so that the priests could not stand there to minister because of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD.
Parallel translations
- WEB so that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud; for Yahweh’s glory filled Yahweh’s house.
- KJV So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of the LORD.
- NKJV so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord.
- NASB so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord.
- NLT The priests could not continue their service because of the cloud, for the glorious presence of the Lord filled the Temple of the Lord.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The priests could not continue ministering because the glory of the Lord filled the temple. God's overwhelming presence interrupted human service.
Overview
So intense was the divine glory that the priests had to stop their duties, overcome by the holy presence of God. This echoed Sinai and the tabernacle's dedication, marking the temple as truly God's dwelling. The scene reveals both the nearness and the awesome holiness of God, before whom sinful people cannot stand except through the access secured by Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Ezek 44:4Then the man brought me to the front of the temple by way of the north gate. I looked and saw the glory of the LORD filling His temple, and I fell facedown.
- Ezek 43:4–5and the glory of the LORD entered the temple through the gate facing east.
- 2 Cor 3:18And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into His image with intensifying glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
- Lev 9:23Moses and Aaron then entered the Tent of Meeting. When they came out, they blessed the people, and the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people.
- 2 Cor 4:6For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
- Ezek 43:2and I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east. His voice was like the roar of many waters, and the earth shone with His glory.
- John 1:14The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
- Rev 21:23And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, because the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its lamp.
- Rev 21:11shining with the glory of God. Its radiance was like a most precious jewel, like a jasper, as clear as crystal.
- Acts 7:55But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked intently into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.
- Lev 9:6And Moses said, “This is what the LORD has commanded you to do, so that the glory of the LORD may appear to you.”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Solomon's glory, wisdom, and temple where God's presence dwells are a shadow of the greater Son of David — 'one greater than Solomon is here' — and of the true Temple, Christ himself.
How 1 Kings 8:11 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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