1 Kings 3:8

The Holy Bible, Berean Study Bible

Contextual Overview

⁵One night at Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream, and God said, "Ask, and I will give it to you!" ⁶Solomon replied, "You have shown much loving devotion to Your servant, my father David, because he walked before You in faithfulness, righteousness, and uprightness of heart. And You have maintained this loving devotion by giving him a son to sit on his throne this very day. ⁷And 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. ⁸Your servant is here among the people You have chosen, a people too numerous to count or number.⁹Therefore give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people and to discern between good and evil. For who is able to govern this great people of Yours?" ¹⁰Now it pleased the Lord that Solomon had made this request. ¹¹So God said to him, "Since you have asked for this instead of requesting long life or wealth for yourself or death for your enemies-but you have asked for discernment to administer justice- ¹²behold, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. ¹³Moreover, I will give you what you did not request-both riches and honor-so that during all your days no man in any kingdom will be your equal. ¹⁴So if you walk in My ways and keep My statutes and commandments, just as your father David did, then I will prolong your days."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

thy people: Exodus 19:5, Exodus 19:6, Deuteronomy 7:6-8, 1 Samuel 12:22, Psalms 78:71

cannot: Genesis 13:16, Genesis 15:5, Genesis 22:17, 1 Chronicles 21:2, 1 Chronicles 21:5, 1 Chronicles 21:6, 1 Chronicles 27:23, 1 Chronicles 27:24

Reciprocal: Genesis 12:2 - General Exodus 18:17 - not good 1 Kings 4:20 - as the sand 2 Kings 9:6 - over the people 2 Chronicles 1:9 - for thou hast Daniel 2:21 - he giveth

Cross-References

Genesis 3:1
Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field that the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat of any tree in the garden?'"

Genesis 3:2
The woman answered the serpent, "We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden,

Genesis 3:3
but of the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God has said, 'You must not eat of it or touch it, or you will die.'"

Genesis 3:9
So the LORD God called out to the man, "Where are you?"

Genesis 3:10
"I heard Your voice in the garden," he replied, "and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself."

Genesis 3:12
And the man answered, "The woman whom You gave me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate it."

Genesis 3:21
And the LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.

Genesis 3:22
Then the LORD God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil. And now, lest he reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever..."

Deuteronomy 4:33
Has a people ever heard the voice of God speaking out of the fire, as you have, and lived?

Deuteronomy 5:25
But now, why should we die? For this great fire will consume us, and we will die, if we hear the voice of the LORD our God any longer.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And thy servant [is] in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen,.... To be his special and peculiar people above all people on the earth; this is not to be understood locally, though Jerusalem, where his palace was, was in the middle of the land; but of the exercise of his office, he being placed over the people, and among them, and having the care and inspection of them:

a great people, that cannot be numbered and counted for multitude; being for number as the stars in the sky, and as the sand upon the seashore, as had been promised.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Compare the marginal references. Solomon regards the promises as fulfilled in the existing greatness and glory of the Jewish nation.