1st Kings Chapter 8 verse 14 Holy Bible
And the king turned his face about, and blessed all the assembly of Israel: and all the assembly of Israel stood.
read chapter 8 in ASV
Then, turning his face about, the king gave a blessing to all the men of Israel; and they were all on their feet together.
read chapter 8 in BBE
And the king turned his face, and blessed the whole congregation of Israel; and the whole congregation of Israel stood.
read chapter 8 in DARBY
And the king turned his face about, and blessed all the congregation of Israel: (and all the congregation of Israel stood;)
read chapter 8 in KJV
And the king turned his face about, and blessed all the congregation of Israel: and all the congregation of Israel were standing.
read chapter 8 in WBT
The king turned his face about, and blessed all the assembly of Israel: and all the assembly of Israel stood.
read chapter 8 in WEB
And the king turneth round his face, and blesseth the whole assembly of Israel; and all the assembly of Israel is standing.
read chapter 8 in YLT
Pulpit Commentary
Pulpit CommentaryVerse 14. - And the king turned his face about [He had been earnestly gazing toward the house where the cloud appeared. He now faced the congregation] and blessed [This word here, and in ver. 55, is used somewhat loosely. The blessing was in both cases addressed to God. The Hebrew king was not authorized to bless the people - that was the prerogative of the priests (Numbers 6:23; cf. Leviticus 9:22), and he is only said to bless here as felicitating, as wishing them a blessing. Dean Stanley ] "Jewish Ch.," vol. 2. p 218) characteristically asserts that Solomon "performed the highest sacerdotal act of solemn benediction." But the same word is used in ver. 66, of the people blessing the king. "Did the people," as Wordsworth pertinently asks, "also perform a priestly act?" The word is elsewhere used of saluting. See note on ver. 66, and Gesen. s.v.] all the congregation of Israel: (and all the congregation of Israel stood); [Heb. were standing (עֹמֵד); "stood" conveys the idea that the congregation rose as Solomon spoke, whereas they were standing already in the temple courts.
Ellicott's Commentary
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(14) And the king.--We are told in the book of Chronicles (2Chronicles 6:13) that the king stood on a "brasen scaffold" three cubits high, in the midst of the court before the altar of sacrifice, so that he could alternately turn towards the Temple and towards the people in the outer court.
