1 Kings 8:14 (KJV)

Passage

And the king turned his face about, and blessed all the congregation of Israel: (and all the congregation of Israel stood;)

Nearby Context

1 Kings 8:12 Then spake Solomon, The LORD said that he would dwell in the thick darkness.

1 Kings 8:13 I have surely built thee an house to dwell in, a settled place for thee to abide in for ever.

1 Kings 8:14 And the king turned his face about, and blessed all the congregation of Israel: (and all the congregation of Israel stood;)

1 Kings 8:15 And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, which spake with his mouth unto David my father, and hath with his hand fulfilled it, saying,

1 Kings 8:16 Since the day that I brought forth my people Israel out of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the tribes of Israel to build an house, that my name might be therein; but I chose David to be over my people Israel.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "king", "turned", "face", "blessed", "congregation", and "israel". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "king" and "turned", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 13's "I have surely built thee an house..." into verse 15's "And he said Blessed be the LORD...", so "king" and "turned" belong inside that flow. In 1 Kings context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "king" and "turned" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.