“If there be in the land famine, if there be pestilence, blasting, mildew, locust, or if there be caterpiller; if their enemy besiege them in the land of their cities; whatsoever plague, whatsoever sickness there be;”
My Notes
What Does 1 Kings 8:37 Mean?
Solomon's prayer takes a remarkably honest turn here. He's dedicating the most beautiful building in Israel's history, and in the middle of the celebration, he starts listing catastrophes: famine, pestilence, crop disease, locusts, siege warfare, plague, and sickness. He's not being pessimistic — he's being realistic. He knows this Temple won't prevent suffering; it's meant to be a place to bring suffering to God.
The list is comprehensive and specific. "Blasting" refers to the hot east wind that scorches crops. "Mildew" is the fungal disease that rots grain. Locusts and caterpillars represent different stages of the same devastating insect. Solomon names agricultural disaster, military threat, and disease — every category of calamity a nation could face.
What's remarkable is that Solomon doesn't pray for these things to never happen. He prays for what God will do when they do happen. The Temple isn't a talisman against suffering; it's a meeting place for a people who will suffer. Solomon's vision is profoundly honest about what life actually involves.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Why do you think Solomon lists specific disasters rather than speaking about suffering generally? What does that model for your own prayer life?
- 2.How does it change your understanding of faith to know that even at the Temple's dedication, Solomon expected suffering to come?
- 3.Is there a specific hardship in your life right now that you've been afraid to name honestly before God?
- 4.What does it mean to you that the Temple was built not to prevent suffering but to provide a place to bring it?
Devotional
Solomon dedicates the Temple and immediately starts talking about famine, plague, and war. This isn't pessimism — it's the most realistic prayer in Scripture. He's saying: God, I know this beautiful building won't keep bad things from happening. So I'm asking that when they happen — not if — this is where people can come to find You.
This reframes what a relationship with God actually is. It's not a shield against every hardship. It's a presence in every hardship. Solomon doesn't build the Temple expecting a trouble-free future. He builds it knowing trouble is certain and wanting his people to have somewhere to bring it.
The specificity of his list matters too. He doesn't say "whatever bad things might happen." He names them: the scorching wind, the rotting grain, the armies at the gate, the sickness in the body. Honest prayer names things. It doesn't hide behind vague language. When you're hurting, you don't have to present God with a sanitized summary. Tell Him exactly what's wrong.
If Solomon — at the peak of Israel's prosperity, on the happiest day of his reign — could look ahead and acknowledge that suffering was coming, you can be honest about yours. The Temple was built for exactly this: not for people who have it all together, but for people who are falling apart and need a place to bring the pieces.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Through want of rain, or any other cause, as there had been a three years' famine in the time of David, and it is…
In the land of their cities - literally, “in the land of their gates.” Hence, the marginal translation “jurisdiction,”…
If there be in the land famine - pestilence - The Fourth case includes several kinds of evils:
1. Famine; a scarcity or…
Solomon having made a general surrender of this house to God, which God had signified his acceptance of by taking…
If there be in the land famine In this verse the king gathers together various judgements which God had threatened on…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture