Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 1 Kings 8:21
And I have set there a place for the ark, wherein [is] the covenant of the LORD, which he made with our fathers, when he brought them out of the land of Egypt.
21. the ark, wherein is the covenant of the Lord ] It has just been said (1Ki 8:9) that only the two tables of stone were in the ark. They must then be meant by ‘the covenant of the Lord,’ and this is borne out by such passages as Deu 4:23; Deu 29:25, where the covenant alluded to forms a part of the ten commandments. But ‘the book of the covenant’ (Exo 24:7) appears to have included all the laws contained in Exodus 20-23.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 21. Wherein is the covenant of the Lord] As it is said, 1Kg 8:9, that there was nothing in the ark but the two tables of stone, consequently these are called the Covenant, i.e., a sign of the covenant; as our Lord calls the cup the new covenant in his blood, that is, the sign of the new covenant: for This is my body implies, This is the sign or emblem of my body.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
The covenant of the Lord, i.e. the tables of the covenant, by a metonymy, wherein the conditions of Gods covenant with Israel are written.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
And I have set there a place for the ark,…. The most holy place:
wherein is the covenant of the Lord; the two tables of stone, on which were the covenant of the Lord, as the Targum:
which he made with our fathers, when he brought them out of the land of Egypt; as in 1Ki 8:9.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(21) Wherein is the covenant of the Lordthe Tables, that is, containing the words of the covenant (Exo. 34:28). This remarkable application of the word covenant illustrates strikingly the characteristics of the Divine covenants with man. Such covenants are not (like most human covenants) undertakings of reciprocal engagements between parties regarded as independent. For such a conception of the relation between God and man is monstrous. Gods covenants proceed simply from His will, expressed in His call to an individual or a nation. They begin in free grace and blessing from Him; they require simply that men should believe and accept His call, and act in obedience to that belief. Thus the Decalogue opens with the words, I am the Lord thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage, describing the gift of salvation from the mercy of God, which constituted Israel afresh as His peculiar people. (See Exo. 3:7-15.) On the ground of this salvation, rather than of His Omnipotence as Creator and Sustainer of the world, He calls for their obedience to the commandments, which are thus the words of the covenant. Similarly St. Paul, when (Rom. 12:1) he calls Christians to absolute self-devotion, appeals to them by the mercies of God, on which he had so fully dweltthe larger and more spiritual covenant in Christ.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
“ And there have I set a place for the ark, in which is the covenant of YHWH, which he made with our fathers, when he brought them out of the land of Egypt.”
He then sought to link the Temple with the deliverance from Egypt and the covenant made at Sinai. For he pointed out that the Ark which he had set in the Temple was the very Ark in which was the covenant of YHWH, the covenant that YHWH had made with His people when He had delivered them out of the land of Egypt (Exodus 20). Thus the Temple was now linked closely with the covenant, and had been built as a result of YHWH’s words to David.
He no doubt hoped that that was the end of the matter. But as the future would reveal, many of the people were far from convinced. The Central Sanctuary in Jerusalem would not later have taken such a hold on Israel that it would prevent the split into two kingdoms. (It might have been somewhat different if it had still been established at Gibeon). Nor did it grip the hearts of all in Judah, even though the splitting of the two kingdoms would certainly have helped to focus the attention of many in Judah more on Jerusalem simply as a reaction to Israel’s desertion.
(It should be noted that there is nowhere any suggestion here that this was a fulfilment of Deuteronomy 12, nor on the fact that Jerusalem was the place that YHWH had chosen. All the emphasis is on the fact that it was David who was chosen, and that that was the reason why the Temple was being built in his own city).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
1Ki 8:21 And I have set there a place for the ark, wherein [is] the covenant of the LORD, which he made with our fathers, when he brought them out of the land of Egypt.
Ver. 21. A place for the ark. ] Even the best and innermost part of the temple, because it was the chiefest evidence of God’s presence, and is called God’s face, Psa 105:4 yea, even God himself. Psa 132:5
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
the covenant. Put by Figure of speech Metonymy (of Subject), App-6, for the two tables of stone on which it was written.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
And I have: 1Ki 8:5, 1Ki 8:6
the covenant: 1Ki 8:9, Exo 34:28, Deu 9:9, Deu 9:11, Deu 31:26
Reciprocal: 1Ch 22:19 – to bring 2Ch 6:11 – I put the ark Eze 37:26 – set Heb 9:4 – and the
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
1Ki 8:21. I have set there a place for the ark The token of Gods presence with us; wherein is the covenant of the Lord That is, the tables of the covenant, in which are written the conditions of Gods covenant with our fathers. When he brought them out of the land of Egypt And declared to them that by the tenure of this covenant they were to hold the land of Canaan.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
8:21 And I have set there a place for the ark, wherein [is] the {g} covenant of the LORD, which he made with our fathers, when he brought them out of the land of Egypt.
(g) The two tables in which the articles of the covenant were written.