1 Kings 8:48

48 If they turn to you with their whole heart and soul in the land of their enemies and pray toward the land you gave to their ancestors—toward this city you have chosen, and toward this Temple I have built to honor your name—

1 Kings 8:48 Meaning and Commentary

1 Kings 8:48

And so return unto thee, with all their heart, and with
all their soul
In the most sincere and cordial manner, with great ingenuity and uprightness; the Targum is,

``return unto thy worship;''

relinquishing false worship they had given into, and serve the Lord in the best manner they could:

in the land of their enemies, which led them away captive;
and so at a distance from that temple, and the service of it, which

1 Kings 8:48 In-Context

46 “If they sin against you—and who has never sinned?—you might become angry with them and let their enemies conquer them and take them captive to their land far away or near.

47 But in that land of exile, they might turn to you in repentance and pray, ‘We have sinned, done evil, and acted wickedly.’

48 If they turn to you with their whole heart and soul in the land of their enemies and pray toward the land you gave to their ancestors—toward this city you have chosen, and toward this Temple I have built to honor your name—

49 then hear their prayers and their petition from heaven where you live, and uphold their cause.

50 Forgive your people who have sinned against you. Forgive all the offenses they have committed against you. Make their captors merciful to them,