1 Kings 8:9 (YLT)

Passage

There is nothing in the ark, only the two tables of stone which Moses put there in Horeb, when Jehovah covenanted with the sons of Israel in their going out of the land of Egypt.

Nearby Context

1 Kings 8:7 for the cherubs are spreading forth two wings unto the place of the ark, and the cherubs cover over the ark, and over its staves from above;

1 Kings 8:8 and they lengthen the staves, and the heads of the staves are seen from the holy <FI>place<Fi> on the front of the oracle, and are not seen without, and they are there unto this day.

1 Kings 8:9 There is nothing in the ark, only the two tables of stone which Moses put there in Horeb, when Jehovah covenanted with the sons of Israel in their going out of the land of Egypt.

1 Kings 8:10 And it cometh to pass, in the going out of the priests from the holy <FI>place<Fi> , that the cloud hath filled the house of Jehovah,

1 Kings 8:11 and the priests have not been able to stand to minister because of the cloud, for the honour of Jehovah hath filled the house of Jehovah.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "nothing", "only", "tables", "stone", "moses", "horeb", "jehovah", and "covenanted". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "nothing" and "only", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 8's "and they lengthen the staves and the..." into verse 10's "And it cometh to pass in the...", so "nothing" and "only" 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 "nothing" and "only" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.