1 Kings 8:58 (DRB)

Passage

But may he incline our hearts to himself, that we may walk in all his ways, and keep his commandments, and his ceremonies, and all his judgments, which he commanded our fathers.

Nearby Context

1 Kings 8:56 Blessed be the Lord, who hath given rest to his people Israel, according to all that he promised: there hath not failed so much as one word of all the good things that he promised by his servant Moses.

1 Kings 8:57 The Lord our God be with us, as he was with our fathers, and not leave us, nor cast us off:

1 Kings 8:58 But may he incline our hearts to himself, that we may walk in all his ways, and keep his commandments, and his ceremonies, and all his judgments, which he commanded our fathers.

1 Kings 8:59 And let these my words, wherewith I have prayed before the Lord, be nigh unto the Lord our God day and night, that he may do judgment for his servant, and for his people Israel, day by day:

1 Kings 8:60 That all the people of the earth may know, that the Lord he is God, and there is no other besides him.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "incline", "hearts", "himself", "walk", "ways", "keep", "commandments", and "ceremonies". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "incline" and "hearts", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 57's "The Lord our God be with us..." into verse 59's "And let these my words wherewith I...", so "incline" and "hearts" 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 "incline" and "hearts" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.