II Chronicles 7:13
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If I close the sky so there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send a plague among My people,
Commentaries
Excerpts gathered from published commentaries to ground the reading.
In this chapter we have God's answer to Solomon's prayer. I. His public answer by fire from heaven, which consumed the sacrifices (Ch2 7:1), with which the priests and people were much affected (Ch2 7:2, Ch2 7:3). By that token of God's acceptance they were encouraged to continue the solemnities of the feast for fourteen days, and Solomon was encouraged to pursue all his designs for the honour of God (Ch2 7:4-11). II. His private answer by word of mouth, in a dream or vision of the night (Ch2 7:12-22). Most of these things we had before, 1 Kings 8 and 9.
Open source ↗7:13-15 These verses refer directly to Solomon’s prayer (see 6:26, 28, 40). God outlined for Solomon the requirements for rescue from judgment. In Solomon’s prayer, each case had been addressed separately; in the Lord’s answer, the required response is developed more generally and comprehensively. The people need humility, repentance, seeking the Lord, and prayer in order to be healed from their distresses.
Open source ↗Original language
The Hebrew and Greek words behind this passage, with Strong's numbers — from openscriptures (CC BY-SA).
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or the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you. He will shut the heavens so that there will be no rain, nor will the land yield its produce, and you will soon perish from the good land that the LORD is giving you.
These witnesses have power to shut the sky so that no rain will fall during the days of their prophecy, and power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they wish.
To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of the One who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What He opens no one can shut, and what He shuts no one can open.
What He tears down cannot be rebuilt; the man He imprisons cannot be released.
I will repay you for the years eaten by locusts— the swarming locust, the young locust, the destroying locust, and the devouring locust— My great army that I sent against you.
He spoke, and the locusts came— young locusts without number.
If He comes along to imprison you, or convenes a court, who can stop Him?
and fruitful land into fields of salt, because of the wickedness of its dwellers.
I will strike them with a plague and destroy them—and I will make you into a nation greater and mightier than they are.”
But I tell you truthfully that there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and great famine swept over all the land.