II CHRONICLES 7:1-3

The dedication of the temple during Solomon's reign is described in I Kings and in Chronicles. In each case, the overall organization of these passages takes the form of a chiasm, i.e. a mirror-image structure in which the first half is revisited in the second half, but in reverse order. There are a number of small differences in emphasis between these parallel accounts, but the most notable one comes at the exact center of each, as shown below.

The Structure of I Kings 1-11 (I Chronicles 29:22b-II Chronicles 9:31)

Ia. Transition of Power (I Kings 1-2) (I Chron. 29:22b-II Chron. 1:1)

2a. Solomon: Wisdom and Foolishness (I Kings 3) (II Chron. 1:2-13)

3a. Prosperous Kingdom (I Kings 4) (II Chron. 1:14-17)

4. The Temple (I Kings 5-9:22) (II Chron. 2:1-8:10)

a. construction (I Kings 5:1-7:51) (II Chron. 2:1-5:1)

b. feast and sacrifices (I Kings 8:1-11) (II Chron. 5:2-14)

c. Solomon's prayer (I Kings 8:12-61) (II Chron. 6)

c'. Divine Confirmation (II Chron. 7:1-3)

b'. feast and sacrifices (I Kings 8:62-66) (II Chron. 7:4-10)

a'. construction (I Kings 9:1-22) (II Chron. 7:11-8:10)

3b. Prosperous Kingdom (I Kings 9:23-28) (II Chron. 8:11-18)

2b. Solomon: Wisdom and Foolishness (I Kings 10:1-11:13) (II Chron. 9:1-28)

1b. Transition of Power (I Kings 11:14-43) (II Chron. 9:29-31)

At that center point, II Chronicles 7:1b-3 describing God's response to Solomon's prayer replaces I Kings 8:54b-61 in which Solomon blesses the people.

The resulting symmetrical pattern no longer centers on Solomon's prayer alone, but gives equal attention (in 4c') to the audience of this prayer, Yahweh himself. The most logical way of looking at this shift of emphasis is that the Chronicler “was anxious to show (in a way that the account in Kings does not) God's positive response to the prayer...” (Pratt)

Williamson takes a similar view of this alteration: “The Chronicler omits the account of Solomon blessing the people (I Kg. 8:54b-61), not because he thought that blessing was an exclusively priestly prerogative (cf. 6:3 and I Chr. 16:2), nor because in his presentation Solomon was not standing before the altar but on a raised platform (6:13), but because he was anxious to show (in a way that the King's account does not) God's positive response to the prayer of 6:41.”

Another way in which the Chronicler shines the light on Yahweh's actual appearance in II Chronicles 7:1-3a is to bracket it on either side with the only two poetic sections in chapters 6-7, namely 6:41-42 and 7:3b. Tying these two short hymns together are the word “good/goodness” as well as the common phrase “steadfast love” referring to that of God. And both hymns contain citations from the Psalms (Ps. 132:8-10 and 136, respectively), as Childs points out. More specifically, Howard explains that 6:41 is close to Psalm 132:8-9 but v. 42 reverses the order of the two lines of Psalm 132:10 and perhaps borrows from Ps. 132:1 as well.

Here are some additional comments, quoting from the RSV.

II Chronicles 7:1a “When Solomon had ended his prayer, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices”

Knoppers: “The divine consecration of the burnt offering and the sacrifices by fire, not found in I Kings 8-9, dramatically legitimates the Jerusalem Temple as an enduring fixture of Israelite life (Lev 9.24; I Kings 18:36-39; I Chr 21 26).”

“Fire...occasionally falls not to consume the wicked but to consume a sacrifice, a circumstance that shows God's reality and approval (Lev 9:21; Judg 6:21; I Kings 18:24; I Chron 21:26; 2 Chron 7:1; Lk 9:54)...” (Dictionary of Biblical Imagery)

Jacob Myers notes that this “same phenomenon occurred when David offered sacrifices on the threshing floor of Ornan to stay the plague (I Chronicles xxi 26).”

II Chronicles 7:1b “and the glory of the LORD filled the temple.”

“In the anthropomorphic world of the Old Testament, God's interest in what is happening on earth results in a succession of occasions when God 'comes down'.” Among these include the times when he displayed his power (I Kings 18:38; 2 Kings 1:10; 2 Chron 7:1). (DBI)

“Since the Lord was actually physically literally and visibly (i.e. physically as well as spiritually) present in the tabernacle...and later in the temple, he was concerned about the visible physical holiness and purity of those who approached him there.” (Domeris)

Another lesson from this passage is drawn by Averbeck when he says, “It is true that there were to be no idols in the Israelite sanctuary to represent his presence (Exod 20:4-6), but the Lord nevertheless made it clear that he would and, in historical reality, did indeed take up residence there, sometimes even manifesting himself in a physical visual way...His presence there was essential to the security and prosperity of Israel.”

II Chronicles 7:2 “And the priests could not enter the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD filled the LORD's house.”

Wakely compares this verse to an earlier OT occasion: “Moses was not able to enter the Tent of Meeting because the cloud had settled on it and the glory of Yahweh filled the tabernacle (Exod 40:35).”

II Chronicles 7:3a “When all the children of Israel saw the fire come down and the glory of the LORD upon the temple, they bowed down with their faces to the earth on the pavement, and worshiped and gave thanks to the LORD, saying”

“Lying prostrate was commonly an act of respect to authority figures...Such respect was, of course, deemed especially appropriate in worship of God. Abraham, Job, Joshua, Ezekiel and the Israelites at Solomon's temple dedication were among OT figures who prostrated themselves in worship.” (DBI)

II Chronicles 7:3b “For he is good, for his steadfast love endures for ever.”

This phrase is also found in II Chronicles 5:13;20:21 and Ezra 3:11. In Selman's mind, this is one more piece of evidence for considering Chronicles and Ezra-Nehemiah as both part of the “Chronicler's History.” Knoppers feels that “[t]he people's liturgical refrain...was likely a significant element of the postexilic Temple liturgy.”

Concerning the first part of this response, Baer and Gordon say, “This statement seems to have taken on an almost credal status by the time these texts were worked into the canonical framework.” They quote eleven OT passages in which God is called “good.”

Block notes that the Hebrew word hesed (“steadfast love” or “loyal love”) “occurs more frequently as an attribute of Yahweh than any other in the Historical Books (e.g., 2 Sam 2:6; 15:20; I Kings 3:6; 2 Chron 7:3,6; Ezra 3:10; Neh 9:17,32), and is often associated with 'keeping his covenant.'”

Watts' comment on this phrase is worth quoting: “A hymn refrain, '(for he is good), his kindness is forever,' appears in I Chronicles 16:41; 2 Chronicles 5:13; 7:3,6; Ezra 3:11. Although many translations render it as quotations of characters' speech, the Hebrew text contains no quotation formulas. Instead it seems that the author(s) of Chronicles and Ezra break with the convention in the rest of biblical literature of restraining the narrator to prose exposition and here allow the narrator's voice to join the congregation in hymnic praise.”