Bible Strands
1 Kings 8:18
But the LORD said to my father David, ‘Since it was in your heart to build a house for My Name, you have done well to have this in your heart.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Solomon speaks to the gathered assembly, recounting a past divine utterance directed at his father David. The moment occurs during the temple dedication, immediately after Solomon notes David’s desire to construct a dwelling for the LORD.
The words — יַ֗עַן (Ya'an) translates literally as "because" or "since," establishing the causal basis for God’s commendation. אֲשֶׁ֤ר ('asher) functions as a relative pronoun linking the heart’s disposition to the specific intention of building a house for God’s Name.
The thread — The identical report of David’s heart-driven desire appears in 2 Chronicles 6:7. The underlying principle that internal readiness validates external provision is later applied in 2 Corinthians 8:12 regarding acceptable offerings.
Why it lands — The text states that God acknowledges the internal desire to honor His Name before any physical structure is erected. It requires readers to examine whether their own intentions align with divine purpose, independent of their ability to finish the work.
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
King James Version
And the Lord said unto David my father, Whereas it was in thine heart to build an house unto my name, thou didst well that it was in thine heart.
Cross-references
- 2 Chronicles 6:7 Now it was in the heart of my father David to build a house for the Name of the LORD, the God of Israel.
- 2 Corinthians 8:12 For if the eagerness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have.