The Meaning of 1 Kings 8:42 Explained

1 Kings 8:42

KJV: (For they shall hear of thy great name, and of thy strong hand, and of thy stretched out arm;) when he shall come and pray toward this house;

YLT: (for they hear of Thy great name, and of Thy strong hand, and of Thy stretched-out arm) -- and he hath come in and prayed towards this house,

Darby: (for they shall hear of thy great name, and of thy mighty hand, and of thy stretched-out arm); when he shall come and pray toward this house,

ASV: (for they shall hear of thy great name, and of thy mighty hand, and of thine outstretched arm); when he shall come and pray toward this house;

KJV Reverse Interlinear

(For they shall hear  of thy great  name,  and of thy strong  hand,  and of thy stretched out  arm;  ) when he shall come  and pray  toward this house; 

What does 1 Kings 8:42 Mean?

Context Summary

1 Kings 8:33-43 - Appeals To The God Of Mercy
Solomon's prayer is evidently based on the book of Deuteronomy, and tends to confirm the old belief that, with the rest of the Pentateuch, this book came from the hand of Moses. In 2 Chronicles 20:7-9, Jehoshaphat pleaded this prayer as though it were substantially a promise, and therefore all needy souls who find their case described here, may plead it on their own behalf.
Notice how frequently Solomon speaks of prayer, even in the land of captivity and exile, as being-directed toward the Temple, 1 Kings 8:38, etc. It reminds us of the grave need of maintaining unimpaired our spiritual frontage. It has been truly said that the direction of the soul's outlook is the preliminary question in religion. Whether our home looks south or north; whether it faces sunless alleys or sunny fields, is an important physical consideration with us: It is likewise of great importance that the mind or soul should face the right way. The difference between spiritual health and disease is very largely one of the way in which we front. For us, Temple, Altar, and Mercy-Seat are all summed up in Jesus Christ. Our life must be spent looking unto Him, Hebrews 12:2.
1 Kings 8:1-66 - Breaking Three Commandments
From a worldly point of view Naboth might have done a good stroke of business by selling his estate to. Ahab. A royal price and assured favor might have been his-but he had a conscience! Above the persuasive tones of the monarch's offer sounded the voice of God: "The land shall not be sold for ever, for the land is mine." See Leviticus 25:23; Numbers 36:7; Ezekiel 46:18.
Ahab knew perfectly well that Jezebel could not give him the property of another except by foul means, but he took pains not to inquire. Though the direct orders for Naboth's death did not come from him, yet, by his silence, he was an accomplice and an accessory; and divine justice penetrates all such specious excuses. God holds us responsible for wrongs which we do not arrest, though we have the power. The crime was blacker because of the pretext of religion, as suggested by a fast. See also 2 Kings 9:26. The blood of murdered innocence cries to God, and his requital, though delayed, is inevitable. See Revelation 6:9-10. [source]

Chapter Summary: 1 Kings 8

1  The feast of the temple
12  Solomon's blessing
22  Solomon's prayer
54  Solomon's blessing
62  His sacrifice of peace offerings

What do the individual words in 1 Kings 8:42 mean?

For they will hear - of Your name great and Your hand mighty and Your arm outstretched and when he comes and prays toward temple this
כִּ֤י יִשְׁמְעוּן֙ אֶת־ שִׁמְךָ֣ הַגָּד֔וֹל וְאֶת־ יָֽדְךָ֙ הַֽחֲזָקָ֔ה וּֽזְרֹעֲךָ֖ הַנְּטוּיָ֑ה וּבָ֥א וְהִתְפַּלֵּ֖ל אֶל־ הַבַּ֥יִת הַזֶּֽה

יִשְׁמְעוּן֙  they  will  hear 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural, Paragogic nun
Root: שָׁמַע 
Sense: to hear, listen to, obey.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
שִׁמְךָ֣  of  Your  name 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: שֵׁם  
Sense: name.
הַגָּד֔וֹל  great 
Parse: Article, Adjective, masculine singular
Root: גָּבֹול 
Sense: great.
יָֽדְךָ֙  Your  hand 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: יָד  
Sense: hand.
הַֽחֲזָקָ֔ה  mighty 
Parse: Article, Adjective, feminine singular
Root: חָזָק  
Sense: strong, stout, mighty.
וּֽזְרֹעֲךָ֖  and  Your  arm 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: זְרֹועַ  
Sense: arm, forearm, shoulder, strength.
הַנְּטוּיָ֑ה  outstretched 
Parse: Article, Verb, Qal, QalPassParticiple, feminine singular
Root: נָטָה 
Sense: to stretch out, extend, spread out, pitch, turn, pervert, incline, bend, bow.
וּבָ֥א  and  when  he  comes 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
וְהִתְפַּלֵּ֖ל  and  prays 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hitpael, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: פָּלַל 
Sense: to intervene, interpose, pray.
אֶל־  toward 
Parse: Preposition
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
הַבַּ֥יִת  temple 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
הַזֶּֽה  this 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, masculine singular
Root: זֶה  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, another, such.