31 And Solomon joineth in marriage with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and taketh the daughter of Pharaoh, and bringeth her in unto the city of David, till he completeth to build his own house, and the house of Jehovah, and the wall of Jerusalem round about. 2 Only, the people are sacrificing in high places, for there hath not been built a house for the name of Jehovah till those days.
3 And Solomon loveth Jehovah, to walk in the statutes of David his father—only, in high places he is sacrificing and making perfume— 4 and the king goeth to Gibeon, to sacrifice there, for it 'is' the great high place; a thousand burnt-offerings cause to ascend doth Solomon on that altar.
5 In Gibeon hath Jehovah appeared unto Solomon, in a dream of the night, and God saith, 'Ask—what do I give to thee?' 6 And Solomon saith, 'Thou hast done with Thy servant David my father great kindness, as he walked before Thee in truth and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with Thee, and Thou dost keep for him this great kindness, and dost give to him a son sitting on his throne, as 'at' this day. 7 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; 8 and Thy servant 'is' in the midst of thy people, whom Thou hast chosen, a people numerous, that is not numbered nor counted for multitude, 9 and Thou hast given to Thy servant an understanding heart, to judge Thy people, to discern between good and evil; for who is able to judge this Thy great people?' 10 And the thing is good in the eyes of the Lord, that Solomon hath asked this thing, 11 and God saith unto him, 'Because that thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thee many days, nor asked for thee riches, nor asked the life of thine enemies, and hast asked for thee discernment to understand judgment, 12 lo, I have done according to thy words; lo, I have given to thee a heart, wise and understanding, that like thee there hath not been before thee, and after thee there doth not arise like thee; 13 and also, that which thou hast not asked I have given to thee, both riches and honour, that there hath not been like thee a man among the kings all thy days; 14 and if thou dost walk in My ways to keep My statutes, and My commands, as David thy father walked, then I have prolonged thy days.' 15 And Solomon awaketh, and lo, a dream; and he cometh in to Jerusalem, and standeth before the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, and causeth to ascend burnt-offerings, and maketh peace-offerings. And he maketh a banquet for all his servants,
16 then come in do two women, harlots, unto the king, and stand before him, 17 and the one woman saith, 'O, my lord, I and this woman are dwelling in one house, and I bring forth with her, in the house; 18 and it cometh to pass on the third day of my bringing forth, that this woman also bringeth forth, and we 'are' together, there is no stranger with us in the house, save we two, in the house. 19 And the son of this woman dieth at night, because she hath lain upon it, 20 and she riseth in the middle of the night, and taketh my son from beside me—and thy handmaid is asleep—and layeth it in her bosom, and her dead son she hath laid in my bosom; 21 and I rise in the morning to suckle my son, and lo, dead; and I consider concerning it in the morning, and lo, it was not my son whom I did bear.' 22 And the other woman saith, 'Nay, but my son 'is' the living, and thy son the dead;' and this 'one' saith, 'Nay, but thy son 'is' the dead, and my son the living.' And they speak before the king. 23 And the king saith, 'This 'one' saith, This 'is' my son, the living, and thy son 'is' the dead; and that 'one' saith, Nay, but thy son 'is' the dead, and my son the living.' 24 And the king saith, 'Take for me a sword;' and they bring the sword before the king, 25 and the king saith, 'Cut the living child into two, and give the half to the one, and the half to the other.' 26 And the woman whose son 'is' the living one saith unto the king (for her bowels yearned over her son), yea, she saith, 'O, my lord, give to her the living child, and put it not at all to death;' and this 'one' saith, 'Let it be neither mine or thine—cut 'it'.'
Matthew Henry's Commentary on 1 Kings 3:1-26
Commentary on 1 Kings 3:1-4
(Read 1 Kings 3:1-4)
He that loved the Lord, should, for his sake, have fixed his love upon one of the Lord's people. Solomon was a wise man, a rich man, a great man; yet the brightest praise of him, is that which is the character of all the saints, even the poorest, "He loved the Lord." Where God sows plentifully, he expects to reap accordingly; and those that truly love God and his worship, will not grudge the expenses of their religion. We must never think that wasted which is laid out in the service of God.
Commentary on 1 Kings 3:5-15
(Read 1 Kings 3:5-15)
Solomon's dream was not a common one. While his bodily powers were locked up in sleep, the powers of his soul were strengthened; he was enabled to receive the Divine vision, and to make a suitable choice. God, in like manner, puts us in the ready way to be happy, by assuring us we shall have what we need, and pray for. Solomon's making such a choice when asleep, and the powers of reason least active, showed it came from the grace of God. Having a humble sense of his own wants and weakness, he pleads, Lord, I am but a little child. The more wise and considerate men are, the better acquainted they are with their own weakness, and the more jealous of themselves. Solomon begs of God to give him wisdom. We must pray for it, James 1:5, that it may help us in our particular calling, and the various occasions we have. Those are accepted of God, who prefer spiritual blessings to earthly good. It was a prevailing prayer, and prevailed for more than he asked. God gave him wisdom, such as no other prince was ever blessed with; and also gave him riches and honour. If we make sure of wisdom and grace, these will bring outward prosperity with them, or sweeten the want of it. The way to get spiritual blessings, is to wrestle with God in prayer for them. The way to get earthly blessings, is to refer ourselves to God concerning them. Solomon has wisdom given him, because he did ask it, and wealth, because he did not.
Commentary on 1 Kings 3:16-28
(Read 1 Kings 3:16-28)
An instance of Solomon's wisdom is given. Notice the difficulty of the case. To find out the true mother, he could not try which the child loved best, and therefore tried which loved the child best: the mother's sincerity will be tried, when the child is in danger. Let parents show their love to their children, especially by taking care of their souls, and snatching them as brands out of the burning. By this and other instances of the wisdom with which God endued him, Solomon had great reputation among his people. This was better to him than weapons of war; for this he was both feared and loved.