1 Kings 3:2

Only [The word perhaps signifies "that there was one exception to the flourishing condition of things which the writer has been describing" (Rawlinson), though the people are nowhere blamed for sacrificing on the high places, and Solomon's sacrifice at "the great high place "was full of blessing. The idea rather is that just as he was obliged to bring his Egyptian wife into the city of David, because his palace was not yet finished, so the people were compelled to sacrifice on the high places, because the temple was not yet built (Keil), and "the place" where God would put His name had only just been chosen ( 1 Chronicles 22:1 )] the people sacrificed [Heb. were sacrificing, i.e; habitually, constantly] in high places [All nations have chosen hill tops for act of worship, perhaps as being nearer heaven. "Even Abraham built an altar to the Lord on a mountain near Bethel ( Genesis 12:7 , Genesis 12:8 ; cf. Genesis 22:2 , Genesis 22:9 ; Genesis 31:54 )." And the use of high places for this purpose was not distinctly condemned in the Law. It is true the Hebrews were commanded to have but one place of sacrifice (Le 17:9; Deuteronomy 12:5 , Deuteronomy 12:11 , Deuteronomy 12:13 , Deuteronomy 12:26 , Deuteronomy 12:27 ; cf. Joshua 22:29 ), and this no doubt was, if not an indirect prohibition, a discouragement of such sanctuaries. It has been held, however, that this command was purely prospective, and it is certainly remarkable that even when the Israelites were settled in the promised land, and the tabernacle was set up ( Joshua 18:1 ), altars were constantly built and sacrifices offered on high places, and sometimes, as in the case of Gideon ( 6:26 ), and Manoah ( 13:19 , 13:20 ), by express Divine command. Later on we find Samuel ( 1 Samuel 7:9 , 1 Samuel 7:10 ; 1 Samuel 11:15 ; 1 Samuel 16:5 ), Saul ( Hebrews 13:9 ; 14:35), David ( 1 Chronicles 21:26 ), Solomon and Elijah ( 1 Kings 18:30 ), offering sacrifices in various places, which they could not possibly have done had it seemed to them that this was condemned beforehand by the Law. It is highly probable, therefore, that though the contemporaries of Joshua took a different view (as Joshua 22:15-31 proves), the men of a later age excused themselves on the ground stated in the text, that "there was no house built unto the name of the Lord." It has been held by some that "had they not sacrificed and burnt incense on high places, they could not have sacrificed or burnt incense at all" (Bp. Horsley); but this seems to overlook the fact that there was one place provided for sacrifices—the door of the tabernacle -- and that for some reason or other they sacrificed elsewhere. And the reason, no doubt, was the one assigned by the historian. It should be added that this term "high place" ( בָּמָה ) came to be used of all places of worship, not only on heights, but even those in valleys ( 2 Kings 17:9 ; Jeremiah 7:31 ; Jeremiah 32:35 ). The Bamah sometimes consisted of an altar only, but as a rule, there was a shrine or sanctuary, erected hard by ( 1 Kings 13:32 ; 2 Kings 17:29 ; 2 Kings 23:19 ), the Beth-Bamah, for which the word Bamah is sometimes loosely employed ( 1 Kings 11:7 ; 1 Kings 14:23 ; 2 Kings 21:3 )], because there was no house built unto the name of the Lord until those days.