2 Chronicles 6
Solomon welcomes God to the Temple
God’s new home in Jerusalem
1 Kings 8:12-21 1With the crowd listening, King Solomon said,
“LORD, you live among us
Under the cover of thick darkness. [1]
2“But I’ve built a stunning Temple for you,
A home for you forever.” [2] 3The king turned from the altar, toward the crowd. The people rose to their feet. 4Solomon said, “The LORD, the God of Israel, deserves our thanks and gratitude. He made a promise to my father, David, and he kept it. 5He told my father, ‘In all these years that I have been with your people—since the day I led them out of Egypt—I haven’t chosen a king or a capital. But now, I’m choosing both. 6I choose Jerusalem as the city that people will most associate with me—because it’s my town. And I’m choosing you as the ruler of my people, Israel.’
7My father David wanted to build the Temple for the LORD, the God of Israel. 8But the LORD said, ‘That’s an honorable idea, to build a temple devoted to me. 9But you’re not the one to build it. That’s a job for your son. He’ll build my Temple.’
10Well, it’s finished. The LORD saw to it. He’s the reason I became your king after my father. He’s the reason I built the Temple. It’s for him, the LORD, and God of Israel. 11Here in this Temple is where we’ll keep the chest that holds the Ten Commandments. These laws represent our obligations—our part of the contract God made with our ancestors when he led them out of slavery in Egypt.” Solomon dedicates the Temple
1 Kings 8:22-53 12Solomon stood in front of the Temple altar, with his hands stretched out toward the sky.
13Earlier, he had a small stage platform built, over seven feet square and four feet high. [3] He set the stage in the middle of the Temple’s outer courtyard. [4]There in front of all the people, Solomon dropped to his knees and then lifted his arms toward the sky.
14He said, “LORD, God of Israel, you are one of a kind. We’ll never find another you in the sky, on the ground, or in the deepest cave. You keep the promises you made. You do it because you love us. We are devoted to you. 15The contract you made with my father, David, was a spoken agreement. [5] Today you have honored your word. You kept your promise.
16So now I’m asking you to keep the rest of the promise you made to my father. You told him, ‘From now on, one of your descendants will rule Israel. All they have to do is follow me—walk the path I’ve mapped out for them.’ 17God of Israel, make it so. Do what you told my father you would do. Solomon’s question: How can a temple hold god?
18I’ve built this house for you. Yet I wonder how you could live there. Even the sky and heaven above can’t hold you, much less a single house on earth.
19Please LORD, hear me today. You are my God, and I’m asking you to do this for me. 20Watch over this Temple and all that happens here. This is the place where people will honor your name. So, please listen to me now. Forgive our sins
21Listen to everyone in Israel whenever they come here to pray. From your home in heaven, hear our prayers and forgive our sins. 22There may be times when someone here will hurt another, and they end up standing by this altar and swearing they did nothing wrong.
23Listen to them and show them justice. If they are guilty, hold them accountable. If they are innocent, declare them not guilty. 24What if Israel sins and our enemies defeat us, and if we come back to you confessing and pleading here at this altar? 25Please hear us if that happens. From heaven, forgive us. And if we lose the land, give it back—this land you promised to our ancestors.
26And if you send a drought to punish Israel for her sins, and then the people come here to confess and stop sinning, 27please hear them. Forgive them. Teach them how to live in this world. And give them back their rain. Don’t abandon us when we sin
28Your people may suffer tough times ahead. Drought. Famine. Plant disease. Or some other crop-killing blight, like locusts and hungry caterpillars. They might find themselves attacked and surrounded by an enemy.
29Whatever their suffering or their sickness listen to them when they pray at this altar. And do this whether it’s one person or the entire nation. 30From heaven, forgive them. You know what’s in their hearts. You’re the only one who does. 31Do this so they will honor and respect you for the rest of their lives in this land you first gave to their ancestors. God, listening to prayers of all people
32What you do for your people here in Israel, do for anyone who comes here because of what they’ve heard about you. For they will certainly hear about you. They’ll hear about your power. And they’ll hear about your open arms of welcome for people everywhere. 33So, when they come here to pray, give them what they ask so others will come to respect you and to honor this Temple as a place where people express their devotion to you.
34If Israel goes to war, please do this for them. If they turn and face this city and this Temple you asked me to build, 35listen to them when they pray. Let them defeat their enemies. Everyone sins, so please forgive them
36Your people may sin against you—everyone does. And you may exile them to another country, where they’re carried off as captives. 37.
But when they come to their senses and pray, listen to them. ‘We admit it,’ they may say. ‘We knew it was wrong and we did it anyhow. It was a terrible thing to do, and we did it.’
38If they confess and stop doing what they shouldn’t have done in the first place, listen to them when they look toward this Temple and ask you to give them back the land you gave their ancestors. 39From heaven, give them what they desperately want. Forgive them for what they did.
40Now, God, please watch over what happens here at this Temple and listen to the prayers of the people.
41LORD God, come into this place we built.
It’s for you and for the Ark of the Covenant,
which will always remind us of your power.
Clothe your priests in safety and salvation.
May all the people devoted to you
celebrate how good you are to them.
42LORD God, please don’t ever turn your back
on those of us you’ve anointed [6] to lead your people.
Don’t ever let go of your love for David,
who spent his life serving you. 
Footnotes
16:1Compare the “darkness” with “Moses walked toward the dense cloud where God was” (Exodus 20:21). See also Exodus 34:5; Deuteronomy 4:22; 5:22.
26:2Well, not quite forever. Six hundred years, though. Babylonian invaders leveled it in 586 BC and deported the Jewish survivors as captives. Jews later rebuilt it, but Romans leveled it once and for all in AD 70, while crushing a Jewish revolt for independence. Muslims later built the Dome of the Rock shrine over the site. It has served as Jerusalem’s most recognized landmark for the past 1,400 years.
36:13Over two meters square and one meter high. In ancient Hebrew measurement, five cubits long and wide, and three cubits high. A cubit was the distance between the end of an elbow to the tip of the fingers on the same arm.
46:13The outer courtyard was the worship center for all Israelites who weren’t in Levi’s tribe, the priestly tribe. The outer courtyard was as close to the Temple as they could get. It’s where the sacrificial altar was kept.
56:15See 1 Chronicles 17:11-14; 22:9-10.
66:42The ancient Hebrew term is masiah. It’s a form of the word Messiah, which in the New Testament, usually refers to Jesus. The term means “anointed.” Priests anointed kings by pouring olive oil on them, possibly as a symbol of filling them with power. In this prayer of Solomon, he seems to be talking about David’s dynasty—his family of kings destined to rule Israel for generations to come.
Discussion Questions
- Sorry, there are currently no questions for this chapter.
Maps/Guides
Solomon's Temple
Balage Balogh / ArchaeologyIllustrated.com
Licensed to Casual English Bible
Solomon's Jerusalem & Temple Mount
Sketch of Solomon's Temple and Palace 
Model Solomon's Temple
Ark of the Covenant
Solomon's kingdom growsVideos
“LORD, you live among us
Under the cover of thick darkness. [1]
A home for you forever.” [2] 3The king turned from the altar, toward the crowd. The people rose to their feet. 4Solomon said, “The LORD, the God of Israel, deserves our thanks and gratitude. He made a promise to my father, David, and he kept it. 5He told my father, ‘In all these years that I have been with your people—since the day I led them out of Egypt—I haven’t chosen a king or a capital. But now, I’m choosing both. 6I choose Jerusalem as the city that people will most associate with me—because it’s my town. And I’m choosing you as the ruler of my people, Israel.’
7My father David wanted to build the Temple for the LORD, the God of Israel. 8But the LORD said, ‘That’s an honorable idea, to build a temple devoted to me. 9But you’re not the one to build it. That’s a job for your son. He’ll build my Temple.’
10Well, it’s finished. The LORD saw to it. He’s the reason I became your king after my father. He’s the reason I built the Temple. It’s for him, the LORD, and God of Israel. 11Here in this Temple is where we’ll keep the chest that holds the Ten Commandments. These laws represent our obligations—our part of the contract God made with our ancestors when he led them out of slavery in Egypt.”
Solomon dedicates the Temple
1 Kings 8:22-53 12Solomon stood in front of the Temple altar, with his hands stretched out toward the sky.
13Earlier, he had a small stage platform built, over seven feet square and four feet high. [3] He set the stage in the middle of the Temple’s outer courtyard. [4]There in front of all the people, Solomon dropped to his knees and then lifted his arms toward the sky.
14He said, “LORD, God of Israel, you are one of a kind. We’ll never find another you in the sky, on the ground, or in the deepest cave. You keep the promises you made. You do it because you love us. We are devoted to you. 15The contract you made with my father, David, was a spoken agreement. [5] Today you have honored your word. You kept your promise.
16So now I’m asking you to keep the rest of the promise you made to my father. You told him, ‘From now on, one of your descendants will rule Israel. All they have to do is follow me—walk the path I’ve mapped out for them.’ 17God of Israel, make it so. Do what you told my father you would do. Solomon’s question: How can a temple hold god?
18I’ve built this house for you. Yet I wonder how you could live there. Even the sky and heaven above can’t hold you, much less a single house on earth.
19Please LORD, hear me today. You are my God, and I’m asking you to do this for me. 20Watch over this Temple and all that happens here. This is the place where people will honor your name. So, please listen to me now. Forgive our sins
21Listen to everyone in Israel whenever they come here to pray. From your home in heaven, hear our prayers and forgive our sins. 22There may be times when someone here will hurt another, and they end up standing by this altar and swearing they did nothing wrong.
23Listen to them and show them justice. If they are guilty, hold them accountable. If they are innocent, declare them not guilty. 24What if Israel sins and our enemies defeat us, and if we come back to you confessing and pleading here at this altar? 25Please hear us if that happens. From heaven, forgive us. And if we lose the land, give it back—this land you promised to our ancestors.
26And if you send a drought to punish Israel for her sins, and then the people come here to confess and stop sinning, 27please hear them. Forgive them. Teach them how to live in this world. And give them back their rain. Don’t abandon us when we sin
28Your people may suffer tough times ahead. Drought. Famine. Plant disease. Or some other crop-killing blight, like locusts and hungry caterpillars. They might find themselves attacked and surrounded by an enemy.
29Whatever their suffering or their sickness listen to them when they pray at this altar. And do this whether it’s one person or the entire nation. 30From heaven, forgive them. You know what’s in their hearts. You’re the only one who does. 31Do this so they will honor and respect you for the rest of their lives in this land you first gave to their ancestors. God, listening to prayers of all people
32What you do for your people here in Israel, do for anyone who comes here because of what they’ve heard about you. For they will certainly hear about you. They’ll hear about your power. And they’ll hear about your open arms of welcome for people everywhere. 33So, when they come here to pray, give them what they ask so others will come to respect you and to honor this Temple as a place where people express their devotion to you.
34If Israel goes to war, please do this for them. If they turn and face this city and this Temple you asked me to build, 35listen to them when they pray. Let them defeat their enemies. Everyone sins, so please forgive them
36Your people may sin against you—everyone does. And you may exile them to another country, where they’re carried off as captives. 37.
But when they come to their senses and pray, listen to them. ‘We admit it,’ they may say. ‘We knew it was wrong and we did it anyhow. It was a terrible thing to do, and we did it.’
38If they confess and stop doing what they shouldn’t have done in the first place, listen to them when they look toward this Temple and ask you to give them back the land you gave their ancestors. 39From heaven, give them what they desperately want. Forgive them for what they did.
40Now, God, please watch over what happens here at this Temple and listen to the prayers of the people.
41LORD God, come into this place we built.
It’s for you and for the Ark of the Covenant,
which will always remind us of your power.
Clothe your priests in safety and salvation.
May all the people devoted to you
celebrate how good you are to them.
42LORD God, please don’t ever turn your back
on those of us you’ve anointed [6] to lead your people.
Don’t ever let go of your love for David,
who spent his life serving you.
13Earlier, he had a small stage platform built, over seven feet square and four feet high. [3] He set the stage in the middle of the Temple’s outer courtyard. [4]There in front of all the people, Solomon dropped to his knees and then lifted his arms toward the sky.
14He said, “LORD, God of Israel, you are one of a kind. We’ll never find another you in the sky, on the ground, or in the deepest cave. You keep the promises you made. You do it because you love us. We are devoted to you. 15The contract you made with my father, David, was a spoken agreement. [5] Today you have honored your word. You kept your promise.
16So now I’m asking you to keep the rest of the promise you made to my father. You told him, ‘From now on, one of your descendants will rule Israel. All they have to do is follow me—walk the path I’ve mapped out for them.’ 17God of Israel, make it so. Do what you told my father you would do.
Solomon’s question: How can a temple hold god?
18I’ve built this house for you. Yet I wonder how you could live there. Even the sky and heaven above can’t hold you, much less a single house on earth.19Please LORD, hear me today. You are my God, and I’m asking you to do this for me. 20Watch over this Temple and all that happens here. This is the place where people will honor your name. So, please listen to me now.
Forgive our sins
21Listen to everyone in Israel whenever they come here to pray. From your home in heaven, hear our prayers and forgive our sins. 22There may be times when someone here will hurt another, and they end up standing by this altar and swearing they did nothing wrong.23Listen to them and show them justice. If they are guilty, hold them accountable. If they are innocent, declare them not guilty. 24What if Israel sins and our enemies defeat us, and if we come back to you confessing and pleading here at this altar? 25Please hear us if that happens. From heaven, forgive us. And if we lose the land, give it back—this land you promised to our ancestors.
26And if you send a drought to punish Israel for her sins, and then the people come here to confess and stop sinning, 27please hear them. Forgive them. Teach them how to live in this world. And give them back their rain.
Don’t abandon us when we sin
28Your people may suffer tough times ahead. Drought. Famine. Plant disease. Or some other crop-killing blight, like locusts and hungry caterpillars. They might find themselves attacked and surrounded by an enemy.29Whatever their suffering or their sickness listen to them when they pray at this altar. And do this whether it’s one person or the entire nation. 30From heaven, forgive them. You know what’s in their hearts. You’re the only one who does. 31Do this so they will honor and respect you for the rest of their lives in this land you first gave to their ancestors.
God, listening to prayers of all people
32What you do for your people here in Israel, do for anyone who comes here because of what they’ve heard about you. For they will certainly hear about you. They’ll hear about your power. And they’ll hear about your open arms of welcome for people everywhere. 33So, when they come here to pray, give them what they ask so others will come to respect you and to honor this Temple as a place where people express their devotion to you.34If Israel goes to war, please do this for them. If they turn and face this city and this Temple you asked me to build, 35listen to them when they pray. Let them defeat their enemies.
Everyone sins, so please forgive them
36Your people may sin against you—everyone does. And you may exile them to another country, where they’re carried off as captives. 37. But when they come to their senses and pray, listen to them. ‘We admit it,’ they may say. ‘We knew it was wrong and we did it anyhow. It was a terrible thing to do, and we did it.’38If they confess and stop doing what they shouldn’t have done in the first place, listen to them when they look toward this Temple and ask you to give them back the land you gave their ancestors. 39From heaven, give them what they desperately want. Forgive them for what they did.
40Now, God, please watch over what happens here at this Temple and listen to the prayers of the people.
41
LORD God, come into this place we built.
It’s for you and for the Ark of the Covenant,
which will always remind us of your power.
Clothe your priests in safety and salvation.
May all the people devoted to you
celebrate how good you are to them.
on those of us you’ve anointed [6] to lead your people.
Don’t ever let go of your love for David,
who spent his life serving you.
Footnotes
Compare the “darkness” with “Moses walked toward the dense cloud where God was” (Exodus 20:21). See also Exodus 34:5; Deuteronomy 4:22; 5:22.
Well, not quite forever. Six hundred years, though. Babylonian invaders leveled it in 586 BC and deported the Jewish survivors as captives. Jews later rebuilt it, but Romans leveled it once and for all in AD 70, while crushing a Jewish revolt for independence. Muslims later built the Dome of the Rock shrine over the site. It has served as Jerusalem’s most recognized landmark for the past 1,400 years.
Over two meters square and one meter high. In ancient Hebrew measurement, five cubits long and wide, and three cubits high. A cubit was the distance between the end of an elbow to the tip of the fingers on the same arm.
The outer courtyard was the worship center for all Israelites who weren’t in Levi’s tribe, the priestly tribe. The outer courtyard was as close to the Temple as they could get. It’s where the sacrificial altar was kept.
See 1 Chronicles 17:11-14; 22:9-10.
The ancient Hebrew term is masiah. It’s a form of the word Messiah, which in the New Testament, usually refers to Jesus. The term means “anointed.” Priests anointed kings by pouring olive oil on them, possibly as a symbol of filling them with power. In this prayer of Solomon, he seems to be talking about David’s dynasty—his family of kings destined to rule Israel for generations to come.
Discussion Questions
- Sorry, there are currently no questions for this chapter.
Maps/Guides
Balage Balogh / ArchaeologyIllustrated.com
Licensed to Casual English Bible
