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1 Kings 8:39

Old Testament Historical ASV (1901)

What does 1 Kings 8:39 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “then hear thou in heaven thy dwelling-place, and forgive, and do, and render unto every man according to all his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou, even thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men;)” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

then hear thou in heaven thy dwelling-place, and forgive, and do, and render unto every man according to all his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou, even thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men;)
1 Kings 8:39 — American Standard Version

Context — 1 Kings 8

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
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:
39then hear thou in heaven thy dwelling-place, and forgive, and do, and render unto every man according to all his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou, even thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men;)
40that they may fear thee all the days that they live in the land which thou gavest unto our fathers.
41Moreover concerning the foreigner, that is not of thy people Israel, when he shall come out of a far country for thy name`s sake
42(for they shall hear of thy great name, and of thy mighty hand, and of thine outstretched arm); when he shall come and pray 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
“Then hear thou in heaven thy dwellingplace, etc.] Which was more properly so than this Solomon had built, and the Lord had taken possession of: and forgive; remove the calamity and distress, be it what it may: and do, and give to every man according to his ways, whose heart thou knowest: that his prayer is cordial and sincere, his confession and repentance genuine, and that he is truly sensible of his sin, and sorry for it, and is pure in his intentions and resolutions, through divine grace, to depart from it for the future: (for thou, [even] thou only knowest the hearts of all the children of men;) he knows all men, the hearts of them all, what is in them, what comes out of them, and is…”
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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
“Thou knowest - Not only the plagues of their hearts, their several wants and burdens, (these he knows! but he will know them from us,) but the desire and intent of the heart, the sincerity or hypocrisy of it. 3 Kings (1 Kings) 8:41”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“Then hear: Kg1 8:32, Kg1 8:36 give to every man: Psa 18:20-26, Psa 28:4; Jer 17:10, Jer 32:19; Eze 18:30; Rev 22:12 for thou: Sa1 16:7; Ch1 28:9; Ch2 6:30; Psa 11:4, Psa 11:5; Joh 2:25, Joh 21:17; Act 1:24; Heb 4:12, Heb 4:13; Rev 2:23 3 Kings (1 Kings) 8:40”
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Related study paths

Read 1 Kings 8 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification