1 Kings 8:59 (KJV)

Passage

And let these my words, wherewith I have made supplication before the LORD, be nigh unto the LORD our God day and night, that he maintain the cause of his servant, and the cause of his people Israel at all times, as the matter shall require:

Nearby Context

1 Kings 8:57 The LORD our God be with us, as he was with our fathers: let him not leave us, nor forsake us:

1 Kings 8:58 That he may incline our hearts unto him, to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and his statutes, and his judgments, which he commanded our fathers.

1 Kings 8:59 And let these my words, wherewith I have made supplication before the LORD, be nigh unto the LORD our God day and night, that he maintain the cause of his servant, and the cause of his people Israel at all times, as the matter shall require:

1 Kings 8:60 That all the people of the earth may know that the LORD is God, and that there is none else.

1 Kings 8:61 Let your heart therefore be perfect with the LORD our God, to walk in his statutes, and to keep his commandments, as at this day.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "words", "wherewith", "supplication", "before", "lord", "nigh", and "night". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "words" and "wherewith", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 58's "That he may incline our hearts unto..." into verse 60's "That all the people of the earth...", so "words" and "wherewith" 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 "words" and "wherewith" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.