1 Kings 3:7

Myles Coverdale Bible

Now LORDE my God, thou hast made thy seruaunt kynge in my father Dauids steade: As for me, I am but a small yonge man, knowynge nether my outgoynge ner ingoynge.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
“Lord my God, you have now made your servant king in my father David’s place. Yet I am just a youth with no experience in leadership.

Hebrew Names Version
Now, LORD my God, you have made your servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child; I don't know how to go out or come in.

King James Version
And now, O Lord my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in.

English Standard Version
And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in.

New Century Version
Lord my God, now you have made me, your servant, king in my father's place. But I am like a little child; I don't know how to do what must be done.

New English Translation
Now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in my father David's place, even though I am only a young man and am inexperienced.

Amplified Bible
"So now, O LORD my God, You have made Your servant king in place of David my father; and as for me, I am but a little boy [in wisdom and experience]; I do not know how to go out or come in [that is, how to conduct business as a king].

New American Standard Bible
"And now, LORD my God, You have made Your servant king in place of my father David, yet I am like a little boy; I do not know how to go out or come in.

Geneva Bible (1587)
And now, O Lord my God, thou hast made thy seruant King in steade of Dauid my father: and I am but a yong childe, and know not howe to go out and in.

Legacy Standard Bible
So now, O Yahweh my God, You have made Your slave king in place of my father David, yet I am but a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in.

Contemporary English Version
Lord God, I'm your servant, and you've made me king in my father's place. But I'm very young and know so little about being a leader.

Complete Jewish Bible
So now, Adonai my God, you have made your servant king in the place of David my father; but I am a mere child — I don't know how to lead!

Darby Translation
And now, Jehovah my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father; and I am but a little child: I know not to go out and to come in.

Easy-to-Read Version
Lord my God, you have made me the king in my father's place, but I am like a small child. I don't have the wisdom I need to do what I must do.

George Lamsa Translation
And now, O LORD God, thou hast made thy servant king in place of David my father; and I am but a little child; I know not how to go out or come in among thy people, whom thou hast chosen,

Good News Translation
O Lord God, you have let me succeed my father as king, even though I am very young and don't know how to rule.

Lexham English Bible
So then, O Yahweh, you are my God. You have made your servant king in place of David my father though I am a young boy. I do not know going out or coming in.

Literal Translation
And now, O Jehovah my God, You have caused Your servant to reign instead of my father David. And I am a little man-child; I do not know to go out and to come in.

American Standard Version
And now, O Jehovah my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child; I know not how to go out or come in.

Bible in Basic English
And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in the place of David my father; and I am only a young boy, with no knowledge of how to go out or come in.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And nowe O Lord my God, it is thou that hast made thy seruaunt king in steade of Dauid my father: And I am but young, & wote not howe to go out and in.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And now, O LORD my God, Thou hast made Thy servant king instead of David my father; and I am but a little child; I know not how to go out or come in.

King James Version (1611)
And now, O Lord my God, thou hast made thy seruant King in stead of Dauid my father: and I am but a litle childe: I know not how to goe out or come in.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And now, O Lord my God, thou hast appointed thy servant in the room of David my father; and I am a little child, and know not my going out an my coming in.

English Revised Version
And now, O LORD my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child; I know not how to go out or come in.

Berean Standard Bible
And now, O LORD my God, You have made Your servant king in my father David's place. But I am only a little child, not knowing how to go out or come in.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And now, Lord God, thou hast maad thi seruaunt to regne for Dauid, my fadir; forsothe Y am a litil child, and not knowynge myn outgoynge and entryng.

Young's Literal Translation
And now, O Jehovah my God, Thou hast caused thy servant to reign instead of David my father; and I [am] a little child, I do not know to go out and to come in;

Update Bible Version
And now, O Yahweh my God, you have made your slave king instead of David my father: and I am but a small lad; I don't know how to go out or come in.

Webster's Bible Translation
And now, O LORD my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I [am but] a little child: I know not how to go out or come in.

World English Bible
Now, Yahweh my God, you have made your servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child; I don't know how to go out or come in.

New King James Version
Now, O LORD my God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in.

New Living Translation
"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.

New Life Bible
Now, O Lord my God, You have made Your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child. I do not know how to start or finish.

New Revised Standard
And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David, although I am only a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Now, therefore, O Yahweh my God, thou, hast made thy servant king, instead of David my father, - and, I, am but a little child, I know not how to go out and come in.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And now, O Lord God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David, my father: and I am but a child, and know not how to go out and come in;

Revised Standard Version
And now, O LORD my God, thou hast made thy servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in.

THE MESSAGE
"And now here I am: God , my God, you have made me, your servant, ruler of the kingdom in place of David my father. I'm too young for this, a mere child! I don't know the ropes, hardly know the ‘ins' and ‘outs' of this job. And here I am, set down in the middle of the people you've chosen, a great people—far too many to ever count.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Now, O LORD my God, You have made Your servant king in place of my father David, yet I am but a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in.

Contextual Overview

⁵ And the LORDE appeared vnto Salomon at Gibeon in a dreame of the nighte, and God sayde: Axe what I shal geue ye. ⁶ Salomo saide: Thou hast done greate mercy vnto my father Dauid thy seruaunt. Like as he walked before the in faithfulnes and righteousnes, and in a true hert with the, & this greate mercy hast thou layed vp for him, and geuen him a sonne to syt vpon his seate, as it is now come to passe. ⁷ Now LORDE my God, thou hast made thy seruaunt kynge in my father Dauids steade: As for me, I am but a small yonge man, knowynge nether my outgoynge ner ingoynge. ⁸ And thy seruaunt is amonge the people whom thou hast chosen: which is so greate, that no man can nombre them ner descrybe them for multitude. ⁹ Geue thy seruaunt therfore an obedient hert, that he maye iudge thy people, & vnderstonde what is good & bad: for who is able to iudge this thy mightie people? ¹⁰ This pleased the LORDE well, that Salomon axed soch a peticion. ¹¹ And God sayde vnto him: For so moch as thou axest this, and desyrest not longe lyfe, nether riches, nether ye soules of thine enemies, but vnderstodinge to heare iudgment, ¹² beholde, therfore haue I done acordynge to thy wordes. Beholde, I haue geuen the an hert of wy?dome and vnderstondynge, so that soch one as thou hath not bene before the, nether shall ryse vp after the. ¹³ Yee and that thou hast not prayed for, haue I geuen the also, namely, ryches, and honoure, so that amonge the kynges in yi tyme there is not soch one as thou. ¹⁴ And yf thou wilt walke in my wayes, so that thou kepe myne ordinaunces and lawes, as Dauid thy father hath walked, then wyll I geue the a longe lyfe.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

thou hast: Daniel 2:21, Daniel 4:25, Daniel 4:32, Daniel 5:18, Daniel 5:21

a little: 1 Chronicles 29:1, Job 32:6-8, Ecclesiastes 10:16, Jeremiah 1:6, Matthew 18:3, Matthew 18:4

to go: Numbers 27:17, Deuteronomy 31:2, 1 Samuel 18:16, 2 Samuel 5:2, Psalms 121:8, John 10:3, John 10:4, John 10:9

Reciprocal: Exodus 3:11 - General Deuteronomy 1:12 - General Judges 11:11 - uttered 1 Kings 1:37 - As the 1 Kings 2:2 - and show 1 Kings 2:24 - set me 1 Chronicles 4:10 - God granted 1 Chronicles 22:5 - Solomon 2 Chronicles 1:9 - for thou hast 2 Chronicles 6:10 - I am risen 2 Chronicles 34:1 - eight years Isaiah 3:4 - children Matthew 18:2 - General Acts 1:21 - went Acts 9:28 - coming James 1:5 - any

Cross-References

Genesis 2:25
And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

Genesis 3:5
For God doth knowe, that in what daye so euer ye eate of it, youre eyes shalbe opened, and ye shalbe as God, and knowe both good and euell.

Genesis 3:10
And he saide: I herde thy voyce in the garden, and was afrayed, because I am naked, and therfore I hyd my self.

Genesis 3:11
And he sayde: who tolde the, that thou art naked? Hast thou not eaten of the tre, wherof I commaunded the, yt thou shuldest not eate?

Deuteronomy 28:34
And thou shalt be cleane besyde thy selfe for the sighte, which thine eyes shal se.

2 Kings 6:20
And whan they came to Samaria, Eliseus sayde: LORDE open these mens eyes, yt they maye se. And the LORDE opened their eyes, yt they sawe, & beholde, they were in the myddes of Samaria.

Isaiah 28:20
For ye bedde shalbe so narow yt a ma ca not lye vpon it. And the coueringe to small, that a ma maye not wynde him self therin.

Isaiah 59:6
Their webbe maketh no clothe, & they maye not couer the wt their labours. Their dedes are ye dedes of wickednes, & ye worke of robbery is in their hodes.

Luke 16:23
Now whan he was in the hell, he lift vp his eyes in the payne, and sawe Abraham afarre of, and Lazarus in his bosome:

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And now, O Lord my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father,.... Removed by death, in whose stead he reigned by the appointment of God, and through his overruling providence, notwithstanding the attempts made to prevent it, and therefore to God he ascribes it:

and I [am but] a little child; not in age and stature, but in knowledge and understanding; for though his father called him a wise man, and he was judged so by others, and really was one, yet in his own opinion and thought of himself such was his modesty and humility, that he was but a child as to his intellectual powers and capacity for government: some understand this of age; and the Jews commonly say he was but twelve years of age when he was anointed king, which they reckon thus; that he was born at the time that Ammon ravished Tamar, two years after which was Absalom's sheep shearing, when he slew Amnon, on which he fled to Geshur, and was there three years; here are five years; he returned thence and was at Jerusalem two years; lo, seven years; he rebelled and was slain, and after that there was a famine of three years, which make ten; and in the year following David numbered the people, which was nine or ten months in doing; the next year he died, which was the fortieth of his reign, in all twelve years; so reckon Jarchi and Kimchi; and Eupolemus, an Heathen writer n, is express for it, who says, that David, when he had reigned forty years, delivered up the kingdom to Solomon his son, being then twelve years of age, which he must receive from the tradition of the Jews; the same is said by several of the ancient fathers, as Ignatius o and Jerom p; but this cannot be fact; for, if so, his son Rehoboam must be born to him when he was but eleven years of age; :-; it is best therefore to interpret this of the sense he had of the weakness of his understanding, and of his incapacity for government, as the next clause explains it:

I know not [how] to go out or come in; in the administration of government, to execute his office as a king, in allusion to shepherds, as kings are sometimes called, going in and out before their sheep.

n Apud Euseb. ut supra. (Praeparat. Evangel. l. 9. c. 30, 31, 32.) o Epist. ad Magnesios, p. 141. Ed. Voss. p Epist. Rufino & Vitali, fol. 24, 25. tom. 3.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

See 1 Kings 2:2 note, and on the hyperbole contained in the phrase “little child,” compare Genesis 43:8; Exodus 33:11.

How to go out or come in - This expression is proverbial for the active conduct of affairs. (See the marginal reference.)

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Kings 3:7. I know not how to go out or come in. — I am just like an infant learning to walk alone, and can neither go out nor come in without help.