1 Kings 3:11

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 1 Kings 3:5-15

We have here an account of a gracious visit which God paid to Solomon, and the communion he had with God in it, which put a greater honour upon Solomon than all the wealth and power of his kingdom did. I. The circumstances of this visit, 1 Kgs. 3:5. 1. The place. It was in Gibeon; that was the great high place, and should have been the only one, because there the tabernacle and the brazen altar were, 2 Chron. 1:3. There Solomon offered his great sacrifices, and there God owned him more than in... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible 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: ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Kings 3:5-15

God's Gifts and Solomon's Choice. "And God said, Ask what I shall give thee," etc. "Happy Solomon!" we exclaim, as we read these words. He had all that earth could give already—youth, wealth, prosperity. glory, greatness. He stood already on the topmost pinnacle of human felicity. And now Heaven offers him his choice of blessings; now the treasure house of the infinite God is opened, and he is bidden to take what he will. Behold the favourite of Heaven! It is indeed true "there was... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Kings 3:5-16

A wise prayer. Gibeon, the scene of this incident, was one of the "high places" of the land. Worship in high places had been forbidden. Law against it not rigidly enforced until the place was chosen "where the Lord would cause his name to dwell." That Solomon's act in sacrificing at Gibeon was not condemned is proved by his being favoured with this direct Divine communication. Every scene of real worship may become the scene of special Divine manifestation. "The Lord appeared unto Solomon... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Kings 3:9-13

The wisdom of Solomon's choice. Solomon was never more kingly than when he made this choice. Subsequently he became enervated by prosperity, corrupted by heathen associations, etc; but now he ruled as a king over himself. The bright promise of life is often gradually overcast, till it ends in the gloom of a hopeless night. Examples from Scripture, e.g; Saul the King, Esau. It is well to know the kind of choice that "pleased the Lord." In Solomon's there was true wisdom, for it had... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Kings 3:11

And God said unto him. Because thou hast asked this thing and hast not asked for thyself long life [Heb. many days ] ; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life [ i.e; destruction in battle] of thine enemies [not so much personal enemies, like Hadad and Rezon, (Rawlinson) as military foes. The meaning is explained by the corresponding word, "honour" ( כָבוֹד glory ) in verse 13]; but hast asked [The word is repeated, according to Hebrew usage, now for... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - 1 Kings 3:11

Thine enemies - e. g. Hadad the Edomite 1 Kings 11:14-22 and Rezon the son of Eliadah 1 Kings 11:23-25, whom Solomon might well have wished to remove. read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - 1 Kings 3:11-12

1 Kings 3:11-12. Nor hast asked the life of thine enemies That God would take away their lives, or put it into his power to destroy them. Behold I have done according to thy word I have granted, and do at this present grant thy desire. And accordingly at this time God did infuse into him a far higher degree of wisdom than he had before possessed; and that not only to govern his people, and to know and do the several duties which he owed to God and them, but also the knowledge of divers... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - 1 Kings 3:1-28

Solomon’s wisdom (3:1-28)David’s power had come through war and conquest; Solomon’s came through clever commercial and political agreements with neighbouring countries. Solomon gave impressive public display of his loyalty to God, but he ignored God’s warnings when he saw advantages to be gained through foreign alliances. His marriage to the daughter of Pharaoh guaranteed peace for Israel in a region where Egypt was the chief power, but it probably required Solomon to pay respect to Egypt’s... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - 1 Kings 3:4-15

Solomon’s petition for Wisdom 3:4-15A tabernacle, evidently the Mosaic tabernacle, and the Mosaic tabernacle’s bronze altar still stood at Gibeon (lit. little hill; 1 Chronicles 16:39-40; 1 Chronicles 21:28-29; 2 Chronicles 1:3; 2 Chronicles 1:5-6). Gibeon was one of the so-called high places where the people offered sacrifices to Yahweh. Burnt offerings symbolized the dedication of the worshipper’s person to God (Leviticus 1). By offering 1,000 of these sacrifices Solomon was expressing his... read more

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