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Then Solomon said, “The Lord has said that he lives in thick darkness. O Lord,[a] I have built a lofty temple for you, a place where you can live permanently.” Then the king turned around[b] and pronounced a blessing over the whole Israelite assembly as they stood there.[c] He said, “The Lord God of Israel is worthy of praise because he has fulfilled[d] what he promised[e] my father David. He told David,[f] ‘Since the day I brought my people out of the land of Egypt, I have not chosen a city from all the tribes of Israel to build a temple in which to live.[g] Nor did I choose a man as leader of my people Israel. But now I have chosen Jerusalem as a place to live,[h] and I have chosen David to lead my people Israel.’ Now my father David had a strong desire to build a temple to honor the Lord God of Israel.[i] The Lord told my father David, ‘It is right for you to have a strong desire to build a temple to honor me.[j] But you will not build the temple; your very own son will build the temple for my honor.’[k] 10 The Lord has kept the promise he made. I have taken my father David’s place and have occupied the throne of Israel, as the Lord promised. I have built this temple for the honor of the Lord God of Israel 11 and set up in it a place for the ark containing the covenant the Lord made with the Israelites.”

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 6:2 tn The words “O Lord” do not appear in the Hebrew text, but they are supplied in the translation for clarification; Solomon addresses the Lord in prayer at this point.
  2. 2 Chronicles 6:3 tn Heb “turned his face.”
  3. 2 Chronicles 6:3 tn Heb “and he blessed all the assembly of Israel, and all the assembly of Israel was standing.”
  4. 2 Chronicles 6:4 tn The Hebrew text reads, “fulfilled by his hand,” but the phrase “by his hand” is somewhat redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
  5. 2 Chronicles 6:4 tn The Hebrew text reads, “promised by his mouth,” but the phrase “by his mouth” is somewhat redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
  6. 2 Chronicles 6:5 tn Heb “saying.”
  7. 2 Chronicles 6:5 tn Heb “to build a house for my name to be there.” Here “name” is used by metonymy for the Lord himself, and thus the expression “to be there” refers to his taking up residence there (hence the translation, “a temple in which to live”). In this case the temple is referred to as a “house” where the Lord himself can reside.
  8. 2 Chronicles 6:6 tn Heb “for my name to be there.” See also the note on the word “live” in v. 5.
  9. 2 Chronicles 6:7 tn Heb “and it was with the heart of David my father to build a house for the name of the Lord God of Israel.”sn On the significance of the Lord’s “name,” see the note on the word “live” in v. 5.
  10. 2 Chronicles 6:8 tn Heb “Because it was with your heart to build a house for my name, you did well that it was with your heart.”
  11. 2 Chronicles 6:9 tn Heb “your son, the one who came out of your body, he will build the temple for my name.”

Solomon Dedicates the Temple(A)

Then Solomon said, “The Lord has said that he lives shrouded in darkness. Now I have constructed a magnificent temple dedicated to you that will serve as a place for you to inhabit forever.”

Then the king turned to face the entire congregation of Israel while the congregation of Israel remained standing. Then Solomon[a] prayed:

“Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, who made a commitment[b] to my father David and then personally[c] fulfilled what he had promised when he said:[d]

‘From the day I brought out my people from the land of Egypt I never chose a city from all the tribes of Israel to build a temple where my name might reside. And I never chose any man to become Commander-in-Chief[e] over my people Israel. But I have chosen Jerusalem, where my name will reside. And I have chosen David to be over my people Israel.’

“My father David wanted to build a temple for the name of the Lord God of Israel. The Lord told my father David:

‘Therefore, since you determined[f] to build a temple for my name, you acted well, because it was your choice[g] to do so. Nevertheless, you are not to build the Temple, but your son who will be born[h] to you is to build a temple for my name.’

10 “The Lord has brought to fulfillment[i] what he promised, and now here I stand,[j] having succeeded my father David to sit on the throne of Israel, as the Lord promised. I have built the Temple for the name of the Lord God of Israel. 11 I have placed in it the ark in which the covenant that the Lord made with the Israelis is stored.”

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 6:4 Lit. He
  2. 2 Chronicles 6:4 Lit. who spoke by his mouth
  3. 2 Chronicles 6:4 Lit. and by his hand
  4. 2 Chronicles 6:4 Cf. 1Chr 17:5ff
  5. 2 Chronicles 6:5 Lit. Nagid; i.e. a senior officer entrusted with dual roles of operational oversight and management authority
  6. 2 Chronicles 6:8 Lit. since it was in your heart
  7. 2 Chronicles 6:8 Lit. because it was in your heart
  8. 2 Chronicles 6:9 Lit. will come from your loins
  9. 2 Chronicles 6:10 Lit. has caused to stand up
  10. 2 Chronicles 6:10 MT verb is a pun on the verb brought to fulfillment