2 Chronicles 6 explained: Solomon's Prayer at the Temple

A promise to David kept (vv. 1-11)

Solomon recalls the LORD saying he would dwell in a dark cloud, and announces a lasting home for him, built by David's son just as God had promised David. Inside rests the ark, the sacred chest holding the stone tablets of God's covenant (binding agreement) with Israel.

A king on his knees (vv. 12-17)

Solomon kneels on a raised bronze platform in the open courtyard, a striking posture for a king in front of his people. He asks God to keep his promise that David's family would always rule, a promise tied to their staying faithful.

Too big for any building (vv. 18-21)

Solomon admits that no building can hold God, not even the highest heavens. The temple's real purpose is to be a place people pray toward, while God listens from heaven and forgives.

Disputes and disasters (vv. 22-31)

If a wrong had no witnesses, the accused could swear his innocence at the altar and call a curse on himself if he was lying. Solomon asks God to judge such cases fairly, and to forgive and heal when defeat, drought, famine or disease, which the text links to the people's wrongdoing, drives them back to him.

Foreigners, soldiers and exiles (vv. 32-39)

Solomon asks God to answer foreigners too, so that all peoples may come to know him. His final case pictures Israel carried off to a foreign land and praying toward home, the city and the temple, a picture often linked with the long Jewish practice of facing Jerusalem in prayer.

A closing song (vv. 40-42)

The prayer ends with lines also found in Psalm 132, inviting God to settle with the ark in its resting place. The anointed one is Solomon, the king marked out by anointing with oil, and Christians later read God's promise to David's family as fulfilled in Jesus.

Key verse: 2 Chronicles 6:18

Something to think about

Solomon admits no building can hold God, so what do you think a sacred place is actually for, if anything?