Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 1 Kings 8:39
Then hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and do, and give to every man according to his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou, [even] thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men;)
39. whose heart thou knowest ] This is the other aspect. God will know whether the discipline have wrought its effect, whether the heart have been plagued in such wise as to bring about repentance.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
According to his ways; according to his repentance or impenitency. I pray with more hope and confidence, because I do not desire that thou wouldst deliver such as are insensible of thy judgments, and their sin; but only those who truly know the plague of their own heart, in manner before explained.
Whose heart thou knowest: thou knowest who are truly penitent, and who are not; and therefore the granting of my request will be no dishonour to thy government, nor injury to thy holy nature.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
Then hear thou in heaven thy dwellingplace,…. Which was more properly so than this Solomon had built, and the Lord had taken possession of:
and forgive; remove the calamity and distress, be it what it may:
and do, and give to every man according to his ways, whose heart thou knowest: that his prayer is cordial and sincere, his confession and repentance genuine, and that he is truly sensible of his sin, and sorry for it, and is pure in his intentions and resolutions, through divine grace, to depart from it for the future:
(for thou, [even] thou only knowest the hearts of all the children of men;) he knows all men, the hearts of them all, what is in them, what comes out of them, and is according to them; omniscience belongs only to God; it is his prerogative to know the heart and search the reins, see Jer 17:9.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
1Ki 8:39. Give to every man according to his ways God is represented, in the sacred writings, both as the tutelary deity and the supreme magistrate of the Jews; in consequence of which, He governed them by an equal, or rather an extraordinary Providence. This extraordinary Providence is represented as administered, 1 over the state in general; 2 over private men in particular: and such a representation we should expect to find from the nature of the republic; because, as an extraordinary Providence over the state necessarily follows God’s being their tutelary deity, so an extraordinary Providence to particulars follows as necessarily from his being their supreme magistrate. As to this Providence over the state, it would be absurd to quote particular texts, when the whole Bible is one continued history of it. In his dedication of the first temple, Solomon addresses his prayer to God, that the covenant between him and the people might remain firm and inviolate, and the old economy be still continued: and, after having enumerated divers parts of it, he proceeds in the manner described, 1Ki 8:35-39. Solomon in this petition, which, with respect to the given covenant we might properly call a petition of rights, speaks the language of one who extended the temporal sanctions of the law to particulars and individuals; for he desires God, according to the terms of the covenant, to render to every man according to his ways. But when is it that he prays for the exertion of this extraordinary Providence to particulars?At the very time when it is administering to the state in general: If there be in the land famine, &c. 1Ki 8:37. The necessary consequence is, that as sure as Solomon believed an extra-ordinary Providence exercised to the state in general, so surely did he believe it exercised to individuals in particular. Divine Legation, vol. 4: p. 117, &c.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
1Ki 8:39 Then hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and do, and give to every man according to his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou, [even] thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men;)
Ver. 39. And give to every man according to his ways. ] “Do good, O Lord, unto those that be good, and to them that are upright in their hearts. As for such as turn aside unto their crooked ways, do thou lead them forth with the workers of iniquity,” &c. Psa 125:4-5
For thou only knowest.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
his = all his, as in 2Ch 6:30.
for Thou, &c. Figure of speech Epitrechon. App-6.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Then hear: 1Ki 8:32, 1Ki 8:36
give to every man: Psa 18:20-26, Psa 28:4, Jer 17:10, Jer 32:19, Eze 18:30, Rev 22:12
for thou: 1Sa 16:7, 1Ch 28:9, 2Ch 6:30, Psa 11:4, Psa 11:5, Joh 2:25, Joh 21:17, Act 1:24, Heb 4:12, Heb 4:13, Rev 2:23
Reciprocal: Jos 22:22 – he knoweth 1Sa 2:3 – a God 1Ki 8:30 – and hear 2Ch 30:27 – their prayer Neh 9:28 – heardest Job 9:15 – I would Psa 102:19 – For he Psa 130:4 – that thou mayest Psa 139:1 – thou hast Jon 2:4 – toward Mat 6:12 – forgive Act 15:8 – which 2Co 5:10 – receive 1Th 2:4 – but God
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
1Ki 8:39-40. Give to every man according to his ways According to his repentance or impenitency. As if he had said, I pray with the greater hope and confidence, because I do not desire that thou wouldst deliver such as are insensible of their sins and of thy judgments, but only those that are truly brought to know the plague of their own hearts in the manner before explained. Whose heart thou knowest Thou art acquainted not only with the plague of their hearts, their several wants and burdens, (these he knows, but he will know them from us,) but with the desire and intent of the heart, the sincerity or hypocrisy of it; thou knowest who are truly penitent, and who are not, and therefore the granting my request will be no dishonour to thy government, nor injury to thy holy nature. That they may fear thee all their days That when thou hast first smitten them, and then so eminently delivered them, and that in answer to their prayers, they may hereby be taught to fear thee, to stand in awe of thy justice, and to adore thy goodness.