1 Kings 3 Footnotes

3:2 “High places,” the traditional place for sacrifice among the Canaanites, were not limited to the heights, but these open-air sanctuaries were also found in towns and villages. Another translation might be “country shrines.”

3:16-28 Second Ch 1 omits this story of Solomon’s wisdom in solving the case of the identity of a baby. While the writer of 1 Kings used secular events to illustrate Solomon’s greatness, the writer of the books of Chronicles used the building and furnishing of the temple to define Solomon’s greatness. These two visions of Solomon’s greatness are not incompatible or contradictory, but they emphasize different aspects of the king. The author intended to contrast Solomon’s wisdom at the beginning of his reign with his fall from wisdom during his latter years.