen and 120,000 sheep. So the king and all the sons of Israel dedicated the house of the LORD.

NASB 1995
Solomon offered for the sacrifice of peace offerings, which he offered to the LORD, 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. So the king and all the sons of Israel dedicated the house of the LORD.

NASB 1977
And Solomon offered for the sacrifice of peace offerings, which he offered to the LORD, 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. So the king and all the sons of Israel dedicated the house of the LORD.

Legacy Standard Bible
And Solomon offered for the sacrifice of peace offerings, which he offered to Yahweh, 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. So the king and all the sons of Israel dedicated the house of Yahweh.

Amplified Bible
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 (temple) of the LORD.

Christian Standard Bible
Solomon offered a sacrifice of fellowship offerings to the LORD: twenty-two thousand cattle and one hundred twenty thousand sheep and goats. In this manner the king and all the Israelites dedicated the LORD’s temple.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Solomon offered a sacrifice of fellowship offerings to the LORD: 22,000 cattle and 120,000 sheep. In this manner the king and all the Israelites dedicated the LORD’s temple.

American Standard Version
And Solomon offered for the sacrifice of peace-offerings, which he offered unto Jehovah, two and twenty thousand oxen, and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the children of Israel dedicated the house of Jehovah.

English Revised Version
And Solomon offered for the sacrifice of peace offerings, which he offered unto the LORD, two and twenty thousand oxen, and an hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the children of Israel dedicated the house of the LORD.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Solomon sacrificed 22,000 cattle and 120,000 sheep as fellowship offerings to the LORD. So the king and all the people of Israel dedicated the LORD's temple.

Good News Translation
He sacrificed 22,000 head of cattle and 120,000 sheep as fellowship offerings. And so the king and all the people dedicated the Temple.

International Standard Version
Solomon offered peace offerings to the LORD consisting of 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. So the king and all the Israelis dedicated the LORD's Temple.

Majority Standard Bible
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.

NET Bible
Solomon offered as peace offerings to the LORD 22,000 cattle and 120,000 sheep. Then the king and all the Israelites dedicated the LORD's temple.

New Heart English Bible
Solomon offered for the sacrifice of peace offerings, which he offered to the LORD, two and twenty thousand head of cattle, and one hundred twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the children of Israel dedicated the house of the LORD.

Webster's Bible Translation
And Solomon offered a sacrifice of peace-offerings, which he offered to the LORD, two and twenty thousand oxen, and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the children of Israel dedicated the house of the LORD.

World English Bible
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.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
and Solomon sacrifices the sacrifice of peace-offerings, which he has sacrificed to YHWH: twenty-two thousand oxen and one hundred and twenty thousand sheep; and the king and all the sons of Israel dedicate the house of YHWH.

Young's Literal Translation
and Solomon sacrificeth the sacrifice of peace-offerings, which he hath sacrificed to Jehovah, oxen, twenty and two thousand, and sheep, a hundred and twenty thousand; and the king and all the sons of Israel dedicate the house of Jehovah.

Smith's Literal Translation
And Solomon will sacrifice a sacrifice of peace which he sacrificed to Jehovah, twenty and two thousand oxen, and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep. And the king and all the sons of Israel will consecrate the house of Jehovah.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And Solomon slew victims of peace offerings, which he sacrificed to the Lord, two and twenty thousand oxen, and hundred and twenty thousand sheep: so the king, and the children of Israel dedicated the temple of the Lord.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And Solomon slew sacrifices of peace offerings, which he immolated to the Lord: twenty-two thousand oxen, and twenty thousand one hundred sheep. And the king and all the sons of Israel dedicated the temple of the Lord.

New American Bible
Solomon offered as communion offerings to the LORD twenty-two thousand oxen and one hundred twenty thousand sheep. Thus the king and all the Israelites dedicated the house of the LORD.

New Revised Standard Version
Solomon offered as sacrifices of well-being to the LORD twenty-two thousand oxen and one hundred twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the people of Israel dedicated the house of the LORD.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And Solomon offered a sacrifice of peace offerings before the LORD, twenty-two thousand oxen and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the children of Israel dedicated the house of the LORD.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And Solomon offered peace sacrifices in the presence of LORD JEHOVAH: twenty and two thousand bulls and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep, and the King and all the children of Israel dedicated the house of LORD JEHOVAH.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And Solomon offered for the sacrifice of peace-offerings, which he offered unto the LORD, two and twenty thousand oxen, and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the children of Israel dedicated the house of the LORD.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And king Solomon offered for the sacrifices of peace-offering which he sacrificed to the Lord, two and twenty thousand oxen, and hundred and twenty thousand sheep: and the king and all the children of Israel dedicated the house of the Lord.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Sacrifices of Dedication
62Then the king and all Israel with him offered sacrifices before the LORD. 63And 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. 64On 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.…

Cross References
2 Chronicles 7:5
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.

2 Chronicles 7:4-7
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. ...

Leviticus 9:18-21
Then he slaughtered the ox and the ram as the people’s peace offering. His sons brought him the blood, and he splattered it on all sides of the altar. / They also brought the fat portions from the ox and the ram—the fat tail, the fat covering the entrails, the kidneys, and the lobe of the liver— / and placed these on the breasts. Aaron burned the fat portions on the altar, ...

2 Samuel 6:13
When those carrying the ark of the LORD had advanced six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fattened calf.

1 Chronicles 29:21
The next day they offered sacrifices and presented burnt offerings to the LORD: a thousand bulls, a thousand rams, and a thousand lambs, along with their drink offerings, and other sacrifices in abundance for all Israel.

Numbers 7:87-88
All the livestock for the burnt offering totaled twelve bulls, twelve rams, and twelve male lambs a year old—together with their grain offerings—and twelve male goats for the sin offering. / All the livestock sacrificed for the peace offering totaled twenty-four bulls, sixty rams, sixty male goats, and sixty male lambs a year old. This was the dedication offering for the altar after it was anointed.

2 Chronicles 29:32-36
The number of burnt offerings the assembly brought was seventy bulls, a hundred rams, and two hundred lambs; all these were for a burnt offering to the LORD. / And the consecrated offerings were six hundred bulls and three thousand sheep. / However, since there were not enough priests to skin all the burnt offerings, their Levite brothers helped them until the work was finished and until the priests had consecrated themselves. For the Levites had been more diligent in consecrating themselves than the priests had been. ...

2 Chronicles 30:24
For Hezekiah king of Judah contributed a thousand bulls and seven thousand sheep for the assembly, and the officials contributed a thousand bulls and ten thousand sheep for the assembly, and a great number of priests consecrated themselves.

2 Chronicles 35:7-9
From his own flocks and herds Josiah contributed 30,000 lambs and goats plus 3,000 bulls for the Passover offerings for all the people who were present. / His officials also contributed willingly to the people and priests and Levites. Hilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, the chief officials of the house of God, gave the priests 2,600 Passover offerings and 300 bulls. / Additionally, Conaniah and his brothers Shemaiah and Nethanel, as well as Hashabiah, Jeiel, and Jozabad, officers of the Levites, contributed to the Levites 5,000 Passover offerings and 500 bulls.

Ezra 6:17
For the dedication of the house of God they offered a hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs, and a sin offering for all Israel of twelve male goats, one for each tribe of Israel.

Ezekiel 45:17
And it shall be the prince’s part to provide the burnt offerings, grain offerings, and drink offerings for the feasts, New Moons, and Sabbaths—for all the appointed feasts of the house of Israel. He will provide the sin offerings, grain offerings, burnt offerings, and peace offerings to make atonement for the house of Israel.

Hebrews 10:11-12
Day after day every priest stands to minister and to offer again and again the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. / But when this Priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God.

Romans 12:1
Therefore I urge you, brothers, on account of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

Hebrews 9:12-14
He did not enter by the blood of goats and calves, but He entered the Most Holy Place once for all by His own blood, thus securing eternal redemption. / For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that their bodies are clean, / how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished to God, purify our consciences from works of death, so that we may serve the living God!

Hebrews 13:15-16
Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise, the fruit of lips that confess His name. / And do not neglect to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.


Treasury of Scripture

And Solomon offered a sacrifice of peace offerings, which he offered to the LORD, two and twenty thousand oxen, and an hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the children of Israel dedicated the house of the LORD.

a sacrifice

Leviticus 3:1-17
And if his oblation be a sacrifice of peace offering, if he offer it of the herd; whether it be a male or female, he shall offer it without blemish before the LORD…

1 Chronicles 29:21
And they sacrificed sacrifices unto the LORD, and offered burnt offerings unto the LORD, on the morrow after that day, even a thousand bullocks, a thousand rams, and a thousand lambs, with their drink offerings, and sacrifices in abundance for all Israel:

2 Chronicles 15:11
And they offered unto the LORD the same time, of the spoil which they had brought, seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep.

dedicated

Numbers 7:10,11,84-88
And the princes offered for dedicating of the altar in the day that it was anointed, even the princes offered their offering before the altar…

2 Chronicles 2:4
Behold, I build an house to the name of the LORD my God, to dedicate it to him, and to burn before him sweet incense, and for the continual shewbread, and for the burnt offerings morning and evening, on the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the solemn feasts of the LORD our God. This is an ordinance for ever to Israel.

2 Chronicles 7:5
And king Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty and two thousand oxen, and an hundred and twenty thousand sheep: so the king and all the people dedicated the house of God.

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1 Kings 8
1. The feast of the temple
12. Solomon's blessing
22. Solomon's prayer
54. Solomon's blessing
62. His sacrifice of peace offerings














And Solomon offered
The act of offering in ancient Israel was a deeply significant religious practice. The Hebrew root for "offered" is "qarab," which means to draw near or present. This reflects Solomon's desire to draw near to God and present something of value. In the context of the temple's dedication, it signifies a moment of profound spiritual commitment and reverence.

a sacrifice of peace offerings
Peace offerings, or "shelamim" in Hebrew, were offerings made to express gratitude and fellowship with God. Unlike sin offerings, peace offerings were voluntary and symbolized reconciliation and thanksgiving. This type of sacrifice underscores the harmonious relationship between God and His people, as well as the communal aspect of worship.

which he offered to the LORD
The phrase emphasizes the direction and purpose of the offering. It was not merely a ritualistic act but a deliberate act of worship directed to Yahweh, the covenant God of Israel. This highlights the centrality of God in the life of Israel and the acknowledgment of His sovereignty and provision.

22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep
The sheer number of animals sacrificed is staggering and indicates the grandeur and significance of the event. Such a large-scale offering reflects the wealth and resources of Solomon's kingdom, as well as the importance of the temple dedication. It also symbolizes the abundance of God's blessings and the people's willingness to give generously in return.

So the king and all the Israelites
This phrase highlights the unity and collective participation of the nation in this sacred event. It was not just Solomon's dedication but a communal act involving all the Israelites. This unity in worship and dedication is a powerful testament to the shared faith and commitment of the people.

dedicated the house of the LORD
The dedication of the temple, or "bayith" in Hebrew, marks a pivotal moment in Israel's history. The temple was not just a physical structure but the dwelling place of God's presence among His people. This dedication signifies the fulfillment of God's promises and the establishment of a central place of worship for the nation. It is a moment of consecration, setting apart the temple for holy purposes and acknowledging God's abiding presence.

(63) And Solomon offered.--The number here given, enormous as it is, can hardly be supposed due to any error in the text; for it is exactly reproduced in the Chronicles and by Josephus. Much explanation of it has been wasted through misunderstanding of the real difficulty involved. It is comparatively easy to conceive how such a mass of victims could be brought as offerings or consumed, when we consider the vastness of the assembled multitude from the whole of the great dominions of Solomon, dwelling in or encamped about the city. Even at the Passovers of the last days of Jerusalem the multitude of worshippers seems to have been numbered by hundreds of thousands. The real difficulty is to conceive how, even through the fourteen days of the festival, and over the whole of the hallowed portion of the court, the victims could have been offered. But it is not unlikely that on such an occasion it might be deemed sufficient actually to sacrifice only certain representative victims of each hecatomb, and simply to dedicate the rest to the Lord, leaving them to be killed and eaten elsewhere.

This profusion of sacrifices, good as expressing the natural desire of all to offer at such a time, may perhaps have involved something of the idea, so frequent in heathen sacrifice, and so emphatically condemned by the prophets, that the Lord would be "pleased with thousands of rams and ten thousands of rivers of oil"--something also of that display of the magnificence of the king and his people, even in the very act of homage to God, which the history throughout seems to imply. If so, in these ideas lurked the evils which hereafter were to overthrow the prosperity of Israel, and make the Temple a heap of stones.

Verse 63. - And Solomon offered a sacrifice [Solomon is mentioned as chief donor, and as the executive. But others shared in the gift] of peace offerings [Leviticus 7:11 sqq. This was especially the sacrifice of praise - it is called "the sacrifice of thanksgiving of his peace offerings," ib. vers. 13, 15. See Bahr, Symb. 2:368 sqq. In the peace offering, the fat was burnt on the altar, but the flesh was eaten (ver. 15; cf. Deuteronomy 12:7), so that this form of offering was, in every way, adapted to a festival. The idea that "ox after ox, to the number of 22,000, and sheep after sheep, to the number of 120,000, were consumed," sc. by fire (Stanley), is expressly excluded], which he offered unto the Lord, two and twenty thousand oxen, and an hundred and twenty thousand sheep. [it is very possible that these numbers have been altered in course of transcription, as is the case with numbers elsewhere, but there is no ground for suspecting exaggeration or mistake. For, in the first place, the Chronicles and all the Versions agree with the text, and, secondly, the numbers, compared with what we know of the sacrifices offered on other occasions, are not unduly large, nor were they such that (as has been alleged) it would be impossible to offer them within the time specified. If, at an ordinary Passover a quarter of a million of lambs could be sacrificed within the space of two or three hours (Jos., Bell. Jud. 6:09.8), there can obviously have been "no difficulty in sacrificing 3000 oxen and 18,000 sheep on each of the seven days of the festival" (Keil). (But were not the sacrifices spread over fourteen days? ver. 65.) And it is to be remembered

(1) that "profusion was a usual feature of the sacrifices of antiquity Sacrifices of a thousand oxen (χιλιόμβαι) were not infrequent. According to an Arabian historian (Koto beddyn), the Caliph Moktader sacrificed during his pilgrimage to Mecca... 40,000 camels and cows and 50,000 sheep. Tavernier speaks of 100,000 victims as offered by the King of Tonquin" (Rawlinson, Stanley); and

(2) that the context insists on the ex traordinary number of victims. They were so numerous, we are told, that the brazen altar was quite inadequate to receive them (ver. 64). It has been already pointed out (note on ver. 62) that the people joined the king in the sacrifices. Indeed it is against not only ver. 62, but vers. 63, 65, to suppose that all the victims were offered by Solomon alone (Ewald, Stanley). If these numbers, therefore, include those offered by the people, we can the more readily understand them. For, by the lowest computation, there could hardly be less than 100,000 heads of houses present at the feast (Bahr, Keil), and if the numbers of David's census (2 Samuel 24:9) may be trusted, there may very well have been four or five times that number, and on such an occasion as that, an occasion altogether without precedent, every Israelite would doubtless offer his sacrifice of thanksgiving - the more so as a large number of victims would be required for the purposes of the subsequent feast. And as to the impossibility of the priests offering so prodigious a number within the specified time (Thenius, al.), we have only to remember

(1) that if there were 38,000 Levites (men over thirty years of age) in the time of David (1 Chronicles 23:3), or any thing like that number, there must have been at the very least at this period two or three thousand priests (Keil), and we can hardly think that at the dedication of so glorious a temple, in which they were so profoundly interested, many of them would be absent from Jerusalem. But if there were only one thousand present, that number would have been amply sufficient to perform all the priestly functions. For it was no necessary, part of the priests' office either to slay the victim, or to prepare it for sacrifice - that any Israelite might do (Leviticus 1:5, 6, 11; Leviticus 3:2, 8, etc.); the duty of the priest was strictly limited to "sprinkling the blood round about upon the altar" (Leviticus 3:2, 8; cf. 1:5), and burning the fat, the kidneys, etc., upon the altar (Leviticus 3:5). It is clear, consequently, that there is no difficulty whatsoever as to the manual acts required of the priests. It only remains to notice one other objection, viz., that the people could not possibly have eaten all the flesh of these peace offerings. But here again the answer is conclusive, viz. . . .

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
And Solomon
שְׁלֹמֹ֗ה (šə·lō·mōh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 8010: Solomon -- David's son and successor to his throne

offered as
וַיִּזְבַּ֣ח (way·yiz·baḥ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 2076: To slaughter for sacrifice

peace offerings
הַשְּׁלָמִים֮ (haš·šə·lā·mîm)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 8002: A sacrifice for alliance or friendship, peace offering

to the LORD
לַיהוָה֒ (Yah·weh)
Preposition-l | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

22,000 {}
עֶשְׂרִ֤ים (‘eś·rîm)
Number - common plural
Strong's 6242: Twenty, twentieth

oxen
בָּקָ֗ר (bā·qār)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1241: Beef cattle, ox, a herd

and 120,000
מֵאָ֥ה (mê·’āh)
Number - feminine singular
Strong's 3967: A hundred

sheep.
וְצֹ֕אן (wə·ṣōn)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - common singular
Strong's 6629: Small cattle, sheep and goats, flock

So the king
הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ (ham·me·leḵ)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4428: A king

and all
וְכָל־ (wə·ḵāl)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

the Israelites
בְּנֵ֥י (bə·nê)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 1121: A son

dedicated
וַֽיַּחְנְכוּ֙ (way·yaḥ·nə·ḵū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 2596: To narrow, to initiate, discipline

the house
בֵּ֣ית (bêṯ)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 1004: A house

of the LORD.
יְהוָ֔ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel


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OT History: 1 Kings 8:63 Solomon offered for the sacrifice of peace (1Ki iKi i Ki 1 Kg 1kg)
1 Kings 8:62
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