1 Kings 3
3
The Lord Gives Solomon Wisdom
1 Solomon made an alliance by marriage with Pharaoh, king of Egypt; he married Pharaoh’s daughter. He brought her to the City of David#sn The phrase City of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7. until he could finish building his residence and the temple of the Lord and the wall around Jerusalem.#map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4. 2 Now the people were offering sacrifices at the high places,#sn Offering sacrifices at the high places. The “high places” were places of worship that were naturally or artificially elevated. because in those days a temple had not yet been built to honor the Lord.#tn 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 Solomon demonstrated his loyalty to the Lord by following#tn Heb “Solomon loved the Lord by walking in.” the practices#tn Or “policies, rules.” of his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places.
4 The king went to Gibeon to offer sacrifices, for it had the most prominent of the high places.#tn Heb “for it was the great high place.” Solomon would offer up#tn 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. a thousand burnt sacrifices on the altar there. 5 One night in Gibeon the Lord appeared#tn Or “revealed himself.” to Solomon in a dream. God said, “Tell#tn Heb “ask.” me what I should give you.” 6 Solomon replied, “You demonstrated#tn Heb “did.” great loyalty to your servant, my father David, as he served#tn Heb “walked before.” you faithfully, properly, and sincerely.#tn Heb “in faithfulness and in innocence and in uprightness of heart with you.” You have maintained this great loyalty to this day by allowing his son to sit on his throne.#tn 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.” 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.#tn Heb “and I do not know going out or coming in.” 8 Your servant stands#tn There is no verb expressed in the Hebrew text; “stands” is supplied in the translation for clarification. among your chosen people;#tn Heb “your people whom you have chosen.” they are a great nation that is too numerous to count or number. 9 So give your servant a discerning mind#tn Heb “a hearing heart.” (The Hebrew term translated “heart” often refers to the mental faculties.) so he can make judicial decisions for#tn Heb “to judge.” your people and distinguish right from wrong.#tn Heb “to understand between good and evil.” Otherwise#tn Heb “for”; the word “otherwise” is used to reflect the logical sense of the statement. no one is able#tn Heb “who is able?” The rhetorical question anticipates the answer, “no one.” to make judicial decisions for#tn Heb “to judge.” this great nation of yours.”#tn Heb “your numerous people.” 10 The Lord#tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here and in v.15 is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay). was pleased that Solomon made this request.#tn Heb “And the thing was good in the eyes of the Lord, for Solomon asked for this thing.” 11 God said to him, “Because you asked for the ability to make wise judicial decisions, and not for long life, or riches, or vengeance on your enemies,#tn Heb “because you asked for this thing, and did not ask for yourself many days and did not ask for yourself riches and did not ask for the life of your enemies, but you asked for yourself understanding to hear judgment.” 12 I#tn This statement is introduced in the Hebrew text by the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) which draws attention to and emphasizes what follows. grant your request,#tn Heb “I am doing according to your words.” The perfect tense is sometimes used of actions occurring at the same time a statement is made. and give#tn This statement is introduced by the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) which draws attention to and emphasizes what follows. The translation assumes that the perfect tense here indicates that the action occurs as the statement is made (i.e., “right now I give you”). you a wise and discerning mind#tn Heb “heart.” (The Hebrew term translated “heart” often refers to the mental faculties.) superior to that of anyone who has preceded or will succeed you.#tn Heb “so that there has not been one like you prior to you, and after you one will not arise like you.” 13 Furthermore, I am giving#tn The translation assumes that the perfect tense here indicates that the action occurs as the statement is made. you what you did not request – riches and honor so that you will be the greatest king of your generation.#tn Heb “so that there is not one among the kings like you all your days.” The LXX lacks the words “all your days.” 14 If you follow my instructions#tn Heb “walk in my ways.” by obeying#tn Or “keeping.” my rules and regulations, just as your father David did,#tn Heb “walked.” then I will grant you long life.”#tn Heb “I will lengthen your days.” 15 Solomon then woke up and realized it was a dream.#tn Heb “and look, a dream.” He went to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the Lord’s covenant, offered up burnt sacrifices, presented peace offerings,#tn Or “tokens of peace”; NIV, TEV “fellowship offerings.” and held a feast for all his servants.
Solomon Demonstrates His Wisdom
16 Then two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. 17 One of the women said, “My master, this woman and I live in the same house. I had a baby while she was with me in the house. 18 Then three days after I had my baby, this woman also had a baby. We were alone; there was no one else in the house except the two of us.#sn There was no one else in the house except the two of us. In other words, there were no other witnesses to the births who could identify which child belonged to which mother. 19 This woman’s child suffocated#tn Heb “died.” during the night when she rolled#tn Heb “lay, slept.” on top of him. 20 She got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side, while your servant was sleeping. She put him in her arms, and put her dead son in my arms. 21 I got up in the morning to nurse my son, and there he was,#tn Heb “look.” dead! But when I examined him carefully in the morning, I realized it was not my baby.”#tn Heb “look, it was not my son to whom I had given birth.” 22 The other woman said, “No! My son is alive; your son is dead!” But the first woman replied, “No, your son is dead; my son is alive.” Each presented her case before the king.#tn Heb “they spoke before the king.” Another option is to translate, “they argued before the king.”
23 The king said, “One says, ‘My son is alive; your son is dead,’ while the other says, ‘No, your son is dead; my son is alive.’” 24 The king ordered, “Get me a sword!” So they placed a sword before the king. 25 The king then said, “Cut the living child in two, and give half to one and half to the other!” 26 The real mother#tn Heb “the woman whose son was alive.” spoke up to the king, for her motherly instincts were aroused.#tn Heb “for her compassions grew warm for her son.” She said, “My master, give her the living child! Whatever you do, don’t kill him!”#tn The infinitive absolute before the negated jussive emphasizes the main verb. But the other woman said, “Neither one of us will have him! Let them cut him in two!” 27 The king responded, “Give the first woman the living child; don’t kill him. She is the mother.” 28 When all Israel heard about the judicial decision which the king had rendered, they respected#tn Heb “feared,” perhaps in the sense, “stood in awe of.” the king, for they realized#tn Heb “saw.” that he possessed supernatural wisdom#tn Heb “the wisdom of God within him.” to make judicial decisions.
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1 Kings 3
3
Solomon’s Walk with Yahweh
1Solomon intermarried with Pharaoh the king of Egypt, and he took the daughter of Pharaoh and brought her to the city of David until he finished building his house, the house of Yahweh, and the walls of Jerusalem all around. 2But the people were sacrificing on the high places, for the house for the name of Yahweh had not yet been built in those days. 3Solomon loved Yahweh, by walking in the statutes of David his father; only he was sacrificing and offering incense on the high places. 4So the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice, for the great high place was there. Solomon used to offer a thousand burnt offerings on that altar.
Solomon’s Request for Wisdom
5Yahweh appeared to Solomon at Gibeon in a dream at night, and God said, “Ask what I should give to you.” 6Then Solomon said, “You have shown great loyal love with your servant David my father, as he walked before you in faithfulness and in righteousness and in uprightness of heart with you. You have shown for him this great loyal love, and you have given a son to him who is sitting on his throne as it is this day. 7So then, O Yahweh, you are my God. You have made your servant king in place of David my father though I am a young boy. I do not know going out or coming in. 8Your servant is in the middle of your people whom you have chosen; a great people who cannot be counted or numbered because of abundance. 9Give to your servant a listening heart to judge your people, to discern between good and bad, because who is able to judge this, your difficult people?”
10The word was good in the eyes of the Lord that Solomon had asked this thing. 11And God said to him, “Because you have asked this thing and you did not ask for yourself a long life#Literally “many days” and you did not ask riches for yourself and you did not ask for the life of your enemies, but you have asked for yourself the ability to make wise judgments;#Literally “understanding to hear judgment” 12behold, I do hereby do according to your word. I hereby give you a wise and discerning heart; there was no one like you before you, nor afterwards will one like you arise. 13Too, what you have not asked I give to you: both riches and honor, so that no man among the kings will be like you all of your days. 14If you will walk in my ways by keeping my statutes and my commandments, as David your father walked, then I will lengthen your days.” 15Then Solomon awoke, and look, it was a dream, and he came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and he offered burnt offerings and presented fellowship offerings, and he held a feast for all of his servants.
Solomon’s Wisdom Tested: The Two Prostitutes
16Then two prostitutes came to the king, and they stood before him. 17The one woman said, “Please my lord, I and this woman are living in one house, and I gave birth, with her in the house. 18It happened on the third day after my giving birth, this woman also gave birth, and we were together. There was not anyone with us in the house, only the two of us were in the house. 19Then the son of this woman died in the night because she laid on him. 20So she got up in the middle of the night, and she took my son from beside me while your servant was asleep, and she put him in her lap, and she put her dead son in my lap. 21When I got up in the morning to nurse my son, behold, he was dead! When I looked closely at him in the morning, behold, it was not my son whom I had borne.” 22Then the other woman said, “No, for my son is the living one, and your son is the dead one.” The other kept on saying, “No, for your son is the dead one, and my son is the living one,” and so they argued in front of the king. 23Then the king said, “This one is saying, ‘This is my son, the living one, but your son is the dead one,’ and the other one keeps saying, ‘But no! Your son is the dead one, and my son is living!’ ” 24So the king said, “Bring me a sword,” and they brought the sword before the king. 25Then the king said, “Divide the living child into two, and give half to the one and half to the other.” 26Then the woman whose son was the living one spoke to the king because her compassion was aroused for her son, and she said, “Please, my lord, give her the living child, but certainly do not kill him!” The other one was saying, “As for me, so for you! Divide him!” 27Then the king answered and said, “Give the living child to her, and do not kill him; she is his mother.” 28When all of Israel heard the judgment that the king had rendered, they stood in awe#Literally “feared the face” of the king, because they realized that the wisdom of God was in him to execute justice.
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