2 Chronicles 6

2 Chronicles 1–9 covers the reign of Solomon, and this chapter forms the center of its account of the temple's dedication. After the ark of the covenant is brought into the temple and the cloud fills the house in 2 Chronicles 5, Solomon delivers his dedicatory address and prayer in this chapter. The same scene also appears in 1 Kings 8.

Outline

• Verses 1–2 Solomon declares that although the LORD said He would dwell in the thick darkness, Solomon has built a house for Him to dwell in forever.
• Verses 3–11 Solomon blesses the assembly. He says that the LORD chose Jerusalem and David and has fulfilled His promise that David's son, not David himself, would build the temple. He states that he has placed the ark of the covenant in the temple.
• Verses 12–13 Solomon sets a bronze platform five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high in the middle of the court, kneels upon it, and spreads out his hands.
• Verses 14–17 He praises the God who keeps covenant and asks Him to confirm the word He spoke to David.
• Verses 18–21 He confesses that even the heaven of heavens cannot contain God and asks Him to hear from heaven and forgive when prayers are offered toward this place.
• Verses 22–39 He prays concerning seven situations: an oath between neighbors, defeat before an enemy, drought, calamities such as famine and pestilence, a foreigner who comes to pray, going out to war, and repentance in the land of captivity.
• Verses 40–42 He asks God to attend to the prayers made in this place and closes by asking Him not to turn away the face of His anointed and to remember the mercies shown to David.

Key Verses

• 2 Chronicles 6:18 "But will God in very deed dwell with men on the earth?" — a confession that, although the temple has been built, God is not confined within a building.
• 2 Chronicles 6:21 "Hear thou from thy dwelling place, even from heaven; and when thou hearest, forgive." — a verse that runs like a refrain through the whole prayer.
• 2 Chronicles 6:36 "For there is no man which sinneth not" — frequently cited as a confession that every human being sins.

People and Places

• Solomon: The king who built the temple; he offers the dedicatory prayer in this chapter.
• David: Solomon's father. He desired to build the temple, but the task was entrusted to his son.
• The assembly of Israel: The people who stand assembled at the dedication and receive Solomon's blessing.
• Jerusalem: Mentioned as the city God chose as the place for His name.
• Temple in Jerusalem: The temple dedicated in this chapter.
• Egypt: Mentioned as the land from which God brought His people out.

Points for Reflection

• Differences from 1 Kings 8: The scene of Solomon kneeling on the bronze platform (v. 13) appears only in 2 Chronicles. The ending of the prayer also differs: 1 Kings closes with a reference to the Exodus, while 2 Chronicles closes (vv. 41–42) with words nearly identical to Psalm 132:8–10.
• Postexilic readers: Scholars generally hold that Chronicles was written after the Babylonian exile. Accordingly, they interpret the scene of repentant prayer in the land of captivity (vv. 36–39) as having held special significance for its first readers.
• Prayer for foreigners: Verses 32–33 ask God to hear the prayers of foreigners as well. This passage is read as expressing the hope that all the peoples of the earth would come to know God.
• The answer: God's response to this prayer follows in 2 Chronicles 7. 2 Chronicles 6:26–31, which addresses drought and calamity, corresponds to 2 Chronicles 7:13–22.
• Connections to the New Testament: Verse 18, which affirms that God is not confined to a place built by human hands, is read alongside John 4:20–23, which emphasizes worship in spirit and truth over place. Verse 42, which asks God to remember the Davidic dynasty, connects with the Davidic covenant, and Christians sometimes read it in connection with messianic expectation.
• Word meaning: The word "saints" in verse 41 translates a Hebrew term meaning "godly ones." Although the same word is used for Christians in the New Testament, the two usages should be distinguished.

In Korean Churches

Together with 1 Kings 8, this chapter is commonly used as a sermon text at church dedication services, in which a church building is dedicated to God. At prayer meetings for repentance and for the nation, the prayer in this chapter is read as a background text alongside 2 Chronicles 7:14.