2 Chronicles 6:18
New International Version
“But will God really dwell on earth with humans? The heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built!

New Living Translation
“But will God really live on earth among people? Why, even the highest heavens cannot contain you. How much less this Temple I have built!

English Standard Version
“But will God indeed dwell with man on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you, how much less this house that I have built!

Berean Standard Bible
But will God indeed dwell with man upon the earth? Even heaven, the highest heaven, cannot contain You, much less this temple I have built.

King James Bible
But will God in very deed dwell with men on the earth? behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house which I have built!

New King James Version
“But will God indeed dwell with men on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You. How much less this temple which I have built!

New American Standard Bible
“But will God really dwell with mankind on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain You; how much less this house which I have built!

NASB 1995
“But will God indeed dwell with mankind on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain You; how much less this house which I have built.

NASB 1977
“But will God indeed dwell with mankind on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain Thee; how much less this house which I have built.

Legacy Standard Bible
“But will God truly dwell with mankind on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain You; how much less this house which I have built.

Amplified Bible
“But will God actually dwell with mankind on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain You; how much less this house which I have built!

Christian Standard Bible
But will God indeed live on earth with humans? Even heaven, the highest heaven, cannot contain you, much less this temple I have built.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
But will God indeed live on earth with man? Even heaven, the highest heaven, cannot contain You, much less this temple I have built.

American Standard Version
But will God in very deed dwell with men on the earth? behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house which I have builded!

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
Because in faith LORD JEHOVAH made his Shechinah glory to dwell with his people Israel on the Earth. Behold Heaven and the Heaven of Heavens do not contain you, does now this house that I have built?

Brenton Septuagint Translation
For will God indeed dwell with men upon the earth? if the heaven and the heaven of heavens will not suffice thee, what then is this house which I have built?

Contemporary English Version
There's not enough room in all of heaven for you, LORD God. How could you possibly live on earth in this temple I have built?

Douay-Rheims Bible
Is it credible then that God should dwell with men on the earth? If heaven and the heavens of heavens do not contain thee, how much less this house, which I have built?

English Revised Version
But will God in very deed dwell with men on the earth? behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house which I have builded!

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"Does God really live on earth with people? If heaven itself, the highest heaven, cannot hold you, then how can this temple that I have built?

Good News Translation
"But can you, O God, really live on earth among men and women? Not even all of heaven is large enough to hold you, so how can this Temple that I have built be large enough?

International Standard Version
and yet, will God truly reside on earth with human beings? Look! Neither the sky nor the highest heaven can contain you! How much less this Temple that I have built!

JPS Tanakh 1917
But will God in very truth dwell with men on the earth? behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain Thee; how much less this house which I have builded!

Literal Standard Version
For is it true [that] God dwells with man on the earth? Behold, the heavens, and the heavens of the heavens, do not contain You, how much less this house that I have built?

Majority Standard Bible
But will God indeed dwell with man upon the earth? Even heaven, the highest heaven, cannot contain You, much less this temple I have built.

New American Bible
“Is God indeed to dwell with human beings on earth? If the heavens and the highest heavens cannot contain you, how much less this house which I have built!

NET Bible
"God does not really live with humankind on the earth! Look, if the sky and the highest heaven cannot contain you, how much less this temple I have built!

New Revised Standard Version
“But will God indeed reside with mortals on earth? Even heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you, how much less this house that I have built!

New Heart English Bible
"But will God indeed dwell with humankind on the earth? Look, heaven and the highest heaven can't contain you; how much less this house which I have built.

Webster's Bible Translation
But will God in very deed dwell with men on the earth? behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house which I have built!

World English Bible
“But will God indeed dwell with men on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens can’t contain you; how much less this house which I have built!

Young's Literal Translation
(for is it true? -- God dwelleth with man on the earth! Lo, the heavens, and the heavens of the heavens, do not contain Thee, how much less this house that I have built?)

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Solomon's Prayer of Dedication
17And now, O LORD, God of Israel, please confirm what You promised to Your servant David. 18But will God indeed dwell with man upon the earth? Even heaven, the highest heaven, cannot contain You, much less this temple I have built. 19Yet regard the prayer and plea of Your servant, O LORD my God, so that You may hear the cry and the prayer that Your servant is praying before You.…

Cross References
Matthew 12:6
But I tell you that something greater than the temple is here.

Acts 7:49
Heaven is My throne and the earth is My footstool. What kind of house will you build for Me, says the Lord, or where will My place of repose be?

2 Chronicles 2:6
But who is able to build a house for Him, since the heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain Him? Who then am I, that I should build a house for Him, except as a place to burn sacrifices before Him?

2 Chronicles 6:17
And now, O LORD, God of Israel, please confirm what You promised to Your servant David.

2 Chronicles 6:19
Yet regard the prayer and plea of Your servant, O LORD my God, so that You may hear the cry and the prayer that Your servant is praying before You.

Psalm 113:5
Who is like the LORD our God, the One enthroned on high?

Psalm 113:6
He humbles Himself to behold the heavens and the earth.


Treasury of Scripture

But will God in very deed dwell with men on the earth? behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain you; how much less this house which I have built!

But will

Exodus 29:45,46
And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God…

1 Kings 8:27
But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded?

Psalm 68:18
Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell among them.

2 Chronicles 2:6
But who is able to build him an house, seeing the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain him? who am I then, that I should build him an house, save only to burn sacrifice before him?

Psalm 139:7-10
Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? …

Jeremiah 23:24
Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD.

how much

2 Chronicles 32:15
Now therefore let not Hezekiah deceive you, nor persuade you on this manner, neither yet believe him: for no god of any nation or kingdom was able to deliver his people out of mine hand, and out of the hand of my fathers: how much less shall your God deliver you out of mine hand?

Job 4:19
How much less in them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, which are crushed before the moth?

Job 9:14
How much less shall I answer him, and choose out my words to reason with him?

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Builded Built Contain Deed Dwell Dwelleth Earth Enough Heaven Heavens Highest House Housed Indeed Less Mankind Possible Really Resting-Place Temple True. Truth Wide
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Builded Built Contain Deed Dwell Dwelleth Earth Enough Heaven Heavens Highest House Housed Indeed Less Mankind Possible Really Resting-Place Temple True. Truth Wide
2 Chronicles 6
1. Solomon, having blessed the people, blessed God
12. Solomon's prayer in the consecration of the temple, upon the bronze platform.














(18) But will God in very deed.--Or, what? will God, &c.--The LXX. imitates the Hebrew ??? ?? ?????? ??????????; Vuig., "ergone credibile est ut habitet Deus?"

With men.--Not in Kings. Syriac, "with his people, Israel;" Arabic, "with his people." (Comp. Revelation 21:3.)

Verse 18. - Dwell with men (Psalm 132:14). Heaven and the heaven of heavens. Solomon's conception of the infinite God comes plainly to view here (2 Chronicles 2:6; Deuteronomy 10:14; Psalm 139:5-12; Psalm 148:4; Isaiah 66:1; Acts 7:4-9; Acts 17:24).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
But
כִּ֚י (kî)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

will God
אֱלֹהִ֛ים (’ĕ·lō·hîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative

indeed
הַֽאֻמְנָ֔ם (ha·’um·nām)
Conjunction
Strong's 552: Verily, truly, indeed

dwell
יֵשֵׁ֧ב (yê·šêḇ)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3427: To sit down, to dwell, to remain, to settle, to marry

with
אֶת־ (’eṯ-)
Preposition
Strong's 854: Nearness, near, with, by, at, among

man
הָאָדָ֖ם (hā·’ā·ḏām)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 120: Ruddy, a human being

upon
עַל־ (‘al-)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

the earth?
הָאָ֑רֶץ (hā·’ā·reṣ)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 776: Earth, land

Even
הִ֠נֵּה (hin·nêh)
Interjection
Strong's 2009: Lo! behold!

heaven,
שָׁמַ֜יִם (šā·ma·yim)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 8064: Heaven, sky

the highest heaven,
וּשְׁמֵ֤י (ū·šə·mê)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 8064: Heaven, sky

cannot
לֹ֣א (lō)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

contain You,
יְכַלְכְּל֔וּךָ (yə·ḵal·kə·lū·ḵā)
Verb - Piel - Imperfect - third person masculine plural | second person masculine singular
Strong's 3557: To keep in, to measure, to maintain

much less
אַ֕ף (’ap̄)
Conjunction
Strong's 637: Meaning accession, yea, adversatively though

this
הַזֶּ֖ה (haz·zeh)
Article | Pronoun - masculine singular
Strong's 2088: This, that

temple
הַבַּ֥יִת (hab·ba·yiṯ)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1004: A house

I have built.
בָּנִֽיתִי׃ (bā·nî·ṯî)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular
Strong's 1129: To build


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OT History: 2 Chronicles 6:18 But will God indeed dwell with men (2 Chron. 2Ch iiCh ii ch 2 chr 2chr)
2 Chronicles 6:17
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