And the king, and all Israel with him, offered sacrifice before the LORD.
The king, and all Israel ... offered sacrifice before the Lord. This was a burnt offering with its accompaniments, and being the first laid on the altar of the temple, was, as in the analogous case of the tabernacle, consumed by miraculous fire from heaven (see the notes at 2 Chronicles 7:12: cf. Josephus, 'Antiquities,' b. 8:, ch. 4:, sec. 4.) On remarkable occasions the pagans sacrificed hecatombs (one hundred), and even chiliombs (one thousand animals); but the public sacrifices offered by Solomon on this occasion surpassed all the other oblations on record, without taking into account those presented by private individuals, which doubtless amounted to a large additional number. The large proportion of the sacrifices were peace offerings, which afforded the people an opportunity of festive enjoyment. An objection has been raised against the number of oxen and sheep sacrificed on this occasion, as extravagant and far exceeding the limits of credibility. The objection, however, will appear to be of very little weight, when it is remembered that these sacrificial victims were not offered exclusively on one altar, nor on one day; because not only was the festival continued for a fortnight (see the notes at 1 Kings 8:65), but to meet the exigencies of an extraordinary solemnity, Solomon did doubtless, on divine permission asked and granted, 'hallow the middle of the court' - i:e., caused additional altars to be erected in the court of the priests, and perhaps in some adjoining courts, for use on that special occasion only, when a single altar was inadequate to the requirements. Nor is there any difficulty in conceiving from what sources so vast a supply of animals for sacrifice was obtained; for, in addition to the piety of private individuals who, as already noticed, embraced that opportunity of presenting peace offerings, some vassal princes may like Mesha, king of Moab (2 Kings 3:4), have rendered their tribute to Solomon in oxen and sheep.