1 Kings 8:47 (DRB)

Passage

Then if they do penance in their heart, in the place of captivity, and being converted, make supplication to thee in their captivity, saying: We have sinned, we have done unjustly, we have committed wickedness:

Nearby Context

1 Kings 8:45 And then hear thou in heaven their prayers, and their supplications, and do judgment for them.

1 Kings 8:46 But if they sin against thee, (for there is no man who sinneth not) and thou being angry, deliver them up to their enemies, so that they be led away captives into the land of their enemies, far or near;

1 Kings 8:47 Then if they do penance in their heart, in the place of captivity, and being converted, make supplication to thee in their captivity, saying: We have sinned, we have done unjustly, we have committed wickedness:

1 Kings 8:48 And return to thee with all their heart, and all their soul, in the land of their enemies, to which they have been led captives: and pray to thee towards the way of their land, which thou gavest to their fathers, and of the city which thou hast chosen, and of the temple which I have built to thy name:

1 Kings 8:49 Then hear thou in heaven, in the firmament of thy throne, their prayers, and their supplications, and do judgment for them:

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "penance", "heart", "place", "captivity", "converted", "make", "supplication", and "thee". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "penance" and "heart", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 46's "But if they sin against thee for..." into verse 48's "And return to thee with all their...", so "penance" and "heart" 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 "penance" and "heart" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.