2 Chronicles 6: Solomon's Prayer of Dedication at the Temple

Short answer: Solomon addresses the assembly, recalls God's promise to David, and then kneels to pray a long prayer of dedication for the temple. He asks God to hear from heaven, forgive sin, and act on behalf of Israel and the foreigner.

What 2 Chronicles 6 says

Solomon opens by declaring that Yahweh has said he would dwell in thick darkness, yet Solomon has built a house for him to dwell in forever. He turns and blesses the whole assembly as they stand. He recalls how God spoke to David his father and fulfilled with his hands what he promised. God had chosen no city or prince from the tribes until he chose Jerusalem for his name and David to lead Israel. David wanted to build the house, and God honored that desire, though he told David that his son would build it instead. Solomon now testifies that God has performed his word: he sits on the throne and has built the house, and he has set the ark there, containing the covenant God made with Israel.

Solomon stands before the altar in front of the assembly and spreads out his hands. He had made a bronze platform five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high, and he stands on it, then kneels before all Israel and spreads his hands toward heaven. He begins his prayer by praising God as incomparable in heaven and earth, the one who keeps covenant and loving kindness with servants who walk before him with all their heart. He acknowledges that God kept his promise to David, speaking with his mouth and fulfilling it with his hand. He asks God to keep the further promise that David would always have a descendant on Israel's throne, if only his children take heed to walk in God's law. He asks that the word spoken to David be verified.

Solomon then marvels that God would dwell with men on earth, since even the highest heavens cannot contain him, much less the house he has built. Still, he asks God to respect the prayer and supplication of his servant, to listen to the cry and prayer made before him. He asks that God's eyes be open toward this house day and night, toward the place where he has put his name, to listen to prayers prayed toward this place. He asks God to hear from his dwelling place in heaven, and when he hears, to forgive. He then brings a series of specific situations: a man sinning against his neighbor and swearing before the altar; Israel struck down before an enemy because they sinned, then turning and confessing; drought when the sky is shut and they pray and turn from sin; famine, pestilence, blight, mildew, locust, caterpillar, or enemy siege. In each case, he asks God to hear from heaven, forgive, and act, rendering to each person according to all his ways, since God alone knows the hearts of people.

Solomon extends the prayer to the foreigner who is not of Israel but comes from a far country for God's great name, mighty hand, and outstretched arm. When such a one prays toward this house, Solomon asks God to hear from heaven and do according to all that the foreigner calls for, so that all peoples of the earth may know God's name and fear him, as Israel does, and know that this house is called by God's name. He prays for Israel when they go out to battle against enemies by whatever way God sends them, asking God to hear and maintain their cause. He acknowledges that there is no man who does not sin, and if they are carried captive to a far or near land, yet if they come to their senses and turn back with all their heart and soul, praying toward their land, the city, and the house, then God should hear from heaven, maintain their cause, and forgive. He closes by asking God's eyes to be open and ears attentive to the prayer made in this place, and he calls on God to arise into his resting place, with the ark of his strength, asking that priests be clothed with salvation and saints rejoice in goodness. He asks God not to turn away the face of his anointed and to remember the loving kindnesses to David his servant.

Verses that carry the chapter

• “Then Solomon said, “Yahweh has said that he would dwell in the thick darkness.” (2 Chronicles 6:1) — This verse sets the tension: God has said he would dwell in thick darkness, yet Solomon has built a house for him. It frames the mystery of God's presence that the rest of the prayer explores.
• “and he said, “Yahweh, the God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven or on earth; you who keep covenant and loving kindness with your servants who walk before you with all their heart;” (2 Chronicles 6:14) — This verse anchors the prayer in God's character: there is no God like him in heaven or earth, and he keeps covenant and loving kindness with those who walk before him with all their heart. It is the theological foundation for every request that follows.
• ““But will God indeed dwell with men on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens can’t contain you; how much less this house which I have built!” (2 Chronicles 6:18) — This verse expresses honest wonder: will God indeed dwell with men on earth? Even the highest heavens cannot contain him, so how much less this house? It guards the prayer from any idea that the temple confines God.
• ““If they sin against you (for there is no man who doesn’t sin), and you are angry with them, and deliver them to the enemy, so that they carry them away captive to a land far off or near;” (2 Chronicles 6:36) — This verse admits the universal reality of sin: there is no man who does not sin. It prepares the way for the prayer's repeated plea for forgiveness and restoration, especially in captivity.

Gospel connection

This chapter shows Solomon asking God to hear from heaven, forgive, and act on behalf of a sinful people. The temple is the place where God's name dwells, and prayers are directed toward it. Yet Solomon knows that no building can contain God. The wider biblical story moves from this temple toward a greater dwelling: God with us in Jesus. The prayer's repeated cry for forgiveness and restoration points to the need for a final sacrifice and a mediator who does not merely stand on a bronze platform but enters heaven itself. The inclusion of the foreigner in verses 32 and 33 anticipates the gathering of all peoples, which the gospel later announces. The temple, the ark, and the altar all prepare for the one who is greater than the temple.

Application

This chapter invites us to pray with honesty and persistence. Solomon kneels in front of everyone, spreads his hands toward heaven, and brings real situations: broken oaths, defeat, drought, famine, sickness, war, and captivity. He does not pretend that people are sinless; he names sin and asks for forgiveness. We are asked to do the same. We can bring our own failures and the failures of our communities before God, not with vague hopes but with specific requests. We can pray for those far from God, even foreigners and outsiders, that they might know his name. And we can rest in the God who alone knows every heart, who hears from heaven, and who is faithful to his promises even when we are not.

Biblical fidelity check

The chapter does not claim that God is confined to the temple; Solomon explicitly says that even the highest heavens cannot contain God. It does not promise that every prayer will be answered exactly as asked, but asks God to hear, forgive, and act according to his knowledge of each heart. It does not say that the temple replaces obedience; the promise to David's line is conditioned on the children taking heed to walk in God's law. It does not claim that Israel is without sin; verse 36 states that there is no man who does not sin. The text is silent about the later destruction of the temple, about the exact timing of the events, and about how God's dwelling in thick darkness relates to the temple. It also does not explain how the foreigner's prayer will be answered beyond asking God to do according to all that the foreigner calls for.

Questions for study

1. Solomon says God dwells in thick darkness, yet he has built a house for God. How does he hold these two ideas together in his prayer?
2. In verses 14 and 15, Solomon praises God for keeping covenant and fulfilling his word to David. What specific promises does he mention, and how does he ask God to continue keeping them?
3. Solomon lists many situations in verses 22 through 39 where people might pray toward the temple. Which of these situations stands out to you, and why?
4. Verses 32 and 33 include the foreigner who is not of Israel. What does Solomon ask God to do for such a person, and what is the stated purpose?
5. Verse 36 says there is no man who does not sin. How does that admission shape the rest of Solomon's prayer, especially his requests for forgiveness and restoration?

Keep reading

Related studies: 2 Chronicles 1 Bible Study, 2 Chronicles 10 Bible Study, 2 Chronicles 11 Bible Study, 2 Chronicles 12 Bible Study.

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FAQ

Why does Solomon kneel on a bronze platform?

The chapter says Solomon made a bronze platform five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high, and set it in the middle of the court. He stood on it, then knelt down on his knees before all the assembly and spread out his hands toward heaven. The text does not explain the platform's purpose beyond providing a place for him to stand and kneel.

Does Solomon believe the temple can contain God?

No. In verse 18 he asks whether God will indeed dwell with men on earth, and says that heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain God, much less the house he has built. He still asks God to hear prayers directed toward the temple, but he does not think the building confines God.

What does Solomon ask God to do for the foreigner?

In verses 32 and 33, Solomon asks God to hear from heaven and do according to all that the foreigner calls to him for. The purpose is that all peoples of the earth may know God's name, fear him as Israel does, and know that this house is called by God's name.