1 Kings 3
3
Solomon Asks for Wisdom
1Then Solomon made an alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt by marriage, taking Pharaoh’s daughter, and bringing her to the city of David, until he finished building his own house, the House of Adonai, and the wall around Jerusalem.
2The people, however, were still sacrificing on the high places, because there was no House built for the Name of Adonai until those days.
3Now Solomon loved Adonai, walking in the statutes of his father David, except he kept sacrificing and burning incense on the high places.
4So the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place. Upon this very altar Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings.
5At Gibeon Adonai appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said: “Ask for what should I give you?”
6Solomon said: “You have shown my father Your servant David great lovingkindness, as he walked before You in truth, righteousness and uprightness of heart toward You. Indeed, You have kept this great lovingkindness for him by giving him a son to sit on his throne, as it is today.
7So now, Adonai my God, You have made Your servant king in my father David’s place. I am but a youth. I don’t know how to go out or come in.
8Your servant is amid Your people, whom You have chosen—a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted.
9So give Your servant a mind of understanding to judge Your people, to discern between good and evil—for who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”
10Now it was pleasing in the eyes of Adonai that Solomon requested this thing.
11So God said to him: “Because you asked for this thing—and have not asked for yourself long life, nor asked for yourself riches, nor asked for the life of your enemies, but asked for yourself understanding to discern justice—
12behold, I have done according to your words. I have given you a wise and discerning mind, so that there has been none like you before you, nor shall anyone like you arise after you.
13Moreover I have also given you what you did not request—both riches and honor—so that no one among the kings will be like you all your days.
14Furthermore, if you walk in My ways, keeping My statutes and My commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.”
15Then Solomon awoke and took note of the dream. So he went to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and offered up burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then he made a feast for all his courtiers.
Judging Between Two Women
16Later two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him.
17One woman said: “My lord, please! This woman and I live in the same house, and I delivered a child while she was in the house.
18On the third day after I gave birth, this woman also gave birth to a child. While we were together with no one else with us in the house, just the two of us in the house,
19this woman’s child died during the night, because she lay on top of him.
20Then she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while your handmaid was asleep. She laid him at her breast and laid her dead child at my breast.
21When I rose in the morning to nurse my child, he had just died! But when I looked at him closely in the morning, I realized that he was not the son I had borne!”
22But the other woman said, “No! For the living one is my son, and the dead one is your son!” But the first woman said, “No! The dead one is your son and the living one is my son!” Thus they spoke before the king.
23Then said the king: “The one says, ‘This is my son who is living, and your son is the dead,’ while the other says, ‘No, but your son is the dead one and my son is the living one.’”
24Then the king said: “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a sword before the king.
25Then the king said: “Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one and half to the other.”
26Then the woman whose son was the living one spoke up to the king—for her heart grew tender for her son—and said, “My lord, please! Give her the living child! Only don’t kill him!” But the other said, “It will be neither mine nor yours! Cut it in two!”
27Then the king responded by saying, “Give her the living child and certainly don’t kill him. She is the mother.”
28When all Israel heard of the verdict that the king had given, they were in awe of the king. For they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to administer justice.
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Copyright © 2014 - Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society
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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