1 Kings 8:57

57 Our Lord God be with us, as he was with our fathers, and forsake not us (and desert us not), neither cast us away;

1 Kings 8:57 Meaning and Commentary

1 Kings 8:57

The Lord our God be with us as he was with our fathers
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and those that came out of Egypt, and especially that entered into the land of Canaan under Joshua, and subdued it; as the Lord had been with them to guide and direct them, protect and defend them, succeed and prosper them, so Solomon desires he might be with them: nothing is more desirable than the presence of God; Solomon could not have prayed for a greater blessing for himself and his people; the Targum is,

``let the Word of the Lord our God be for our help, as he was for the help of our fathers:''

let him not leave us, nor forsake us:
this was no doubt a prayer of faith, founded upon a divine promise, ( Joshua 1:5 ) .

1 Kings 8:57 In-Context

55 Therefore he stood, and blessed all the church of Israel, and said with [a] great voice, (And he stood, and blessed all the congregation of Israel, and said with a loud voice,)

56 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, that hath given rest to his people Israel (who hath given peace to his people Israel), (as) by all things which he spake; a word felled not down, soothly neither one, of all [the] goods/of all the good things which he spake by Moses, his servant.

57 Our Lord God be with us, as he was with our fathers, and forsake not us (and desert us not), neither cast us away;

58 but bow he our hearts to himself, that we go in all his ways, and keep his commandments, and ceremonies, and dooms, whichever he commanded to our fathers. (but bow he our hearts to himself, so that we go in all his ways, and obey his commandments, and statutes, and judgements, whatever he commanded to our forefathers.)

59 And these words of me, by which I have prayed before the Lord, be they nighing to our Lord God by day and night, that he make doom to me his servant, and to his people Israel by all days; (And these words of mine, with which I have prayed before the Lord, be they close to the Lord our God day and night, so that he may grant justice to me his servant, and to his people Israel by all days;)