1 Kings 8:22

Bible in Basic English

Then Solomon took his place before the altar of the Lord, all the men of Israel being present, and stretching out his hands to heaven,

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in front of the entire congregation of Israel and spread out his hands toward heaven.

Hebrew Names Version
Shlomo stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the assembly of Yisra'el, and spread forth his hands toward heaven;

King James Version
And Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven:

English Standard Version
Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands toward heaven,

New Century Version
Then Solomon stood facing the Lord 's altar, and all the Israelites were standing behind him. He spread out his hands toward the sky

New English Translation
Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in front of the entire assembly of Israel and spread out his hands toward the sky.

Amplified Bible
Then Solomon stood [in the courtyard] before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands toward heaven.

New American Standard Bible
Then Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and he spread out his hands toward heaven.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Then Salomon stoode before the altar of the Lorde in the sight of all the Congregation of Israel, and stretched out his handes towarde heauen,

Legacy Standard Bible
Then Solomon stood before the altar of Yahweh before all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands toward heaven.

Contemporary English Version
Solomon stood facing the altar with everyone standing behind him. Then he lifted his arms toward heaven

Complete Jewish Bible
Then Shlomo stood before the altar of Adonai in the presence of the whole community of Isra'el, spread out his hands toward heaven,

Darby Translation
And Solomon stood before the altar of Jehovah in the presence of the whole congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward the heavens.

Easy-to-Read Version
Then Solomon stood in front of whole assembly of Israel and faced the Lord 's altar. Solomon spread his hands and looked toward heaven

George Lamsa Translation
And Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven and prayed;

Good News Translation
Then in the presence of the people Solomon went and stood in front of the altar, where he raised his arms

Lexham English Bible
Then Solomon stood before the altar of Yahweh in the presence of all of the assembly of Israel, and he spread out his hands to the heavens,

Literal Translation
And Solomon stood before the altar of Jehovah, across from the assembly of Israel, and spread his hands toward the heavens;

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And Salomon stode before the altare of the LORDE in the presence of the whole congregacion of Israel, and helde out his handes towarde heauen,

American Standard Version
And Solomon stood before the altar of Jehovah in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven;

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Solomon stoode before the aulter of the Lorde in the sight of all the congregation of Israel, and stretched out his handes toward heauen, and sayde:

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven;

King James Version (1611)
And Solomon stood before the Altar of the Lord, in the presence of all the Congregation of Israel, and spread foorth his handes toward heauen:

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Solomon stood up in front of the altar before all the congregation of Israel; and he spread out his hands toward heaven:

English Revised Version
And Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven:

Berean Standard Bible
Then Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in front of the whole assembly of Israel, spread out his hands toward heaven,

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Forsothe Salomon stood bifoor the auter of the Lord, in the siyt of the chirch of Israel; and he helde forth hise hondis ayens heuene,

Young's Literal Translation
And Solomon standeth before the altar of Jehovah, over-against all the assembly of Israel, and spreadeth his hands towards the heavens,

Update Bible Version
And Solomon stood before the altar of Yahweh in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven;

Webster's Bible Translation
And Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands towards Heaven:

World English Bible
Solomon stood before the altar of Yahweh in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven;

New King James Version
2 Chronicles 6:12-39">[xr] Then Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands toward heaven;

New Living Translation
Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in front of the entire community of Israel. He lifted his hands toward heaven,

New Life Bible
Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord. And in front of all the people of Israel he lifted his hands toward heaven.

New Revised Standard
Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands to heaven.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And Solomon stood before the altar of Yahweh, in the presence of all the convocation of Israel, - and spread forth his hands towards the heavens;

Douay-Rheims Bible
And Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord, in the sight of the assembly of Israel, and spread forth his hands towards heaven,

Revised Standard Version
Then Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven;

THE MESSAGE
Before the entire congregation of Israel, Solomon took a position before the Altar, spread his hands out before heaven, and prayed, O God , God of Israel, there is no God like you in the skies above or on the earth below who unswervingly keeps covenant with his servants and relentlessly loves them as they sincerely live in obedience to your way. You kept your word to David my father, your personal word. You did exactly what you promised—every detail. The proof is before us today! Keep it up, God , O God of Israel! Continue to keep the promises you made to David my father when you said, "You'll always have a descendant to represent my rule on Israel's throne, on the condition that your sons are as careful to live obediently in my presence as you have."

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands toward heaven.

Contextual Overview

²² Then Solomon took his place before the altar of the Lord, all the men of Israel being present, and stretching out his hands to heaven, ²³ Said, O Lord, the God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven or on the earth; keeping faith and mercy unchanging for your servants, while they go in your ways with all their hearts. ²⁴ And you have kept the word which you gave to your servant David, my father; with your mouth you said it and with your hand you have made it come true this day. ²⁵ So now, O Lord, the God of Israel, let your word to your servant David, my father, come true, when you said, You will never be without a man to take his place on the seat of the kingdom of Israel before me, if only your children give attention to their ways, walking before me as you have done. ²⁶ So now, O God of Israel, it is my prayer that you will make your word come true which you said to your servant David, my father. ²⁷ But is it truly possible that God may be housed on earth? see, heaven and the heaven of heavens are not wide enough to be your resting-place; how much less this house which I have made! ²⁸ Still, let your heart be turned to the prayer of your servant, O Lord God, and to his prayer for grace; give ear to the cry and the prayer which your servant sends up to you this day; ²⁹ That your eyes may be open to this house night and day, to this place of which you have said, My name will be there; hearing the prayer which your servant may make, turning to this place. ³⁰ Give ear to the prayers of your servant, and the prayers of your people Israel, when they make their prayers, turning to this place; give ear in heaven your living-place, and hearing, have mercy. ³¹ If a man does wrong to his neighbour, and has to take an oath, and comes before your altar to take his oath in this house:

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

2 Chronicles 6:12, Ezra 9:5, Job 11:13, Psalms 28:2, Psalms 63:4, Isaiah 1:15, 1 Timothy 2:8

stood before the altar: 1 Kings 8:54, 2 Kings 11:14, 2 Kings 23:3, 2 Chronicles 6:12, 13-42

spread forth: Exodus 9:29, Exodus 9:33

Reciprocal: Exodus 33:10 - worshipped 1 Kings 8:38 - spread forth 2 Chronicles 4:1 - an altar Nehemiah 9:5 - Stand up Psalms 44:20 - stretched Psalms 68:31 - stretch Lamentations 1:17 - spreadeth Ezekiel 46:2 - he shall worship

Cross-References

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

Genesis 8:9
But the dove saw no resting-place for her foot, and came back to the ark, for the waters were still over all the earth; and he put out his hand, and took her into the ark.

Genesis 8:11
And the dove came back at evening, and in her mouth was an olive-leaf broken off: so Noah was certain that the waters had gone down on the earth.

Genesis 8:12
And after seven days more, he sent the dove out again, but she did not come back to him.

Genesis 8:16
Go out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and your sons' wives.

Genesis 8:17
Take out with you every living thing which is with you, birds and cattle and everything which goes on the earth, so that they may have offspring and be fertile and be increased on the earth.

Genesis 8:20
And Noah made an altar to the Lord, and from every clean beast and bird he made burned offerings on the altar.

Genesis 45:6
For these two years have been years of need, and there are still five more years to come in which there will be no ploughing or cutting of grain.

Exodus 34:21
Six days let work be done, but on the seventh day take your rest: at ploughing time and at the grain-cutting you are to have a day for rest.

Jeremiah 5:24
And they do not say in their hearts, Now let us give worship to our God, who gives the rain, the winter and the spring rain, at the right time; who keeps for us the ordered weeks of the grain-cutting.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord,.... The altar of the burnt offering in the court of the priests, where he prayed the following prayer; and which altar was typical of Christ, who is always to be in sight in prayer, and through whom all sacrifices of prayer and praise become acceptable to God. In 2 Chronicles 6:13 he is said to stand upon a scaffold of brass, five cubits long, five broad, and three high, which stood in the midst of the court; it was a sort of a pulpit, round, as a laver, for which the word is sometimes used, and on which he kneeled:

in the presence of all the congregation of Israel; who stood in the great court before him, called the court of Israel:

and spread forth his hands toward heaven; and hence it appears, that though Solomon stood before the altar, he did not lay hold on it with his hands, as the Heathens did when they prayed; for they say y, that prayer alone does not appease the Deity, unless he that prays also lays hold on the altar with his hands; hence altars, at first, as we are told z, were called "ansae"; and lifting up or spreading the hands towards heaven was a proper gesture with the Greeks and Romans a.

y Macrob. Saturnal. l. 3. c. 2. Vid. Sperling. de Baptism. Ethiac, c. 6. p. 103. z Varro Rer. Divin. l. 5. apud ib. a Homer. Iliad. 3. ver. 275. & 6. ver. 301. Vid. Barth. Animadv. ad Claudian. in Rufin. l. 2. ver. 205.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The margin reference shows that the king was so placed as to be seen by all present, and that, before beginning his prayer, he knelt down upon his knees (compare 1 Kings 8:54).

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Kings 8:22. Stood — He ascended the brazen scaffold, five cubits long, and five cubits broad, and three cubits high, and then kneeled down upon his knees, with his hands spread up to heaven, and offered up the following prayer: see 1 Kings 8:54, and 2 Chronicles 5:12-13.

And spread forth his hands toward heaven — This was a usual custom in all nations: in prayer the hands were stretched out to heaven, as if to invite and receive assistance from thence; while, humbly kneeling on their knees, they seemed acknowledge at once their dependence and unworthiness. On this subject I have spoken elsewhere. In the Scriptures we meet with several examples of the kind: Hear my voice-when I LIFT UP MY HANDS toward thy holy oracle; Psalms 28:2. LIFT UP YOUR HANDS in the sanctuary, and bless the Lord; Psalms 134:2. Let my prayer be set forth-and the LIFTING UP OF MY HANDS as the evening sacrifice; Psalms 141:2. And see 1 Timothy 2:8, c.

In heathen writers examples are not less frequent:

SUSTULIT exutas vinclis ad sidera PALMAS.

Vos aeterni ignes, et non violabile vestrum

Testor numen, ait.

VIRG. AEn. lib. ii., ver. 153.

Ye lamps of heaven, he said, and LIFTED HIGH

HIS HANDS, now free thou venerable sky,

Inviolable powers!

And that they kneeled down when supplicating I have also proved. Of this too the Scriptures afford abundant evidence, as do also the heathen writers. I need add but one word: -

Et GENBIUS PRONIS supplex, similisque roganti,

Circumfert tacitos, tanquam sun brachia, vultus.

OVID, Met. lib. iii., f. 3, ver. 240.

Indeed, so universal were these forms in praying, that one of the heathens has said, "All men, in praying, lift up their hands to heaven."