2 Chronicles 6 23

2 Chronicles 6:23 kjv

Then hear thou from heaven, and do, and judge thy servants, by requiting the wicked, by recompensing his way upon his own head; and by justifying the righteous, by giving him according to his righteousness.

2 Chronicles 6:23 nkjv

then hear from heaven, and act, and judge Your servants, bringing retribution on the wicked by bringing his way on his own head, and justifying the righteous by giving him according to his righteousness.

2 Chronicles 6:23 niv

then hear from heaven and act. Judge between your servants, condemning the guilty and bringing down on their heads what they have done, and vindicating the innocent by treating them in accordance with their innocence.

2 Chronicles 6:23 esv

then hear from heaven and act and judge your servants, repaying the guilty by bringing his conduct on his own head, and vindicating the righteous by rewarding him according to his righteousness.

2 Chronicles 6:23 nlt

then hear from heaven and judge between your servants ? the accuser and the accused. Pay back the guilty as they deserve. Acquit the innocent because of their innocence.

2 Chronicles 6 verses

2 Chronicles 6 23 Meaning

This verse is a plea within Solomon's prayer of dedication for the Temple, asking God to intervene with perfect justice. It describes God's response to prayer from the Temple: to hear from heaven, to act decisively, and to judge the people impartially. Specifically, it requests God to deliver exact retribution upon the wicked, turning their actions back upon themselves, and to justly reward the righteous according to their integrity. It underscores God's sovereignty as the ultimate, discerning Judge who repays everyone according to their deeds.

2 Chronicles 6 23 Context

2 Chronicles chapter 6 recounts Solomon's dedicatory prayer after the completion of the Temple. The preceding verses (vv. 12-21) set the scene with Solomon standing before the altar and describing the purpose of the Temple as a "house of prayer" and a place for God's presence among His people. Verse 22 begins a series of specific situations (including legal disputes, famine, pestilence, war) where the people might come to the Temple and appeal to God. Verse 23 addresses a situation where one person sins against another and they come to the Temple for judgment, laying emphasis on the direct, just, and decisive intervention of God from heaven. Historically, this prayer occurs at a high point in Israelite history, symbolizing God's covenant faithfulness and the central role of the Temple as the meeting place between God and His people, particularly for receiving justice and forgiveness.

2 Chronicles 6 23 Word analysis

• then hear You from heaven (תִּשְׁמַע אַתָּה מִן הַשָּׁמַיִם - tish'ma attah min ha-shamayim):
  • תִּשְׁמַע (tish'ma): From the root שָׁמַע (shama), meaning to hear, listen, obey. Here, it implies not just auditory perception but active attention and responsive action on God's part. It signifies God's engagement with human petitions.
  • אַתָּה (attah): "You," emphasizing God's direct, personal agency.
  • מִן הַשָּׁמַיִם (min ha-shamayim): "From heaven," indicating God's transcendent dwelling place, from which His decrees and power emanate. This contrasts with any earthly court.
• and act (וְעָשִׂיתָ - v'asita):
  • וְעָשִׂיתָ (v'asita): From the root עָשָׂה (asah), meaning to do, make, or act. It implies execution of judgment and divine intervention, turning His hearing into concrete reality. God is not a passive listener.
• and judge Your servants (וְשָׁפַטְתָּ אֶת־עֲבָדֶיךָ - v'shafat'ta et-avadiekha):
  • וְשָׁפַטְתָּ (v'shafat'ta): From the root שָׁפַט (shaphat), meaning to judge, govern, rule, decide a controversy. It speaks of a fair, decisive, and authoritative discernment. This is a divine court in action.
  • עֲבָדֶיךָ (avadiekha): "Your servants," referring to the people of Israel who have come to Him for justice. It highlights the covenantal relationship where God is sovereign.
• recompensing the wicked (לְהָשִׁיב לְרָשָׁע - l'hashiv l'rasha):
  • לְהָשִׁיב (l'hashiv): From the root שׁוּב (shuv), meaning to return, restore, repay. This points to the concept of just retribution or reversal of fortunes based on one's deeds. It signifies the principle of karma but as an active decree of God rather than an impersonal law.
  • לְרָשָׁע (l'rasha): "To the wicked," from the root רָשָׁע (rasha), meaning guilty, unrighteous, criminal. This term denotes one whose actions are contrary to God's law and righteous standards.
• by bringing his way on his own head (לָתֵת דַּרְכּוֹ בְּרֹאשׁוֹ - latet darko b'rosho):
  • לָתֵת (latet): "By giving" or "to place."
  • דַּרְכּוֹ (darko): "His way" or "his path," referring to his course of conduct, actions, or deeds. This is the biblical principle of quid pro quo justice – the punishment fitting the crime or behavior.
  • בְּרֹאשׁוֹ (b'rosho): "On his head." A vivid idiom meaning the consequences fall directly back on the perpetrator. It highlights the direct personal accountability and exact nature of divine retribution. This reflects lex talionis, the "eye for an eye" principle of proportional justice (Exo 21:24).
• and vindicating the righteous (וּלְהַצְדִּיק צַדִּיק - u'l'hatz'diq tzaddiq):
  • וּלְהַצְדִּיק (u'l'hatz'diq): From the root צָדַק (tzadaq), meaning to be righteous, just; in the Hiphil form (here), it means to declare righteous, justify, vindicate. It is the active affirmation of blamelessness.
  • צַדִּיק (tzaddiq): "The righteous one." This refers to one who is just, upright, and lives in accordance with God's commands.
• by giving him according to his righteousness (לָתֵת לוֹ כְּצִדְקָתוֹ - latet lo k'tzidqato):
  לָתֵת לוֹ (latet lo): "By giving to him."
• כְּצִדְקָתוֹ (k'tzidqato): "According to his righteousness." This signifies the just reward and favorable outcome that comes as a result of blameless conduct and faithfulness. Divine justice rewards appropriately.

Words-group by Words-group Analysis:

• "hear You from heaven, and act, and judge Your servants": This phrase emphasizes God's comprehensive engagement. Hearing implies attention, acting implies intervention and execution, and judging implies impartial discernment and verdict. This threefold action underlines the immediate and decisive nature of God's judicial response to prayer. God's transcendent presence (from heaven) is combined with His immanent involvement (acting and judging His servants).
• "recompensing the wicked by bringing his way on his own head": This highlights the certainty and precision of divine retribution. It is not merely general punishment but a direct reflection of the wrongdoer's actions, returning upon them like a boomerang. This principle stresses individual accountability.
• "and vindicating the righteous by giving him according to his righteousness": This balances the retribution for the wicked with just reward for the upright. It underscores God's moral order, where good deeds and faithful living lead to appropriate and favorable outcomes. Both parts emphasize that God's judgment is meticulously proportional to human actions. This implies a clear moral universe where deeds have corresponding consequences by divine design.

2 Chronicles 6 23 Bonus section

The request for God to "hear from heaven, and act, and judge" points to a central tenet of ancient Israelite faith: the active and interventionist nature of YHWH. Unlike many pagan deities who were often capricious or aloof, Israel's God was intimately involved in the moral fabric of His creation, capable of executing perfect justice. This specific plea from Solomon highlights the Temple's critical function as a center for divine jurisprudence, acting as a spiritual courthouse where human appeals for fairness could be made directly to the ultimate Judge. The "bringing his way on his own head" idiom not only implies punishment but emphasizes the self-inflicted nature of consequences for the wicked, a universal principle echoed throughout biblical wisdom literature (e.g., in Proverbs). Furthermore, this verse lays theological groundwork for later New Testament concepts of final judgment and the certainty that all will be recompensed according to their deeds (e.g., Rom 2:6).

2 Chronicles 6 23 Commentary

2 Chronicles 6:23 is a profound statement on God's judicial character and His responsiveness to prayer regarding justice. Solomon's request underscores the core belief that God is an active, not passive, sovereign who hears the cries of His people from His heavenly abode and intervenes decisively in their affairs. The Temple is presented as the divinely appointed locus where such appeals for justice can be made.

The verse draws a stark distinction between the fates of the wicked and the righteous, not based on arbitrary will, but on divine impartiality. God’s judgment is absolute in its equity: the wicked will fully bear the consequences of their unrighteous deeds ("bringing his way on his own head"), a clear principle of recompense where one's actions become their own undoing. Conversely, the righteous are vindicated and rewarded "according to his righteousness," ensuring that their integrity and faithfulness are not overlooked but appropriately affirmed and blessed.

This verse assures the community that disputes brought to God will be settled fairly by Him who sees all things. It serves as both a comfort for the oppressed and a warning to the oppressor, solidifying trust in God's perfect justice within the covenant community. It illustrates that prayer, especially from the dedicated place, moves the hand of God to enforce His righteous standards on earth.