1 Kings 8:23 kjv
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:
1 Kings 8:23 nkjv
and he said: "LORD God of Israel, there is no God in heaven above or on earth below like You, who keep Your covenant and mercy with Your servants who walk before You with all their hearts.
1 Kings 8:23 niv
and said: "LORD, the God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below?you who keep your covenant of love with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way.
1 Kings 8:23 esv
and said, "O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like you, in heaven above or on earth beneath, keeping covenant and showing steadfast love to your servants who walk before you with all their heart;
1 Kings 8:23 nlt
and he prayed, "O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like you in all of heaven above or on the earth below. You keep your covenant and show unfailing love to all who walk before you in wholehearted devotion.
1 Kings 8 23 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Exod 15:11 | "Who is like You among the gods, O Lord? Who is like You, majestic..." | God's incomparable glory and holiness. |
| Deut 4:39 | "...that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other." | God's unique, absolute sovereignty. |
| Deut 7:9 | "Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love..." | God's faithfulness to His promises and loyal love. |
| Isa 40:18 | "To whom then will you liken God, or what likeness compare with him?" | Challenges human attempts to depict or equate God. |
| Psa 86:8-10 | "There is none like You among the gods, O Lord... You alone are God." | Declares God's solitary divine nature. |
| Jer 10:6 | "There is none like You, O Lord; You are great, and Your name is great in might." | Affirms God's unique power and greatness. |
| Neh 1:5 | "...O Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love..." | Echoes Solomon's prayer of God's covenant loyalty. |
| Psa 89:34 | "My covenant I will not break, nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips." | God's unbreaking commitment to His covenants. |
| Psa 89:33 | "...but My steadfast love I will not remove from him, nor be false to My faithfulness." | God's unfailing loyal love to His people. |
| Exod 34:6-7 | "The Lord, a God merciful and gracious... abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness..." | Defines God's character through Hesed and truth. |
| Lam 3:22-23 | "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end..." | God's unchanging and renewed compassion. |
| Deut 6:5 | "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might." | Command for wholehearted devotion. |
| Josh 22:5 | "...to love the Lord your God, and to walk in all His ways... and to serve Him with all your heart..." | Emphasis on complete obedience and service. |
| 1 Kgs 3:6 | "You have shown great steadfast love to Your servant David my father, because he walked before You in faithfulness..." | Solomon's prior acknowledgment of David's walk. |
| 2 Chr 16:9 | "For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him." | God seeks and strengthens sincere hearts. |
| Matt 22:37 | "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." | Jesus reiterates the call to wholehearted love. |
| Rom 8:38-39 | "...nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." | Assurance of God's unchanging, steadfast love. |
| Heb 8:6 | "...He is the mediator of a better covenant, which was enacted on better promises." | The New Covenant builds on God's covenant keeping. |
| Rev 4:8 | "...Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!" | God's unique holiness and eternal nature in worship. |
| Col 1:16-17 | "For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth... all things were created through him..." | Christ's role in God's universal dominion. |
| 2 Sam 7:16 | "And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever." | Fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant promises. |
| Psa 103:17 | "But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him..." | God's eternal Hesed toward His devout. |
| 2 Tim 2:13 | "If we are faithless, he remains faithful—for he cannot deny himself." | God's faithfulness despite human failure. |
1 Kings 8 verses
1 Kings 8 23 Meaning
In 1 Kings 8:23, King Solomon declares God's unique and incomparable nature during the Temple dedication. He acknowledges that no deity exists like the Lord, the God of Israel, neither in heaven nor on earth. This incomparability is rooted in God's faithfulness to His covenant and His unwavering, loyal love (hesed) shown to those who genuinely serve Him and obey Him with complete sincerity and devotion. It is an affirmation of God's transcendence, His active engagement with His people, and the conditional nature of His blessings tied to human fidelity.
1 Kings 8 23 Context
1 Kings 8:23 is part of Solomon's grand prayer of dedication for the newly built Temple in Jerusalem, a moment of profound theological and national significance for Israel. After the Ark of the Covenant has been brought into the Most Holy Place, and the glory of the Lord (Shekinah) has filled the Temple, Solomon blesses the assembly and then offers a lengthy public prayer. This verse specifically opens the doxological praise section of his prayer, setting the stage for subsequent petitions related to the Temple's purpose as a place of prayer, forgiveness, and return. The immediate historical context is the high point of the United Monarchy, demonstrating Israel's commitment to centralized worship of YHWH. Culturally, it underscores the belief in God's unique position among the nations, asserting monotheism against the pervasive polytheism and idolatry of surrounding peoples.
1 Kings 8 23 Word analysis
- O Lord, God of Israel (יהוה אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל - YHWH Elohei Yisrael): This foundational phrase directly addresses God by His personal covenant name, YHWH (Lord), emphasizing His active, faithful presence with His people. "God of Israel" stresses His unique, exclusive relationship and covenant loyalty to the nation descended from Jacob. This differentiates Him from all other supposed deities worshipped in the ancient Near East, grounding the prayer in a specific, historical divine-human relationship.
- there is no God like you (אֵין־כָּמוֹךָ אֱלֹהִים - ein kamocha Elohim): This is a powerful declaration of God's absolute uniqueness and incomparability. It's a fundamental affirmation of monotheism and an explicit polemic against polytheism and idol worship common in surrounding cultures. It means God is sui generis, one of a kind, beyond compare in power, character, and faithfulness. This sets YHWH apart from limited, created, or mythical gods.
- in heaven above or on earth beneath: This phrase denotes God's universal sovereignty, omnipresence, and transcendence. It proclaims that His dominion spans the entire cosmos, encompassing both the celestial and terrestrial realms. It suggests that He is not merely a regional deity or one bound by human limitations but possesses supreme authority over all creation. It also serves as an antithetical statement to any gods associated solely with particular natural elements or geographic locations.
- keeping covenant (שֹׁמֵר הַבְּרִית - shomer ha'berit): This signifies God's absolute faithfulness and reliability in upholding His solemn promises. It speaks to His consistent and enduring commitment to the various covenants He has established—Abrahamic, Mosaic, and Davidic. God's character ensures He acts in accordance with His sworn word, unlike capricious pagan deities or unreliable human leaders.
- and showing steadfast love (וָחֶסֶד - va'chesed): "Hesed" is a rich theological term meaning loyal love, faithful kindness, or covenant mercy. It describes God's active, unwavering, and tenacious love demonstrated within the context of a relationship. This is not mere sentiment but an actionable, robust commitment, proving His benevolent and merciful nature. It undergirds His covenant keeping.
- to your servants (לַעֲבָדֶיךָ - la'avadeikha): Refers to those who have entered into a covenant relationship with God and, through that relationship, have willingly subjected themselves to His authority and will. It highlights the reciprocal nature of the covenant: God's faithfulness is directed towards those who acknowledge Him as Lord and seek to serve Him.
- who walk before you (הַהֹלְכִים לְפָנֶיךָ - haholkîm lĕfānêykā): This idiom describes a life lived in conscious awareness of God's presence, characterized by obedience, integrity, and devotion. It signifies a life of communion and moral alignment with God's commands, implying consistent, deliberate conduct that pleases Him.
- with all their heart (בְּכָל־לְבָבָם - bĕkol-lĕḇāḇām): This crucial phrase signifies total, unreserved, and undivided commitment. The "heart" in Hebrew thought encompasses intellect, will, emotion, and conscience. Therefore, "with all their heart" means to serve God with sincere intention, wholehearted devotion, without hypocrisy or partiality, embracing the totality of one's inner being and resolve.
1 Kings 8 23 Bonus section
The Temple, though grand, did not contain this incomparable God, as Solomon acknowledges later in his prayer (1 Kgs 8:27), "But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you; how much less this house that I have built!" This serves to underscore that God's uniqueness ("no God like you") is not limited by human structures or religious practices, but is intrinsic to His transcendent nature. Solomon's prayer models humility and reverence, beginning with adoration of God's character and omnipotence before petitioning for His intervention. It lays the groundwork for understanding the conditions of receiving God's blessings and maintaining the covenant relationship throughout Israel's history. This specific verse emphasizes divine character as the ground for all subsequent divine action.
1 Kings 8 23 Commentary
Solomon's prayer in 1 Kings 8:23 establishes a profound theological foundation before moving to intercession. It asserts the fundamental truth of YHWH's uniqueness and supremacy, contrasting Him sharply with all other so-called gods of the nations. This is not merely an intellectual proposition but a declaration rooted in observable divine action: God is incomparable precisely because He alone keeps covenant and shows steadfast love. His faithfulness (shomer ha'berit) guarantees His promises, while His loyal love (hesed) ensures His unfailing compassion and benevolence within the covenant relationship.
This unparalleled God directs His loyal love towards those who actively commit themselves to Him. The phrase "who walk before you with all their heart" delineates the specific beneficiaries of this divine steadfast love. It's a call to profound personal integrity, not just outward religious performance. It underscores the reciprocal nature of the covenant: God's faithfulness and love are assured, but their manifestation in blessings is conditional on human fidelity. This highlights that God's covenant blessings flow to a sincere and wholehearted response from His people, urging genuine repentance and adherence.
Practically, this verse reminds believers today that our God is utterly reliable. We can approach Him with confidence because He is a covenant-keeping God. Our service to Him, however, must be characterized by full sincerity and genuine devotion, echoing the call to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind.