Albert Barnes Commentary 1 Kings 8:47

"yet if they shall bethink themselves in the land whither they are carried captive, and turn again, and make supplication unto thee in the land of them that carried them captive, saying, We have sinned, and have done perversely, we have dealt wickedly;" — 1 Kings 8:47 (ASV)

Bethink themselves — This phrase literally means to reflect or consider seriously, as noted in the margin .

Sinned, done perversely, committed wickedness — These words seem to have become the standard formula for expressing contrition by the time of the captivity, when the Israelites were forcibly removed to Babylon (as a marginal reference indicates). The three expressions are thought to form a climax, rising from negative to positive guilt, and from mere wrongful acts to the depravation of the moral character.