2 Chronicles 7:13

If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people;

If {H2005} I shut up {H6113} heaven {H8064} that there be no rain {H4306}, or if I command {H6680} the locusts {H2284} to devour {H398} the land {H776}, or if I send {H7971} pestilence {H1698} among my people {H5971};

If I shut up the sky, so that there is no rain; or if I order locusts to devour the land; or if I send an epidemic of sickness among my people;

If I close the sky so there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send a plague among My people,

If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people;

Commentary on 2 Chronicles 7:13 (KJV)

2 Chronicles 7:13 is a pivotal verse within God's direct response to King Solomon following the dedication of the newly built Temple in Jerusalem. It outlines specific forms of divine judgment that God might send upon Israel if His people turned away from Him, setting the stage for the profound promise of restoration in the subsequent verse.

Context

This verse is part of God's covenantal address to Solomon, delivered after Solomon's magnificent prayer of dedication for the Temple, as recorded in 2 Chronicles chapter 6. The Lord had just appeared to Solomon by night, affirming His presence and the acceptance of the Temple. However, God also laid out the conditions for continued blessing, emphasizing the conditional nature of the covenant with Israel. This passage serves as a solemn warning, reminding the people of their responsibility to remain faithful to the Lord, lest they face severe consequences. The threats of drought, famine, and pestilence were not arbitrary but were consistent warnings given throughout the Old Testament, particularly echoing the blessings and curses outlined in the Mosaic covenant in Deuteronomy 28.

Key Themes and Messages

  • Divine Sovereignty and Control: The verse powerfully demonstrates God's absolute authority over the natural world and human well-being. He controls the heavens (rain), the creatures (locusts), and the spread of disease (pestilence). These are not random occurrences but instruments in His hands.
  • Consequences of Disobedience: God clearly states that these calamities—drought, plague of locusts, and widespread disease—are direct results of His people's unfaithfulness. They serve as a form of divine discipline, intended to bring about repentance.
  • Conditional Covenant: The passage underscores the conditional nature of God's covenant with Israel. While God's love is steadfast, His blessings are tied to the nation's obedience and faithfulness to His commands.
  • Preparation for Repentance: While a warning, this verse also implicitly prepares the ground for the well-known promise of healing and forgiveness found in the very next verse, 2 Chronicles 7:14, by first establishing the severity of the consequences of sin.

Linguistic Insights

The KJV uses vivid and direct language to describe the judgments:

  • "Shut up heaven that there be no rain": This refers to a severe drought, a catastrophic event in an agrarian society dependent on rainfall for crops and livestock.
  • "Command the locusts to devour the land": Locust swarms were a dreaded ancient plague, capable of consuming all vegetation and leading to widespread famine, as seen historically and in biblical accounts like Exodus 10.
  • "Send pestilence among my people": "Pestilence" refers to widespread disease or epidemic, a common form of divine judgment that could decimate populations.
These terms highlight the comprehensive and devastating nature of God's disciplinary actions when His people turned away from Him.

Practical Application

For believers today, 2 Chronicles 7:13 offers several enduring lessons:

  • God's Justice and Holiness: It reminds us that God is not only loving but also just and holy, and He takes sin seriously. Consequences follow disobedience.
  • Sovereignty in Calamity: While we live under a new covenant, this verse still speaks to God's ultimate sovereignty over all things, including natural events and global challenges. It encourages us to look to Him even in times of difficulty.
  • Call to Humility and Repentance: The warnings in this verse serve as a timeless call to humility and repentance, both individually and corporately. It prompts us to examine our hearts and ensure our walk is aligned with God's will.
  • The Importance of Seeking God: The implied solution to these judgments is to turn back to God, which is fully articulated in the following verse. This underscores the continuous need for a relationship with God based on obedience and sincere seeking.

Note: Commentary was generated by an advanced AI, utilizing a prompt that emphasized Biblical fidelity over bias. We've found these insights to be consistently reliable, yet we always encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

  • 2 Chronicles 6:26

    When the heaven is shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against thee; [yet] if they pray toward this place, and confess thy name, and turn from their sin, when thou dost afflict them;

  • 2 Chronicles 6:28

    If there be dearth in the land, if there be pestilence, if there be blasting, or mildew, locusts, or caterpillers; if their enemies besiege them in the cities of their land; whatsoever sore or whatsoever sickness [there be]:

  • Deuteronomy 11:17

    And [then] the LORD'S wrath be kindled against you, and he shut up the heaven, that there be no rain, and that the land yield not her fruit; and [lest] ye perish quickly from off the good land which the LORD giveth you.

  • Revelation 11:6

    These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.

  • Revelation 3:7

    And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;

  • 2 Samuel 24:13

    So Gad came to David, and told him, and said unto him, Shall seven years of famine come unto thee in thy land? or wilt thou flee three months before thine enemies, while they pursue thee? or that there be three days' pestilence in thy land? now advise, and see what answer I shall return to him that sent me.

  • 2 Samuel 24:15

    So the LORD sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning even to the time appointed: and there died of the people from Dan even to Beersheba seventy thousand men.

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