II Chronicles 6:32-33 · Bible study
2 Chronicles 6:32-33 Commentary: Foreigners at the Temple
Hebrew · 4 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Solomon’s prayer for a foreigner shows God’s open invitation to all who seek Him by name. A vision of global worship.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Solomon prays that God would hear the foreigner who comes to the temple based on God’s reputation, so that all nations may know and fear God.
- Key words: foreigner (nokhri, H5237), name (shem, H8034), fear (yir’ah, H3372 from yare).
- Main debate: Whether this passage anticipates full covenantal inclusion of Gentiles or remains a provision for God-fearers who come to the temple.
- Theological theme: Universal scope of God’s salvation; missions; prayer as witness.
- Best use: Preaching on God’s heart for the nations; missional vision; inclusive prayer.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
32And as for the foreigner who is not of Your people Israel but has come from a distant land because of Your great name and Your mighty hand and outstretched arm—when he comes and prays toward this temple,
33then may You hear from heaven, Your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You. Then all the peoples of the earth will know Your name and fear You, as do Your people Israel, and they will know that this house I have built is called by Your Name.
WEB World English Bible 2000
32“Moreover, concerning the foreigner, who is not of your people Israel, when he comes from a far country for your great name’s sake and your mighty hand and your outstretched arm, when they come and pray toward this house,
33then hear from heaven, even from your dwelling place, and do according to all that the foreigner calls to you for; that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your people Israel, and that they may know that this house which I have built is called by your name.
KJV King James Version 1769
32Moreover concerning the stranger, which is not of thy people Israel, but is come from a far country for thy great name’s sake, and thy mighty hand, and thy stretched out arm; if they come and pray in this house;
33Then hear thou from the heavens, even from thy dwelling place, and do according to all that the stranger calleth to thee for; that all people of the earth may know thy name, and fear thee, as doth thy people Israel, and may know that this house which I have built is called by thy name.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
32Moreover concerning the foreigner, that is not of thy people Israel, when he shall come from a far country for thy great name’s sake, and thy mighty hand, and thine outstretched arm; when they shall come and pray toward this house:
33then hear thou from heaven, even from thy dwelling-place, and do according to all that the foreigner calleth to thee for; that all the peoples of the earth may know thy name, and fear thee, as doth thy people Israel, and that they may know that this house which I have built is called by thy name.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
32`And also, unto the stranger who is not of Thy people Israel, and he hath come from a land afar off for the sake of Thy great name, and Thy strong hand, and Thy stretched-out arm, and they have come in and prayed towards this house:
33then Thou dost hear from the heavens, from the settled place of Thy dwelling, and hast done according to all that the stranger calleth unto Thee for: so that all the peoples of the earth do know Thy name, so as to fear Thee, as Thy people Israel, and to know that Thy name is called on this house that I have built.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
32And as to the stranger also, who is not of thy people Israel, but cometh out of a far country for thy great name's sake, and thy mighty hand and thy stretched-out arm; when they shall come and pray toward this house,
33then hear thou from the heavens, the settled place of thy dwelling, and do according to all that the stranger calleth to thee for; in order that all peoples of the earth may know thy name, and may fear thee as do thy people Israel, and may know that this house which I have built is called by thy name.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
32If the stranger also, who is not of thy people Israel, come from a far country, for the sake of thy great name, and thy strong hand, and thy stretched out arm, and adore in this place:
33Hear thou from heaven thy firm dwelling place, and do all that which that stranger shall call upon thee for: that all the people of the earth may know thy name, and may fear thee, as thy people Israel, and may know, that thy name is invoked upon this house, which I have built.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · II Chronicles 6:32
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators recognize this pair of verses as a remarkable expansion of the temple’s mission. Ellicott notes that Solomon’s international experience made such recognition of the foreigner natural; the old exclusiveness was breaking down. Poole observes that the foreigner is drawn by the fame of God’s greatness and power, not by national identity. The Hebrew text uses nokhri, a foreigner from a distant land, not the resident alien (ger). The petition is clear: when such a person prays toward the temple, God is to hear from heaven and act. The purpose clause (lema’an) anchors the entire prayer in God’s reputation: “that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you.” Commentators agree that this prayer anticipates the global scope of the gospel, where God welcomes all who call on His name, regardless of ethnic origin.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Inclusive of all nations: The passage explicitly states that all peoples may know and fear God, and the foreigner is prayed for directly.
- Covenant inclusion limited: The foreigner must come to the temple and pray toward it, implying a geographical and covenantal boundary that remains until the New Covenant.
What is clear: God hears the prayer of any person, regardless of ethnicity, who sincerely seeks Him and responds to His reputation.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Inclusion of the foreigner | God hears the prayer of the foreigner who sincerely seeks Him. | Some traditions see this as a temporary provision for God-fearers within Judaism; others read it as a direct foreshadowing of full Gentile inclusion through Christ. |
| Role of the temple | The temple is the designated place of prayer, and praying toward it is an act of faith. | Debate exists over the continuing significance of a physical prayer direction; some hold to the temple’s unique role, while others see prayer toward the temple as a temporary symbol fulfilled in Christ. |
| Purpose clause (that all peoples may know) | God’s ultimate goal is His glory among all nations. | Disagreement arises over whether this is achieved through Israel’s mission alone or through a new covenant that directly incorporates Gentiles. |
| God’s response condition | God will do “according to all that the foreigner calls for” within His will. | Some interpret this as an unrestricted promise of answered prayer for the foreigner; others condition it on the foreigner’s heart and alignment with God’s character. |
Historical & Cultural Context
This passage belongs to Solomon’s lengthy prayer of dedication for the newly built temple (2 Chronicles 6:12, 42). The prayer covers seven specific scenarios, as Cambridge Bible outlines. Verses 32, 33 are the sixth petition: “the stranger’s prayer.” The temple was the visible center of God’s presence in Israel, but Solomon recognizes that God’s fame extends far beyond Israel’s borders. The foreigner (nokhri) is not the ger, the sojourner who lived within Israel. He is a temporary visitor from a distant land, drawn by reports of God’s great name, mighty hand, and outstretched arm. This language echoes the Exodus narrative (Exodus 3:19, 20; 13:14), identifying the God of Israel as the God who acts in history.
In the ancient Near East, it was common for a nation’s deity to be known internationally through acts of power and through the nation’s success. Solomon’s own fame attracted visitors like the Queen of Sheba (1 Kings 10). The prayer allows for those who have heard of God’s works to come and “pray toward this house.” The direction el-habayit hazeh (toward this house) established the temple as a geographical point of orientation for prayer, a practice later sustained in Jewish tradition.
Israel had a pattern of including the stranger. Exodus 12:48, 49 commands one law for the native and for the stranger who keeps Passover:
“When a stranger lives as a foreigner with you, and would like to keep the Passover to Yahweh, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it. He shall be as one who is born in the land; but no uncircumcised person shall eat of it. One law shall be to him who is born at home, and to the stranger who lives as a foreigner among you.”
— Exodus 12:48, 49 (WEB)
Joshua 2:9 shows Rahab, a foreigner, confessing God’s power: “I know that Yahweh has given you the land.” So this prayer fits within a broader biblical trajectory of openness to outsiders who acknowledge the God of Israel. The temple is called by God’s name, meaning it represents His ownership and presence. When a foreigner prays toward it, that prayer is directed to the God who owns the house.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for this passage. The Hebrew text of 2 Chronicles 6:32, 33 closely parallels 1 Kings 8:41, 43, with minor differences such as “house” (bayit) used in Chronicles instead of “place” (maqom) in Kings. The stability of the text is well established across ancient manuscripts.
Reception History
Early Christian writers often cited this passage in support of Gentile inclusion, seeing it as a foreshadowing of the New Covenant. In Jewish tradition, it was understood as applying to the God-fearer, a Gentile who worshiped the God of Israel without full conversion. The Reformers emphasized its missional urgency, using it to argue that the gospel call extends to all nations. In modern missions, this prayer has shaped how Christians understand God’s openness to seekers from any background. The passage continues to inspire intercessory prayer for unreached peoples and for the church to be a house of prayer for all nations.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- God’s fame travels. The foreigner comes because of God’s great name and mighty deeds. Our God is known by what He does, and that reputation reaches the ends of the earth.
- God hears every sincere prayer. There is no ethnic barrier. The request is simply to hear and act. This opens the door for all who call on the Lord with honest hearts.
- God’s answer has a global purpose. The goal is not just the individual’s blessing but that ‘all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you.’ God works in individual lives for the sake of the world.
Five-point outline
- The foreigner’s motivation: God’s reputation (great name, mighty hand, outstretched arm).
- The foreigner’s journey: from a far country to pray toward the house.
- God’s response: hearing from heaven and doing according to his call.
- God’s purpose: that the world may know and fear Him, just as Israel does.
- The foundation: the temple bears God’s name as His own.
Illustration hooks
- A refugee family from a non-Christian background comes to a church because they heard it helps people. They begin to attend services. How do we receive them? This passage says God hears their prayers before they fully belong.
- An international student in a new country visits a church after seeing the warmth of a Christian friend. She has no religious background but is drawn by the reputation of the community. Solomon’s prayer assures that God is attentive to her first steps.
- A local church is known in the city for its generosity. Skeptics start coming to events. The reputation of God’s kindness precedes them. This passage calls the church to anticipate those arrivals with prayer.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Does God hear prayers from people who are not yet believers?
- When will God’s name be known among all nations? How does our church participate in that mission?
- If our church is called by God’s name, are we acting like a house of prayer for all people?
Leading a Discussion
Solomon’s prayer includes a surprising request: that God would hear the foreigner who prays toward the temple. This passage challenges us to think about God’s openness to all people and what that means for our posture toward outsiders.
Discussion questions
- What does the passage tell you about the foreigner’s reasons for coming? (observation)
- Why do you think Solomon includes a petition for non-Israelites in his dedication prayer? (interpretation)
- How does the phrase “according to all that the foreigner calls to you for” shape your understanding of God’s response? (interpretation)
- What does it mean for the temple, or for the church today, to be “called by your name”? (interpretation)
- How does this passage inform your posture toward people of other faiths who are attracted to God? (application)
- What would it look like for your church to be a place that attracts “foreigners” from distant lands today? (application)
- How does the global purpose of God’s response (all peoples know and fear) challenge your prayer life? (application)
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 3:19 | I know that the king of Egypt won’t give you permission to go, no, not by a mighty hand. |
| Exodus 3:20 | I will reach out my hand and strike Egypt with all my wonders which I will do among them, and after that he will let you go. |
| Exodus 12:48 | When a stranger lives as a foreigner with you, and would like to keep the Passover to Yahweh, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it. He shall be as one who is born in the land; but no uncircumcised person shall eat of it. |
| Exodus 12:49 | One law shall be to him who is born at home, and to the stranger who lives as a foreigner among you.” |
| Exodus 13:14 | It shall be, when your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is this?’ that you shall tell him, ‘By strength of hand Yahweh brought us out from Egypt, from the house of bondage. |
| Exodus 18:8 | Moses told his father-in-law all that Yahweh had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, all the hardships that had come on them on the way, and how Yahweh delivered them. |
| Exodus 18:12 | Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God. Aaron came with all the elders of Israel, to eat bread with Moses’ father-in-law before God. |
| Joshua 2:9 | She said to the men, “I know that Yahweh has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. |
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 Notes emphasize that when a foreigner prays toward the temple because of God's great name and mighty works, God's answer serves a wider purpose: it causes all nations to know and fear Him just as Israel does, and to recognize that His name dwells in that house.
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.