1 Chronicles 28:9

As for you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve Him wholeheartedly and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands the intent of every thought. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — David, on his deathbed, addresses Solomon before the full assembly of Israel, transferring the throne and the temple commission (vv. 8, 10).

The words — דַע (da') is the Qal imperative of yada, "know" in the sense of intimate, relational acquaintance rather than mere information. עָבַד ('avad) is the root for "serve," the same word behind "slave" (ʿeved), demanding total submission rather than casual devotion.

The thread — The seek-and-find pattern recurs in Jeremiah 29:13 and Matthew 7:7; the divine scrutiny of the heart echoes 1 Samuel 16:7.

Why it lands — The verse presents a binary with no middle ground: seek and be found, or forsake and be rejected forever. It is a dying father's warning, not a general exhortation.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

וְאַתָּ֣הve./'a.Tahand/ you שְׁלֹמֹֽה־she.lo.moh-O Solomon בְנִ֡יve.N/ison/ my דַּע֩da'know אֶת־'et-<obj.>אֱלֹהֵ֨י'e.lo.Hei[the] God of אָבִ֜יךָ'a.Vi./khafather/ your וְעָבְדֵ֗הוּve./'a.ve.De./huand/ serve/ him בְּלֵ֤בbe./Levwith/ a heart שָׁלֵם֙sha.Lemcomplete וּבְנֶ֣פֶשׁu./ve./Ne.feshand/ with/ a being חֲפֵצָ֔הcha.fe.Tzahwilling כִּ֤יkifor כָל־khol-all לְבָבוֹת֙le.va.Vothearts דּוֹרֵ֣שׁdo.Resh[is] searching יְהוָ֔הYah.wehYahweh וְכָל־ve./kholand/ every יֵ֥צֶרYe.tzerinclination of מַחֲשָׁב֖וֹתma.cha.sha.Votthoughts מֵבִ֑יןme.Vin[he is] understanding אִֽם־'im-if תִּדְרְשֶׁ֙נּוּ֙tid.re.She./nuyou will seek/ him יִמָּ֣צֵאyi.Ma.tze'he will let himself be foundלָ֔ךְLa/khby/ youוְאִם־ve./'im-and/ if תַּֽעַזְבֶ֖נּוּta.'az.Ve./nuyou will forsake/ him יַזְנִיחֲךָ֥yaz.ni.cha./Khahe will reject/ you לָעַֽד׃la./'Adfor/ ever

King James Version

And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever.

Cross-references

Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.
James 4:8 Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
Matthew 7:7 Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.
Isaiah 55:6 Seek the LORD while He may be found; call on Him while He is near.
Jeremiah 24:7 I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the LORD. They will be My people, and I will be their God, for they will return to Me with all their heart.
1 Kings 8:61 So let your heart be fully devoted to the LORD our God, as it is this day, to walk in His statutes and to keep His commandments.”
Proverbs 2:1 My son, if you accept my words and hide my commandments within you,
2 Chronicles 15:2 So he went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. The LORD is with you when you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you, but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.
Psalms 9:10 Those who know Your name trust in You, for You, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.
1 Samuel 16:7 But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or height, for I have rejected him; the LORD does not see as man does. For man sees the outward appearance, but the LORD sees the heart.”

People named

Solomon