2 Chronicles 6:3

And the king turned his face, and blessed the whole congregation of Israel: and all the congregation of Israel stood.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(3) And the king.—The verse is word for word as in Kings.

Turned.—Turned round (1Chronicles 10:14).

Stood.—Was standing.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

6:1-42 Solomon's prayer at the dedication of the temple. - The order of Solomon's prayer is to be observed. First and chiefly, he prays for repentance and forgiveness, which is the chief blessing, and the only solid foundation of other mercies: he then prays for temporal mercies; thereby teaching us what things to mind and desire most in our prayers. This also Christ hath taught us in his perfect pattern and form of prayer, where there is but one prayer for outward, and all the rest are for spiritual blessings. The temple typified the human nature of Christ, in whom dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. The ark typified his obedience and sufferings, by which repenting sinners have access to a reconciled God, and communion with him. Jehovah has made our nature his resting-place for ever, in the person of Emmanuel, and through him he dwells with, and delights in his church of redeemed sinners. May our hearts become his resting-place; may Christ dwell therein by faith, consecrating them as his temples, and shedding abroad his love therein. May the Father look upon us in and through his Anointed; and may he remember and bless us in all things, according to his mercy to sinners, in and through Christ.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Compare Kings (marginal references).

Compare Kings (marginal references).

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

CHAPTER 6

2Ch 6:1-41. Solomon Blesses the People and Praises God.

1. The Lord hath said that he would dwell in the thick darkness—This introduction to Solomon's address was evidently suggested by the remarkable incident recorded at the close of the last chapter: the phenomenon of a densely opaque and uniformly shaped cloud, descending in a slow and majestic manner and filling the whole area of the temple. He regarded it himself, and directed the people also to regard it, as an undoubted sign and welcome pledge of the divine presence and acceptance of the building reared to His honor and worship. He referred not to any particular declaration of God, but to the cloud having been all along in the national history of Israel the recognized symbol of the divine presence (Ex 16:10; 24:16; 40:34; Nu 9:15; 1Ki 8:10, 11).

Matthew Poole's Commentary

No text from Poole on this verse.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

See Introduction to Chapter 5

Geneva Study Bible

And the king turned his face, and blessed the whole congregation of Israel: and all the congregation of Israel stood.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 3. - Reading between the lines, this verse shows us that the face of Solomon had been turned to the symbol of God's presence, while he addressed to him the words of our second verse, since he now faces round to the assembly of the congregation. What words Solomon used in thus blessing the whole congregation are not given either here or in the parallel. The impression one takes is that the blessing was, in fact, wrapt up tacitly in all that Solomon recounts, when he said, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, etc. (ver. 4). However, it is not impossible that, with the variation of the tense in ver. 59, the verses of 1 Kings 8:55 - 61 may contain the substance of it, if not itself. 2 Chronicles 6:3

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

The words with which Solomon celebrates this wondrous evidence of the divine favour, entirely coincide with the narrative in 1 Kings 8:12-21, except that in 2 Chronicles 6:5. the actual words of Solomon's speech are more completely given than in 1 Kings 8:16, where the words, "and I have not chosen a man to be prince over my people Israel, and I have chosen Jerusalem that my name might be there," are omitted. For the commentary on this address, see on 1 Kings 8:12-21.