1 Kings 8:20

8:12-21 Solomon encouraged the priests, who were much astonished at the dark cloud. The dark dispensations of Providence should quicken us in fleeing for refuge to the hope of the gospel. Nothing can more reconcile us to them, than to consider what God has said, and to compare his word and works together. Whatever good we do, we must look on it as the performance of God's promise to us, not of our promises to him.

And the Lord hath performed his word that he spake,.... To David, concerning his son's building the temple: and I am risen up in the room of David my father, and sit on the throne of Israel, as the Lord promised; succeeded him in the kingdom: and have built an house for the name of the Lord God of Israel; the temple he had now finished; and thus the promise to David was punctually fulfilled, that he should have a son that should succeed him in the throne, and build the house of the Lord.

14. the king turned his face about—From the temple, where he had been watching the movement of the mystic cloud, and while the people were standing, partly as the attitude of devotion, partly out of respect to royalty, the king gave a fervent expression of praise to God for the fulfilment of His promise (2Sa 7:6-16).

Verse 20. - And the Lord hath performed [Same word as in 1 Kings 2:4 . Lit., "hath raised up" (LXX. ἀνέστησε ). Also same word as "risen up" (LXX. ἀνέστην ) below, and as "set up" in 2 Samuel 7:12 . We might translate "established" throughout] his word that he spake, and I am risen up in the room of David my father, and sit on the throne of Israel [ch. 1:48], as the Lord promised [ 2 Samuel 7:12 ], and have built an house for the name of the Lord God of Israel [ ib . ver. 13]. 1 Kings 8:20

"And Jehovah has set up His word." וגו ויּקם supplies the explanation of בידו מלּא (hath fulfilled with his hand) in 1 Kings 8:15 . God had caused Solomon to take possession of the throne of David; and Solomon had built the temple and prepared a place there for the ark of the covenant. The ark is thereby declared to be the kernel and star of the temple, because it was the throne of the glory of God.