1 Kings 8:12

12 Then Solomon spoke: God has told us that he lives in the dark where no one can see him;

1 Kings 8:12 Meaning and Commentary

1 Kings 8:12

And then spake Solomon
Perceiving by this symbol that the Lord was come into his house, to take up his dwelling in it, and seeing the priests and people in consternation at it, spake the following words to their comfort:

the Lord said that he would dwell in the thick darkness;
and now was fulfilling his promise, and therefore to be considered not as a token of his displeasure, but of his gracious presence; this was done for the greater awe of the divine Majesty, and to denote the darkness of the former dispensation; reference may be had to ( Leviticus 16:2 ) or rather this was now said by the Lord, that is, it appeared to be his resolution and determination to dwell in this manner; the Targum is,

``the Lord is pleased to cause his Shechinah or divine Majesty to dwell in Jerusalem,''

in the temple there. This was imitated by the Heathens; hence the Lacedemonians had a temple dedicated to Jupiter Scotitas, or the dark, as Pausanias ^F21 relates; and the Indian Pagans to this day affect darkness in their temples, and are very careful that no light enter into them but by the door, which is commonly strait and low, and by little crevices in the windows ^F23.

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FOOTNOTES:

F21 Laconica, sive, I. 3. p. 178.
F23 Agreement of Customs between the East-Indians and Jews, art. 5. p. 35.

1 Kings 8:12 In-Context

10 When the priests left the Holy Place, a cloud filled The Temple of God.

11 The priests couldn't carry out their priestly duties because of the cloud - the glory of God filled The Temple of God!

12 Then Solomon spoke: God has told us that he lives in the dark where no one can see him;

13 I've built this splendid Temple, O God, to mark your invisible presence forever.

14 The king then turned to face the congregation and blessed them: