2 Chronicles — Chapter 7

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1When Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple.

2The priests were unable to enter the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD had filled it.

3When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the LORD above the temple, they bowed down on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave thanks to the LORD: “For He is good; His loving devotion endures forever.”

4Then the king and all the people offered sacrifices before the LORD.

5And King Solomon offered a sacrifice of 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. So the king and all the people dedicated the house of God.

6The priests stood at their posts, as did the Levites with the musical instruments of the LORD, which King David had made for giving thanks to the LORD and with which David had offered praise, saying, “For His loving devotion endures forever.” Across from the Levites, the priests sounded trumpets, and all the Israelites were standing.

7Then Solomon consecrated the middle of the courtyard in front of the house of the LORD, and there he offered the burnt offerings and the fat of the peace offerings, since the bronze altar he had made could not hold all these offerings.

8So at that time Solomon and all Israel with him—a very great assembly of people from Lebo-hamath to the Brook of Egypt—kept the feast for seven days.

9On the eighth day they held a solemn assembly, for the dedication of the altar had lasted seven days, and the feast seven days more.

10On the twenty-third day of the seventh month, Solomon sent the people away to their homes, joyful and glad of heart for the good things that the LORD had done for David, for Solomon, and for His people Israel.

11When Solomon had finished the house of the LORD and the royal palace, successfully carrying out all that was in his heart to do for the house of the LORD and for his own palace,

12the LORD appeared to him at night and said to him: “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice.

13If I close the sky so there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send a plague among My people,

14and if My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.

15Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.

16For I have now chosen and consecrated this temple so that My Name may be there forever. My eyes and My heart will be there for all time.

17And as for you, if you walk before Me as your father David walked, doing all I have commanded you, and if you keep My statutes and ordinances,

18then I will establish your royal throne, as I covenanted with your father David when I said, ‘You will never fail to have a man to rule over Israel.’

19But if you turn away and forsake the statutes and commandments I have set before you, and if you go off to serve and worship other gods,

20then I will uproot Israel from the soil I have given them, and I will banish from My presence this temple I have sanctified for My Name. I will make it an object of scorn and ridicule among all the peoples.

21And when this temple has become a heap of rubble, all who pass by it will be appalled and say, ‘Why has the LORD done such a thing to this land and to this temple?’

22And others will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the LORD, the God of their fathers, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them—because of this, He has brought all this disaster upon them.’”

1Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the LORD filled the house.

2And the priests could not enter into the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD had filled the LORD’S house.

3And when all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the LORD upon the house, they bowed themselves with their faces to the ground upon the pavement, and worshipped, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.

4Then the king and all the people offered sacrifices before the LORD.

5And king Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty and two thousand oxen, and an hundred and twenty thousand sheep: so the king and all the people dedicated the house of God.

6And the priests waited on their offices: the Levites also with instruments of musick of the LORD, which David the king had made to praise the LORD, because his mercy endureth for ever, when David praised by their ministry; and the priests sounded trumpets before them, and all Israel stood.

7Moreover Solomon hallowed the middle of the court that was before the house of the LORD: for there he offered burnt offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings, because the brasen altar which Solomon had made was not able to receive the burnt offerings, and the meat offerings, and the fat.

8Also at the same time Solomon kept the feast seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great congregation, from the entering in of Hamath unto the river of Egypt.

9And in the eighth day they made a solemn assembly: for they kept the dedication of the altar seven days, and the feast seven days.

10And on the three and twentieth day of the seventh month he sent the people away into their tents, glad and merry in heart for the goodness that the LORD had shewed unto David, and to Solomon, and to Israel his people.

11Thus Solomon finished the house of the LORD, and the king’s house: and all that came into Solomon’s heart to make in the house of the LORD, and in his own house, he prosperously effected.

12And the LORD appeared to Solomon by night, and said unto him, I have heard thy prayer, and have chosen this place to myself for an house of sacrifice.

13If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people;

14If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

15Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place.

16For now have I chosen and sanctified this house, that my name may be there for ever: and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually.

17And as for thee, if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, and do according to all that I have commanded thee, and shalt observe my statutes and my judgments;

18Then will I stablish the throne of thy kingdom, according as I have covenanted with David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man to be ruler in Israel.

19But if ye turn away, and forsake my statutes and my commandments, which I have set before you, and shall go and serve other gods, and worship them;

20Then will I pluck them up by the roots out of my land which I have given them; and this house, which I have sanctified for my name, will I cast out of my sight, and will make it to be a proverb and a byword among all nations.

21And this house, which is high, shall be an astonishment to every one that passeth by it; so that he shall say, Why hath the LORD done thus unto this land, and unto this house?

22And it shall be answered, Because they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, and laid hold on other gods, and worshipped them, and served them: therefore hath he brought all this evil upon them.

1Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt-offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of Jehovah filled the house.

2And the priests could not enter into the house of Jehovah, because the glory of Jehovah filled Jehovah`s house.

3And all the children of Israel looked on, when the fire came down, and the glory of Jehovah was upon the house; and they bowed themselves with their faces to the ground upon the pavement, and worshipped, and gave thanks unto Jehovah, [saying], For he is good; for his lovingkindness [endureth] for ever.

4Then the king and all the people offered sacrifice before Jehovah.

5And king Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty and two thousand oxen, and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the people dedicated the house of God.

6And the priests stood, according to their offices; the Levites also with instruments of music of Jehovah, which David the king had made to give thanks unto Jehovah, (for his lovingkindness [endureth] for ever,) when David praised by their ministry: and the priests sounded trumpets before them; and all Israel stood.

7Moreover Solomon hallowed the middle of the court that was before the house of Jehovah; for there he offered the burnt-offerings, and the fat of the peace-offerings, because the brazen altar which Solomon had made was not able to receive the burnt-offering, and the meal-offering, and the fat.

8So Solomon held the feast at that time seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great assembly, from the entrance of Hamath unto the brook of Egypt.

9And on the eighth day they held a solemn assembly: for they kept the dedication of the altar seven days, and the feast seven days.

10And on the three and twentieth day of the seventh month he sent the people away unto their tents, joyful and glad of heart for the goodness that Jehovah had showed unto David, and to Solomon, and to Israel his people.

11Thus Solomon finished the house of Jehovah, and the king`s house: and all that came into Solomon`s heart to make in the house of Jehovah, and in his own house, he prosperously effected.

12And Jehovah appeared to Solomon by night, and said unto him, I have heard thy prayer, and have chosen this place to myself for a house of sacrifice.

13If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people;

14if my people, who are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

15Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent, unto the prayer that is made in this place.

16For now have I chosen and hallowed this house, that my name may be there for ever; and mine eyes and my heart shall be there perpetually.

17And as for thee, if thou wilt walk before me as David thy father walked, and do according to all that I have commanded thee, and wilt keep my statutes and mine ordinances;

18then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom, according as I covenanted with David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man to be ruler in Israel.

19But if ye turn away, and forsake my statutes and my commandments which I have set before you, and shall go and serve other gods, and worship them;

20then will I pluck them up by the roots out of my land which I have given them; and this house, which I have hallowed for my name, will I cast out of my sight, and I will make it a proverb and a byword among all peoples.

21And this house, which is so high, every one that passeth by it shall be astonished, and shall say, Why hath Jehovah done thus unto this land, and to this house?

22And they shall answer, Because they forsook Jehovah, the God of their fathers, who brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, and laid hold on other gods, and worshipped them, and served them: therefore hath he brought all this evil upon them.

1When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the Lord’s splendor filled the temple.

2The priests were unable to enter the Lord’s temple because the Lord’s splendor filled the Lord’s temple.

3When all the Israelites saw the fire come down and the Lord’s splendor over the temple, they got on their knees with their faces downward toward the pavement. They worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying, “Certainly he is good; certainly his loyal love endures!”

4The king and all the people were presenting sacrifices to the Lord.

5King Solomon sacrificed 22,000 cattle and 120,000 sheep. Then the king and all the people dedicated God’s temple.

6The priests stood in their assigned spots, along with the Levites who had the musical instruments used for praising the Lord. (These were the ones King David made for giving thanks to the Lord and which were used by David when he offered praise, saying, “Certainly his loyal love endures.”) Opposite the Levites, the priests were blowing the trumpets, while all Israel stood there.

7Solomon consecrated the middle of the courtyard that is in front of the Lord’s temple. He offered burnt sacrifices, grain offerings, and the fat from the peace offerings there because the bronze altar that Solomon had made was too small to hold all these offerings.

8At that time Solomon and all Israel with him celebrated a festival for seven days. This great assembly included people from Lebo Hamath in the north to the Stream of Egypt in the south.

9On the eighth day they held an assembly, for they had dedicated the altar for seven days and celebrated the festival for seven more days.

10On the twenty-third day of the seventh month, Solomon sent the people home. They left happy and contented because of the good the Lord had done for David, Solomon, and his people Israel.

11After Solomon finished building the Lord’s temple and the royal palace and accomplished all his plans for the Lord’s temple and his royal palace,

12the Lord appeared to Solomon at night and said to him: “I have answered your prayer and chosen this place to be my temple where sacrifices are to be made.

13When I close up the sky so that it doesn’t rain, or command locusts to devour the land’s vegetation, or send a plague among my people,

14if my people, who belong to me, humble themselves, pray, seek to please me, and repudiate their sinful practices, then I will respond from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.

15Now I will be attentive and responsive to the prayers offered in this place.

16Now I have chosen and consecrated this temple by making it my permanent home; I will be constantly present there.

17You must serve me as your father David did. Do everything I commanded and obey my rules and regulations.

18Then I will establish your dynasty, just as I promised your father David, ‘You will not fail to have a successor ruling over Israel.’

19“But if you people ever turn away from me, fail to obey the regulations and rules I instructed you to keep, and decide to serve and worship other gods,

20then I will remove you from my land I have given you, I will abandon this temple I have consecrated with my presence, and I will make you an object of mockery and ridicule among all the nations.

21As for this temple, which was once majestic, everyone who passes by it will be shocked and say, ‘Why did the Lord do this to this land and this temple?’

22Others will then answer, ‘Because they abandoned the Lord God of their ancestors, who led them out of Egypt. They embraced other gods whom they worshiped and served. That is why he brought all this disaster down on them.’”

1Now when Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and Yahweh’s glory filled the house.

2The priests could not enter into Yahweh’s house, because Yahweh’s glory filled Yahweh’s house.

3All the children of Israel looked on, when the fire came down, and Yahweh’s glory was on the house. They bowed themselves with their faces to the ground on the pavement, worshiped, and gave thanks to Yahweh, saying, “For he is good; for his loving kindness endures for ever.”

4Then the king and all the people offered sacrifices before Yahweh.

5King Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty-two thousand head of cattle and a hundred twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the people dedicated God’s house.

6The priests stood, according to their positions; the Levites also with instruments of music of Yahweh, which David the king had made to give thanks to Yahweh, when David praised by their ministry, saying “For his loving kindness endures for ever.” The priests sounded trumpets before them; and all Israel stood.

7Moreover Solomon made the middle of the court that was before Yahweh’s house holy; for there he offered the burnt offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings, because the bronze altar which Solomon had made was not able to receive the burnt offering, the meal offering, and the fat.

8So Solomon held the feast at that time for seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great assembly, from the entrance of Hamath to the brook of Egypt.

9On the eighth day, they held a solemn assembly; for they kept the dedication of the altar seven days, and the feast seven days.

10On the twenty-third day of the seventh month, he sent the people away to their tents, joyful and glad of heart for the goodness that Yahweh had shown to David, and to Solomon, and to Israel his people.

11Thus Solomon finished Yahweh’s house and the king’s house; and he successfully completed all that came into Solomon’s heart to make in Yahweh’s house and in his own house.

12Yahweh appeared to Solomon by night, and said to him, “I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this place for myself for a house of sacrifice.

13“If I shut up the sky so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people;

14if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

15Now my eyes will be open my ears attentive to prayer that is made in this place.

16For now I have chosen and made this house holy, that my name may be there forever; and my eyes and my heart will be there perpetually.

17“As for you, if you will walk before me as David your father walked, and do according to all that I have commanded you, and will keep my statutes and my ordinances;

18then I will establish the throne of your kingdom, according as I covenanted with David your father, saying, ‘There shall not fail you a man to be ruler in Israel.’

19But if you turn away, and forsake my statutes and my commandments which I have set before you, and shall go and serve other gods, and worship them;

20then I will pluck them up by the roots out of my land which I have given them; and this house, which I have made holy for my name, I will cast out of my sight, and I will make it a proverb and a byword among all peoples.

21This house, which is so high, everyone who passes by it shall be astonished, and shall say, ‘Why has Yahweh done this to this land and to this house?’

22They shall answer, ‘Because they abandoned Yahweh, the God of their fathers, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and took other gods, worshiped them, and served them. Therefore he has brought all this evil on them.’”

Summary
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
Commentary
Videos
Articles
Reflection

Summary

When Solomon finishes praying, fire falls from heaven to consume the offerings and the LORD's glory fills the temple so completely that the priests cannot enter, prompting the people to bow and worship, declaring God's mercy endures forever (vv. 1-3). Solomon and the people dedicate the house with an enormous sacrifice of 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep, and the priests and Levites minister with music and trumpets before all Israel (vv. 4-7). The dedication feast lasts seven days, followed by a solemn assembly, and the people go home rejoicing over God's goodness to David, Solomon, and Israel (vv. 8-11). The LORD appears to Solomon by night, promising that if his people humble themselves, pray, seek his face, and turn from wickedness, he will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land (vv. 12-14). But he also warns that turning to other gods will bring uprooting from the land and the temple's ruin, making it a byword among the nations (vv. 15-22).

Authorship & Background

Author: Traditionally attributed to Ezra the scribe. Originally one book with 1 Chronicles. Written post-exile (approximately 450-400 BC). 2 Chronicles covers Solomon's reign through the Babylonian exile and Cyrus's decree of return (approximately 970-538 BC). The Chronicler focuses exclusively on Judah (ignoring the northern kingdom) and emphasizes Temple worship, reform movements, and the principle of 2 Chronicles 7:14: "If my people... shall humble themselves, and pray... then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."
Historical Context: Chapter 7 is the theological heart of 2 Chronicles — containing both God's dramatic acceptance of the Temple (fire from heaven) and His programmatic response to Solomon's prayer, culminating in verse 14, the verse that governs the entire book. The chapter divides into two parts: the dedication celebration (vv.1-10) and God's nighttime appearance to Solomon (vv.11-22).
Classification: Historical Narrative
Key Themes: Fire from heaven reported only by Chronicles, consuming the offering the moment the prayer ends, twenty-two thousand oxen and a hundred twenty thousand sheep counted across seven days of dedication and seven of feasting, a nighttime answer opening with I have heard thy prayer before it ever reaches the verse the whole book is built around, if my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, terms of judgment stated in language as specific as the blessing, plucked up by the roots and made a proverb among all nations, and readers living in the aftermath of exactly that second half
Fire from Heaven, and the Dedication Feast (vv.1-11): Chronicles alone reports the fire. Solomon finishes praying and fire comes down and consumes the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory fills the house, which puts this dedication in a line with the tabernacle's in Leviticus 9 and with David's altar on the threshing floor in 1 Chronicles 21. The people watching bow with their faces to the pavement and say the refrain again, for his mercy endureth for ever. The scale of what follows is stated in livestock, twenty-two thousand oxen and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep, and in time, seven days of dedication and seven days of the feast, with the people sent home on the twenty-third day of the seventh month glad in heart.
The Second Appearance, and What Was Promised (vv.12-18): The LORD appears to Solomon by night with an answer, I have heard thy prayer, and have chosen this place to myself for an house of sacrifice. Verse 14 is the sentence the whole book is built around and the most quoted line in Chronicles, if my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. It is worth reading in place: it is God's reply to the captivity petition of chapter 6, addressed to a people who will need it. The promise to David's line is then repeated to Solomon directly.
The Terms Attached (vv.19-22): The appearance does not end on the promise. If ye turn away, and forsake my statutes, and go and serve other gods, then the outcome is stated in the same specific terms as the blessing: I will pluck them up by the roots out of my land, and this house, which I have sanctified for my name, will I cast out of my sight, and will make it to be a proverb and a byword among all nations. Passers-by will ask why the LORD has done this to this land and to this house, and the answer will be already known. The Chronicler's readers were living in the aftermath of the second half of this sentence, on the site of the house it describes.

Map & Geography

  • Parallels 1-2 Kings but focuses exclusively on Judah (the southern kingdom). Jerusalem and the Temple are the theological center throughout.
  • Key locations include various battle sites, reform locations, and high places destroyed or rebuilt by successive kings.
  • The book ends with exile to Babylon (586 BC) and Cyrus's decree permitting return — the geographic arc moves from Jerusalem to Babylon and back.

Places on this map

  • JerusalemJerusalemA hill town about 2,500 feet up in the central spine of Judah, roughly 35 miles inland from the Mediterranean and 15 miles west of the Jordan. It sits on no trade route and has no river, which is why it mattered as a fortress and a sanctuary rather than as a market. Wikipedia
  • Babylonnear Hillah, IraqOn the Euphrates about 55 miles south of modern Baghdad. Judah's exiles were marched roughly 900 miles to get here, the long way round the Arabian desert, which is why the journey took months and the return was a genuine undertaking rather than a short trip home. Wikipedia

Towns sit on their excavated or traditional site. Regions, rivers and seas are ringed rather than dotted, because for those a single point is only an anchor. Coastlines from Natural Earth.

Commentary

  • Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik emphasizes verse 14 as the interpretive key to all of 2 Chronicles, noting that every subsequent king is evaluated by whether they fulfilled or ignored these four conditions. He also highlights the balanced nature of God's response — grace for the repentant (v.14), judgment for the rebellious (vv.19-22).
  • Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
  • Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.

Videos

2 Chronicles 7 Summary: 5 Minute Bible Study
2BeLikeChrist

2 Chronicles 5:2-7:22 | God's Presence Returns | Bible Study
Spoken Gospel

What is the meaning of 2 Chronicles 7:14? | GotQuestions.org
Got Questions Ministries

Articles

  • GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org A verse applied to nations constantly. Who it was spoken to, and what follows from that.
  • GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of the book of 2 Chronicles -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.

Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.

Reflection

  • God Responds to Finished Prayer (v.1) — Fire fell from heaven the moment Solomon finished praying, showing God's acceptance of both the sacrifice and the prayer. Do you expect God to actually respond when you pray, or do you treat prayer as a formality?
  • Four Conditions, One Movement of the Heart (v.14) — Humbling yourself, praying, seeking God's face, and turning from wrong ways are presented together as a single path back to God's favor. Which of those four is hardest for you personally right now?
  • God's Attention Never Wanders (v.16) — God says His eyes and heart will be on the Temple, and on His people, perpetually. Do you live as though God's attention toward you is constant, or as though you have to work to get noticed?
  • Your Life Preaches Something (vv.21-22) — When Judah's faithlessness eventually brought ruin, onlookers would ask why, and the answer pointed straight to their abandonment of God. What is your life currently communicating to the people watching it about who you follow?