1 Kings 8:12

The Holy Bible, Berean Study Bible

Contextual Overview

¹²Then Solomon said: "The LORD has said that He would dwell in the thick cloud.¹³I have indeed built You an exalted house, a place for You to dwell forever." ¹⁴And as the whole assembly of Israel stood there, the king turned around and blessed them all ¹⁵and said: "Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who has fulfilled with His own hand what He spoke with His mouth to my father David, saying, ¹⁶'Since the day I brought My people Israel out of Egypt, I have not chosen a city from any tribe of Israel in which to build a house so that My Name would be there. But I have chosen David to be over My people Israel.' ¹⁷Now it was in the heart of my father David to build a house for the Name of the LORD, the God of Israel. ¹⁸But the LORD said to my father David, 'Since it was in your heart to build a house for My Name, you have done well to have this in your heart. ¹⁹Nevertheless, you are not the one to build it; but your son, your own offspring, will build the house for My Name.' ²⁰Now the LORD has fulfilled the word that He spoke. I have succeeded my father David, and I sit on the throne of Israel, as the LORD promised. I have built the house for the Name of the LORD, the God of Israel. ²¹And there I have provided a place for the ark, which contains the covenant of the LORD that He made with our fathers when He brought 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
The springs of the deep and the floodgates of the heavens were closed, and the rain from the sky was restrained.

Genesis 8:3
The waters receded steadily from the earth, and after 150 days the waters had gone down.

Genesis 8:5
And the waters continued to recede until the tenth month, and on the first day of the tenth month, the tops of the mountains became visible.

Genesis 8:6
After forty days Noah opened the window he had made in the ark

Genesis 8:7
and sent out a raven. It kept flying back and forth until the waters had dried up from the earth.

Genesis 8:8
Then Noah sent out a dove to see if the waters had receded from the surface of the ground.

Genesis 8:10
Noah waited seven more days and again sent out the dove from the ark.

Psalms 27:14
Wait patiently for the LORD; be strong and courageous. Wait patiently for the LORD!

Isaiah 8:17
I will wait for the LORD, who is hiding His face from the house of Jacob. I will put my trust in Him.

Isaiah 25:9
And in that day it will be said, "Surely this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He has saved us. This is the LORD for whom we have waited. Let us rejoice and be glad 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.