Limitless Word
Nevertheless thou shalt not build the house; but thy son that shall come forth out of thy loins, he shall build the house unto my name.
1 Kings 8:19 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB Nevertheless, you shall not build the house; but your son who shall come out of your body, he shall build the house for my name.’
  • BSB Nevertheless, you are not the one to build it; but your son, your own offspring, will build the house for My Name.’
  • NKJV Nevertheless you shall not build the temple, but your son who will come from your body, he shall build the temple for My name.’
  • NASB Nevertheless you shall not build the house, but your son who will be born to you, he will build the house for My name.’
  • NLT but you are not the one to do it. One of your own sons will build the Temple to honor me.’

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

God declares that not David but his son will build the temple. It marks the transfer of the task to Solomon by divine appointment.

Overview

The Lord redirects the building of the house to David's son, fulfilling the promise of 2 Samuel 7. This points forward to a greater Son of David who builds an eternal house, for Christ builds the true temple, His church. Solomon's role is a shadow of that ultimate fulfillment.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 7

  • 2 Sam 7:5Go and tell my servant David, Thus saith the LORD, Shalt thou build me an house for me to dwell in?
  • 1 Chr 22:8–10But the word of the LORD came to me, saying, Thou hast shed blood abundantly, and hast made great wars: thou shalt not build an house unto my name, because thou hast shed much blood upon the earth in my sight.
  • 1 Chr 17:11–12And it shall come to pass, when thy days be expired that thou must go to be with thy fathers, that I will raise up thy seed after thee, which shall be of thy sons; and I will establish his kingdom.
  • 1 Chr 28:6And he said unto me, Solomon thy son, he shall build my house and my courts: for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father.
  • 2 Sam 7:12–13And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.
  • 1 Chr 17:4Go and tell David my servant, Thus saith the LORD, Thou shalt not build me an house to dwell in:
  • 1 Kgs 5:3–5Thou knowest how that David my father could not build an house unto the name of the LORD his God for the wars which were about him on every side, until the LORD put them under the soles of his feet.

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — 1 Kings videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on 1 Kings 8:19YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on 1 KingsMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

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 8:19 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

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.