“If they sin against thee, (for there is no man that sinneth not,) and thou be angry with them, and deliver them to the enemy, so that they carry them away captives unto the land of the enemy, far or near;”
My Notes
What Does 1 Kings 8:46 Mean?
Solomon's prayer includes a stunning parenthetical: "for there is no man that sinneth not." Universal sinfulness, stated as a premise, inside a prayer about what happens when Israel sins. The statement is comprehensive: no person. Not "most people sin" or "people often sin." No man doesn't sin.
The context is a specific scenario: Israel sins → God is angry → enemies conquer → exile follows → Israel repents in exile → they pray toward the temple. Solomon is laying out the inevitable sequence because the premise (everyone sins) guarantees it will happen. The question isn't whether Israel will sin. It's what God will do when they do.
The parenthetical is wisdom literature embedded in prayer: Solomon, the wisest man alive, states the universal human condition as a given. No exceptions. No exemptions. The prayer accounts for it rather than pretending it won't happen.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Does Solomon's acceptance of universal sinfulness (built into the prayer, not lamented) model a healthier approach to failure?
- 2.How does designing a worship system 'for sinners' (because there's no other kind) change your expectations for church?
- 3.Does 'no man that sinneth not' free you from pretending — or does it feel like an excuse?
- 4.How does this parenthetical (everyone sins) shape the rest of Solomon's prayer about exile and return?
Devotional
"There is no man that sinneth not." Solomon says it as a parenthetical. As if it's obvious. Because it is.
Inside his prayer about what God should do when Israel fails, Solomon slips in the most honest anthropological statement in the Old Testament: nobody doesn't sin. The premise is universal. The exemptions are zero. No man. Not the priest. Not the king. Not the prophet. Not the wisest person in the room (Solomon himself). No man that sinneth not.
The wisdom is in the acceptance. Solomon isn't lamenting human sinfulness. He's building it into the architecture of the prayer. The temple needs to account for failure because failure is guaranteed. The prayer plan needs an exile scenario because exile is coming. The question isn't whether the people will fall. It's whether the temple will still function when they do.
This is realistic spirituality: build your faith on the assumption that you will fail. Not might. Will. The prayer system, the worship system, the entire temple economy is designed for sinners — because there's no other kind of person. If the system only works for perfect people, it doesn't work for anyone.
Paul will echo this centuries later: "all have sinned" (Romans 3:23). But Solomon said it first. In a prayer. At the dedication of the most holy building on earth. Surrounded by glory and incense and the ark of the covenant. And even in that moment — the most sacred moment in Israel's history — Solomon says: we're all going to fail. Build the prayer for that.
The temple was built for sinners. Because there is no man that sinneth not. Including the man who built it.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
If they sin against thee,.... The same persons when they were gone forth to battle, not observing the divine commands as…
If they sin against thee - This Seventh case must refer to some general defection from truth, to some species of false…
Solomon having made a general surrender of this house to God, which God had signified his acceptance of by taking…
If they sin against thee With the language of these verses concerning the delivery of Israel into the hand of their…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture