1 Kings 8:4

4. Brought up the ark From Zion to Moriah; from the tabernacle of David to the most holy place of the temple. This is spoken of as an ascent, or going up, of the ark, though Moriah was lower than Zion; for the Israelite conceived the mountain of the temple as the highest of all mountains, (Psalms 68:15; Micah 4:1,) and spoke of going up to it as they did of going up to Jerusalem. So in this same verse the tabernacle is spoken of as brought up to the temple from Gibeon, though Gibeon is higher than any mountain of Jerusalem.

Tabernacle of the congregation This old structure, a sacred relic of Moses and the elder fathers, but doubtless bearing many marks of the ravages of time, had been standing for a long time on the high place of Gibeon. 2 Chronicles 1:3. But not containing the ark, it had lost much of its sanctity in the eyes of the people, and only served to divide and distract the public worship. It was time to put an end to such confusion; and so the old tabernacle was brought up and stored away among the sacred treasures of the new and glorious temple.

All the holy vessels The golden altar, the golden candlestick, the table of show-bread, and probably other shrines. Josephus says that “they set the candlestick, the table, and the golden altar in the temple before the most secret place, in the very same places wherein they stood till that time in the tabernacle.” But this may be reasonably doubted in view of the fact that Solomon made altar, tables, and candlesticks all new for this purpose. See notes on 1 Kings 7:48-49. Still the old ones may have been placed near the new. Among the sacred relics the brazen serpent was preserved until the days of Hezekiah. 2 Kings 18:4.