דברי הימים ב, פרק ז׳, פסוק א׳

The conclusion of Solomon's prayer is met with a powerful divine revelation, serving as a clear sign that both the prayer and the sacrifices have been accepted. A heavenly fire descends, and the glory of God fills the Temple [ביאור שטיינזלץ].

The dramatic appearance of this fire presents an interesting historical point, as the parallel account of the Temple dedication in the Book of Kings does not mention it at all. According to tradition, the original fire that came down from heaven during the days of Moses remained continuously on the copper altar until the First Temple was built. Therefore, the author of Kings omitted the event, knowing it was not a completely new fire descending to earth for the first time. The Book of Chronicles, however, records the descent of the fire because the people physically witnessed the heavenly flame shifting and transferring from the ancient altar of Moses to the newly constructed one [מלבי״ם].

While the filling of the Temple with God's glory is noted at this moment, it was not a phenomenon that only began after the fire came down. In truth, the divine presence had already been resting upon and filling the Temple with the exact same intensity earlier in the day. This profound manifestation actually started the moment the priests stepped out of the holy area and raised their voices in song during the initial stages of the dedication [מצודת דוד].