1 Kings 8:2

8:2 All the men of Israel assembled before King Solomon during the festival 1  in the month Ethanim 2  (the seventh month).

1 Kings 8:1

Solomon Moves the Ark into the Temple

8:1 3 Then Solomon convened in Jerusalem 4  Israel’s elders, all the leaders of the Israelite tribes and families, so they could witness the transferal of the ark of the Lord’s covenant from the city of David (that is, Zion). 5 

1 Kings 12:21

12:21 When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he summoned 180,000 skilled warriors from all of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin 6  to attack Israel and restore the kingdom to Rehoboam son of Solomon.

1 sn The festival. This was the Feast of Tabernacles, see Lev 23:34.

2 sn The month Ethanim. This would be September-October in modern reckoning.

3 tc The Old Greek translation includes the following words at the beginning of ch. 8: “It so happened that when Solomon finished building the Lord’s temple and his own house, after twenty years.”

4 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.

5 tn Heb “Then Solomon convened the elders of Israel, the heads of the tribes, the chiefs of the fathers belonging to the sons of Israel to King Solomon [in] Jerusalem to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord from the city of David (it is Zion).”

5 tn Heb “he summoned all the house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin, one hundred eighty thousand chosen men, accomplished in war.”