1 Kings 9:3
“And the LORD said unto him, I have heard thy prayer and thy supplication, that thou hast made before me: I have hallowed this house, which thou hast built, to put my name there for ever; and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →God answers Solomon's dedication prayer, declaring that He has set apart the temple and will keep His eyes and heart there continually.
What Does 1 Kings 9:3 Mean?
God responds directly to the long prayer Solomon prayed at the temple's dedication in the previous chapter. The Lord has heard, and He has hallowed, set apart as holy, the house Solomon built, placing His name there forever and promising that His eyes and His heart will rest upon it.
To say God's eyes and heart will be there is to promise both watchful attention and tender affection. The Lord does not merely occupy the place; He loves it and looks upon it. This is the wonder of a God who binds Himself to dwell among His people, the same abiding Presence that would come to rest in His Son, and through Him reach all who are gathered to seek Him.
In the Original Language
qadash (קָדַשׁ), 'hallowed' -- to set apart as holy, consecrated to God's own purpose.