1 Kings 8:39 (LSB)

Passage

then listen in heaven Your dwelling place, and forgive and act and give to each according to all his ways, whose heart You know, for You alone know the hearts of all the sons of men,

Nearby Context

1 Kings 8:37 “If there is famine in the land, if there is pestilence, if there is scorching wind or mildew, locust or grasshopper, if their enemy besieges them in the land of their cities, whatever plague, whatever sickness there is,

1 Kings 8:38 whatever prayer or supplication is made by any man or by all Your people Israel, each of whom knows the affliction of his own heart, and spreads his hands toward this house;

1 Kings 8:39 then listen in heaven Your dwelling place, and forgive and act and give to each according to all his ways, whose heart You know, for You alone know the hearts of all the sons of men,

1 Kings 8:40 that they may fear You all the days that they live upon the face of the land which You have given to our fathers.

1 Kings 8:41 “Also concerning the foreigner who is not of Your people Israel, if he comes from a far country for Your name’s sake

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "listen", "heaven", "dwelling", "place", "forgive", "each", and "ways". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "listen" and "heaven", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 38's "whatever prayer or supplication is made by..." into verse 40's "that they may fear You all the...", so "listen" and "heaven" 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 "listen" and "heaven" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.