1 Kings 8:30, 1 Kings 8:34, 1 Kings 8:36, 1 Kings 8:39, 1 Kings 8:50 NIV

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 1 Kings 8:22-53

Solomon having made a general surrender of this house to God, which God had signified his acceptance of by taking possession, next follows Solomon's prayer, in which he makes a more particular declaration of the uses of that surrender, with all humility and reverence, desiring that God would agree thereto. In short, it is his request that this temple may be deemed and taken, not only for a house of sacrifice (no mention is made of that in all this prayer, that was taken for granted), but a... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Kings 8:30

And hearken thou to the supplication of thy servant, and of thy people Israel, when they shall pray towards this place ,.... Not only he desires his prayers might be heard, but those of the people of Israel, then, and at all times in succeeding ages, whenever they should look towards the temple, and to him that was typified by it; to whose blood, righteousness, sacrifice and mediation, the acceptance of prayers with God is to be ascribed: and hear thou in heaven thy dwellingplace ; for... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Kings 8:30

Toward this place - Both tabernacle and temple were types of our Lord Jesus, or of God manifested in the flesh; and he was and is the Mediator between God and man. All prayer, to be acceptable, and to be entitled to a hearing, must go to God through Him. The human nature of Christ is the temple in which dwelt all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; therefore with propriety all prayer must be offered to God through Him. "If they pray toward this place, hear thou in heaven thy... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Kings 8:23-53

The Prayer of Dedication. In how many and varied ways is Solomon a type of the Divine Solomon, the true Son of David Even in this respect they are alike—that each has "taught us how to pray" ( Luke 11:1 sqq.) For we may be sure that the Prayer of Dedication is for our instruction and imitation, otherwise it would hardly have been recorded, and recorded at such length, in Scripture. "After this manner therefore pray ye" ( Matthew 6:9 ). I. LAYMEN MAY OFFER PUBLIC PRAYER ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Kings 8:30

And hearken thou to the supplication of thy servant, and of thy people Israel, when they shall pray toward this place: and hear thou in heaven [Heb. unto heaven , אֶל־הַשָּׁמַיִם a pregnant censtruction hear the prayer that ascends unto heaven. The chronicler here, as elsewhere, simplifies the meaning by reading "from heaven," מִן־הַשּׁ ] thy dwelling place [Here, and in verses 39, 43, and 49, heaven is described as the true dwelling place of Deity. Confidently as Solomon... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - 1 Kings 8:30

And when thou hearest, forgive - literally, “both hear and forgive” - i. e., “hear the prayer, and forgive the sin” which alone causes God to chasten men or to withhold from them His choicest blessings. read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - 1 Kings 8:30

1 Kings 8:30. When they shall pray toward this place None but the priests might enter that place, but when the people worshipped in the courts of the temple, it was to be with an eye toward it, not with a superstitious regard or veneration, as though it were holy in itself, or in any respect the ground of their confidence in their worship, which would have been idolatry; but, as an instituted medium of their worship, helping the weakness of their faith, and typifying the mediation of Jesus... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - 1 Kings 8:22-66

The dedication ceremony (8:22-9:9)Solomon then went up on to a specially made bronze platform, knelt down and prayed to God in the presence of the assembled people (2 Chronicles 6:12-13). He admitted that only God’s grace had allowed his father and himself to fulfil their wish of building God a symbolic dwelling place. He prayed that God’s grace would rest likewise upon his royal descendants after him (22-26). Solomon knew there was no necessity for the temple, because God dwells everywhere.... read more

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - 1 Kings 8:30

dwelling place . Figure of speech Anthropopatheia. App-6 . read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - 1 Kings 8:1-66

5. The temple dedication ch. 8This chapter climaxes the writer’s emphasis on the greatness of Yahweh as Israel’s God. It is the most detailed account of a dedication service in the Bible. It is also one of the most theologically significant texts in 1 and 2 Kings. read more

1 Kings 8:30, 1 Kings 8:34, 1 Kings 8:36, 1 Kings 8:39, 1 Kings 8:50 Niv