1 Reyes 8:22

22 Entonces Salomón se puso delante del altar del SEÑOR en presencia de toda la asamblea de Israel y extendió las manos al cielo.

1 Reyes 8:22 Meaning and Commentary

1 Kings 8:22

And Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord
The altar of the burnt offering in the court of the priests, where he prayed the following prayer; and which altar was typical of Christ, who is always to be in sight in prayer, and through whom all sacrifices of prayer and praise become acceptable to God. In ( 2 Chronicles 6:13 ) he is said to stand upon a scaffold of brass, five cubits long, five broad, and three high, which stood in the midst of the court; it was a sort of a pulpit, round, as a laver, for which the word is sometimes used, and on which he kneeled:

in the presence of all the congregation of Israel;
who stood in the great court before him, called the court of Israel:

and spread forth his hands toward heaven;
and hence it appears, that though Solomon stood before the altar, he did not lay hold on it with his hands, as the Heathens did when they prayed; for they say ^F25, that prayer alone does not appease the Deity, unless he that prays also lays hold on the altar with his hands; hence altars, at first, as we are told ^F26, were called "ansae"; and lifting up or spreading the hands towards heaven was a proper gesture with the Greeks and Romans ^F1.

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FOOTNOTES:

F25 Macrob. Saturnal. l. 3. c. 2. Vid. Sperling. de Baptism. Ethiac, c. 6. p. 103.
F26 Varro Rer. Divin. l. 5. apud ib.
F1 Homer. Iliad. 3. ver. 275. & 6. ver. 301. Vid. Barth. Animadv. ad Claudian. in Rufin. l. 2. ver. 205.

1 Reyes 8:22 In-Context

20 Ahora el SEÑOR ha cumplido la palabra que había dicho, pues yo me he levantado en lugar de mi padre David y me he sentado en el trono de Israel, como el SEÑOR prometió, y he edificado la casa al nombre del SEÑOR, Dios de Israel.

21 Y he puesto allí un lugar para el arca, en la cual está el pacto del SEÑOR que El hizo con nuestros padres cuando los trajo de la tierra de Egipto.

22 Entonces Salomón se puso delante del altar del SEÑOR en presencia de toda la asamblea de Israel y extendió las manos al cielo.

23 Y dijo: Oh SEÑOR, Dios de Israel, no hay Dios como tú ni arriba en los cielos ni abajo en la tierra, que guardas el pacto y muestras misericordia a tus siervos que andan delante de ti con todo su corazón,

24 que has cumplido con tu siervo David mi padre lo que le prometiste; ciertamente has hablado con tu boca y lo has cumplido con tu mano como sucede hoy.