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1 Kings 8:22-24
New Catholic Bible
1 Kings 8:22-24
New Catholic Bible
22 Solomon’s Prayer.[a] Solomon then stood before the altar of the Lord in front of the entire assembly of Israel, and he extended his hands to the heavens. 23 He said, “O Lord, the God of Israel, there is no God like you in the heavens above or on the earth below, who keeps a covenant of mercy with your servants who walk before you with all their heart. 24 You have kept your promise to your servant, David, my father. You spoke it with your own mouth, and with your own hand, you have fulfilled it today.
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- 1 Kings 8:22 A prayer filled with faith and love. It gradually moves outward from the needs of the people to the dimensions of the world and touches in a very concrete way on difficult situations. Even if the section on the Exile was added after the possibility had become a reality, it is completely in the spirit of the prayer. In this liturgical supplication, which ends with a blessing, Solomon plays the role of a high priest—a privileged intermediary between the Lord and his people. The remainder, in its present form, is a model for the religious outlook of Israel.
