1 Kings 8:23

and said: “O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like You in heaven above or on earth below, keeping Your covenant of loving devotion with Your servants who walk before You with all their hearts.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Solomon addresses the LORD directly before the altar and the assembled people of Israel. He speaks at the moment of temple dedication, immediately after spreading his hands toward heaven.

The words — אֵין (ein) means "there is not," and כָּמוֹךָ (kamo/kha) means "like You." These terms frame the verse's opening declaration that no being matches Yahweh in the heavens or on the earth.

The thread — The assertion of God's unmatched nature and covenant faithfulness appears in 2 Samuel 7:22, Deuteronomy 7:9, and Daniel 9:4. Each citation links divine exclusivity to the reliable fulfillment of His promises.

Why it lands — The passage states that God alone keeps His covenant of loving devotion and requires His servants to walk before Him with whole hearts. It asks readers to acknowledge His exclusive sovereignty and commit to undivided obedience.

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

וַיֹּאמַ֗רva/i.yo.Marand/ he said יְהוָ֞הYah.wehO Yahweh אֱלֹהֵ֤י'e.lo.Hei[the] God of יִשְׂרָאֵל֙Yis.ra.'ElIsrael אֵין־'ein-there not כָּמ֣וֹךָka.Mo./khalike/ you אֱלֹהִ֔ים'E.lo.Him[is] a God בַּשָּׁמַ֣יִםba./sha.Ma.yimin the/ heavens מִמַּ֔עַלmi./Ma.'al<from>/ above וְעַל־ve./'al-and/ on הָאָ֖רֶץha./'A.retzthe/ earth מִתָּ֑חַתmi./Ta.chat<from>/ beneath שֹׁמֵ֤רsho.Mer[who] keeps הַבְּרִית֙ha./be.Ritthe/ covenant וְֽהַחֶ֔סֶדve./ha./Che.sedand/ <the>/ covenant loyalty לַעֲבָדֶ֕יךָla./'a.va.Dei./khato/ servants/ your הַהֹלְכִ֥יםha./ho.le.Khimwho/ walk לְפָנֶ֖יךָle./fa.Nei./kha<to>/ before/ you בְּכָל־be./kholwith/ all לִבָּֽם׃li.Ba/mheart/ their

King James Version

And he said, Lord God of Israel, there is no God like thee, in heaven above, or on earth beneath, who keepest covenant and mercy with thy servants that walk before thee with all their heart:

Cross-references

2 Samuel 7:22 How great You are, O Lord GOD! For there is none like You, and there is no God but You, according to everything we have heard with our own ears.
Deuteronomy 7:9 Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps His covenant of loving devotion for a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commandments.
Daniel 9:4 And I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed, “O, Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant of loving devotion to those who love Him and keep His commandments,
Nehemiah 1:5 Then I said: “O LORD, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps His covenant of loving devotion with those who love Him and keep His commandments,
1 Samuel 2:2 There is no one holy like the LORD. Indeed, there is no one besides You! And there is no Rock like our God.
Nehemiah 9:32 So now, our God, the great and mighty and awesome God who keeps His gracious covenant, do not view lightly all the hardship that has come upon us, and upon our kings and leaders, our priests and prophets, our ancestors and all Your people, from the days of the kings of Assyria until today.
Exodus 15:11 Who among the gods is like You, O LORD? Who is like You—majestic in holiness, revered with praises, performing wonders?
Psalms 89:3 You said, “I have made a covenant with My chosen one, I have sworn to David My servant:
Psalms 113:5 Who is like the LORD our God, the One enthroned on high?
Isaiah 40:25 “To whom will you liken Me, or who is My equal?” asks the Holy One.