1 Kings 8:37 (GNV)

Passage

When there shalbe famine in the land, when there shalbe pestilence, when there shall be blasting, mildewe, grashopper or caterpiller, when their enemie shall besiege them in the cities of their lande, or any plague, or any sickenesse,

Nearby Context

1 Kings 8:35 When heauen shalbe shut vp, and there shalbe no raine because they haue sinned against thee, and shall pray in this place, and confesse thy Name, and turne from their sinne, when thou doest afflict them,

1 Kings 8:36 Then heare thou in heauen, and pardon the sinne of thy seruants and of thy people Israel (when thou hast taught the the good way wherein they may walke) and giue raine vpon the land that thou hast giuen to thy people to inherite.

1 Kings 8:37 When there shalbe famine in the land, when there shalbe pestilence, when there shall be blasting, mildewe, grashopper or caterpiller, when their enemie shall besiege them in the cities of their lande, or any plague, or any sickenesse,

1 Kings 8:38 Then what prayer, and supplication so euer shalbe made of any man or of all thy people Israel, when euery one shall knowe the plague in his owne heart, and stretch foorth his handes in this house,

1 Kings 8:39 Heare thou then in heauen, in thy dwelling place, and be mercifull, and doe, and giue euery man according to all his wayes, as thou knowest his heart, (for thou only knowest the heartes of all the children of men)

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "shalbe", "famine", "land", "pestilence", "shall", "blasting", and "mildewe". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "shalbe" and "famine", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 36's "Then heare thou in heauen and pardon..." into verse 38's "Then what prayer and supplication so euer...", so "shalbe" and "famine" 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 "shalbe" and "famine" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.