1 Kings 8:31

THE MESSAGE

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
When a man sins against his neighborand is forced to take an oath,and he comes to take an oathbefore your altar in this temple,

Hebrew Names Version
If a man sin against his neighbor, and an oath be laid on him to cause him to swear, and he come [and] swear before your altar in this house;

King James Version
If any man trespass against his neighbour, and an oath be laid upon him to cause him to swear, and the oath come before thine altar in this house:

English Standard Version
"If a man sins against his neighbor and is made to take an oath and comes and swears his oath before your altar in this house,

New Century Version
"If someone wrongs another person, he will be brought to the altar in this Temple. If he swears an oath that he is not guilty,

New English Translation
"When someone is accused of sinning against his neighbor and the latter pronounces a curse on the alleged offender before your altar in this temple, be willing to forgive the accused if the accusation is false.

Amplified Bible
"If a man sins against his neighbor and is made to take an oath [of innocence] and he comes to take the oath before Your altar in this house (temple),

New American Standard Bible
"If a person sins against his neighbor and is compelled to take an oath of innocence, and he comes and takes an oath before Your altar in this house,

Geneva Bible (1587)
When a man shall trespasse against his neighbour, & he lay vpon him an othe to cause him to sweare, and the swearer shall come before thine altar in this house,

Legacy Standard Bible
"If a man sins against his neighbor and is made to take an oath, and he comes and takes an oath before Your altar in this house,

Contemporary English Version
Suppose someone accuses a person of a crime, and the accused has to stand in front of the altar in your temple and say, "I swear I am innocent!"

Complete Jewish Bible
"If a person sins against a fellow member of the community, and he is made to swear under oath, and he comes and swears before your altar in this house;

Darby Translation
If a man have sinned against his neighbour, and an oath be laid upon him to adjure him, and the oath come before thine altar in this house;

Easy-to-Read Version
"Those who wrong others will be brought to this altar. If they are not guilty, they will make an oath and promise that they are innocent.

George Lamsa Translation
If any man sins against his neighbor and an oath be laid upon him to cause him to swear and he comes and swears before thine altar in this house;

Good News Translation
"When a person is accused of wronging another and is brought to your altar in this Temple to take an oath that he is innocent,

Lexham English Bible
If a man sins against his neighbor and he pronounces an oath against him to curse him, and the curse comes before your altar in this house,

Literal Translation
If any man sins against his neighbor, and an oath be exacted of him to cause him to swear, and the oath has come before Your altar in this house,

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Whan eny ma synneth agaynst his neghboure, and taketh vpon him an ooth wherwith he byndeth him selfe, and ye ooth commeth before thine altare in this house,

American Standard Version
If a man sin against his neighbor, and an oath be laid upon him to cause him to swear, and he come and swear before thine altar in this house;

Bible in Basic English
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:

Bishop's Bible (1568)
If any man trespasse against his neyghbour, & there go an oth betweene them, and the one compel the other, and come, swearing before thyne aulter in this house:

JPS Old Testament (1917)
If a man sin against his neighbour, and an oath be exacted of him to cause him to swear, and he come and swear before Thine altar in this house;

King James Version (1611)
If any man trespasse against his neighbour, and an oath be laid vpon him to cause him to sweare, and the oath come before thine Altar in this house:

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Whatsoever trespasses any one shall commit against his neighbor,—and if he shall take upon him an oath so that he should swear, and he shall come and make confession before thine altar in this house,

English Revised Version
If a man sin against his neighbour, and an oath be laid upon him to cause him to swear, and he come [and] swear before thine altar in this house:

Berean Standard Bible
When a man sins against his neighbor and is required to take an oath, and he comes to take an oath before Your altar in this temple,

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
If a man synneth ayens a man, and hath ony ooth, bi which he is holdun boundun, and cometh for the ooth in to thin hows, bifor thin auter, thou schalt here in heuene,

Young's Literal Translation
that which a man sinneth against his neighbour, and he hath lifted up upon him an oath to cause him to swear, and the oath hath come in before Thine altar in this house,

Update Bible Version
If a man sins against his neighbor, and he is subjected to an oath to cause him to swear, and he comes [and] swears before your altar in this house;

Webster's Bible Translation
If any man shall trespass against his neighbor, and an oath be laid upon him to cause him to swear, and the oath come before thy altar in this house:

World English Bible
If a man sin against his neighbor, and an oath be laid on him to cause him to swear, and he come [and] swear before your altar in this house;

New King James Version
"When anyone sins against his neighbor, and is forced to take an oath, and comes and takes an oath before Your altar in this temple,

New Living Translation
"If someone wrongs another person and is required to take an oath of innocence in front of your altar in this Temple,

New Life Bible
"If a man sins against his neighbor and has to make a promise, and he comes and makes a promise at Your altar in this house,

New Revised Standard
"If someone sins against a neighbor and is given an oath to swear, and comes and swears before your altar in this house,

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
When a man shall sin against his neighbour, and there shall be taken up against him an oath, to put him on oath, - and he shall come in and swear before thine altar, in this house,

Douay-Rheims Bible
If any man trespass against his neighbour, and have an oath upon him, wherewith he is bound, and come, because of the oath, before thy altar, to thy house,

Revised Standard Version
"If a man sins against his neighbor and is made to take an oath, and comes and swears his oath before thine altar in this house,

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"If a man sins against his neighbor and is made to take an oath, and he comes and takes an oath before Your altar in this house,

Contextual Overview

²²Before 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." ²⁶ O God of Israel, let this all happen; confirm and establish it! ²⁷Can it be that God will actually move into our neighborhood? Why, the cosmos itself isn't large enough to give you breathing room, let alone this Temple I've built. Even so, I'm bold to ask: Pay attention to these my prayers, both intercessory and personal, O God , my God. Listen to my prayers, energetic and devout, that I'm setting before you right now. Keep your eyes open to this Temple night and day, this place of which you said, "My Name will be honored there," and listen to the prayers that I pray at this place. Listen from your home in heaven and when you hear, forgive. When someone hurts a neighbor and promises to make things right, and then comes and repeats the promise before your Altar in this Temple, listen from heaven and act accordingly: Judge your servants, making the offender pay for his offense and setting the offended free of any charges. ³³When your people Israel are beaten by an enemy because they've sinned against you, but then turn to you and acknowledge your rule in prayers desperate and devout in this Temple, Listen from your home in heaven, forgive the sin of your people Israel, return them to the land you gave their ancestors. ³⁵When the skies shrivel up and there is no rain because your people have sinned against you, but then they pray at this place, acknowledging your rule and quitting their sins because you have scourged them, Listen from your home in heaven, forgive the sins of your servants, your people Israel. Then start over with them: Train them to live right and well; send rain on the land you gave your people as an inheritance. ³⁷When disasters strike, famine or catastrophe, crop failure or disease, locust or beetle, or when an enemy attacks their defenses—calamity of any sort—any prayer that's prayed from anyone at all among your people Israel, hearts penetrated by the disaster, hands and arms thrown out to this Temple for help, Listen from your home in heaven. Forgive and go to work on us. Give what each deserves, for you know each life from the inside (you're the only one with such "inside knowledge"!) so that they'll live before you in lifelong reverent and believing obedience on this land you gave our ancestors. ⁴¹And don't forget the foreigner who is not a member of your people Israel but has come from a far country because of your reputation. People are going to be attracted here by your great reputation, your wonder-working power, who come to pray at this Temple. Listen from your home in heaven. Honor the prayers of the foreigner so that people all over the world will know who you are and what you're like and will live in reverent obedience before you, just as your own people Israel do; so they'll know that you personally make this Temple that I've built what it is. ⁴⁴When your people go to war against their enemies at the time and place you send them and they pray to God toward the city you chose and this Temple I've built to honor your Name, Listen from heaven to what they pray and ask for, and do what's right for them. When they sin against you—and they certainly will; there's no one without sin!—and in anger you turn them over to the enemy and they are taken captive to the enemy's land, whether far or near, but repent in the country of their captivity and pray with changed hearts in their exile, "We've sinned; we've done wrong; we've been most wicked," and turn back to you heart and soul in the land of the enemy who conquered them, and pray to you toward their homeland, the land you gave their ancestors, toward the city you chose, and this Temple I have built to the honor of your Name, Listen from your home in heaven to their prayers desperate and devout and do what is best for them. Forgive your people who have sinned against you; forgive their gross rebellions and move their captors to treat them with compassion. They are, after all, your people and your precious inheritance whom you rescued from the heart of that iron-smelting furnace, Egypt! ⁵²O be alert and attentive to the needy prayers of me, your servant, and your dear people Israel; listen every time they cry out to you! You handpicked them from all the peoples on earth to be your very own people, as you announced through your servant Moses when you, O God , in your masterful rule, delivered our ancestors from Egypt.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

If any man: Solomon here puts seven cases, in all of which the mercy and intervention of God would be indispensably requisite; and he earnestly bespeaks that mercy and intervention, on condition that the people pray towards that holy place, and with a feeling heart make earnest supplication to the throne of mercy.

trespass: 2 Chronicles 6:22, 2 Chronicles 6:23

an oath be laid upon him: Heb. he require an oath of him, Exodus 22:8-11, Leviticus 5:1, Proverbs 30:9

the oath: Numbers 5:16-22

Reciprocal: Exodus 22:9 - for all manner of trespass Psalms 88:2 - General

Gill's Notes on the Bible

If any man trespass against his neighbour,.... By being unfaithful in a trust committed to him, or the like:

and an oath be laid upon him to cause him to swear; he denying that ever anything was committed to his trust, and there being no witnesses of it, the judge obliges him to take an oath he never had any:

and the oath come before thine altar in this house; where it was taken, as in the presence of God, and as appealing to him: hence in corrupt times they came to swear by the altar, Matthew 23:20 and so the Heathens used to take their oaths in the temples of their gods, and at their altars, as the instances of Callicrates c and Hannibal d show, and others Grotius refers to; yea, they also laid hold on the altar, at least touched it when they swore e to give the greater sanction to the oath.

c Cornel. Nep. Vit. Dion. l. 10. c. 8. d Ib. Hannibal. l. 23. c. 2. e Vid. Lydii Dissert de Jurament. c. 4. sect. 7.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The oath come before ... - “The oath” is equivalent to “the man who swears the oath.” A slight alteration in the present Hebrew text gives the sense “and he (the accused) go and swear before thine altar,” etc. The threats and the promises, the punishments and calamities of 1 Kings 8:31-38 were distinctly named in the Law. See the margin reference.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 31. If any man trespass against his neighbour — Solomon puts here seven cases, in all of which the mercy and intervention of God would be indispensably requisite; and he earnestly bespeaks that mercy and intervention on condition that the people pray towards that holy place, and with a feeling heart make earnest supplication.

The FIRST case is one of doubtfulness; where a man has sustained an injury, and charges it on a suspected person, though not able to bring direct evidence of the fact, the accused is permitted to come before the altar of God, and purge himself by his personal oath. Solomon prays that God may not permit a false oath to be taken, but that he will discover the truth, so that the wicked shall be condemned, and the righteous justified.