1 Kings 3: Solomon asks Yahweh for wisdom, and the two women and the child

In plain English: Solomon became son-in-law to (this Bible: made a marriage alliance with) Pharaoh king of Egypt. He took Pharaoh's daughter and brought her into the City of David, until he had finished building his own house, Yahweh's house, and the wall all around Jerusalem.

The Hebrew word: "Made a marriage alliance" is chathan, which the dictionary gives as "to give (a daughter) away in marriage; hence (generally) to contract affinity by marriage": to become a son-in-law.

Good to know: The text does not name this Pharaoh. Later it says that Pharaoh took Gezer "and given it for a wedding gift to his daughter, Solomon's wife" (9:16), and that Solomon "loved many foreign women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh" (11:1). Here the text tells the marriage and does not comment on it.

In plain English: But the people were still sacrificing at the high places, because a house for Yahweh's name had not yet been built in those days.

The Hebrew word: "High places" is bamah, which the dictionary gives as "an elevation". It is in 92 verses of the Bible, and this Bible says "high place" or "high places" in 90 of them. The text gives its own reason for the sacrifices there: no house had yet been built for Yahweh's name.

In plain English: Solomon loved Yahweh and walked in the statutes of his father David, except that he sacrificed and burned incense at the high places.

Good to know: The text says both things: Solomon loved Yahweh and walked in his father's statutes, and he sacrificed and burned incense at the high places. It does not say more here.

In plain English: The king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, because that was the great high place. Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar.

Good to know: The text calls Gibeon "the great high place". 1 Chronicles 16:39 says Zadok and the priests served "before Yahweh's tabernacle in the high place that was at Gibeon", and 2 Chronicles 1:3 says that "God's Tent of Meeting was there, which Yahweh's servant Moses had made in the wilderness".

In plain English: At Gibeon Yahweh appeared to Solomon in a dream at night. God said, "Ask what I should give you."

Good to know: God's words to Solomon in the dream are in gold here and in verses 11 to 14, because the text says Yahweh appeared to Solomon and God spoke. The same night is told in 2 Chronicles 1:7: "God appeared to Solomon and said to him, 'Ask for what you want me to give you.'"

In plain English: Solomon said, "You have shown great loving kindness to your servant David my father, because he walked before you in faithfulness (this Bible: truth), in righteousness, and with an upright heart toward you. And you have kept this great loving kindness for him: you have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is today.

In plain English: Now, Yahweh my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child (literally: a small boy). I do not know how to go out or come in.

The Hebrew words: "A little child" is na'ar qatan: na'ar, which the dictionary gives as "a boy ... from the age of infancy to adolescence", with "small". The text does not give Solomon's age. "Go out or come in" is the way the text speaks of leading people: Moses says, "I can no more go out and come in" (Deuteronomy 31:2), and asks for a man "who may go out before them, and who may come in before them" (Numbers 27:17).

In plain English: Your servant is among your people whom you have chosen, a great people, too many to be numbered or counted.

In plain English: So give your servant an understanding heart (literally: a listening heart) to judge your people, so that I can tell good from evil. For who is able to judge this great people of yours?"

The Hebrew words: "An understanding heart" is word for word "a listening heart": lev shomea. Shama is the common word for "to hear", which the dictionary gives as "to hear intelligently", often "with implication of attention, obedience". This Bible says "hear" or a longer form in about 2 of every 3 verses that use it. The same word is in verse 11, "to hear judgment".

What changes: Read as "understanding", Solomon asks for a mind that understands. Read word for word, he asks for a heart that hears, in the dictionary's sense of hearing "with implication of attention". Either way, he asks for it so that he can judge the people and tell good from evil. The wise woman of Tekoa said David was "as an angel of God ... to discern good and bad" (2 Samuel 14:17).

In plain English: The request pleased the Lord (literally: the thing was good in the eyes of the Lord), that Solomon had asked for this.

Good to know: "The Lord" is Adonai; see the note on 2 Samuel 7:18. This verse is the narrator's words, so it is not in gold.

In plain English: God said to him, "Because you have asked for this, and have not asked for a long life for yourself, or asked for riches for yourself, or asked for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding, to hear what is just (this Bible: to discern justice; literally: to understand, to hear judgment),

The Hebrew words: "Understanding to discern justice" is word for word "to understand, to hear judgment". "Understand" is bin, which the dictionary gives as "to separate mentally (or distinguish)", that is, to understand, and "hear" is shama, the word in verse 9.

In plain English: look, I have done as you asked (literally: according to your words). Look, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has been no one like you before you, and no one like you will rise up after you.

Good to know: 4:29 says it again in the narrator's words: "God gave Solomon abundant wisdom, understanding, and breadth of mind like the sand that is on the seashore."

In plain English: I have also given you what you did not ask for, both riches and honor, so that there will be no one like you among the kings all your days.

In plain English: And if you walk in my ways and keep my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will give you a long life (literally: lengthen your days)."

Good to know: Here the long life comes with an "if": "If you will walk in my ways ... then I will lengthen your days." The riches and honor of verse 13 are given with no "if".

In plain English: Solomon woke up, and it was a dream. Then he came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord (this Bible: Yahweh's covenant). He offered up burnt offerings and peace offerings, and he made a feast for all his servants.

Good to know: "Yahweh's covenant" is word for word "the covenant of the Lord", Adonai, as in verse 10. The text says Solomon saw that it was a dream, and then went to Jerusalem, where the ark was, and sacrificed there too.

In plain English: Then two women who were prostitutes came to the king and stood before him.

In plain English: One of the women said, "Please, my lord, this woman and I live in the same house. I had a baby while she was there in the house.

In plain English: On the third day after I gave birth, this woman also gave birth. We were together. No one else (this Bible: no stranger) was with us in the house; only the two of us were in the house.

In plain English: This woman's son died in the night, because she lay on him.

In plain English: She got up in the middle of the night and took my son from beside me while your servant was asleep. She laid him in her arms (literally: bosom), and laid her dead son in my arms.

In plain English: When I got up in the morning to nurse my son, look, he was dead. But when I looked at him closely in the morning, look, it was not my son, the one I had borne."

In plain English: The other woman said, "No! The living one is my son, and the dead one is your son." The first one (literally: this one) said, "No! The dead one is your son, and the living one is my son." So they argued before the king.

In plain English: Then the king said, "One says, 'This is my son, the living one, and your son is the dead one.' The other says, 'No! Your son is the dead one, and my son is the living one.'"

In plain English: The king said, "Bring me a sword." So they brought a sword before the king.

In plain English: The king said, "Cut the living child in two, and give half to one and half to the other."

In plain English: Then the woman whose son was the living one spoke to the king, because her heart was moved with love (literally: her compassion grew warm) for her son. She said, "Please, my lord, give her the living child, and do not kill him!" But the other woman said, "He will be neither mine nor yours. Cut him in two!"

The Hebrew words: "Her heart yearned" is word for word "her compassion grew warm". "Grew warm" is kamar, which the dictionary gives as "to be deeply affected with passion (love or pity)", and "compassion" is rachamim, which the dictionary gives as "compassion" and also "the womb". The old Greek translation in this collection (Brenton) has "her bowels yearned over her son".

In plain English: Then the king answered, "Give her (this Bible: the first woman) the living child, and do not kill him. She is his mother."

The Hebrew words: The king says only "Give her the living child"; the words "the first woman" are not in the Hebrew. The king uses almost the same words as the mother herself in verse 26, "give her the living child, and in no way kill him", and then says, "She is his mother." This Bible reads "her" as the woman whose heart was moved for her son, and so does the old Greek translation in this collection (Brenton): "Give the child to her that said, 'Give it to her, and by no means slay it'".

In plain English: All Israel heard about the judgment the king had given, and they stood in awe of (literally: feared) the king, because they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to do justice.

Good to know: "The wisdom of God" uses elohim, "God". The text gives this as what all Israel saw in the king's judgment. In verse 12 God said, "I have given you a wise and understanding heart".