1 Kings 3

Solomon's Prayer for Wisdom

1 ¹Solomon made a marriage alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt. He took Pharaoh's daughter and brought her into ²the city of David until he had finished ³building his own house ⁴and the house of the LORD ⁵and the wall around Jerusalem.

2 ⁶The people were sacrificing at the high places, however, because no house had yet been built for the name of the LORD.

3 Solomon ⁷loved the LORD, ⁸walking in the statutes of David his father, only he sacrificed and made offerings at the high places.

4 And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, ⁹for that was the great high place. Solomon used to offer a thousand burnt offerings on that altar.

5 ¹⁰At Gibeon ¹¹the LORD appeared to Solomon ¹²in a dream by night, and God said, "Ask what I shall give you."

6 And Solomon said, "You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant David my father, because ¹³he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you. And you have kept for him this great and steadfast love and ¹⁴have given him a son to sit on his throne this day.

7 And now, O LORD my God, ¹⁵you have made your servant king in place of David my father, ¹⁶although I am but a little child. I do not know ¹⁷how to go out or come in.

8 ¹⁸And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, ¹⁹too many to be numbered or counted for multitude.

9 ²⁰Give your servant therefore an understanding mind ²¹to govern your people, that I may ²²discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?"

10 It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this.

11 And God said to him, "Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right,

12 behold, ²³I now do according to your word. Behold, ²⁴I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you.

13 ²⁵I give you also what you have not asked, ²⁶both riches and honor, so that no other king shall compare with you, all your days.

14 And if you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, ²⁷as your father David walked, then ²⁸I will lengthen your days."

15 And Solomon ²⁹awoke, and behold, it was a dream. Then he came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and offered up burnt offerings and peace offerings, and made a feast for all his servants.

Solomon's Wisdom

16 Then two prostitutes came to the king ³⁰and stood before him.

17 The one woman said, "Oh, my lord, this woman and I live in the same house, and I gave birth to a child while she was in the house.

18 Then on the third day after I gave birth, this woman also gave birth. And we were alone. There was no one else with us in the house; only we two were in the house.

19 And this woman's son died in the night, because she lay on him.

20 And she arose at midnight and took my son from beside me, while your servant slept, and laid him at her breast, and laid her dead son at my breast.

21 When I rose in the morning to nurse my child, behold, he was dead. But when I looked at him closely in the morning, behold, he was not the child that I had borne."

22 But the other woman said, "No, the living child is mine, and the dead child is yours." The first said, "No, the dead child is yours, and the living child is mine." Thus they spoke before the king.

23 Then the king said, "The one says, 'This is my son that is alive, and your son is dead'; and the other says, 'No; but your son is dead, and my son is the living one.'"

24 And the king said, "Bring me a sword." So a sword was brought before the king.

25 And the king said, "Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one and half to the other."

26 Then the woman whose son was alive said to the king, because ³¹her heart yearned for her son, "Oh, my lord, give her the living child, and by no means put him to death." But the other said, "He shall be neither mine nor yours; divide him."

27 Then the king answered and said, "Give the living child to the first woman, and by no means put him to death; she is his mother."

28 And all Israel heard of the judgment that the king had rendered, and they stood in awe of the king, because they perceived that ³²the wisdom of God was in him to do justice.

1 Kings 3 Commentary

Chapter 3

Solomon's marriage. (1-4) His vision, His prayer for wisdom. (5-15) The judgment of Solomon. (16-28)

Verses 1-4 He that loved the Lord, should, for his sake, have fixed his love upon one of the Lord's people. Solomon was a wise man, a rich man, a great man; yet the brightest praise of him, is that which is the character of all the saints, even the poorest, "He loved the Lord." Where God sows plentifully, he expects to reap accordingly; and those that truly love God and his worship, will not grudge the expenses of their religion. We must never think that wasted which is laid out in the service of God.

Verses 5-15 Solomon's dream was not a common one. While his bodily powers were locked up in sleep, the powers of his soul were strengthened; he was enabled to receive the Divine vision, and to make a suitable choice. God, in like manner, puts us in the ready way to be happy, by assuring us we shall have what we need, and pray for. Solomon's making such a choice when asleep, and the powers of reason least active, showed it came from the grace of God. Having a humble sense of his own wants and weakness, he pleads, Lord, I am but a little child. The more wise and considerate men are, the better acquainted they are with their own weakness, and the more jealous of themselves. Solomon begs of God to give him wisdom. We must pray for it, ( James 1:5 ) , that it may help us in our particular calling, and the various occasions we have. Those are accepted of God, who prefer spiritual blessings to earthly good. It was a prevailing prayer, and prevailed for more than he asked. God gave him wisdom, such as no other prince was ever blessed with; and also gave him riches and honour. If we make sure of wisdom and grace, these will bring outward prosperity with them, or sweeten the want of it. The way to get spiritual blessings, is to wrestle with God in prayer for them. The way to get earthly blessings, is to refer ourselves to God concerning them. Solomon has wisdom given him, because he did ask it, and wealth, because he did not.

Verses 16-28 An instance of Solomon's wisdom is given. Notice the difficulty of the case. To find out the true mother, he could not try which the child loved best, and therefore tried which loved the child best: the mother's sincerity will be tried, when the child is in danger. Let parents show their love to their children, especially by taking care of their souls, and snatching them as brands out of the burning. By this and other instances of the wisdom with which God endued him, Solomon had great reputation among his people. This was better to him than weapons of war; for this he was both feared and loved.

Cross References

• 1. 1 Kings 7:8; 1 Kings 9:16, 24; 2 Chronicles 8:11
• 2. See 1 Kings 2:10
• 3. 1 Kings 7:1
• 4. See 1 Kings 6
• 5. 1 Kings 9:15
• 6. 1 Kings 22:43; [Deuteronomy 12:2, 3]
• 7. Deuteronomy 6:5; Deuteronomy 30:16, 20; [Psalms 31:23]
• 8. ver. 6, 14
• 9. 2 Chr. 1:3, 6, 13; [1 Chronicles 16:39; 1 Chronicles 21:29]
• 10. For ver. 5-14, see 2 Chronicles 1:7-12
• 11. 1 Kings 9:2; 1 Kings 11:9
• 12. [Numbers 12:6; Matthew 1:20; Matthew 2:13, 19]
• 13. 1 Kings 2:4; 1 Kings 9:4; [Psalms 15:2]
• 14. 1 Kings 1:48
• 15. [1 Chronicles 28:5]
• 16. [1 Chronicles 29:1]
• 17. Numbers 27:17
• 18. Deuteronomy 7:6
• 19. Genesis 13:16; Genesis 15:5
• 20. [Proverbs 2:6, 9; James 1:5]
• 21. Psalms 72:1, 2
• 22. [2 Samuel 14:17; Isaiah 7:15; Hebrews 5:14]
• 23. [1 John 5:14, 15]
• 24. 1 Kings 4:29-31; 1 Kings 5:12; 1 Kings 10:23, 24; Ecclesiastes 1:16
• 25. [Matthew 6:33]
• 26. 1 Kings 4:21-24; 1 Kings 10:23, 27; [Proverbs 3:16]
• 27. ver. 6; 1 Kings 15:5
• 28. [Psalms 91:16; Proverbs 3:2]
• 29. Genesis 41:7
• 30. Numbers 27:2
• 31. Genesis 43:30; Jeremiah 31:20; [Isaiah 49:15]
• 32. ver. 9, 11, 12; [Ezra 7:25]

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO FIRST KINGS 3

This chapter relates the marriage of Solomon with Pharaoh's daughter, 1Ki 3:1; his piety and devotion, 1Ki 3:2-4; his prayer for wisdom and understanding, which was acceptable to God, who promised to grant his request, with an addition to it, 1Ki 3:5-15; an instance and proof of the wisdom given him in determining a case between two harlots brought before him, which greatly raised his reputation, and gave him reverence among his people, 1Ki 3:16-28.