1 Kings 8:31 (DRB)

Passage

If any man trespass against his neighbour, and have an oath upon him, wherewith he is bound, and come, because of the oath, before thy altar, to thy house,

Nearby Context

1 Kings 8:29 That thy eyes may be open upon this house, night and day: upon the house of which thou hast said: My name shall be there: that thou mayst hearken to the prayer which thy servant prayeth, in this place to thee:

1 Kings 8:30 That thou mayst hearken to the supplication of thy servant, and of thy people Israel, whatsoever they shall pray for in this place, and hear them in the place of thy dwelling in heaven; and when thou hearest, shew them mercy.

1 Kings 8:31 If any man trespass against his neighbour, and have an oath upon him, wherewith he is bound, and come, because of the oath, before thy altar, to thy house,

1 Kings 8:32 Then hear thou in heaven: and do and judge thy servants, condemning the wicked, and bringing his way upon his own head, and justifying the just, and rewarding him according to his justice.

1 Kings 8:33 If thy people Israel shall fly before their enemies (because they will sin against thee) and doing penance, and confessing to thy name, shall come and pray, and make supplications to thee in this house:

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "trespass", "against", "neighbour", "oath", "upon", "wherewith", "bound", and "come". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "trespass" and "against", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 30's "That thou mayst hearken to the supplication..." into verse 32's "Then hear thou in heaven and do...", so "trespass" and "against" 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 "trespass" and "against" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.