1 Kings 3:1-10

Context

The Lord Gives Solomon Wisdom

3:1 Solomon made an alliance by marriage with Pharaoh, king of Egypt; he married Pharaoh’s daughter. He brought her to the City of David¹ until he could finish building his residence and the temple of the Lord and the wall around Jerusalem.² 3:2 Now the people were offering sacrifices at the high places,³ because in those days a temple had not yet been built to honor the Lord.⁴ 3:3 Solomon demonstrated his loyalty to the Lord by following⁵ the practices⁶ of his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places.

3:4 The king went to Gibeon to offer sacrifices, for it had the most prominent of the high places.⁷ Solomon would offer up⁸ a thousand burnt sacrifices on the altar there. 3:5 One night in Gibeon the Lord appeared⁹ to Solomon in a dream. God said, “Tell¹⁰ me what I should give you.” 3:6 Solomon replied, “You demonstrated¹¹ great loyalty to your servant, my father David, as he served¹² you faithfully, properly, and sincerely.¹³ You have maintained this great loyalty to this day by allowing his son to sit on his throne.¹⁴ 3:7 Now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in my father David’s place, even though I am only a young man and am inexperienced.¹⁵ 3:8 Your servant stands¹⁶ among your chosen people;¹⁷ they are a great nation that is too numerous to count or number. 3:9 So give your servant a discerning mind¹⁸ so he can make judicial decisions for¹⁹ your people and distinguish right from wrong.²⁰ Otherwise²¹ no one is able²² to make judicial decisions for²³ this great nation of yours.”²⁴ 3:10 The Lord²⁵ was pleased that Solomon made this request.²⁶

[3:1] ¹sn The phrase City of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.

[3:1] ²map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[3:2] ³sn Offering sacrifices at the high places. The “high places” were places of worship that were naturally or artificially elevated.

[3:2] ⁴tn Heb “for the name of the Lord.” The word “name” sometimes refers to one’s reputation or honor (thus the translation here, “to honor the Lord”). The “name” of the Lord sometimes designates the Lord himself, being indistinguishable from the proper name.

[3:3] ⁵tn Heb “Solomon loved the Lord by walking in.”

[3:3] ⁶tn Or “policies, rules.”

[3:4] ⁷tn Heb “for it was the great high place.”

[3:4] ⁸tn The verb form is an imperfect, which is probably used here in a customary sense to indicate continued or repeated action in past time. See GKC 314 §107.b.

[3:5] ⁹tn Or “revealed himself.”

[3:5] ¹⁰tn Heb “ask.”

[3:6] ¹¹tn Heb “did.”

[3:6] ¹²tn Heb “walked before.”

[3:6] ¹³tn Heb “in faithfulness and in innocence and in uprightness of heart with you.”

[3:6] ¹⁴tn Heb “and you have kept to him this great loyalty and you gave to him a son [who] sits on his throne as this day.”

[3:7] ¹⁵tn Heb “and I do not know going out or coming in.”

[3:8] ¹⁶tn There is no verb expressed in the Hebrew text; “stands” is supplied in the translation for clarification.

[3:8] ¹⁷tn Heb “your people whom you have chosen.”

[3:9] ¹⁸tn Heb “a hearing heart.” (The Hebrew term translated “heart” often refers to the mental faculties.)

[3:9] ¹⁹tn Heb “to judge.”

[3:9] ²⁰tn Heb “to understand between good and evil.”

[3:9] ²¹tn Heb “for”; the word “otherwise” is used to reflect the logical sense of the statement.

[3:9] ²²tn Heb “who is able?” The rhetorical question anticipates the answer, “no one.”

[3:9] ²³tn Heb “to judge.”

[3:9] ²⁴tn Heb “your numerous people.”

[3:10] ²⁵tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here and in v.15 is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

[3:10] ²⁶tn Heb “And the thing was good in the eyes of the Lord, for Solomon asked for this thing.”