1 Kings 8:38 (DRB)

Passage

Whatsoever curse or imprecation shall happen to any man of thy people Israel: when a man shall know the wound of his own heart, and shall spread forth his hands in this house;

Nearby Context

1 Kings 8:36 Then hear thou them in heaven, and forgive the sins of thy servants, and of thy people Israel: and shew them the good way wherein they should walk, and give rain upon thy land, which thou hast given to thy people in possession.

1 Kings 8:37 If a famine arise in the land, or a pestilence, or corrupt air, or blasting, or locust, or mildew; if their enemy afflict them, besieging the gates, whatsoever plague, whatsoever infirmity,

1 Kings 8:38 Whatsoever curse or imprecation shall happen to any man of thy people Israel: when a man shall know the wound of his own heart, and shall spread forth his hands in this house;

1 Kings 8:39 Then hear thou in heaven, in the place of thy dwelling, and forgive, and do so as to give to every one according to his ways, as thou shalt see his heart (for thou only knowest the heart of all the children of men)

1 Kings 8:40 That they may fear thee all the days that they live upon the face of the land, which thou hast given to our fathers.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "whatsoever", "curse", "imprecation", "shall", "happen", "people", and "israel". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "whatsoever" and "curse", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 37's "If a famine arise in the land..." into verse 39's "Then hear thou in heaven in the...", so "whatsoever" and "curse" 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 "whatsoever" and "curse" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.