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Matthew Henry

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 8:37

Through want of rain, or any other cause, as there had been a three years' famine in the time of David, and it is supposed it might be again, though Canaan was a land flowing with milk and honey: if there be pestilence ; as there had been, for David's numbering the people: blasting ; or blights, occasioned by the east wind: mildew ; a kind of clammy dew, which falling on plants, corn, &c.; corrupts and destroys them, see Amos 4:9 , locust , or if there be caterpillar ... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Kings 8:38

What prayer and supplication soever ,.... On account of any of the above things, or any other: be made by any man, or by all the people Israel ; by a private man, for such an one might go to the temple and pray by himself; see Luke 18:10 or by the public congregation: which shall know every man the plague of his own heart ; be sensible of his sin as the cause of his distress, and own it, though ever so privately committed, which none knows but God and his own heart; and which may... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Kings 8:39

Then hear thou in heaven thy dwellingplace ,.... Which was more properly so than this Solomon had built, and the Lord had taken possession of: and forgive ; remove the calamity and distress, be it what it may: and do, and give to every man according to his ways, whose heart thou knowest : that his prayer is cordial and sincere, his confession and repentance genuine, and that he is truly sensible of his sin, and sorry for it, and is pure in his intentions and resolutions, through... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Kings 8:40

That they may fear thee ,.... For his goodness sake in hearing their prayer, removing their affliction, and bestowing his blessings on them, particularly in forgiving their sins, see Psalm 130:4 . all the days that they live in the land which thou gavest unto our fathers ; not only for the present, while the mercy is fresh, but all the days of their lives; to which they were the more obliged by the good land they possessed as a divine gift, and which they held by the tenure of their... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Kings 8:41

Moreover, concerning a stranger that is not of thy people Israel ,.... One of another country, not belonging to any of the tribes of Israel, yet having some knowledge of, and disposition to, the true worship of God: but cometh out of a far country for thy name's sake ; as the Ethiopian eunuch did, to pray to him, worship him, and offer such sacrifices as were allowed a Gentile to do, Leviticus 22:18 led thereunto by the fame of him, as follows. read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Kings 8:42

(For they shall hear of thy great name ,.... Of his great name, Jehovah; of him as the eternal, immutable, and self-existent Being; of the perfections of his nature, as displayed in his mighty works: and of thy strong hand, and of thy stretched out arm) ; which had done formerly such mighty works in Egypt, at the Red sea, in the wilderness, in the land of Canaan, in the times of David, and still under the reign of Solomon, and even in future ages, besides the works of creation and... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Kings 8:43

Hear thou in heaven thy dwellingplace ,.... The prayer of the stranger: and do according to all that the stranger calleth to thee for ; which were consistent with the will of God and his glory, and for the good of the stranger; this is more absolutely and unconditionally expressed than the requests for the Israelites; it is not desired that he would do by them according to their ways, and if they turned from their sins, or knew the plague of their hearts; the reason of which is supposed... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Kings 8:44

If thy people go out to battle against their enemy ,.... In a foreign country, threatening to invade them, or having trespassed on their borders, or some way or other infringed on their liberties and privileges, and so given them just occasion to go to war with them: whithersoever thou shalt send them ; this case supposes their asking counsel of God, or having a direction and commission from him by a prophet, or some other way, to engage in war with the enemy: and shall pray unto the... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Kings 8:45

Then hear thou in heaven their prayer and their supplication ,.... For success: and maintain their cause ; do them justice, and avenge their injuries, as the Targum; let it appear that their cause is right, by giving them victory. read more

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