1 Kings 3:11

11 And God said to him, "Because you have asked this thing and you did not ask for yourself {a long life} 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};

1 Kings 3:11 Meaning and Commentary

1 Kings 3:11

And God said unto him
Being yet in a dream:

because thou hast asked this thing;
wisdom for government:

and hast not asked for thyself long life;
which is naturally desired by men, and always reckoned a great temporal blessing, and especially to be wished for by a king living in great pomp and splendour:

neither hast asked riches for thyself;
to support his grandeur; for though David his father had left him much, yet not for himself, but for the building of the temple:

nor hast asked the life of thine enemies;
victory over them, and to have it in his power to take away their lives when he pleased; which kings, and especially tyrants, are desirous of, such as are ambitious, haughty, and revengeful:

but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment;
where the right of a cause lay, that so he might make a right judgment of it, and pass a righteous sentence, a sentence not to the injury of any.

1 Kings 3:11 In-Context

9 Give 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?"

10 The word was good in the eyes of [the] Lord that Solomon had asked this thing.

11 And God said to him, "Because you have asked this thing and you did not ask for yourself {a long life} 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};

12 behold, 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.

13 Too, 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.

Footnotes

• [a]. Literally "many days"
• [b]. Literally "understanding to hear judgment"