3 Kings 8:39
Then hear thou in heaven, in the place of thy dwelling, and forgive, and do so as to give to every one according to his ways, as thou shalt see his heart (for thou only knowest the heart of all the children of men)
Open 3 Kings 8:39 in the Motif Searcher, word by word across all five texts →Show on the spiral →The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- tu exaudies in cælo in loco habitationis tuæ, et repropitiaberis, et facies ut des unicuique secundum omnes vias suas, sicut videris cor ejus (quia tu nosti solus cor omnium filiorum hominum),
- Septuagint (Swete)
- καὶ σὺ εἰσακούσῃ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἐξ ἑτοίμου κατοικητηρίου σου καὶ ἵλεως ἔσῃ, καὶ ποιήσεις καὶ δώσεις ἀνδρὶ κατὰ τὰς ὁδοὺς αὐτοῦ καθὼς ἂν γνῷς τὴν καρδίαν αὐτοῦ, ὅτι σὺ μονώτατος οἶδας τὴν καρδίαν πάντων υἱῶν ἀνθρώπων,
- Hebrew (WLC)
- וְ֠אַתָּה תִּשְׁמַ֨ע הַשָּׁמַ֜יִם מְכ֤וֹן שִׁבְתֶּ֨ךָ֙ וְסָלַחְתָּ֣ וְעָשִׂ֔יתָ וְנָתַתָּ֤ לָאִישׁ֙ כְּכָל דְּרָכָ֔יו אֲשֶׁ֥ר תֵּדַ֖ע אֶת לְבָב֑וֹ כִּֽי אַתָּ֤ה יָדַ֨עְתָּ֙ לְבַדְּךָ֔ אֶת לְבַ֖ב כָּל בְּנֵ֥י הָאָדָֽם
Haydock's commentary
Men. God cannot be imposed upon. If our heart be not moved with sorrow for our offences, including a degree of love, in vain shall we stretch forth our hands in prayer. (Calmet)
From Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary, 1859, in the transcription made by Todd Easton and kept online by John Paul Wohlschied at johnblood.gitlab.io/haydock.
The Fathers on this verse
Origen Origen's Commentary on Matthew, Chapter VI
Then expounding clearly and representing to them, who were being distracted because of the equivocal meaning of loaf and leaven, in an undisguised fashion, that He was not speaking to them about sensible bread but about the leaven in the teaching, He subjoins, “ How is it that ye do not perceive that I spake not you concerning bread? But beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. ” And though He had not laid bare the interpretation, but still continued to use metaphorical language, the disciples would have understood that the discourse of the Saviour was about the teaching, figuratively called leaven, which the Pharisees and Sadducees were teaching. …
St John Chrysostom Homily on the Paralytic Let Down Through the Roof: and Concerning the Equality of the Divine Father and the Son, Homily on the Paralytic Let Down Through the Roof
6. Paul also demonstrated this: for when he was reproaching the Corinthians with a certain sin he said, “For this cause many are weak and sickly among you.” Therefore also Christ first removes the cause of the evil, and having said “Son! be of good cheer, thy sins are forgiven thee,” He uplifts the spirit and rouses the downcast soul: for the speech became an efficient cause and having entered into the conscience it laid hold of the soul itself and cast out of it all distress. For nothing creates pleasure and affords confidence so much as freedom from self-reproach. For where remission of sins is there is sonship. Even so at least we are not able to call God Father until we have washed away our sins in the pool of the sacred water. …
St John Chrysostom The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on the Gospel of St. John, John 2.23
The meaning is of this kind. “He who dwells in men’s hearts, and enters into their thoughts, took no heed of outward words; and knowing well that their warmth was but for a season, He placed not confidence in them as in perfect disciples, nor committed all His doctrines to them as though they had already become firm believers.” Now, to know what is in the heart of men belongs to God alone, “who hath fashioned hearts one by one” ( Ps. xxxiii. 15 , LXX.), for, saith Solomon, “Thou, even Thou only, knowest the hearts” ( 1 Kings viii. 39 ); He therefore needed not witnesses to learn the thoughts of His own creatures, and so He felt no confidence in them because of their mere, temporary belief. …