2 Chronicles 1:3-13

3 And Solomon, and all the assembly with him, went to ¹the high place that was at Gibeon, ²for ³the tent of meeting of God, which Moses the servant of the LORD had made in the wilderness, was there.

4 ⁴(But David had brought up the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim to the place that David had prepared for it, for he had pitched a tent for it in Jerusalem.)

5 Moreover, ⁵the bronze altar that ⁶Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, had made, was there before the tabernacle of the LORD. And Solomon and the assembly ⁷sought it^[a] out.

6 And Solomon went up there to the bronze altar before the LORD, which was at the tent of meeting, ⁸and offered a thousand burnt offerings on it.

Solomon Prays for Wisdom

7 ⁹In that night God appeared to Solomon, and said to him, "Ask what I shall give you."

8 And Solomon said to God, "You have shown great and steadfast love to David my father, ¹⁰and have made me king in his place.

9 O LORD God, ¹¹let your word to David my father be now fulfilled, for you have made me king over a people as numerous ¹²as the dust of the earth.

10 Give me now wisdom and knowledge to ¹³go out and come in before this people, for who can govern this people of yours, which is so great?"

11 God answered Solomon, "Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked ¹⁴possessions, wealth, honor, or the life of those who hate you, and have not even asked long life, but have asked wisdom and knowledge for yourself that you may govern my people over whom I have made you king,

12 wisdom and knowledge are granted to you. I will also give you ¹⁵riches, possessions, and honor, ¹⁶such as none of the kings had who were before you, and none after you shall have the like."

13 So Solomon came from^[b] the ¹⁷high place at Gibeon, from before ¹⁸the tent of meeting, to Jerusalem. And he reigned over Israel.

2 Chronicles 1:3-13 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO SECOND CHRONICLES

This, and the preceding, were but one book originally, but divided into two because of the size of it, so that this is only a continuation of the former history; that ends at the death of David; this begins with the reign of Solomon, goes through that, and the reigns of all the kings of the house of David; of the kings of Judah only, after the separation of the ten tribes, quite down to the captivity of Judah in Babylon, and reaches to the deliverance of the Jews from thence by Cyrus, and contains an history of four hundred and seventy nine years. It treats not at all of the kings of Israel, after the separation, only of the kings of Judah, through whom the line of the Messiah was drawn; and though it omits several things recorded of them in the book of Kings, yet it gives abundance of anecdotes not to be met with there, which are of great use and advantage in history to know.

\\INTRODUCTION TO 2 CHRONICLES 1\\

This chapter relates, how that Solomon being confirmed in his kingdom, went to Gibeon to sacrifice 2Ch 1:1-6, that the Lord appeared there to him, and what passed between them, 2Ch 1:7-10 and that when he returned from thence to Jerusalem, he increased in splendour, wealth, and riches, 2Ch 1:13-17.

Cross References

• 1. See 1 Kings 3:4
• 2. 1 Chronicles 16:39; 1 Chronicles 21:29
• 3. Exodus 29:10; Leviticus 10:7; Numbers 14:10
• 4. See 2 Samuel 6:2-17; 1 Chr. 15:25 - 16:1
• 5. Exodus 27:1, 2; Exodus 38:1, 2
• 6. Exodus 31:2
• 7. [1 Chronicles 13:3]
• 8. 1 Kings 3:4
• 9. For ver. 7-12, see 1 Kings 3:5-14
• 10. 1 Chronicles 28:5
• 11. 2 Chronicles 6:17; 1 Kings 8:26
• 12. Genesis 13:16
• 13. [Numbers 27:17; Deuteronomy 31:2]
• 14. Ecclesiastes 5:19; Ecclesiastes 6:2
• 15. [See ver. 11 above]
• 16. 2 Chronicles 9:22; [1 Chronicles 29:25]
• 17. See 1 Kings 3:4
• 18. ver. 3

Footnotes

• [a]. Or him
• [b]. Septuagint, Vulgate; Hebrew to