Question 1

What is happening in this passage where Solomon prays at the temple?

Accepted Answer

This passage describes the dedication of the new temple in Jerusalem. Solomon has finished building the house for God’s name, and all Israel is gathered. First he speaks to the people, reminding them that God chose David and Jerusalem and has now kept His promise by letting Solomon build the temple. Then Solomon stands on a platform, kneels, lifts his hands toward heaven, and prays. He praises God, recalls God’s promises to David, and then asks God to watch over this house, hear prayers, forgive sins, and help His people in many different situations.

Question 2

What does Solomon mean when he says there is no God like the Lord?

Accepted Answer

When Solomon says, “O Lord God of Israel, there is no God like thee in the heaven, nor in the earth,” he is confessing that the Lord is unique. God keeps His covenant and shows mercy to those who walk before Him with all their hearts. Solomon also says that even heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain God, so God is greater than any temple or place. This shows that while God has chosen to put His name at the temple, He is far above all idols and human ideas, and there is truly no other God like Him.

Question 3

Why does Solomon ask if God will really dwell with people on earth?

Accepted Answer

Solomon asks, “Will God in very deed dwell with men on the earth?” to show his sense of wonder and humility. He knows God is so great that even the highest heavens cannot contain Him, so it seems amazing that God would attach His name to a building. By asking this, Solomon is not doubting God’s promise but honoring God’s greatness. He then asks God to hear prayers made toward this house from His true dwelling place in heaven, and when He hears, to forgive. It shows that God is near to His people yet far above them.

Question 4

Why does Solomon talk so much about sin, trouble, and forgiveness in this prayer?

Accepted Answer

Solomon knows that people will sin and that sin brings trouble. So in his prayer he names many hard situations: enemies defeating Israel, no rain, famine, pestilence, locusts, sickness, and even being taken captive to a far land. In each case he asks that if the people realize their sin, turn back, confess God’s name, and pray toward this place, God will hear from heaven, forgive, and restore them. He even says, “for there is no man which sinneth not.” This shows that God’s people will need ongoing mercy and that God is ready to forgive when they truly return to Him.

Question 5

What does it mean to pray toward the temple in this passage?

Accepted Answer

Praying toward the temple means turning one’s heart, and often one’s body, toward the place where God said He would put His name. Solomon asks that when people pray in or toward this house, God will hear from heaven. This includes people in the land, soldiers far away at war, and even captives in a distant country. The temple is a visible sign of God’s covenant and presence, so facing it in prayer shows faith in the God who promised to hear. The real help still comes from God in heaven, not from the building itself.

Question 6

How are foreigners or strangers included in Solomon’s prayer?

Accepted Answer

Solomon does not only pray for Israel. He also mentions “the stranger, which is not of thy people Israel,” who comes from a far country because of God’s great name and mighty hand. He asks that if such a person comes and prays in this house, God will hear from heaven and do according to all that the stranger asks. The purpose is “that all people of the earth may know thy name, and fear thee.” This shows that God’s care is not limited to one nation. Even then, people from other lands were invited to seek the Lord.

Question 7

What does this passage teach about God’s knowledge of the human heart?

Accepted Answer

In this prayer Solomon says that God alone knows the hearts of the children of men. When people pray about their own “sore” and “grief,” Solomon asks God to forgive and to give to each person according to his ways, because God knows what is truly in them. This means God sees more than outward words or actions. He knows whether repentance is genuine and whether faith is real. The goal, Solomon says, is that people may fear God and walk in His ways as long as they live in the land He gave their fathers.

Question 8

What promise to David does Solomon recall in his prayer?

Accepted Answer

Solomon recalls that God promised David that there would not fail him a man to sit on the throne of Israel, as long as his children took heed to their way and walked in God’s law. Solomon thanks God that He has kept His word by setting Solomon on the throne and allowing the temple to be built. Then he prays, “Now then, O Lord God of Israel, let thy word be verified.” He is asking God to continue to keep this promise, while also acknowledging that it depends on David’s descendants living in obedience before God.

Question 9

How can someone today apply the spirit of Solomon’s prayer?

Accepted Answer

While the temple and its sacrifices belong to that time, the heart of Solomon’s prayer still speaks today. He shows deep respect for God’s greatness, honest awareness of human sin, and confidence that God hears and forgives when people turn back to Him with all their heart and soul. A person today can follow that pattern by coming to God humbly, admitting sin, trusting that God keeps His promises, and asking God to hear, forgive, and lead them in the right way. It encourages a life of honest repentance, dependence on God, and reverent worship.

2 Chronicles 6:1

Then said Solomon, The Lord hath said that he would dwell in the thick darkness.

Solomon Blesses the LORD

Solomon’s Prayer of Dedication

Solomon Blesses the LORD

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2 Chronicles 6:1

Then said Solomon, The Lord hath said that he would dwell in the thick darkness.

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Solomon Blesses the LORD

Solomon’s Prayer of Dedication

Solomon Blesses the LORD

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