2 Chronicles 6

King James Version

Full text for 2 Chronicles Chapter 6

1¶ Then said Solomon, The LORD hath said that he would dwell in the thick darkness.

2But I have built an house of habitation for thee, and a place for thy dwelling for ever.

3And the king turned his face, and blessed the whole congregation of Israel: and all the congregation of Israel stood.

4And he said, Blessed [be] the LORD God of Israel, who hath with his hands fulfilled [that] which he spake with his mouth to my father David, saying,

5Since the day that I brought forth my people out of the land of Egypt I chose no city among all the tribes of Israel to build an house in, that my name might be there; neither chose I any man to be a ruler over my people Israel:

6But I have chosen Jerusalem, that my name might be there; and have chosen David to be over my people Israel.

7Now it was in the heart of David my father to build an house for the name of the LORD God of Israel.

8But the LORD said to David my father, Forasmuch as it was in thine heart to build an house for my name, thou didst well in that it was in thine heart:

9Notwithstanding thou shalt not build the house; but thy son which shall come forth out of thy loins, he shall build the house for my name.

10The LORD therefore hath performed his word that he hath spoken: for I am risen up in the room of David my father, and am set on the throne of Israel, as the LORD promised, and have built the house for the name of the LORD God of Israel.

11And in it have I put the ark, wherein [is] the covenant of the LORD, that he made with the children of Israel.

12¶ And he stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands:

13For Solomon had made a brasen scaffold, of five cubits long, and five cubits broad, and three cubits high, and had set it in the midst of the court: and upon it he stood, and kneeled down upon his knees before all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven,

14And said, O LORD God of Israel, [there is] no God like thee in the heaven, nor in the earth; which keepest covenant, and [shewest] mercy unto thy servants, that walk before thee with all their hearts:

15Thou which hast kept with thy servant David my father that which thou hast promised him; and spakest with thy mouth, and hast fulfilled [it] with thine hand, as [it is] this day.

16Now therefore, O LORD God of Israel, keep with thy servant David my father that which thou hast promised him, saying, There shall not fail thee a man in my sight to sit upon the throne of Israel; yet so that thy children take heed to their way to walk in my law, as thou hast walked before me.

17Now then, O LORD God of Israel, let thy word be verified, which thou hast spoken unto thy servant David.

18But will God in very deed dwell with men on the earth? behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house which I have built!

19Have respect therefore to the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplication, O LORD my God, to hearken unto the cry and the prayer which thy servant prayeth before thee:

20That thine eyes may be open upon this house day and night, upon the place whereof thou hast said that thou wouldest put thy name there; to hearken unto the prayer which thy servant prayeth toward this place.

21Hearken therefore unto the supplications of thy servant, and of thy people Israel, which they shall make toward this place: hear thou from thy dwelling place, [even] from heaven; and when thou hearest, forgive.

22If a man sin against his neighbour, and an oath be laid upon him to make him swear, and the oath come before thine altar in this house;

23Then hear thou from heaven, and do, and judge thy servants, by requiting the wicked, by recompensing his way upon his own head; and by justifying the righteous, by giving him according to his righteousness.

24And if thy people Israel be put to the worse before the enemy, because they have sinned against thee; and shall return and confess thy name, and pray and make supplication before thee in this house;

25Then hear thou from the heavens, and forgive the sin of thy people Israel, and bring them again unto the land which thou gavest to them and to their fathers.

26When the heaven is shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against thee; [yet] if they pray toward this place, and confess thy name, and turn from their sin, when thou dost afflict them;

27Then hear thou from heaven, and forgive the sin of thy servants, and of thy people Israel, when thou hast taught them the good way, wherein they should walk; and send rain upon thy land, which thou hast given unto thy people for an inheritance.

28If there be dearth in the land, if there be pestilence, if there be blasting, or mildew, locusts, or caterpillers; if their enemies besiege them in the cities of their land; whatsoever sore or whatsoever sickness [there be]:

29[Then] what prayer [or] what supplication soever shall be made of any man, or of all thy people Israel, when every one shall know his own sore and his own grief, and shall spread forth his hands in this house:

30Then hear thou from heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and render unto every man according unto all his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou only knowest the hearts of the children of men:)

31That they may fear thee, to walk in thy ways, so long as they live in the land which thou gavest unto our fathers.

32Moreover concerning the stranger, which is not of thy people Israel, but is come from a far country for thy great name's sake, and thy mighty hand, and thy stretched out arm; if they come and pray in this house;

33Then hear thou from the heavens, [even] from thy dwelling place, and do according to all that the stranger calleth to thee for; that all people of the earth may know thy name, and fear thee, as [doth] thy people Israel, and may know that this house which I have built is called by thy name.

34If thy people go out to war against their enemies by the way that thou shalt send them, and they pray unto thee toward this city which thou hast chosen, and the house which I have built for thy name;

35Then hear thou from the heavens their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause.

36If they sin against thee, (for [there is] no man which sinneth not,) and thou be angry with them, and deliver them over before [their] enemies, and they carry them away captives unto a land far off or near;

37Yet [if] they bethink themselves in the land whither they are carried captive, and turn and pray unto thee in the land of their captivity, saying, We have sinned, we have done amiss, and have dealt wickedly;

38If they return to thee with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their captivity, whither they have carried them captives, and pray toward their land, which thou gavest unto their fathers, and [toward] the city which thou hast chosen, and toward the house which I have built for thy name:

39Then hear thou from the heavens, [even] from thy dwelling place, their prayer and their supplications, and maintain their cause, and forgive thy people which have sinned against thee.

40Now, my God, let, I beseech thee, thine eyes be open, and [let] thine ears [be] attent unto the prayer [that is made] in this place.

41Now therefore arise, O LORD God, into thy resting place, thou, and the ark of thy strength: let thy priests, O LORD God, be clothed with salvation, and let thy saints rejoice in goodness.

42O LORD God, turn not away the face of thine anointed: remember the mercies of David thy servant.

AI Analysis

AI Summaries

Short Summary

King Solomon dedicates the newly built Temple, acknowledging God's faithfulness in fulfilling His promise to David. He offers a profound prayer, asking God to hear and forgive His people when they turn towards this house in various times of distress or sin. Solomon petitions God to maintain His covenant, judge righteously, and extend mercy to Israel and even to strangers who seek Him.

Medium Summary

King Solomon commences the dedication of the Temple, recounting how God chose Jerusalem and David, and fulfilled His promise by allowing Solomon to build the house. Standing on a brazen scaffold, he blesses the congregation and then offers a lengthy prayer to God. Solomon praises God's uniqueness and covenant faithfulness, particularly towards David. He humbly questions God's dwelling in a physical structure, yet asks for divine attention to prayers directed towards the Temple, whether from Israelites or strangers. His petitions cover various national calamities like defeat, drought, famine, and pestilence, requesting God's forgiveness and intervention upon repentance. Solomon also prays for justice in disputes and for restoration if the people are carried into captivity due to sin, concluding with a plea for God's enduring presence and mercy.

Long Summary

King Solomon initiates the Temple dedication by declaring God's presence in thick darkness and the completion of the house built for His name. He blesses the congregation, then recounts God's historical faithfulness, from choosing Jerusalem and David to fulfilling the promise that David's son would build the Temple. Solomon, standing on a specially constructed brazen scaffold, extends his hands in a comprehensive prayer before all Israel. He begins by extolling God as incomparable, faithful to His covenant, and merciful to those who walk uprightly. Humbly, Solomon questions how the infinite God could dwell in a man-made structure, yet earnestly requests that God's eyes remain open upon the Temple day and night, hearing all prayers directed towards it. He petitions God to judge righteously in disputes and to forgive His people Israel if they are defeated by enemies, suffer drought, famine, pestilence, or siege, provided they confess their sins and turn towards the Temple in supplication. Solomon also extends his prayer to include strangers who come from afar to seek God's name, asking that their prayers be heard so all the earth may know the Lord. Furthermore, he prays for divine assistance in war and, significantly, for forgiveness and restoration should Israel sin and be carried into captivity, provided they repent wholeheartedly and pray towards their land and the Temple. The prayer concludes with an earnest plea for God's perpetual attentiveness to prayers made in this place, for the priests to be clothed with salvation, and for God to remember the mercies promised to David.

Core Concepts

  • Divine FaithfulnessGod is praised for His unwavering commitment to His promises, specifically in fulfilling the covenant made with David concerning the building of the Temple by his son, Solomon.
  • Temple as a Place of PrayerThe Temple is presented not as a dwelling to contain God, but as a designated place towards which God's people, and even strangers, can direct their prayers and supplications, expecting divine hearing and response.
  • Repentance and ForgivenessA recurring theme in Solomon's prayer is the condition for God's intervention: if the people sin and face calamity, God is asked to forgive and restore them upon their sincere repentance and turning towards the Temple.
  • God's Omnipresence vs. DwellingSolomon acknowledges that 'heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain' God, expressing awe at the idea of God dwelling in a physical house, yet recognizing the Temple as a place where God's name is put and where He will hear.
  • Justice and MercySolomon petitions God to act as a righteous judge in disputes, recompensing the wicked and justifying the righteous, while also extending mercy and forgiveness to His people when they humble themselves and seek Him.
  • Inclusivity of StrangersThe prayer extends beyond Israel to include 'the stranger' who comes from a far country to pray in the Temple, demonstrating a desire for God's name to be known and feared by 'all people of the earth'.
  • Davidic CovenantSolomon explicitly references God's promise to David concerning his lineage on the throne, praying for its continued fulfillment contingent upon his descendants walking in God's law.