1 Kings 9:3
in 1 Kings 9And the LORD said to him: “I have heard your prayer and petition before Me. I have consecrated this temple you have built by putting My Name there forever; My eyes and My heart will be there for all time.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And Jehovah said unto him, I have heard thy prayer and thy supplication, that thou hast made before me: I have hallowed this house, which thou hast built, to put my name there for ever; and mine eyes and my heart shall be there perpetually.
KJV
And the Lord said unto him, I have heard thy prayer and thy supplication, that thou hast made before me: I have hallowed this house, which thou hast built, to put my name there for ever; and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually.
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This verse in 1 Kings 9
Commentary
8 notes on this verseHow can God say that he will always be in this temple when he threatens to destroy the house? The gifts of God are without second thoughts, as far as it depends on him, but our wickedness turns them away from us. In fact, he …
This site's exposition
to put my name there for ever
I have hallowed this house, to put my name there for ever answers the standing formula of Deuteronomy 12, the place which the Lord shall choose to put his name, now fulfilled rather than merely promised. The phrase mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually goes beyond Solomon's own request at 8:29, which asked only that the Lord's eyes be open toward the house night and day. For ever stands in the same breath as the conditions that follow in the next four verses, so the permanence and the warning belong to one sentence of covenant, not two.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
For ever - As long as the Mosaic dispensation lasts; whereas hitherto my worship has been successively in several places. Eyes - My watchful and gracious providence.
): I have hallowed this house. Solomon had dedicated it, but it was God's prerogative to hallow it--to sanctify or consecrate it. Men cannot make a place holy, yet what we, in sincerity, devote to God, we may hope he will graciously accept as his; and his eyes and his heart shall be upon it.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
And the Lord said unto him, I have heard thy prayer and thy supplication that thou hast made before me,....
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
The answer given by God to Solomon’s prayer is reported more fully in 2Ch 7:12-22. When God puts His Name in the temple He does it, in intention, “forever.” He will not arbitrarily withdraw it; there it will remain “forever,” so far as God is concerned. But the people may by unfaithfulness drive it away 1Ki 9:7-9. And mine eyes and my heart - An answer in excess of the prayer 1Ki 8:29; “Not Mine eyes only, but Mine eyes and Mine heart.”
BELOVED Friends, it was an exceedingly encouraging thing to Solomon that the Lord should appear to him before the beginning of his great work of building the temple. See in the third chapter of this First Book of the Kings, at the fifth verse, "In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give you." Some of us remember how the Lord was with us at the beginning of our life-work—when we started as young men and women newly converted, full of zeal and earnestness—determined to do something for the Lord. How we sought His face! With what simplicity, with what tenderness of heart, with what dependence upon Him and diffidence as to ourselves! We remember, as HE remembers, the love of our espousals—those early days. I cannot forget when the Lord appeared unto me in Gibeon at the first. Truly there are things about the lives of Christian men that would not have been possible if God had not appeared to them at the beginning. If He had not strengthened and tutored them and given them wisdom beyond what they possess in themselves. If He had not inspirited them. If He had not infused life into them, they had not done what they have already done. It is a priceless blessing to begin with God and not to lay a stone of the temple of our life-work till the Lord has appeared unto us. I do not know, however, but that it is an equal, perhaps a superior blessing, for the Lord to appear to us after a certain work is done. Even as in this case—"The Lord appeared to Solomon the second time, as He had appeared unto him at Gibeon." Solomon had now finished the temple and he needed another visit from on high. There is great joy in completing a work. And yet there is, to some minds, a great letdown, when the once engrossing service ceases to keep the mind upon the stretch.
1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
BELOVED Friends, it was an exceedingly encouraging thing to Solomon that the Lord should appear to him before the beginning of his great work of building the temple. See in the third chapter of this First Book of the Kings, at the fifth verse, "In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give you."
The words behind it
28 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּ֨אמֶר | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| יְהוָ֜ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| אֵלָ֗יו | ʾelav | to him | H413 → | 5510 times |
| שָׁ֠מַעְתִּי | shama'ti | I have heard | H8085 → | 1159 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| תְּפִלָּתְךָ֣ | tefilatekha | prayer your | H8605 → | 72 times |
| וְאֶת־ | veet | and <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| תְּחִנָּתְךָ֮ | techinatekha | supplication your | H8467 → | 25 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֣ר | ʾasher | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| הִתְחַנַּ֣נְתָּה | hitchanantah | you have sought favor | H2603 → | 78 times |
| לְפָנַי֒ | lefanai | <to> before me | H6440 → | 2123 times |
| הִקְדַּ֗שְׁתִּי | hikdashti | I have consecrated | H6942 → | 171 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| הַבַּ֤יִת | habayit | the house | H1004 → | 2046 times |
| הַזֶּה֙ | hazeh | <the> this | H2088 → | 1180 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֣ר | ʾasher | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| בָּנִ֔תָה | banitah | you have built | H1129 → | 376 times |
| לָשֽׂוּם־ | lasum- | by putting | H7760 → | 584 times |
| שְׁמִ֥י | shemi | name my | H8034 → | 864 times |
| שָׁ֖ם | sham | there | H8033 → | 834 times |
| עַד־ | ʾad- | until | H5704 → | 1261 times |
| עוֹלָ֑ם | olam | perpetuity | H5769 → | 438 times |
| וְהָי֨וּ | vehayu | and they will be | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| עֵינַ֧י | ʾeinai | eyes my | H5869 → | 887 times |
| וְלִבִּ֛י | velibi | and heart my | H3820 → | 595 times |
| שָׁ֖ם | sham | there | H8033 → | 834 times |
| כָּל־ | kol- | all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| הַיָּמִֽים׃ | haiyamim | the days | H3117 → | 2304 times |
וַיֹּ֨אמֶרand he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
יְהוָ֜הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
אֵלָ֗יוto him
ʾelavH413 →5510 times
שָׁ֠מַעְתִּיI have heard
shama'tiH8085 →1159 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
תְּפִלָּתְךָ֣prayer your
tefilatekhaH8605 →72 times
וְאֶת־and <obj.>
veetH853 →10935 times
תְּחִנָּתְךָ֮supplication your
techinatekhaH8467 →25 times
אֲשֶׁ֣רwhich
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
הִתְחַנַּ֣נְתָּהyou have sought favor
hitchanantahH2603 →78 times
לְפָנַי֒<to> before me
lefanaiH6440 →2123 times
הִקְדַּ֗שְׁתִּיI have consecrated
hikdashtiH6942 →171 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
הַבַּ֤יִתthe house
habayitH1004 →2046 times
הַזֶּה֙<the> this
hazehH2088 →1180 times
אֲשֶׁ֣רwhich
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
בָּנִ֔תָהyou have built
banitahH1129 →376 times
לָשֽׂוּם־by putting
lasum-H7760 →584 times
שְׁמִ֥יname my
shemiH8034 →864 times
שָׁ֖םthere
shamH8033 →834 times
עַד־until
ʾad-H5704 →1261 times
עוֹלָ֑םperpetuity
olamH5769 →438 times
וְהָי֨וּand they will be
vehayuH1961 →3559 times
עֵינַ֧יeyes my
ʾeinaiH5869 →887 times
וְלִבִּ֛יand heart my
velibiH3820 →595 times
שָׁ֖םthere
shamH8033 →834 times
כָּל־all
kol-H3605 →5413 times
הַיָּמִֽים׃the days
haiyamimH3117 →2304 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
1 John 5:14And this is the confidence that we have before Him: If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
it leads to
- John 14:13
And I will do whatever you ask in My name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
- Jeremiah 29:12–13
Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.
- Jeremiah 33:3
Call to Me, and I will answer and show you great and unsearchable things you do not know.
- 1 John 3:21–22
Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God,
- John 15:7
If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
- John 14:13
Through
2 Kings 20:5“Go back and tell Hezekiah the leader of My people that this is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: ‘I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. I…
it leads to
- Psalms 66:19–20
But God has surely heard; He has attended to the sound of my prayer.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Isaiah 38:5
“Go and tell Hezekiah that this is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: ‘I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will add fifteen years to…
- Psalms 66:19–20
Through
Psalms 116:1I love the LORD, for He has heard my voice— my appeal for mercy.
it leads to
- 1 John 4:19
We love because He first loved us.
- 1 John 4:19
About 1 Kings
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Charles Spurgeon, The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Sermon No. 2064: “Essential Points In Prayer” (lightly modernized text, CCEL edition); Ishodad of Merv, BOOKS OF SESSIONS 1 KINGS 9:3; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.