1 Kings 9:9

9 People will answer, "It is because they abandoned the Lord their God, who brought their ancestors out of Egypt. They gave their allegiance to other gods and worshiped them. That is why the Lord has brought this disaster on them.' "

1 Kings 9:9 Meaning and Commentary

1 Kings 9:9

And they shall answer
Who were left in the land when others were carried captive, as were some by Nebuchadnezzar, and who were capable of making the following answer:

because they forsook the Lord;
the worship of the Lord their God, as the Targum:

who brought forth their fathers out of the land Egypt;
which is observed as an aggravation of their sin:

and have taken hold upon other gods:
the gods of the people, as the Targum; of the Gentiles, who knew not the true God:

and have worshipped them, and served them:
even idols of gold and silver, wood and stone; an instance of judicial blindness they were left unto, who had been favoured with a revelation from God:

therefore hath the Lord brought upon them all this evil;
their idolatry was the cause of it, than which nothing is more provoking to God.

1 Kings 9:9 In-Context

7 then I will remove my people Israel from the land that I have given them. I will also abandon this Temple which I have consecrated as the place where I am to be worshiped. People everywhere will ridicule Israel and treat her with contempt.
8 This Temple will become a pile of ruins, and everyone who passes by will be shocked and amazed. "Why did the Lord do this to this land and this Temple?' they will ask.
9 People will answer, "It is because they abandoned the Lord their God, who brought their ancestors out of Egypt. They gave their allegiance to other gods and worshiped them. That is why the Lord has brought this disaster on them.' "
10 It took Solomon twenty years to build the Temple and his palace.
11 King Hiram of Tyre had provided him with all the cedar and pine and with all the gold he wanted for this work. After it was finished, King Solomon gave Hiram twenty towns in the region of Galilee.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.