1 Kings 8 · Verse 46

1 Kings 8:46

If they sin against thee, (for there is no man that sinneth not,) and thou be angry with them, and deliver them to the enemy, so that they carry them away captives unto the land of the enemy, far or near;
1 Kings 8:46, King James Version

1 Kings 8:46 in other translations

BSBWhen they sin against You—for there is no one who does not sin—and You become angry with them and deliver them to an enemy who takes them as captives to his own land, whether far or near,
WEBIf they sin against you (for there is no man who doesn’t sin), and you are angry with them and deliver them to the enemy, so that they carry them away captive to the land of the enemy, far off or near;
ASVIf they sin against thee (for there is no man that sinneth not), and thou be angry with them, and deliver them to the enemy, so that they carry them away captive unto the land of the enemy, far off or near;
YLT‘When they sin against Thee (for there is not a man who sinneth not), and Thou hast been angry with them, and hast given them up before an enemy, and they have taken captive their captivity unto the land of the enemy far off or near;
DARBYIf they have sinned against thee, (for there is no man that sinneth not,) and thou be angry with them, and give them up to the enemy, and they have carried them away captives unto the enemy's land, far or near;
BBEIf they do wrong against you, (for no man is without sin,) and you are angry with them and give them up into the power of those who are fighting against them, so that they take them away as prisoners into a strange land, far off or near;
WebsterIf they shall sin against thee, (for there is no man that sinneth not,) and thou shalt be angry with them, and deliver them to the enemy, so that they carry them away captives to the land of the enemy, far or near;

What does 1 Kings 8:46 mean?

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 46 If they sin against thee - This Seventh case must refer to some general defection from truth, to some species of false worship, idolatry, or corruption of the truth and ordinances of the Most High; as for it they are here stated to be delivered into the hands of their enemies and carried away captive, which was the general punishment for idolatry, and what is called, 1Kgs 8:47, acting perversely and committing wickedness. In 1Kgs 8:46 we read, If they sin against thee, for there is no man that sinneth not. On this verse we may observe that the second clause, as it is here translated, renders the supposition in the first clause entirely nugatory; for if there be no man that sinneth not, it is useless to say, If they sin; but this contradiction is taken away by reference to the original, כי יחטאו לך ki yechetu lach, which should be translated If they shall sin against thee, or should they sin against thee; כי אין אדם אשר לא יחטא ki ein Adam asher lo yecheta, for there is no man that May not sin; i.e., there is no man impeccable, none infallible, none that is not liable to transgress. This is the true meaning of the phrase in various parts of the Bible, and so our translators have understood the original: for even in the thirty-first verse of this chapter they have translated יחטא yecheta, If a man Trespass; which certainly implies he might or might not do it; and in this way they have translated the same word, If a soul Sin, in Lev 5:1; Lev 6:2; 1Sam 2:25; 2Chr 6:22, and in several other places. The truth is, the Hebrew has no mood to express words in the permissive or optative way, but to express this sense it uses the future tense of the conjugation kal. This text has been a wonderful strong hold for all who believe that there is no redemption from sin in this life, that no man can live without committing sin, and that we cannot be entirely freed from it till we die. 1. The text speaks no such doctrine: it only speaks of the possibility of every man sinning, and this must be true of a state of probation. 2. There is not another text in the Divine records that is more to the purpose than this. 3. The doctrine is flatly in opposition to the design of the Gospel; for Jesus came to save his people from their sins, and to destroy the works of the devil. 4. It is a dangerous and destructive doctrine; and should be blotted out of every Christian's creed. There are too many who are seeking to excuse their crimes by all means in their power; and we need not embody their excuses in a creed, to complete their deception, by stating that their sins are unavoidable.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 1 Kings 8:22-53

In this excellent prayer, Solomon does as we should do in every prayer; he gives glory to God. Fresh experiences of the truth of God's promises call for larger praises. He sues for grace and favour from God. The experiences we have of God's performing his promises, should encourage us to depend upon them, and to plead them with him; and those who expect further mercies, must be thankful for former mercies. God's…

Read the full comment on 1 Kings 8:22-53 →

1 Kings 8:46 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

כִּ֣יkiifH3588
יֶֽחֶטְאוּ\־ye.chet.'u-they will sinH2398
לָ֗ךְLakhto you
כִּ֣יkiforH3588
אֵ֤ין'einthere notH369
אָדָם֙'a.Dam[is] anyoneH120
אֲשֶׁ֣ר'a.SherwhoH834
לֹא\־lo'-notH3808
יֶחֱטָ֔אye.che.Ta'he sinsH2398
וְאָנַפְתָּ֣ve.'a.naf.Taand you will be angryH599
בָ֔םVamwith them
וּנְתַתָּ֖םu.ne.ta.Tamand will you deliver up themH5414
לִפְנֵ֣יlif.Nei<to> beforeH6440
אוֹיֵ֑ב'o.Yevan enemyH341
וְשָׁב֤וּםve.sha.Vumand they will take captive themH7617
שֹֽׁבֵיהֶם֙shoei.Hemcaptors theirH7617
אֶל\־'el-toH413
אֶ֣רֶץ'E.retz[the] land ofH776
הָאוֹיֵ֔בha.'o.Yevthe enemyH341
רְחוֹקָ֖הre.cho.KahdistantH7350
א֥וֹ'oorH176
קְרוֹבָֽה\׃ke.ro.VahnearH7138

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for 1 Kings 8:46

  • Ecclesiastes 7:20

    For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.

  • Proverbs 20:9

    Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?

  • 1 John 1:8-10

    If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

  • Isaiah 64:6

    But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

  • Romans 3:23

    For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

  • Isaiah 53:6

    All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

  • James 3:2

    For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.

  • Psalms 130:3

    If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?

  • Deuteronomy 28:36

    The Lord shall bring thee, and thy king which thou shalt set over thee, unto a nation which neither thou nor thy fathers have known; and there shalt thou serve other gods, wood and stone.

  • 2 Chronicles 6:36

    If they sin against thee, (for there is no man which sinneth not,) and thou be angry with them, and deliver them over before their enemies, and they carry them away captives unto a land far off or near;

  • 2 Kings 17:6

    In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.

  • Deuteronomy 28:64-68

    And the Lord shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone. And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest: but the Lord shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind: And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life: In the morning thou shalt say, Would God it were even! and at even thou shalt say, Would God it were morning! for the fear of thine heart wherewith thou shalt fear, and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see. …

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
If they sin.The second clause of this verse, as it is here translated, renders this supposition entirely nugatory; for if there be no man that sinneth not, it is useless to say, if they sin: but this objection is removed by rendering the original, "If they shall sin against thee, (for there is no man that, {lo yechetai,} may not sin;") i.e., there is no man impeccable or infallible; none that is not liable to transgress.
there is no man.
2Ch 6:36; Job 14:4; 15:14-16; Ps 19:12; 130:3; 143:2; Pr 20:9
Ec 7:20; Isa 53:6; 64:6; Ro 3:19; Ga 3:22; Jas 3:2; 1Jo 1:8-10
unto the land.
Le 26:34-39; De 4:26,27; 28:36,64-68; 29:28; 2Ki 17:6,18,23; 25:21
Da 9:7-14; Lu 21:24

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • 1 Kings 8:45

    Then hear thou in heaven their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause.

  • 1 Kings 8:46

    If they sin against thee, (for there is no man that sinneth not,) and thou be angry with them, and deliver them to the enemy, so that they carry them away captives unto the land of the enemy, far or near;

  • 1 Kings 8:47

    Yet if they shall bethink themselves in the land whither they were carried captives, and repent, and make supplication unto thee in the land of them that carried them captives, saying, We have sinned, and have done perversely, we have committed wickedness;

Read all of 1 Kings 8

1 Kings 8:46 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Si hubieren pecado contra ti, (porque no hay hombre que no peque) y tú estuvieres airado contra ellos, y los entregares delante del enemigo, para que los cautiven y lleven á tierra enemiga, sea lejos ó cerca,
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		S’ils ont péché contre toi (car il n’y a point d’homme qui ne pèche), et que tu te sois irrité contre eux, et que tu les aies livrés à l’ennemi, et qu’ils les aient emmenés captifs dans le pays de l’ennemi, loin ou près,
German
Elberfelder 1871		Wenn sie wider dich sündigen, -denn da ist kein Mensch, der nicht sündigte-und du über sie erzürnst und sie vor dem Feinde dahingibst und ihre Besieger sie gefangen wegführen in das Land des Feindes, ein fernes oder ein nahes;
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Quod si peccaverint tibi (non est enim homo qui non peccet) et iratus tradideris eos inimicis suis, et captivi ducti fuerint in terram inimicorum longe vel prope,