1 Kings 8:12

Bible in Basic English

Then Solomon said, O Lord, to the sun you have given the heaven for a living-place, but your living-place was not seen by men;

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Then Solomon said:

Hebrew Names Version
Then spoke Shlomo, the LORD has said that he would dwell in the thick darkness.

King James Version
Then spake Solomon, The Lord said that he would dwell in the thick darkness.

English Standard Version
Then Solomon said, "The Lord has said that he would dwell in thick darkness.

New Century Version
Then Solomon said, "The Lord said he would live in a dark cloud.

New English Translation
Then Solomon said, "The Lord has said that he lives in thick darkness.

Amplified Bible
Then Solomon said, "The LORD has said that He would dwell in the thick darkness [of the cloud].

New American Standard Bible
Then Solomon said, "The LORD has said that He would dwell in the thick darkness.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Then spake Salomon, The Lord said, that he woulde dwell in the darke cloude.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then Solomon said,"Yahweh has said that He would dwell in the cloud of dense gloom.

Contemporary English Version
Then Solomon prayed: "Our Lord , you said that you would live in a dark cloud.

Complete Jewish Bible
Shlomo said, " Adonai said he would live in thick darkness.

Darby Translation
Then said Solomon: Jehovah said that he would dwell in the thick darkness.

Easy-to-Read Version
Then Solomon said, "The Lord caused the sun to shine in the sky, but he chose to live in a dark cloud.

George Lamsa Translation
Then Solomon said, O LORD, thou hast said that thou wouldst dwell in the thick darkness.

Good News Translation
Then Solomon prayed: "You, Lord , have placed the sun in the sky, yet you have chosen to live in clouds and darkness.

Lexham English Bible
Then Solomon said, "Yahweh has said that he would dwell in the very thick cloud.

Literal Translation
And Solomon said, Jehovah has said that He would dwell in the thick darkness.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Then sayde Salomon: The LORDE sayde, that he wolde dwell in a darke cloude.

American Standard Version
Then spake Solomon, Jehovah hath said that he would dwell in the thick darkness.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Then spake Solomon: The Lorde saide that he would dwell in the darke cloude.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Then spoke Solomon: The LORD hath said that He would dwell in the thick darkness.

King James Version (1611)
Then spake Solomon; The Lord said that hee would dwell in the thicke darkenesse.

English Revised Version
Then spake Solomon, The LORD hath said that he would dwell in the thick darkness.

Berean Standard Bible
Then Solomon said: "The LORD has said that He would dwell in the thick cloud.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Thanne Salomon seide, The Lord seide, that he wolde dwelle in a cloude.

Young's Literal Translation
Then said Solomon, `Jehovah hath said to dwell in thick darkness;

Update Bible Version
Then Solomon spoke, Yahweh has said that he would dwell in the thick darkness.

Webster's Bible Translation
Then spoke Solomon, The LORD said that he would dwell in the thick darkness.

World English Bible
Then spoke Solomon, Yahweh has said that he would dwell in the thick darkness.

New King James Version
Then Solomon spoke: "The LORD said He would dwell in the dark cloud.

New Living Translation
Then Solomon prayed, "O Lord , you have said that you would live in a thick cloud of darkness.

New Life Bible
Then Solomon said, "The Lord has said that He would live in the thick cloud.

New Revised Standard
Then Solomon said, "The Lord has said that he would dwell in thick darkness.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then, said Solomon, - Yahweh, said, that he would make his habitation in thick gloom:

Douay-Rheims Bible
Then Solomon said: The Lord said that he would dwell in a cloud.

Revised Standard Version
Then Solomon said, "The LORD has set the sun in the heavens, but has said that he would dwell in thick darkness.

THE MESSAGE
Then Solomon spoke: God has told us that he lives in the dark where no one can see him; I've built this splendid Temple, O God, to mark your invisible presence forever.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then Solomon said, "The LORD has said that He would dwell in the thick cloud.

Contextual Overview

¹² Then Solomon said, O Lord, to the sun you have given the heaven for a living-place, but your living-place was not seen by men; ¹³ So I have made for you a living-place, a house in which you may be for ever present. ¹⁴ Then, turning his face about, the king gave a blessing to all the men of Israel; and they were all on their feet together. ¹⁵ And he said, Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, who himself gave his word to David my father, and with his strong hand has made his word come true, saying, ¹⁶ From the day when I took my people Israel out of Egypt, no town in all the tribes of Israel has been marked out by me for the building of a house for the resting-place of my name; but I made selection of David to be king over my people Israel. ¹⁷ Now it was in the heart of David my father to put up a house for the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. ¹⁸ But the Lord said to David my father, You did well to have in your heart the desire to make a house for my name; ¹⁹ But you yourself will not be the builder of my house; but your son, the offspring of your body, he it is who will put up a house for my name. ²⁰ And the Lord has made his word come true; for I have taken my father David's place on the seat of the kingdom of Israel, as the Lord gave his word; and I have made a house for the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. ²¹ In it I have made a place for the ark, in which is the agreement which the Lord made with our fathers, when he took them out of the land of Egypt.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

The Lord: Deuteronomy 4:11, 2 Chronicles 6:1, 2 Chronicles 6:2-11, Psalms 18:8-11, Psalms 97:2

the thick: Exodus 20:21, Leviticus 16:2, Deuteronomy 5:22, Isaiah 45:15, Hebrews 12:18

Reciprocal: Exodus 19:9 - Lo 2 Samuel 22:10 - darkness Job 26:9 - General Ecclesiastes 12:9 - he still

Cross-References

Genesis 8:2
And the fountains of the deep and the windows of heaven were shut, and the rain from heaven was stopped.

Genesis 8:3
And the waters went slowly back from the earth, and at the end of a hundred and fifty days the waters were lower.

Genesis 8:5
And still the waters went on falling, till on the first day of the tenth month the tops of the mountains were seen.

Genesis 8:6
Then, after forty days, through the open window of the ark which he had made,

Genesis 8:7
Noah sent out a raven, which went this way and that till the waters were gone from the earth.

Genesis 8:8
And he sent out a dove, to see if the waters had gone from the face of the earth;

Genesis 8:10
And after waiting another seven days, he sent the dove out again;

Psalms 27:14
Let your hope be in the Lord: take heart and be strong; yes, let your hope be in the Lord.

Isaiah 8:17
And I will be waiting for the Lord, whose face is veiled from the house of Jacob, and I will be looking for him.

Isaiah 25:9
And in that day it will be said, See, this is our God; we have been waiting for him, and he will be our saviour: this is the Lord in whom is our hope; we will be glad and have delight in his salvation.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And then spake Solomon,.... Perceiving by this symbol that the Lord was come into his house, to take up his dwelling in it, and seeing the priests and people in consternation at it, spake the following words to their comfort:

the Lord said that he would dwell in the thick darkness; and now was fulfilling his promise, and therefore to be considered not as a token of his displeasure, but of his gracious presence; this was done for the greater awe of the divine Majesty, and to denote the darkness of the former dispensation; reference may be had to Leviticus 16:2 or rather this was now said by the Lord, that is, it appeared to be his resolution and determination to dwell in this manner; the Targum is,

"the Lord is pleased to cause his Shechinah or divine Majesty to dwell in Jerusalem,''

in the temple there. This was imitated by the Heathens; hence the Lacedemonians had a temple dedicated to Jupiter Scotitas, or the dark, as Pausanias u relates; and the Indian Pagans to this day affect darkness in their temples, and are very careful that no light enter into them but by the door, which is commonly strait and low, and by little crevices in the windows w.

u Laconica, sive, I. 3. p. 178. w Agreement of Customs between the East-Indians and Jews, art. 5. p. 35.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Rather, “The Lord spake of dwelling in the thick darkness” (margin reference). Solomon sees in the cloud the visible symbol of God’s presence, and accepts the token as a proof that He has taken possession of the house built for Him, and will thenceforth dwell there 1 Kings 8:13.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Kings 8:12. The Lord said - he would dwell — It was under the appearance of a cloud that God showed himself present with Israel in the wilderness; see Exodus 14:19-20. And at the dedication of the tabernacle in the wilderness, God manifested himself in the same way that he did here at the dedication of the temple; see Exodus 40:34-35.