1 Kings 8:33 (LSB)

Passage

“When Your people Israel are defeated before an enemy, because they have sinned against You, if they turn to You again and confess Your name and pray and make supplication to You in this house,

Nearby Context

1 Kings 8:31 “If a man sins against his neighbor and is made to take an oath, and he comes and takes an oath before Your altar in this house,

1 Kings 8:32 then listen in heaven and act and judge Your slaves, condemning the wicked by bringing his way on his own head and justifying the righteous by bringing him reward according to his righteousness.

1 Kings 8:33 “When Your people Israel are defeated before an enemy, because they have sinned against You, if they turn to You again and confess Your name and pray and make supplication to You in this house,

1 Kings 8:34 then listen in heaven, and forgive the sin of Your people Israel, and bring them back to the land which You gave to their fathers.

1 Kings 8:35 “When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain, because they have sinned against You, and they pray toward this place and confess Your name and turn from their sin when You afflict them,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "people", "israel", "defeated", "before", "enemy", "sinned", "against", and "turn". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "people" and "israel", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 32's "then listen in heaven and act and..." into verse 34's "then listen in heaven and forgive the...", so "people" and "israel" 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 "people" and "israel" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.