2 Chronicles 6

KJV · Chapter 6/36

¹Then 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.

¹²And 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:

²⁹Then 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.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Solomon delivers a long, moving speech to the people and then an extensive dedication prayer for the temple, asking God to hear the people's prayers made toward this place under various future circumstances, including sin, war, drought, and exile.

Explanation

Solomon's prayer is remarkable for its prophetic insight and humility: he acknowledges that not even the highest heavens can contain God, so an earthly temple certainly cannot physically contain him — instead, the temple would function as a symbolic focal point toward which the people's prayers could be directed, even from a distance. He anticipates future scenarios of the people's failure and sin, including even the possibility of exile to foreign lands, asking in advance that God continue to hear their prayers of repentance even under those distant circumstances. This prayer would become providentially relevant centuries later, when the people were indeed exiled, and prophets like Daniel prayed facing toward Jerusalem, exactly as Solomon had foreseen.

Fun facts

Solomon's prayer specifically foresees the possibility of the people's future exile, which would become historical reality centuries later with the Babylonian conquest — a remarkable example of prophetic insight within a dedication prayer.
The prophet Daniel, living in Babylonian exile, is described praying three times a day with his windows open toward Jerusalem (Daniel 6:10), a practice directly linked to Solomon's request in this prayer.

Verse-by-verse explanation

2 Chronicles 6:1Solomon opens the dedication speech by recalling an ancient idea: God chose to dwell in thick darkness, away from direct sight — this is how He had already appeared at Sinai and at the tabernacle.
2 Chronicles 6:2Solomon describes the newly built temple as God’s “house” and “dwelling place for ever” — a manner of speaking, since he himself will admit further on that no building truly contains God.
2 Chronicles 6:3Before praying, Solomon turns to bless the whole people of Israel, who remain standing — only after that does he turn his face to the altar and begin the prayer itself.
2 Chronicles 6:4Solomon begins by blessing God for having fulfilled with His own hands what He had promised with His mouth to David, his father — the promise that one of David’s sons would build the temple.
2 Chronicles 6:5God explains, through Solomon’s mouth, that since the Exodus He had never before chosen a fixed city for His name, nor a fixed leader for the people — all of that was provisional until now.
2 Chronicles 6:6It is only now, in the time of David and Solomon, that God chooses Jerusalem as the place for His name and David’s line to lead the people — a double choice that defines the rest of the book.
2 Chronicles 6:7Solomon recalls that the desire to build a temple was already in the heart of David, his father, well before he himself was born.
2 Chronicles 6:8Even while keeping David from building the temple, God praises his intention — having that desire in his heart already counted as something good in God’s eyes.
2 Chronicles 6:9God had made it clear to David that it would not be him, but a son of his, who would actually build the house — the promise now fulfilled in Solomon.
2 Chronicles 6:10Solomon marks the present moment as the exact fulfillment of that promise: he occupies David’s throne and has just finished building the temple.
2 Chronicles 6:11Inside the newly finished temple, Solomon places the ark holding the covenant made between God and the people of Israel — the link between the new building and the ancient story.
2 Chronicles 6:12Solomon positions himself before the altar, in front of the whole assembled people, and lifts up his hands — the traditional posture of someone about to pray in public.
2 Chronicles 6:13To be visible to everyone, Solomon has a bronze platform built in the middle of the courtyard, climbs onto it, kneels, and stretches his hands toward heaven before he starts praying.
2 Chronicles 6:14The prayer opens by affirming that there is no god like the Lord anywhere — He is faithful to His covenant with those who follow Him with a sincere heart.
2 Chronicles 6:15Solomon acknowledges that God has already fulfilled, word for word, the promise made to David — and the finished temple itself is visible proof of that on that very day.
2 Chronicles 6:16Solomon asks that this faithfulness continue: that there always be a descendant of David on the throne, but he attaches a condition — only if David’s sons follow God’s law the way David did.
2 Chronicles 6:17Solomon asks directly that the promise made to David be confirmed in fact, repeating the previous verse’s request in a shorter, more direct way.
2 Chronicles 6:18In the middle of his own dedication prayer, Solomon acknowledges the paradox: if not even the heavens can contain God, how could a building made by human hands? The temple is not a box that holds God, it is a reference point the people turn toward when they pray.
2 Chronicles 6:19Having acknowledged that no temple contains God, Solomon still asks Him to pay attention to the prayer made in that specific place.
2 Chronicles 6:20Solomon asks that God’s eyes stay open over the temple day and night, watching over this place He chose to bear His own name.
2 Chronicles 6:21The request extends to the whole people: that every prayer made facing that temple be heard from heaven, forgiveness included.
2 Chronicles 6:22The prayer’s first concrete case is legal: when someone swears a self-curse oath before the altar to prove innocence in a dispute with a neighbor.
2 Chronicles 6:23Solomon asks that God judge this kind of oath from heaven above, punishing the guilty and clearing the righteous, each according to what he actually did.
2 Chronicles 6:24The second case is military defeat because of sin — Solomon already foresees that Israel will lose wars when it drifts away from God, and he asks that the prayer of repentance made at the temple be heard in those hours.
2 Chronicles 6:25Solomon asks that, in this case of defeat, God forgive the people’s sin and bring them back to the land He had already given them and their ancestors.
2 Chronicles 6:26The third case is drought — when the heavens shut up and no rain falls because of the people’s sin, Solomon asks that the prayer made facing the temple, with sincere repentance, be heard.
2 Chronicles 6:27Solomon asks that, in a drought, God forgive the sin, teach the people the right way, and send rain again on the promised land.
2 Chronicles 6:28The fourth case bundles several possible crises at once: famine, plague, blight on the crops, locusts, caterpillars, or even a siege by enemies — any collective disaster.
2 Chronicles 6:29In any of these crises, Solomon asks that the prayer of any person among the people, made with hands stretched out toward the temple, be heard.
2 Chronicles 6:30Solomon asks that God answer each person individually, because only He truly knows what is in the heart of every human being.
2 Chronicles 6:31The final goal of this request is to form a people who fear God and follow His ways for as long as they live in the promised land.
2 Chronicles 6:32The fifth case is surprising: Solomon already foresees foreigners from distant lands coming to pray at the temple, drawn by the fame of God’s name and power, even without belonging to Israel.
2 Chronicles 6:33Solomon’s prayer asks that God listen even to the foreigner who comes to pray facing that temple, not only the native-born Israelite. It is a surprisingly open outlook for the time: the temple was meant to be recognized by all peoples, not only by those who already belonged to Israel.
2 Chronicles 6:34The sixth case is war: when Israel’s army goes out to fight and prays facing the city and the temple, Solomon asks that this prayer also be heard in heaven.
2 Chronicles 6:35Solomon asks that, in this case of war, God hear the army’s prayer and uphold their cause.
2 Chronicles 6:36In the very dedication prayer, Solomon already foresees a future of sin, defeat, and exile for the people — and asks that, even in a foreign land, prayer facing this house still be heard. It’s as if the whole book, written after that exile actually happened, were planting here the answer its original readers needed to hear.
2 Chronicles 6:37The seventh and final case is the gravest: the people already exiled in a foreign land, who repent from the heart and confess, “We have sinned, we have done amiss, and have dealt wickedly.”
2 Chronicles 6:38Even in exile, if the people turn back to God with all their heart and pray toward the lost land, city, and temple, Solomon asks that this prayer from a distance still count.
2 Chronicles 6:39Solomon closes this final request by asking that God hear the exiles’ prayer from heaven, uphold their cause, and forgive the people who sinned.
2 Chronicles 6:40Solomon closes the long list of requests by returning to the opening tone: that God’s eyes and ears stay ever attentive to the prayers made in that place.
2 Chronicles 6:41Solomon invites God to “arise” and come rest in the temple together with the ark, also asking that the priests be clothed with salvation and the faithful people rejoice.
2 Chronicles 6:42The prayer ends with a personal request: that God not reject His own anointed king, recalling the loyalty He showed David — a closing line that points straight to the answer coming in the next chapter.

Chapters

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36

Our apps

Our apps →

Bible in Stories

The Bible told as a story, with audio and videos.

📱 Get the app

World in Stories

True stories of humanity that sound made up.

App Store Google Play

Feito! Pequenas Vitórias

A light daily routine for people who lose track of the day.

App Store Google Play