II Chronicles 6:28-31 · Bible study
2 Chronicles 6:28-31 Commentary: Affliction, Repentance, and the Temple
Hebrew · 4 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Solomon prays for a repentant people to turn to the temple during covenant curses, trusting God who knows every human heart.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Solomon prays that when covenant curses fall, repentant people who pray toward the temple will be heard and forgiven by God, who alone knows every heart.
- Key words: “Know” (יָדַע, yada), implies personal awareness and recognition of one’s own sin; “heart” (לֵבָב, levav), the inner person, known only to God; “fear” (יָרֵא, yare), reverent obedience that leads to walking in God’s ways.
- Main debate: No major debate; the passage is read as a straightforward example of intercessory prayer. Some Christians debate whether the temple remains a required orientation for prayer; most see it fulfilled in Christ.
- Theological theme: Divine omniscience, only God knows the heart, making prayer a transaction of trust and honesty, not ritual.
- Best use: Teaching on repentance, prayer in difficult times, and the role of the temple as a type of Christ.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
28When famine or plague comes upon the land, or blight or mildew or locusts or grasshoppers, or when their enemies besiege them in their cities, whatever plague or sickness may come,
29then may whatever prayer or petition Your people Israel make—each knowing his own afflictions and spreading out his hands toward this temple—
30be heard by You from heaven, Your dwelling place. And may You forgive and repay each man according to all his ways, since You know his heart—for You alone know the hearts of men—
31so that they may fear You and walk in Your ways all the days they live in the land that You gave to our fathers.
WEB World English Bible 2000
28“If there is famine in the land, if there is pestilence, if there is blight or mildew, locust or caterpillar; if their enemies besiege them in the land of their cities; whatever plague or whatever sickness there is—
29whatever prayer and supplication is made by any man, or by all your people Israel, who will each know his own plague and his own sorrow, and shall spread out his hands toward this house,
30then hear from heaven your dwelling place and forgive, and give to every man according to all his ways, whose heart you know (for you, even you only, know the hearts of the children of men),
31that they may fear you, to walk in your ways as long as they live in the land which you gave to our fathers.
KJV King James Version 1769
28If there be dearth in the land, if there be pestilence, if there be blasting, or mildew, locusts, or caterpillers; if their enemies besiege them in the cities of their land; whatsoever sore or whatsoever sickness there be:
29Then what prayer or what supplication soever shall be made of any man, or of all thy people Israel, when every one shall know his own sore and his own grief, and shall spread forth his hands in this house:
30Then hear thou from heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and render unto every man according unto all his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou only knowest the hearts of the children of men:)
31That they may fear thee, to walk in thy ways, so long as they live in the land which thou gavest unto our fathers.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
28If there be in the land famine, if there be pestilence, if there be blasting or mildew, locust or caterpillar; if their enemies besiege them in the land of their cities; whatsoever plague or whatsoever sickness there be;
29what prayer and supplication soever be made by any man, or by all thy people Israel, who shall know every man his own plague and his own sorrow, and shall spread forth his hands toward this house:
30then hear thou from heaven thy dwelling-place, and forgive, and render unto every man according to all his ways, whose heart thou knowest (for thou, even thou only, knowest the hearts of the children of men);
31that they may fear thee, to walk in thy ways, so long as they live in the land which thou gavest unto our fathers.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
28`Famine, when it is in the land, pestilence, when it is, blasting, and mildew, locust, and caterpillar, when they are, when its enemies have distressed it in the land--its gates, any plague and any sickness;
29any prayer, any supplication that is for any man, and for all Thy people Israel, when they know each his own plague, and his own pain, and he hath spread out his hands towards this house:
30then Thou dost hear from the heavens, the settled place of Thy dwelling, and hast forgiven, and hast given to each according to all his ways (because Thou knowest his heart, for Thou--Thou only--hast known the heart of the sons of men),
31so that they fear Thee, to walk in Thy ways, all the days that they are living on the face of the ground that Thou hast given to our fathers.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
28If there be famine in the land, if there be pestilence, if there be blight or mildew, locust or caterpillar; if their enemies besiege them in the land of their gates; whatever plague or whatever sickness there be:
29what prayer, what supplication soever be made by any man, or by all thy people Israel, when they shall know every man his own plague, and his own grief, and shall spread forth his hands toward this house;
30then hear thou from the heavens, the settled place of thy dwelling, and forgive, and render unto every man according to all his ways, whose heart thou knowest (for thou, thou only, knowest the hearts of the children of men),
31that they may fear thee, to walk in thy ways, all the days that they live upon the land which thou gavest unto our fathers.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
28If a famine arise in the land, or a pestilence or blasting, or mildew, or locusts, or caterpillars: or if their enemies waste the country, and besiege the cities, whatsoever scourge or infirmity shall be upon them:
29Then if any of thy people Israel, knowing his own scourge and infirmity shall pray, and shall spread forth his hands in this house,
30Hear thou from heaven, from thy high dwelling place, and forgive, and render to every one according to his ways, which thou knowest him to have in his heart: for thou only knowest the hearts of the children of men:
31That they may fear thee, and walk in thy ways all the days that they live upon the face of the land, which thou hast given to our fathers.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · II Chronicles 6:28
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators broadly agree that these verses belong to Solomon’s temple-dedication prayer, which anticipates national catastrophes matching the covenant curses of Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28. The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges identifies this section as “Prayer under diverse afflictions.” Ellicott’s Commentary notes that the catalog, famine, pestilence, blight, locusts, enemy siege, directly echoes the language of the law. The prayer’s logic is consistent: when the people recognize their own suffering as covenantal discipline, confess it, and stretch out their hands toward the temple, Solomon asks God to hear from heaven, forgive, and repay each according to his ways, relying on the truth that only God knows the human heart. Both the Geneva Bible Notes and Matthew Henry’s Commentary emphasize that the purpose of this forgiveness is that the people may fear the Lord and walk in His ways. The consensus is that the temple functions here as the God-ordained point of contact for repentance, not because the building contains God, but because He has chosen to put His name there and to make it the place of atonement.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: The passage teaches that God alone knows every human heart, and that genuine repentance involves acknowledging personal suffering in the context of God’s covenant and turning to Him for mercy.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| The temple as the place for prayer | The temple was the God-appointed focal point for Israel's prayers in the Old Testament. | Christians differ on whether Christians should still orient prayer toward a physical place. Some hold that the temple is fulfilled in Christ and the Church, so no site is required. Others see the principle of gathering in one place as still important. |
| Covenantal discipline and divine punishment | These afflictions are seen as part of the covenant curses from Leviticus and Deuteronomy. | Some traditions affirm that God still disciplines nations and individuals directly through such calamities; others emphasize that the New Testament no longer relates physical suffering directly to sin in the same way, pointing to Jesus' teaching in Luke 13:1-5. |
| The purpose of the prayer, forgiveness or restoration? | The prayer asks for forgiveness as a means to restore relationship and cause the people to fear God and walk in His ways. | Catholic and Orthodox traditions see this as supporting the concept of temporal punishment and the need for purification; Protestant traditions generally emphasize that forgiveness is entirely gracious and leads to sanctification, not further penance. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Solomon prays at the dedication of the Jerusalem temple, an event recorded in 1 Kings 8 and expanded here in 2 Chronicles 6. The ceremony takes place around 960 BC, during a period of peace and prosperity when the kingdom of Israel was at its height. The prayer is deeply embedded in the covenant theology of Deuteronomy. God’s covenant with Israel at Sinai included blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience, curses that included famine, pestilence, military defeat, and exile (Lev 26; Deut 28). Solomon’s list in verses 28, 29 reproduces these very threats: famine, pestilence, blight (shiddafon), mildew (yeraqon), locusts (arbeh and chasil), and siege (tsar). The Hebrew word for “plague” (nega) is the same term used in Leviticus for covenantal afflictions.
The temple was built as a permanent house for God’s name, replacing the portable tabernacle. Solomon’s prayer repeatedly directs the people to pray “toward this house” (v.29), not because they think God lives only there, but because the temple was the appointed place of sacrifice, atonement, and divine presence. The brass scaffold (kiyr, found in 2 Chr 6:13 but not in Kings) on which Solomon knelt signified a platform for public prayer. In the ancient Near East, kings often served as intercessors for their people. Solomon’s posture, kneeling with hands spread toward heaven, was a gesture of urgent supplication.
The historical backdrop also includes the recent memory of David’s conquests and the exile warnings given by Moses. Solomon’s petition assumes that future disaster will come because of sin, but it also reflects hope that repentance and prayer will restore the relationship. The temple is the place where divine judgment and mercy meet.
Textual Notes
The supplied commentaries and translations show no significant textual variants for these verses. The Hebrew text is stable across manuscripts. A minor variation exists in the length of the catalog: 2 Chronicles 6:28 includes two words for locusts (אַרְבֶּה and חָסִיל), while 1 Kings 8:37 adds a third (as in the accounts of the plagues in Exodus 10). The Chronicler may have chosen to simplify or had a different source tradition.
Reception History
This prayer has been used throughout church history as a model for prayers of confession and intercession in times of national distress. In the medieval period, it was read on Rogation Days, when the church prayed for crops and deliverance from calamities. The Reformers, especially Calvin and the Puritans, used it to emphasize that repentance must include both public, corporate confession and personal humiliation before a God who knows all hearts. In the Eastern Orthodox tradition, the prayer informs the liturgies of supplication during times of drought or war. The phrase “for you, even you only, know the hearts of the children of men” (v.30) has been quoted in hymns and liturgies as a reason for confidence in God’s righteous judgment and mercy. In the modern era, the passage has been cited in calls for national days of prayer and repentance.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- Recognizing the Affliction, The prayer lists diverse calamities that match the covenant curses. Each person “knows his own plague and his own sorrow” (v.29). Repentance begins when we honestly name our suffering and see it in light of our relationship with God.
- Turning Toward the Temple, The people spread out their hands toward the temple, an act of dependence. For Christians, this is a picture of praying in the name of Jesus, who is the true temple (John 2:19-21).
- God’s Heart-Knowledge, Solomon grounds the petition in the truth that only God knows every human heart (v.30). This gives confidence that our prayers are heard with perfect understanding, but also warns that we cannot deceive God.
Five-point outline
- The Covenant Context: Afflictions as Divine Discipline (v.28; Lev 26; Deut 28)
- Individual Acknowledgment: Each Person Knows Their Own Plague (v.29)
- Corporate and Individual Prayer: Supplication Made by Any Man or All Israel (v.29)
- God’s Response from Heaven: Hear, Forgive, Repay According to Ways (v.30)
- The Ultimate Purpose: That They May Fear God and Walk in His Ways (v.31)
Illustration hooks
- A church clock: In many older churches, the clock faces the congregation. When the congregation prays toward the front, they see the time, a reminder that prayer is a response to God’s timing. Solomon invites the people to orient themselves toward the temple, a physical act that shaped their expectation of God’s response.
- Key to the car: When a child is given the car keys, it doesn’t mean the parent is absent. The keys represent access, trust, and responsibility. The temple was the “key”, the appointed place where Israel could confidently meet God. Christ is now that key.
- Weather report and the bank: A farmer checks the forecast and watches the markets; if a drought comes, he knows what to expect. Solomon’s generation knew the covenant terms in advance, the afflictions were not random, and the remedy was already prescribed: repentance.
Questions your congregation is asking
- When hard times come, how do we tell the difference between a consequence of sin and a normal part of life?
- Does God still discipline His people today in the same way He disciplined Israel?
- How can we “spread out our hands” toward the temple when we no longer have a physical temple?
Leading a Discussion
This passage is part of Solomon’s prayer at the temple dedication. It teaches that when national or personal calamities come, the right response is not despair but repentance directed toward God’s appointed place of mercy. The group should read 2 Chronicles 6:28-31 together, then work through the questions below.
Discussion questions
- Look at the list of afflictions in verse 28. Which of these are mentioned in the covenant curses of Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28? How does that connection shape the way we read Solomon’s petition?
- Why does Solomon emphasize that each person “knows his own plague and his own sorrow” (v.29)? What does “knowing” your own suffering have to do with prayer?
- The people are to “spread out his hands toward this house.” What does that posture communicate? What would be an equivalent physical practice for Christians today?
- Verse 30 says God will “give to every man according to all his ways, whose heart you know.” How does this promise challenge or comfort you?
- Why does Solomon ground the prayer in the fact that only God knows the human heart? How does that change the way we approach God in confession?
- What does it mean to “fear you, to walk in your ways” (v.31)? Is this the same thing as being afraid of punishment?
- How does this passage connect to Jesus as the new temple? In John 2:19-21, Jesus says, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” How does that affect our understanding of where to turn in times of trouble?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Exodus 10:12 | Yahweh said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come up on the land of Egypt, and eat every herb of the land, even all that the hail has left.” |
| Exodus 10:15 | For they covered the surface of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened, and they ate every herb of the land, and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left. There remained nothing green, either tree or herb of the field, through all the land of Egypt. |
| Leviticus 26:16 | I also will do this to you: I will appoint terror over you, even consumption and fever, that shall consume the eyes, and make the soul to pine away. You will sow your seed in vain, for your enemies will eat it. |
| Leviticus 26:25 | I will bring a sword upon you that will execute the vengeance of the covenant. You will be gathered together within your cities, and I will send the pestilence among you. You will be delivered into the hand of the enemy. |
| Leviticus 26:26 | When I break your staff of bread, ten women shall bake your bread in one oven, and they shall deliver your bread again by weight. You shall eat, and not be satisfied. |
| Deuteronomy 28:21 | Yahweh will make the pestilence cling to you, until he has consumed you from off the land where you go in to possess it. |
| Deuteronomy 28:52 | They will besiege you in all your gates until your high and fortified walls in which you trusted come down throughout all your land. They will besiege you in all your gates throughout all your land which Yahweh your God has given you. |
| Deuteronomy 28:61 | Also every sickness and every plague which is not written in the book of this law, Yahweh will bring them on you until you are destroyed. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
3 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentary breaks down Solomon's prayer into its distinct thematic sections, showing how each petition addresses a specific situation. It also notes that the bronze stand mentioned here is called a laver in Hebrew, and suggests that the word for "cause" is better translated as "right."
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note stresses that when each person recognizes and prays specifically about their own particular affliction, God responds personally according to what He alone sees in that heart. The purpose of this individual mercy is to cultivate reverence and faithful obedience throughout life.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry observes that Solomon, though a king on a raised platform, kneels low in prayer, showing that true worship humbles even the highest earthly dignity before God's infinite greatness. Solomon's opening words contrast God's unique majesty with His willingness to keep covenant with weak, walking servants.