2 Chronicles 6:30
be heard by You from heaven, Your dwelling place. And may You forgive and repay each man according to all his ways, since You know his heart--for You alone know the hearts of men--
be heard by You from heaven, Your dwelling place.

Solomon appeals to the God whose throne is heaven, though His name had been placed upon the temple in Jerusalem. The temple provided Israel a commanded center for sacrifice and prayer, yet it could never confine the Creator. From His holy dwelling, the Lord hears His people wherever they turn toward Him in repentance and faith.

Deu 26:15 Look down from Your holy habitation, from heaven…
Psa 33:13-14 The LORD looks down from heaven; He sees all the sons…
Psa 102:19 For He looked down from the heights of His sanctuary;…

And may You forgive and repay each man according to all his ways,

God’s forgiveness does not set aside His justice. He pardons the repentant while judging evil with perfect righteousness, giving to each person according to the reality of his conduct. Israel’s covenant life depended upon this holy mercy, which called sinners to turn from sin rather than presume upon grace.

Psa 130:4 But with You there is forgiveness, so that…
Jer 17:10 I, the LORD, search the heart; I examine the mind…
Rom 2:6 God “will repay each one according to his deeds.”

since You know his heart—for You alone know the hearts of men—

No human judge can fully see motives hidden beneath outward actions, but the Lord searches every heart. He knows whether prayer rises from genuine humility or empty words, and His judgments are therefore altogether true. Jesus likewise demonstrated this divine knowledge when He knew what was in man.

1Ch 28:9 As for you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father…
Act 1:24 And they prayed, “Lord, You know everyone’s heart.…
Psa 94:11 The LORD knows the thoughts of man, that they are futile.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Solomon
The king of Israel who built the temple in Jerusalem and is offering a prayer of dedication to God in this chapter.

2. God
The omniscient and omnipresent deity who is being addressed in Solomon's prayer, recognized as the one who knows the hearts of all people.

3. The Temple in Jerusalem
The central place of worship for the Israelites, symbolizing God's presence among His people.

4. The Israelites
The people of God who are the primary audience of Solomon's prayer, seeking God's favor and forgiveness.

5. Heaven
Described as God's dwelling place, from where He hears and responds to the prayers of His people.
Teaching Points
God's Omniscience
God alone knows the hearts of all people. This truth should lead us to live transparently before Him, knowing that nothing is hidden from His sight.

The Importance of the Heart
Our actions are important, but God looks at the heart. We should focus on cultivating a heart that is pure and aligned with God's will.

Prayer and Forgiveness
Solomon's prayer reminds us of the importance of seeking God's forgiveness. We should regularly confess our sins and seek His grace.

Divine Justice
God repays each person according to their deeds. This should encourage us to live righteously and trust in God's just nature.

The Role of the Temple
While the physical temple was central to Israelite worship, we are now the temple of the Holy Spirit. Our lives should reflect God's presence.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does understanding that God knows our hearts influence the way we pray and live our daily lives?

2. In what ways can we ensure that our hearts are aligned with God's will, as Solomon emphasizes in his prayer?

3. How does the concept of divine justice, as mentioned in this verse, affect our understanding of God's character and our own actions?

4. What role does confession and seeking forgiveness play in our relationship with God, and how can we incorporate this into our spiritual practices?

5. How can we, as modern believers, embody the presence of God in our lives, knowing that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit?
Connections to Other Scriptures
1 Kings 8:39
This verse parallels 2 Chronicles 6:30, as it is part of the same prayer of dedication by Solomon, emphasizing God's knowledge of human hearts.

Jeremiah 17:10
This verse highlights God's ability to search the heart and test the mind, reinforcing the theme of divine omniscience.

Psalm 139:1-4
These verses speak to God's intimate knowledge of every individual, echoing the sentiment that God knows the hearts of all people.

Hebrews 4:13
This New Testament verse underscores that nothing is hidden from God's sight, aligning with the idea that God knows the hearts of men.
The Sevenfold IllustrationT. Whitelaw 2 Chronicles 6:22-39
God and the NationW. Clarkson 2 Chronicles 6:24-28, 34, 35
Pardon and PunishmentPhilip W. Darnton, B.A.2 Chronicles 6:26-31
Perils to AgricultureJ. Wolfendale.2 Chronicles 6:26-31
God and the Individual SoulW. Clarkson 2 Chronicles 6:29-31
People
David, Solomon
Places
Egypt, Holy Place, Jerusalem
Topics
Alone, Answering, Deal, Dwelling, Dwelling-place, Ear, Forgive, Forgiven, Forgiveness, Hast, Heart, Hearts, Heaven, Heavens, Living-place, Open, Render, Reward, Secret, Settled, Sons
Dictionary of Bible Themes
2 Chronicles 6:30

     5027   knowledge, God's of humanity
     5173   outward appearance
     5340   house

2 Chronicles 6:26-31

     4823   famine, physical

2 Chronicles 6:28-30

     4802   blight

2 Chronicles 6:28-31

     4843   plague

2 Chronicles 6:29-31

     6740   returning to God

2 Chronicles 6:30-31

     8470   respect, for God

Library
December the Eighth Judged by Our Aspirations
"Thou didst well, it was in thine heart." --2 CHRONICLES vi. 1-15. And this was a purpose which the man was not permitted to realize. It was a temple built in the substance of dreams, but never established in wood and stone. And God took the shadowy structure and esteemed it as a perfected pile. The sacred intention was regarded as a finished work. The will to build a temple was regarded as a temple built. And hence I discern the preciousness of all hallowed purpose and desire, even though it
John Henry Jowett—My Daily Meditation for the Circling Year

"If So be that the Spirit of God Dwell in You. Now if any Man have not the Spirit of Christ, He is None of His. "
Rom. viii. 9.--"If so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." "But will God in very deed dwell with men on the earth?" 2 Chron. vi. 18. It was the wonder of one of the wisest of men, and indeed, considering his infinite highness above the height of heavens, his immense and incomprehensible greatness, that the heaven of heavens cannot contain him, and then the baseness, emptiness, and worthlessness of man, it may be a wonder to the
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

Eleventh Lesson. Believe that Ye have Received;'
Believe that ye have received;' Or, The Faith that Takes. Therefore I say unto you, All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye have received them, and ye shall have them.'--Mark xi. 24 WHAT a promise! so large, so Divine, that our little hearts cannot take it in, and in every possible way seek to limit it to what we think safe or probable; instead of allowing it, in its quickening power and energy, just as He gave it, to enter in, and to enlarge our hearts to the measure of what
Andrew Murray—With Christ in the School of Prayer

Sanctification.
VI. Objections answered. I will consider those passages of scripture which are by some supposed to contradict the doctrine we have been considering. 1 Kings viii. 46: "If they sin against thee, (for there is no man that sinneth not,) and thou be angry with them, and deliver them to the enemy, so that they carry them away captives unto the land of the enemy, far or near," etc. On this passage, I remark:-- 1. That this sentiment in nearly the same language, is repeated in 2 Chron. vi. 26, and in Eccl.
Charles Grandison Finney—Systematic Theology

Solomon's Temple Spiritualized
or, Gospel Light Fetched out of the Temple at Jerusalem, to Let us More Easily into the Glory of New Testament Truths. 'Thou son of man, shew the house to the house of Isreal;--shew them the form of the house, and the fashion thereof, and the goings out hereof, and the comings in thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the laws thereof.'--Ezekiel 43:10, 11 London: Printed for, and sold by George Larkin, at the Two Swans without Bishopgate,
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

Entire Sanctification
By Dr. Adam Clarke The word "sanctify" has two meanings. 1. It signifies to consecrate, to separate from earth and common use, and to devote or dedicate to God and his service. 2. It signifies to make holy or pure. Many talk much, and indeed well, of what Christ has done for us: but how little is spoken of what he is to do in us! and yet all that he has done for us is in reference to what he is to do in us. He was incarnated, suffered, died, and rose again from the dead; ascended to heaven, and there
Adam Clarke—Entire Sanctification

Chronicles
The comparative indifference with which Chronicles is regarded in modern times by all but professional scholars seems to have been shared by the ancient Jewish church. Though written by the same hand as wrote Ezra-Nehemiah, and forming, together with these books, a continuous history of Judah, it is placed after them in the Hebrew Bible, of which it forms the concluding book; and this no doubt points to the fact that it attained canonical distinction later than they. Nor is this unnatural. The book
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

Links
2 Chronicles 6:30 NIV
2 Chronicles 6:30 NLT
2 Chronicles 6:30 ESV
2 Chronicles 6:30 NASB
2 Chronicles 6:30 KJV

2 Chronicles 6:30 Commentaries

Bible Hub
2 Chronicles 6:29
Top of Page
Top of Page