1 Kings 8:42

Verse

for they will hear of Your great name and mighty hand and outstretched arm—when he comes and prays toward this temple,

American Standard Version (1901)

(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;

Bible in Basic English

(For they will have news of your great name and your strong hand and your out-stretched arm;) when he comes to make his prayer, turning to this house:

Free Bible Version

having heard of your great nature and power and ability to help, when they come and pray toward this Temple,

Geneva Bible 1599

(When they shall heare of thy great name, and of thy mightie hande, and of thy stretched out arme) and shall come and pray in this house,

King James (Authorized) Version

(For they shall hear of thy great name, and of thy strong hand, and of thy stretched out arm;) when he shall come and pray toward this house;

Unlocked Literal Bible

for they will hear of your great name, your mighty hand, and your raised arm—when he comes and prays toward this temple,

Noah Webster Bible

(For they shall hear of thy great name, and of thy strong hand, and of thy out-stretched arm;) when he shall come and pray towards this house;

World English Bible

(for they shall hear of your great name and of your mighty hand and of your outstretched arm), when he comes and prays toward this house,

Young's Literal Translation

(for they hear of Thy great name, and of Thy strong hand, and of Thy stretched-out arm) — and he hath come in and prayed towards this house,

Context

Solomon’s Prayer of Dedication

⁴¹And as for the foreigner who is not of Your people Israel but has come from a distant land because of Your name—⁴²for they will hear of Your great name and mighty hand and outstretched arm—when he comes and prays toward this temple,⁴³then may You hear from heaven, Your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You. Then all the peoples of the earth will know Your name and fear You, as do Your people Israel, and they will know that this house I have built is called by Your Name.

Summary

In this verse, King Solomon prays during the dedication of the temple, acknowledging that God hears prayers from His people and responds to them. Solomon specifically mentions the prayers of foreigners who come to the temple, recognizing that God's presence and power are not limited to the Israelites alone. This prayer reflects the inclusivity of God's love and the universal nature of His sovereignty, showing that all who seek Him sincerely will find acceptance and grace in His sight.

Commentary

John Gill

John Gill Bible Commentary

(For they shall hear of thy great name,.... Of his great name, Jehovah; of him as the eternal, immutable, and self-existent Being; of the perfections of his nature, as displayed in his mighty works: and of thy strong hand, and of thy stretched out arm); which had done formerly such mighty works in Egypt, at the Red sea, in the wilderness, in the land of Canaan, in the times of David, and still under the reign of Solomon, and even in future ages, besides the works of creation and providence in general: when he shall come and pray towards this house; not being admitted into it, only into a court, which in later times was called the court of the Gentiles, see Act 21:19.