Solomon was standing in front of the altar at the dedication of the Temple. His prayer of dedication recalled God's covenant commitment and love for the people of Israel. Solomon realised that nothing could contain God - not heaven, nor earth, nor even the Temple that was built in God's honour. God was too great to be contained anywhere. Solomon pleaded with God to hear the people's prayers when they prayed facing the Temple. Many Jewish people still pray facing the direction of Jerusalem.

The Pharisees and Scribes questioned Jesus about why his disciples were eating without following the cleansing rituals. Jesus quoted Isaiah (Is 29:13) accusing them of teaching human rules as doctrine. To illustrate what he meant, Jesus used the example of setting aside a large sum of money for the Temple and using that as an excuse that they couldn't afford to look after their parents (Deut. 5:16). To care for one's parents was a commandment of God that many had set aside to follow a human tradition.