'Now rise up, O LORD God, and go to your resting place, you and the ark of your might. Let your priests, O LORD God, be clothed with salvation, and let your faithful ones rejoice in goodness — The prayer calls on God to rise (קוּמָה יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים אֶל־מְנוּחָתְךָ, rise, LORD, to your resting place) and settle in the newly built residence with the ark. The 'ark of might' (אֲרוֹן־עֻזְּךָ) invoked divine strength residing in the covenant symbol. Solomon petitioned that priests be 'clothed with salvation' (יִלְבְּשׁוּ־צֶדֶק, clothed with righteousness/justice) and that the faithful 'rejoice in goodness' (חסידיך בְטוּב, your faithful ones in goodness). The language of clothing and rejoicing personified the virtues: salvation becomes garment, goodness becomes cause of joy. The petition moved from the temple's establishment to the spiritual state of those who serve within it. The hope was that priests and faithful would embody the righteousness and joy appropriate to proximity with the divine.

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