What does Solomon ask God to do for those who pray at or toward the temple?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

He asks God to hear from heaven, show mercy and do justice, with particular requests for repentance after defeat, drought, affliction and captivity, for a stranger’s worship and for people sent to war. He keeps the conditions and purposes of each request distinct.

Chapter breakdown

Solomon blesses the people and prays.

Solomon said the Lord had promised to dwell in a cloud, and he had built a house to the Lord’s name for him to dwell there for ever. Turning to Israel’s attentive multitude, he blessed them and blessed the Lord God of Israel for doing what he had spoken to David his father. He recalled the Lord’s words: since bringing Israel out of Egypt, he had chosen no city among its tribes for a house to his name, nor another man to rule Israel; but he chose Jerusalem for his name and David to rule his people. David wanted to build the house. The Lord commended that wish but said David would not build it: his son, born from him, would. Solomon said the Lord had fulfilled his word: he had succeeded David on Israel’s throne as promised, built the house to the Lord God of Israel’s name and placed in it the ark containing the Lord’s covenant with Israel.

Solomon stood before the Lord’s altar in Israel’s presence and stretched out his hands. He had made a brass scaffold in the midst of the temple, five cubits long, five broad and three high. Standing on it, he then knelt before the whole multitude and lifted his hands toward heaven. He prayed that no God in heaven or earth was like the Lord God of Israel, who keeps covenant and mercy with servants walking before him with all their hearts. God had fulfilled his spoken promises to David, as the present time showed. Solomon asked him to fulfill the promised continuance of a man on Israel’s throne, retaining its condition: David’s children must heed their ways and walk in God’s law as David had walked before him. He asked that the word to David be established.

Solomon asked whether God could dwell with people on earth: heaven and the heavens of heavens could not contain him, much less this house. He said the house was made for God to regard his servant’s prayer and supplication and hear the prayers poured out before him. He asked God to keep his eyes open day and night on the house, the place where he had promised his name would be called upon. He asked him to hear his servant and Israel: whoever prayed there, God should hear from his dwelling place in heaven and show mercy.

If someone sinned against a neighbor and came to swear against him, binding himself with a curse before the altar in this house, Solomon asked God to hear from heaven and do justice. He asked that the wicked person’s wickedness fall on his own head and the just person be vindicated and rewarded according to his justice. If Israel were overcome by enemies because they would sin against God, then turned back, did penance, called on his name and prayed in this place, Solomon asked God to hear from heaven, forgive Israel’s sin and return them to the land given to them and their fathers.

If the heavens were shut and rain failed because of the people’s sin, and they prayed in this place, confessed to God’s name and turned from their sins where he afflicted them, Solomon asked him to hear from heaven. He asked forgiveness for his servants and Israel, instruction in the good way to walk and rain for the land God had given his people to possess.

Solomon named famine, pestilence, blasting, mildew, locusts, caterpillars, enemies wasting the country and besieging cities, and any other scourge or infirmity. If any Israelite knew his own scourge and infirmity, prayed and spread his hands in this house, Solomon asked God to hear from his high dwelling in heaven, forgive and render to each according to his ways and what God knew in his heart. God alone knew the hearts of people. Solomon asked this so that they would fear God and walk in his ways throughout their lives in the land given to their fathers.

If a stranger outside Israel came from a far country for God’s great name, strong hand and outstretched arm, and worshipped in this place, Solomon asked God to hear from his firm dwelling in heaven and do all the stranger called on him for. The purpose was that all the earth’s peoples would know and fear God’s name as Israel did, and know that his name was invoked upon this house. If God’s people went to war against enemies by the way God sent them and worshipped toward his chosen city and the house built to his name, Solomon asked him to hear their prayers and supplications from heaven and vindicate them.

If the people sinned against God—for no one was without sin—and God became angry and handed them to enemies who took them captive to a land far or near, Solomon asked about their return in heart. If they turned back in that land, did penance and prayed, confessing that they had sinned, done wickedly and dealt unjustly, and returned with all their heart and soul, worshipping toward their own land given to their fathers, God’s chosen city and the house built to his name, he asked God to hear from his firm dwelling in heaven, do judgment and forgive his people although they had sinned.

Solomon asked his God to keep his eyes open and ears attentive to prayer in this place. He called on the Lord God to arise into his resting place with the ark of his strength, let his priests put on salvation and his saints rejoice in good things. He asked God not to turn away the face of his anointed and to remember the mercies of David his servant.

The story inside

Solomon begins by blessing Israel and recounting how God chose Jerusalem and David and assigned the building to David’s son. He identifies his throne, completed house and placed ark as fulfillment of that word. From a measured brass scaffold he kneels and prays, praising God’s kept promises and repeating the condition attached to David’s descendants on the throne. He then acknowledges that even the heavens cannot contain God and asks him to hear prayer from heaven. The petitions move through a neighbor’s oath, defeat, drought, many forms of affliction, a far-country stranger, a God-directed war and captivity far or near. Each has its stated circumstances and requested response. The prayer closes with requests for attentive eyes and ears, God’s resting place with the ark, priests’ salvation, saints’ rejoicing and remembrance of David’s mercies. These are Solomon’s petitions, not a report here that each requested outcome has already happened.

Lessons worth keeping

1
The fulfilled promise and its continuing condition are both retained. God commended David’s wish to build but assigned the work to his own son; Solomon names his succession and building as fulfillment. When asking for continued succession, he repeats that David’s children must heed their ways and walk in God’s law. The promise must not be reduced to an unconditional royal guarantee.
2
The different petitions ask for different responses. The neighbor’s oath calls for justice between wicked and just; defeat calls for forgiveness and return; drought adds teaching the good way and giving rain. The affliction list includes each named scourge and asks God, who alone knows hearts, to render to each according to his ways. These details explain the prayer better than one broad claim that every crisis has the same conditions.
3
Prayer reaches beyond those physically in the house. Solomon includes a stranger coming for God’s name and strength, people going by the way God sends them to war, and captives in a near or far land who return with all their heart and soul. The captives worship toward their land, the chosen city and the house. He asks God to hear from heaven; the chapter does not add a promise of universal salvation or turn these requests into completed outcomes.

Test your recall

God assigns David’s intended building to his son → Solomon recounts his succession, house and ark as fulfillment. Heaven cannot contain God → Solomon asks him to hear from heaven while attending prayer at the house. Defeat or drought followed by the stated turning and prayer → Solomon requests forgiveness, restoration or rain and teaching. Afflicted people know their own trouble and pray → he asks God to judge according to ways and hearts only God knows. Captives confess and return with all heart and soul toward land, city and house → he asks hearing, judgment and forgiveness.

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 44767–44769
2 Paralipomenon Chapter 6 Solomon’s blessings and prayer.
Lines 44771–44806
6:1. Then Solomon said: The Lord promised that he would dwell in a cloud. 6:2. But I have built a house to his name, that he might dwell there for ever. 6:3. And the king turned his face, and blessed all the multitude of Israel for all the multitude stood attentive and he said: 6:4. Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel, who hath accomplished in deed that which he spoke to David my father, saying: 6:5. From the day that I brought my people out of the land of Egypt, I chose no city among all the tribes of Israel, for a house to be built in it to my name: neither chose I any other man, to be the ruler of my people Israel. 6:6. But I chose Jerusalem, that my name might be there: and I chose David to set him over my people Israel. 6:7. And whereas David my father had a mind to build a house to the name of the Lord the God of Israel, 6:8. The Lord said to him: Forasmuch as it was thy will to build a house to my name, thou hast done well indeed in having such a will: 6:9. But thou shalt not build the house, but thy son, who shall come out of thy loins, he shall build a house to my name. 6:10. The Lord therefore hath accomplished his word which he spoke: and I am risen up in the place of David my father, and sit upon the throne of Israel, as the Lord promised: and have built a house to the name of the Lord God of Israel. 6:11. And I have put in it the ark, wherein is the covenant of the Lord, which he made with the children of Israel.
Lines 44808–44832
6:12. And he stood before the altar of the Lord, in presence of all the multitude of Israel, and stretched forth his hands. 6:13. For Solomon had made a brazen scaffold, and had set it in the midst of the temple, which was five cubits long, and five cubits broad, and three cubits high: and he stood upon it: then kneeling down in the presence of all the multitude of Israel, and lifting up his hands towards heaven, 6:14. He said: O Lord God of Israel, there is no God like thee in heaven nor in earth: who keepest covenant and mercy with thy servants, that walk before thee with all their hearts: 6:15. Who hast performed to thy servant David my father all that thou hast promised him: and hast accomplished in fact, what thou hast spoken with thy mouth, as also the present time proveth. 6:16. Now then, O Lord God of Israel, fulfil to thy servant David my father, whatsoever thou hast promised him, saying: There shall not fail thee a man in my sight, to sit upon the throne of Israel: yet so that thy children take heed to their ways, and walk in my law, as thou hast walked before me. 6:17. And now, Lord God of Israel, let thy word be established which thou hast spoken to thy servant David.
Lines 44834–44849
6:18. Is it credible then that God should dwell with men on the earth? If heaven and the heavens of heavens do not contain thee, how much less this house, which I have built? 6:19. But to this end only it is made, that thou mayest regard the prayer of thy servant and his supplication, O Lord my God: and mayest hear the prayers which thy servant poureth out before thee. 6:20. That thou mayest open thy eyes upon this house day and night, upon the place wherein thou hast promised that thy name should be called upon, 6:21. And that thou wouldst hear the prayer which thy servant prayeth in it: hearken then to the prayers of thy servant, and of thy people Israel. Whosoever shall pray in this place, hear thou from thy dwelling place, that is, from heaven, and shew mercy.
Lines 44851–44864
6:22. If any man sin against his neighbour, and come to swear against him, and bind himself with a curse before the altar in this house: 6:23. Then hear thou from heaven, and do justice to thy servants, so to requite the wicked by making his wickedness fall upon his own head, and to revenge the just, rewarding him according to his justice. 6:24. If thy people Israel be overcome by their enemies, (for they will sin against thee,) and being converted shall do penance, and call upon thy name, and pray to thee in this place, 6:25. Then hear thou from heaven, and forgive the sin of thy people Israel and bring them back into the land which thou gavest to them, and their fathers.
Lines 44866–44874
6:26. If the heavens be shut up, and there fall no rain by reason of the sin of the people, and they shall pray to thee in this place, and confess to thy name, and be converted from their sins, where thou dost afflict them, 6:27. Then hear thou from heaven, O Lord, and forgive the sins of thy servants and of thy people Israel and teach them the good way in which they may walk: and give rain to thy land which thou hast given to thy people to possess.
Lines 44876–44891
6:28. If a famine arise in the land, or a pestilence or blasting, or mildew, or locusts, or caterpillars: or if their enemies waste the country, and besiege the cities, whatsoever scourge or infirmity shall be upon them: 6:29. Then if any of thy people Israel, knowing his own scourge and infirmity shall pray, and shall spread forth his hands in this house, 6:30. Hear thou from heaven, from thy high dwelling place, and forgive, and render to every one according to his ways, which thou knowest him to have in his heart: for thou only knowest the hearts of the children of men: 6:31. That they may fear thee, and walk in thy ways all the days that they live upon the face of the land, which thou hast given to our fathers.
Lines 44893–44908
6:32. If the stranger also, who is not of thy people Israel, come from a far country, for the sake of thy great name, and thy strong hand, and thy stretched out arm, and adore in this place: 6:33. Hear thou from heaven thy firm dwelling place, and do all that which that stranger shall call upon thee for: that all the people of the earth may know thy name, and may fear thee, as thy people Israel, and may know, that thy name is invoked upon this house, which I have built. 6:34. If thy people go out to war against their enemies, by the way that thou shalt send them, and adore thee towards the way of this city, which thou hast chosen, and the house which I have built to thy name: 6:35. Then hear thou from heaven their prayers, and their supplications, and revenge them.
Lines 44910–44928
6:36. And if they sin against thee (for there is no man that sinneth not) and thou be angry with them, and deliver them up to their enemies, and they lead them away captive to a land either afar off, or near at hand, 6:37. And if they be converted in their heart in the land to which they were led captive, and do penance, and pray to thee in the land of their captivity saying: We have sinned, we have done wickedly, we have dealt unjustly: 6:38. And return to thee with all their heart, and with all their soul, in the land of their captivity, to which they were led away, and adore thee towards the way of their own land which thou gavest their fathers, and of the city, which thou hast chosen, and the house which I have built to thy name: 6:39. Then hear thou from heaven, that is, from thy firm dwelling place, their prayers, and do judgment, and forgive thy people, although they have sinned:
Lines 44930–44938
6:40. For thou art my God: let thy eyes, I beseech thee, be open, and let thy ears be attentive to the prayer, that is made in this place. 6:41. Now therefore arise, O Lord God, into thy resting place, thou and the ark of thy strength: let thy priests, O Lord God, put on salvation, and thy saints rejoice in good things. 6:42. O Lord God, turn not away the face of thy anointed: remember the mercies of David thy servant.