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1 Kings 8:35

Old Testament Historical ASV (1901)

What does 1 Kings 8:35 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “When heaven is shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against thee; if they pray toward this place, and confess thy name, and turn from their sin, when thou dost afflict them:” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

When heaven is shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against thee; if they pray toward this place, and confess thy name, and turn from their sin, when thou dost afflict them:
1 Kings 8:35 — American Standard Version

Context — 1 Kings 8

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
32then hear thou in heaven, and do, and judge thy servants, condemning the wicked, to bring his way upon his own head, and justifying the righteous, to give him according to his righteousness.
33When thy people Israel are smitten down before the enemy, because they have sinned against thee; if they turn again to thee, and confess thy name, and pray and make supplication unto thee in this house:
34then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of thy people Israel, and bring them again unto the land which thou gavest unto their fathers.
35When heaven is shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against thee; if they pray toward this place, and confess thy name, and turn from their sin, when thou dost afflict them:
36then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of thy servants, and of thy people Israel, when thou teachest them the good way wherein they should walk; and send rain upon thy land, which thou hast given to thy people for an inheritance.
37If there be in the land famine, if there be pestilence, if there be blasting [or] mildew, locust [or] caterpillar; if their enemy besiege them in the land of their cities; whatsoever plague, whatsoever sickness there be;
38what prayer and supplication soever be made by any man, [or] by all thy people Israel, who shall know every man the plague of his own heart, and spread forth his hands toward this house:
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“When heaven is shut up, etc.] As it may be said to be when the air is quite serene, and not a cloud in it: and there is no rain; in its season, neither the former nor the latter, as it was in the times of Elijah: because they have sinned against thee; want of rain was threatened in case of sin, and was always the effect of it, (<032619>Leviticus 26:19,20 <052823> Deuteronomy 28:23,24), if they pray towards this place; in any part of the country where they were; for it sometimes rained on one city, and not on another, (<300407>Amos 4:7) and confess thy name; own his power and his providence, and the justness of his dealings with them: and turn from their sin, when thou afflictest them; their…”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“Heaven - The lower heaven in which the clouds are. Shut up - Heaven is compared to a great store - house in God's keeping, out of which nothing can be had, so long as it is close shut up. 3 Kings (1 Kings) 8:36”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“8:35-36 Solomon prayed about drought brought on by the people’s sin (Lev 26:19; Deut 28:23-24). Solomon prayed that if the people confessed and truly repented, God would forgive them and restore fertility to the land so that the people would learn to live righteously before God.”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“heaven: Kg1 17:1; Lev 26:19; Deu 11:17, Deu 28:12, Deu 28:23, Deu 28:24; Sa2 24:13; Jer 14:1-7; Eze 14:13; Mal 3:10; Luk 4:25; Rev 11:6 if they pray: Kg1 8:33; Ch2 6:24, Ch2 6:26; Rom 10:9, Rom 15:9 confess: Kg1 8:29, Kg1 8:30; Joe 1:13-20, Joe 2:15-17 and turn: Kg1 8:33; Isa 1:15, Isa 1:16, Isa 9:13; Eze 18:30-32; Hos 14:1 3 Kings (1 Kings) 8:36”
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Sources and verification