New International Version“When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people,
New Living TranslationAt times I might shut up the heavens so that no rain falls, or command grasshoppers to devour your crops, or send plagues among you.
English Standard VersionWhen I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people,
Berean Standard BibleIf 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,
King James BibleIf 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;
New King James VersionWhen I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people,
New American Standard BibleIf 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 a plague among My people,
NASB 1995“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,
NASB 1977“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,
Legacy Standard BibleIf I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the grasshopper to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people,
Amplified BibleIf I shut up the heavens so that no rain falls, or if I command locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence and plague among My people,
Christian Standard BibleIf I shut the sky so there is no rain, or if I command the grasshopper to consume the land, or if I send pestilence on my people,
Holman Christian Standard BibleIf I close the sky so there is no rain, or if I command the grasshopper to consume the land, or if I send pestilence on My people,
American Standard VersionIf 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;
Contemporary English VersionSuppose I hold back the rain or send locusts to eat the crops or make my people suffer with deadly diseases.
English Revised VersionIf I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people;
GOD'S WORD® TranslationI may shut the sky so that there is no rain, or command grasshoppers to devour the countryside, or send an epidemic among my people.
Good News TranslationWhenever I hold back the rain or send locusts to eat up the crops or send an epidemic on my people,
International Standard VersionWhenever I close the skies so there is no rain, or whenever I command locusts to lay waste to the land, or whenever I send epidemics among my people,
NET BibleWhen I close up the sky so that it doesn't rain, or command locusts to devour the land's vegetation, or send a plague among my people,
New Heart English BibleIf I shut up the sky so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send a plague among my people;
Webster's Bible TranslationIf 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; Majority Text Translations Majority Standard BibleIf 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,
World English Bible“If I shut up the sky so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people, Literal Translations Literal Standard VersionIf I restrain the heavens and there is no rain, and if I lay charge on the locust to consume the land, and if I send pestilence among My people—
Young's Literal Translation If I restrain the heavens and there is no rain, and if I lay charge on the locust to consume the land, and if I send pestilence among My people --
Smith's Literal TranslationIf I shall shut up the heavens and there shall not be rain, and if I shall command upon the locust to consume the land, and if I shall send death upon my people; Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleIf I shut up heaven, and there fall no rain, or if I give orders, and command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people:
Catholic Public Domain VersionIf I close up heaven, so that no rain will fall, or if I order and instruct the locust to devour the land, or if I send a pestilence among my people,
New American BibleIf I close heaven so that there is no rain, if I command the locust to devour the land, if I send pestilence among my people,
New Revised Standard VersionWhen I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleIf I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people;
Peshitta Holy Bible TranslatedIf I shall choose, I shall restrain the Heavens and rain will not descend, and if I wish, I shall issue command over the locusts and they shall consume the land, and if I shall choose, I will stretch out slaughter among my people. OT Translations JPS Tanakh 1917If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people;
Brenton Septuagint TranslationIf I should restrain the heaven and there should be no rain, and if I should command the locust to devour the trees, and if I should send pestilence upon my people;
Additional Translations ... Audio Bible
Context The LORD's Response to Solomon… 12the LORD appeared to him at night and said to him: “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. 13IfI closethe skyso there isnorain,or ifI commandthe locustto devourthe land,or ifI senda plagueamong My people,14and if My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.…
Cross References Deuteronomy 28:23-24The sky over your head will be bronze, and the earth beneath you iron. / The LORD will turn the rain of your land into dust and powder; it will descend on you from the sky until you are destroyed.
1 Kings 8:35-36When the skies are shut and there is no rain because Your people have sinned against You, and they pray toward this place and confess Your name, and they turn from their sins because You have afflicted them, / then may You hear from heaven and forgive the sin of Your servants, Your people Israel, so that You may teach them the good way in which they should walk. May You send rain on the land that You gave Your people as an inheritance.
Amos 4:7-9“I also withheld the rain from you when the harvest was three months away. I sent rain on one city but withheld it from another. One field received rain; another without rain withered. / People staggered from city to city for water to drink, but they were not satisfied; yet you did not return to Me,” declares the LORD. / “I struck you with blight and mildew in your growing gardens and vineyards; the locust devoured your fig and olive trees, yet you did not return to Me,” declares the LORD.
Leviticus 26:19-20I will break down your stubborn pride and make your sky like iron and your land like bronze, / and your strength will be spent in vain. For your land will not yield its produce, and the trees of the land will not bear their fruit.
Joel 1:17-20The seeds lie shriveled beneath the clods; the storehouses are in ruins; the granaries are broken down, for the grain has withered away. / How the cattle groan! The herds wander in confusion because they have no pasture. Even the flocks of sheep are suffering. / To You, O LORD, I call, for fire has consumed the open pastures and flames have scorched all the trees of the field. ...
Jeremiah 14:1-6This is the word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah concerning the drought: / “Judah mourns and her gates languish. Her people wail for the land, and a cry goes up from Jerusalem. / The nobles send their servants for water; they go to the cisterns, but find no water; their jars return empty. They are ashamed and humiliated; they cover their heads. ...
Haggai 1:10-11Therefore, on account of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth has withheld its crops. / I have summoned a drought on the fields and on the mountains, on the grain, new wine, and oil, and on whatever the ground yields, on man and beast, and on all the labor of your hands.”
Isaiah 5:6I will make it a wasteland, neither pruned nor cultivated, and thorns and briers will grow up. I will command the clouds that rain shall not fall on it.”
Ezekiel 14:13-21“Son of man, if a land sins against Me by acting unfaithfully, and I stretch out My hand against it to cut off its supply of food, to send famine upon it, and to cut off from it both man and beast, / then even if these three men—Noah, Daniel, and Job—were in it, their righteousness could deliver only themselves, declares the Lord GOD. / Or if I send wild beasts through the land to leave it childless and desolate, with no man passing through it for fear of the beasts, ...
Psalm 105:16He called down famine on the land and cut off all their supplies of food.
Revelation 11:6These witnesses have power to shut the sky so that no rain will fall during the days of their prophecy, and power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they wish.
James 5:17-18Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. / Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth yielded its crops.
Luke 4:25But I tell you truthfully that there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and great famine swept over all the land.
Matthew 24:7Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.
Acts 14:17Yet He has not left Himself without testimony to His goodness: He gives you rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling your hearts with food and gladness.”
Treasury of Scripture 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 I shut up heaven 2 Chronicles 6:26-28 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; … Deuteronomy 11:17 Andthen 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; andlest ye perish quickly from off the good land which the LORD giveth you. Job 11:10 If he cut off, and shut up, or gather together, then who can hinder him? I command Exodus 10:4-6 Else, if thou refuse to let my people go, behold, to morrow will I bring the locusts into thy coast: … Psalm 105:34 He spake, and the locusts came, and caterpillers, and that without number, Joel 1:4-7 That which the palmerworm hath left hath the locust eaten; and that which the locust hath left hath the cankerworm eaten; and that which the cankerworm hath left hath the caterpiller eaten… I send Numbers 14:12 I will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of thee a greater nation and mightier than they. Numbers 16:46,47 And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a censer, and put fire therein from off the altar, and put on incense, and go quickly unto the congregation, and make an atonement for them: for there is wrath gone out from the LORD; the plague is begun… 2 Samuel 24:13-15 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… Jump to Previous ChargeCommandConsumeDestructionDevourDiseaseHeavenHeavensLocustPestilencePlagueRainRestrainShutSkyWordJump to Next ChargeCommandConsumeDestructionDevourDiseaseHeavenHeavensLocustPestilencePlagueRainRestrainShutSkyWord2 Chronicles 7 1.God having given testimony to Solomon's prayer by fire from heaven,2.and glory in the temple, the people worship him4.Solomon's solemn sacrifice8.Solomon having kept the feasts of tabernacles and dedication, dismisses the people12.God appearing to Solomon, gives him promises upon conditionIf I close the sky so there is no rainThis phrase reflects God's sovereignty over nature and His ability to control the weather as a means of judgment or blessing. In the ancient Near East, rain was crucial for agriculture and survival, making it a powerful symbol of God's provision or displeasure. The withholding of rain is a recurring theme in the Bible, often associated with divine judgment for disobedience ( Deuteronomy 11:16-17, 1 Kings 17:1). The lack of rain would lead to drought, famine, and economic hardship, emphasizing the dependence of the people on God's favor. or if I command the locust to devour the land
Locusts were one of the most feared natural disasters in the ancient world due to their ability to destroy crops and cause widespread famine. This phrase indicates God's control over even the smallest creatures to execute His will. The imagery of locusts is used elsewhere in Scripture to symbolize judgment and devastation (Exodus 10:12-15,Joel 1:4). The locust plague in Egypt was one of the ten plagues that demonstrated God's power over the gods of Egypt and His ability to protect His people. or if I send a plague among My people
Plagues were often seen as direct interventions by God to punish or purify His people. This phrase underscores the idea that God uses various means to bring His people back to repentance and reliance on Him. Plagues are mentioned throughout the Bible as instruments of divine judgment (Exodus 9:14,Numbers 16:46-50). They serve as a reminder of the consequences of sin and the need for repentance. The concept of plagues also foreshadows the ultimate judgment and redemption through Jesus Christ, who bore the ultimate plague of sin on the cross for humanity's salvation. Persons / Places / Events 1. SolomonThe king of Israel who built the temple in Jerusalem. This verse is part of God's response to Solomon's prayer of dedication for the temple. 2. The Temple in JerusalemThe central place of worship for the Israelites, symbolizing God's presence among His people. 3. The IsraelitesGod's chosen people, to whom this message is directly addressed. 4. HeavenRefers to the sky or the divine realm from which God can withhold rain. 5. Locusts and PlaguesNatural disasters used as instruments of divine judgment or correction. Teaching Points Divine SovereigntyGod is sovereign over nature and uses it to communicate with His people. Recognize His authority in all circumstances. Call to RepentanceDisasters can be a call to examine our lives and turn back to God. Reflect on personal and communal areas needing repentance. Covenant RelationshipThe conditions mentioned are part of the covenant relationship between God and His people. Understand the importance of faithfulness in this relationship. Prayer and IntercessionJust as Solomon interceded for Israel, believers are called to pray for their communities, especially in times of crisis. God's FaithfulnessDespite judgment, God remains faithful and offers restoration when His people return to Him. Trust in His promises and mercy. Bible Study Questions and Answers 1.What is the meaning of 2 Chronicles 7:13?
2.How does 2 Chronicles 7:13 illustrate God's response to disobedience and sin?
3.What actions does God take in 2 Chronicles 7:13 to discipline His people?
4.How can we connect 2 Chronicles 7:13 with God's covenant promises in Deuteronomy?
5.How should believers respond when facing trials similar to those in 2 Chronicles 7:13?
6.What role does prayer play in seeking restoration as implied in 2 Chronicles 7:13?
7.How does 2 Chronicles 7:13 relate to God's sovereignty over natural disasters and human affairs?
8.Why would God choose to send drought, locusts, or plague as described in 2 Chronicles 7:13?
9.What historical events might 2 Chronicles 7:13 be referencing or predicting?
10.What are the top 10 Lessons from 2 Chronicles 7?
11.What does the Bible say about pandemic diseases?
12.Does Joel 1:5’s emphasis on drunkards mourning align with other biblical calls to repentance, or is this focus unique and contradictory?
13.What does "restore the years" mean in Joel 2:25?
14.Why do plagues and pandemics affect religious believers and non-believers alike?What Does 2 Chronicles 7:13 Mean If I close the sky so there is no rain• God Himself is the active subject: “I close.” Scripture consistently presents drought as a divine response to covenant unfaithfulness.Deuteronomy 11:16-17 warns, “If you turn aside … then the LORD’s anger will burn against you, and He will shut the heavens so that there will be no rain.” • The promise at the temple dedication links directly to Solomon’s earlier prayer, “When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against You…” (1 Kings 8:35-36). God now affirms He will literally do what Solomon named. • Drought was meant to arrest the people’s attention: Elijah proclaimed, “As surely as the LORD … lives, there will be neither dew nor rain” (1 Kings 17:1), a three-and-a-half-year famineJames 5:17 recalls. When skies close, God is calling His people back, not merely punishing.
If I command the locust to devour the land• “Command” shows locusts are not random pests; they serve the King of creation.Exodus 10:4-5 records God telling Pharaoh, “Tomorrow I will bring locusts into your territory.” • Locust swarms annihilated crops, threatening Israel’s covenant blessings tied to the land (Deuteronomy 28:38). The prophet Joel later echoed this verse: “What the gnawing locust has left, the swarming locust has eaten” (Joel 1:4). • By listing locusts, God reminds Israel of past deliverance from Egypt and warns that the same power that redeemed them can discipline them (Amos 4:9). The goal again is repentance leading to restored abundance (Joel 2:25-27).
If I send a plague among My people• “Plague” (or pestilence) is the most personal of the three judgments; it strikes bodies, not just fields or skies. The Lord stopped a rebellious census with a plague in2 Samuel 24:15-16. •Numbers 16:46-48 portrays Aaron standing “between the living and the dead” to halt a plague, foreshadowing the mediating work God desires—intercession and atonement. • God’s willingness to call it “My people” even while sending pestilence underscores covenant love. The plague is corrective, not destructive.1 Chronicles 21:13 captures the heart response He seeks: “Let me fall into the hands of the LORD, for His mercies are very great.”
summary2 Chronicles 7:13 declares that drought, locusts, and plague are sovereign tools God may literally employ to awaken His covenant people when they drift into sin. Each judgment targets a different facet of life—sky, soil, and body—revealing how completely the Creator oversees creation. Yet in the very next verse He offers the remedy: humble repentance, prayer, seeking His face, and turning from wicked ways (7:14). God’s discipline is real, but always aims at restoration, reminding His people that obedience brings blessing, while disobedience invites His loving, corrective hand. (13) If I shut up heaven that there be no rain.-- Deuteronomy 11:17; 2Chronicles 6:26. If.--H?n, as inJeremiah 3:1;Isaiah 54:15. The locusts.--H?g?b, a winged and edible species (Leviticus 11:22). In2Chronicles 6:28, two other kinds, the'arbeh andh?sil, were mentioned. . . . Verses 13-15. - These three verses (the counterparts of 2 Chronicles 6:26, 28, 40) are not in the parallel. Although we can scarcely trace the principle of their selection from the seven parts of the prayer, they would seem to have been selected from the original work, as samples of a reply which presumably embraced reference to all the seven. When, in ver. 14, it is said, I will heal their land, the telling expression, according to the Authorized Version, must be understood to refer to the removing of drought by rain. On the other hand, the Authorized Version is, in ver. 15, unfortunate in the unnecessary and misleading insertion of the italics found there, and in the use of the preposition "in" for of, the simple case construct, which is manifestly what is wanted and intended. It was not absolutely essential that prayer should be made in the place. How many references there are to prayer being made from a distance toward the place!
Parallel Commentaries ...
Hebrew Ifהֵ֣ן(hên)Interjection
Strong's 2005:Lo! behold!I closeאֶֽעֱצֹ֤ר(’e·‘ĕ·ṣōr)Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 6113:To inclose, to hold back, to maintain, rule, assemblethe skyהַשָּׁמַ֙יִם֙(haš·šā·ma·yim)Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 8064:Heaven, skyso there isיִהְיֶ֣ה(yih·yeh)Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1961:To fall out, come to pass, become, benoוְלֹֽא־(wə·lō-)Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808:Not, norain,מָטָ֔ר(mā·ṭār)Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4306:Rainor ifוְהֵן־(wə·hên-)Conjunctive waw | Interjection
Strong's 2005:Lo! behold!I commandאֲצַוֶּ֥ה(’ă·ṣaw·weh)Verb - Piel - Imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 6680:To lay charge (upon), give charge (to), command, orderthe locustחָגָ֖ב(ḥā·ḡāḇ)Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2284:Locust, grasshopperto devourלֶאֱכ֣וֹל(le·’ĕ·ḵō·wl)Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 398:To eatthe land,הָאָ֑רֶץ(hā·’ā·reṣ)Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 776:Earth, landor ifוְאִם־(wə·’im-)Conjunctive waw | Conjunction
Strong's 518:Lo!, whether?, if, although, Oh that!, when, notI sendאֲשַׁלַּ֥ח(’ă·šal·laḥ)Verb - Piel - Imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 7971:To send away, for, outa plagueדֶּ֖בֶר(de·ḇer)Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1698:A pestilenceamong My people,בְּעַמִּֽי׃(bə·‘am·mî)Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 5971:A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock
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OT History: 2 Chronicles 7:13 If I shut up the sky so (2 Chron. 2Ch iiCh ii ch 2 chr 2chr) |
