1 Kings 3:5

5 That night the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream, and God said, “What do you want? Ask, and I will give it to you!”

1 Kings 3:5 Meaning and Commentary

1 Kings 3:5

In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night,
&c.] This was not a common natural dream, but an extraordinary, divine, and supernatural one, a prophetic dream, a night vision, such as God used to speak in to his prophets; in which he had the full use of his reasoning powers, was under divine impressions, and in a spiritual frame of mind, and in the exercise of grace; it was not a mere dream that the Lord did appear to him, but he really did appear to him while sleeping and dreaming, by some display of his glory in some way or another:

and God said, ask what I shall give thee;
he did not hereby dream that God said to him, but he really did say this; bid him ask what he would and it should be given him; he knew what he designed to give, but he would have it asked of him, as he will be inquired of by all his people to do that for them which he has intended and provided for them; and it is encouragement enough for them to ask, since he has promised to give.

1 Kings 3:5 In-Context

3 Solomon loved the LORD and followed all the decrees of his father, David, except that Solomon, too, offered sacrifices and burned incense at the local places of worship.

4 The most important of these places of worship was at Gibeon, so the king went there and sacrificed 1,000 burnt offerings.

5 That night the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream, and God said, “What do you want? Ask, and I will give it to you!”

6 Solomon replied, “You showed great and faithful love to your servant my father, David, because he was honest and true and faithful to you. And you have continued to show this great and faithful love to him today by giving him a son to sit on his throne.

7 “Now, O LORD my God, you have made me king instead of my father, David, but I am like a little child who doesn’t know his way around.