Passage
`In the heavens being restrained, and there is no rain, because they sin against Thee, and they have prayed towards this place, and confessed Thy name, and from their sin turn back, for Thou dost afflict them,
1 Kings 8:35 (YLT)
Nearby Context
1 Kings 8:33 `In Thy people Israel being smitten before an enemy, because they sin against Thee, and they have turned back unto Thee, and have confessed Thy name, and prayed, and made supplication unto Thee in this house,
1 Kings 8:34 then thou dost hear in the heavens, and hast forgiven the sin of Thy people Israel, and brought them back unto the ground that Thou gavest to their fathers.
1 Kings 8:35 `In the heavens being restrained, and there is no rain, because they sin against Thee, and they have prayed towards this place, and confessed Thy name, and from their sin turn back, for Thou dost afflict them,
1 Kings 8:36 then Thou dost hear in the heavens, and hast forgiven the sin of Thy servants, and of Thy people Israel, for Thou directest them the good way in which they go, and hast given rain on Thy land which Thou hast given to Thy people for inheritance.
1 Kings 8:37 `Famine--when it is in the land; pestilence--when it is; blasting, mildew, locust; caterpillar--when it is; when its enemy hath distressed it in the land <FI>in<Fi> its gates, any plague, any sickness, --
Study Lenses
The verse centers on "heavens", "restrained", "against", "thee", "prayed", "towards", and "place". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "heavens" and "restrained", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The nearby context moves from verse 34's "then thou dost hear in the heavens..." into verse 36's "then Thou dost hear in the heavens...", so "heavens" and "restrained" 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 "heavens" and "restrained" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.