1 Kings 8:54
in 1 Kings 8Now when Solomon had finished praying this entire prayer and petition to the LORD, he got up before the altar of the LORD, where he had been kneeling with his hands spread out toward heaven.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And it was so, that, when Solomon had made an end of praying all this prayer and supplication unto Jehovah, he arose from before the altar of Jehovah, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread forth toward heaven.
KJV
And it was so, that when Solomon had made an end of praying all this prayer and supplication unto the Lord, he arose from before the altar of the Lord, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread up to heaven.
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This verse in 1 Kings 8
Commentary
4 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
If the prayer of Solomon be, as it has all the appearance of being, a genuine document of the time, preserved in the archives to which the authors of both Kings and Chronicles had access, all theories of the late origin of Deuteronomy must be regarded as baseless. While references are not infrequent to other portions of the Pentateuch, the language of the prayer is mainly modelled upon Deuteronomy, the promises and threats contained in which are continually before the mind of the writer. (See the margin reference).
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
The prayer itself was very long, and perhaps much longer than is here recorded. At the throne of grace we have liberty of speech, and should use our liberty. It is not making long prayers, but making them for a pretence, that Christ condemns.
, where he is said to rise from his knees; compare 2 Chron. vi. Kneeling is the most proper posture for prayer, Eph. iii. The greatest of men must not think it below them to kneel before the Lord their Maker.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation
And it was so, that, when Solomon had made an end of praying all this prayer and supplication unto the Lord,....
The words behind it
21 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיְהִ֣י׀ | vayhi | and it was | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| כְּכַלּ֣וֹת | kekhalot | when had finished | H3615 → | 208 times |
| שְׁלֹמֹ֗ה | shelomoh | Solomon | H8010 → | 291 times |
| לְהִתְפַּלֵּל֙ | lehitpalel | to pray | H6419 → | 84 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| יְהוָ֔ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| אֵ֛ת | ʾet | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| כָּל־ | kol- | all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| הַתְּפִלָּ֥ה | hatefilah | the prayer | H8605 → | 72 times |
| וְהַתְּחִנָּ֖ה | vehattechinah | and the supplication | H8467 → | 25 times |
| הַזֹּ֑את | hazot | <the> this | H2063 → | 603 times |
| קָ֞ם | kam | he stood up | H6965 → | 628 times |
| מִלִּפְנֵ֨י | milifnei | from to before | H6440 → | 2123 times |
| מִזְבַּ֤ח | mizbach | [the] altar of | H4196 → | 401 times |
| יְהוָה֙ | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| מִכְּרֹ֣עַ | mikeroa' | from bowing down | H3766 → | |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| בִּרְכָּ֔יו | birkav | knees his | H1290 → | 25 times |
| וְכַפָּ֖יו | vekhapav | and palms his | H3709 → | 192 times |
| פְּרֻשׂ֥וֹת | perusot | [were] spread out | H6566 → | 67 times |
| הַשָּׁמָֽיִם׃ | hashamayim | the heavens | H8064 → | 421 times |
וַיְהִ֣י׀and it was
vayhiH1961 →3559 times
כְּכַלּ֣וֹתwhen had finished
kekhalotH3615 →208 times
שְׁלֹמֹ֗הSolomon
shelomohH8010 →291 times
לְהִתְפַּלֵּל֙to pray
lehitpalelH6419 →84 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
יְהוָ֔הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
אֵ֛ת<obj.>
ʾetH853 →10935 times
כָּל־all
kol-H3605 →5413 times
הַתְּפִלָּ֥הthe prayer
hatefilahH8605 →72 times
וְהַתְּחִנָּ֖הand the supplication
vehattechinahH8467 →25 times
הַזֹּ֑את<the> this
hazotH2063 →603 times
קָ֞םhe stood up
kamH6965 →628 times
מִלִּפְנֵ֨יfrom to before
milifneiH6440 →2123 times
מִזְבַּ֤ח[the] altar of
mizbachH4196 →401 times
יְהוָה֙Yahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
מִכְּרֹ֣עַfrom bowing down
mikeroa'H3766 →
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
בִּרְכָּ֔יוknees his
birkavH1290 →25 times
וְכַפָּ֖יוand palms his
vekhapavH3709 →192 times
פְּרֻשׂ֥וֹת[were] spread out
perusotH6566 →67 times
הַשָּׁמָֽיִם׃the heavens
hashamayimH8064 →421 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Psalms 95:6O come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.
it leads to
- Philippians 2:10
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
- Psalms 100:3
Know that the LORD is God. It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.
- Ephesians 3:14
... for this reason I bow my knees before the Father,
- Psalms 95:1
Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout to the Rock of our salvation!
- 1 Corinthians 6:20
you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God with your body.
- Philippians 2:10
Through
2 Chronicles 7:1When Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple.
it leads to
- 1 Kings 18:38
Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and it licked up the water in the trench.
- 1 Chronicles 21:26
And there he built an altar to the LORD and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. He called upon the LORD, who answered him with fire from heaven on the altar of burnt offering.
- Leviticus 9:23–24
Moses and Aaron then entered the Tent of Meeting. When they came out, they blessed the people, and the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people.
- 1 Kings 18:38
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About 1 Kings

Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.
