2 Chronicles 6:21Listen to the petitions of your servant, and of your people Israel, when they shall pray toward this place: yes, hear from your dwelling place, even from heaven; and when you hear, forgive.
The setting
Jerusalem, Israel, ~950 BC. Solomon stands before the newly completed temple, arms raised toward heaven, dedicating the most magnificent building ever constructed...
The emotion here: overwhelmed by responsibility of leading a nation before God
The original word
shama (שָׁמַע) — to hear with intent to respond and act, not passive listening
Why it matters
This temple took 7 years to build and employed 153,600 workers
Read with care
What most readers miss in 2 Chronicles 6:21
Solomon is establishing prayer TOWARD the temple, not just IN it — for future exiles
Common misconceptionPeople think this is about praying toward a building, but Solomon is creating a prayer compass for future generations in exile who can't reach the temple.
The thread continues
Verses that echo 2 Chronicles 6:21
Bible Genome reading
2 Chronicles 6:21 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
2 Chronicles 6:21 comes from the book of 2 Chronicles, written during the United Kingdom period. The setting is the Temple. These words are attributed to Solomon. The dominant emotion in this verse is seeking, with a comfort power of 60% and a tone that is reverent. It belongs to the prayer genre of biblical literature. Key themes include prayer, God's presence, intercession. Notable phrases: listen to the petitions; dwelling place; pray toward this place. This verse is a prayer.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same seeking
“Pray without ceasing.”
— 1 Thessalonians 5:17
“But let justice roll on like rivers, and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
— Amos 5:24
“Be it far from you to do things like that, to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be like the wicked. May that …”
— Genesis 18:25
“Call to me, and I will answer you, and will show you great things, and difficult, which you don't know.”
— Jeremiah 33:3
“Forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. Bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evi…”
— Luke 11:4
Your reflection
What does 2 Chronicles 6:21 mean to you, today?
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