3626 — Great Sacrifices
By M. H. W.
Solomon offered 142,000 animals as burnt offerings. Explain how this was possible. 1 Kings 8:63. M. H. W. Simply by multiplying altars and using more priests. The 64th verse tells us that he hallowed the middle of the court which was before the house of Jehovah. It does not tell us that he had any altar there, but it shows that he did have probably many altars there — the burnt offerings, and the meal-offerings, and the fat of the peace-offerings, because the present altar that was before Jehovah was too little to receive the burnt offering and the meal-offering and the fat of the peace-offerings. And this lasted fourteen days. This was about 10,145 offerings a day — about 845 an hour. These doubtless were multiple offerings, that is, many offerings may have been offered upon one altar at once. There are many ways in which this could be done. We do not know just how. We have the fact stated, and we may be sure that in that great assembly and with all the facilities at hand, the thing could have been carried on without any difficulty.