This chapter relates the marriage of Solomon with Pharaoh’s daughter, 1 Kings 3:1; his piety and devotion, 1 Kings 3:2–4; his prayer for wisdom and understanding, which was acceptable to God, who promised to grant his request, with an addition to it, 1 Kings 3:5–15; an instance and proof of the…

And Solomon made affinity with Pharaoh king of Egypt Pharaoh was a common name of the kings of Egypt, of whom no mention is made in Scripture from the times of Moses until this time; which may seem strange, when it is considered that that kingdom was a potent one, and near the land of Canaan; but…

Only the people sacrificed in high places On the tops of their houses, on hills and mountains, and particularly at the high place in Gibeon, where the tabernacle was: because there was no house built unto the name of the Lord until those days; to which they were obliged to repair as afterwards, and…

And Solomon loved the Lord The worship of the Lord, as the Targum: and which he showed by walking in the statutes of David his father; in which his father walked, which were the statutes of the Lord, or which he exhorted him to walk in, and were the same, ; only he sacrificed and burnt incense in…

And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there About four or five miles from Jerusalem; (See Gill on 1 Kings 2:28); for that was the great high place; not that the place itself might be higher than others that were used; but here were the tabernacle of Moses, and the altar; so that it was a more…

In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, &c.] This was not a common natural dream, but an extraordinary, divine, and supernatural one, a prophetic dream, a night vision, such as God used to speak in to his prophets; in which he had the full use of his reasoning powers, was under…

And Solomon said In his dream; not that he dreamt he said, when he did not; but he really said, as follows: thou hast showed unto thy servant David my father great mercy; bestowed many favours and blessings upon him, both temporal and spiritual: according as he walked before thee in truth, and in…

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…

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…

Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart, to judge thy people Not an understanding of things spiritual, nor of things natural, though both were given him, but of things political, what related to the civil government, that he might be able to judge or rule the people of Israel in the best…

And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. ] Understanding in the affairs of civil government; since he had respect not to his own private benefit and advantage, but the good of the people he governed, and the honour and glory of God, who had set him over them, they being…

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…

Behold, I have done according to thy words Expressed in his request: he not only promised he would grant him it, but he had already done it, or at least had begun to do it: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; had greatly increased his wisdom and understanding in things…

And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, &c.] That is, intended to give him, and now promised it, and was about to bestow it on him: both riches and honour; the former through the presents and tribute of the nations about him, and his trading to foreign parts; and the latter…

And if thou wilt walk in my ways Prescribed and directed to in his word, to keep my statutes and my commandments; ceremonial, moral, and judicial: as thy father David did walk; which Solomon himself had observed, ; and whose walk was worthy of his imitation: then I will lengthen thy days; the other…

And Solomon awoke, and, behold, it was a dream Not that it was nothing but a dream, a natural one, a vain and empty one, but a divine and supernatural one, a dream of prophecy, as the Jews call it, or a prophetic dream; a true one, which had its fall accomplishment in him, the truth of which he…

Then came there two women that were harlots unto the king, &c.] The same day, as Abarbinel thinks, the night before which the Lord had appeared to Solomon; this came to pass through the providence of God, that there should be immediately an instance and proof of the wisdom and understanding the…

And the one woman said Who was the plaintiff: O my lord, I and this woman dwell in one house; pointing to the defendant, who stood by her: and I was delivered of a child with her in the house; she being present at the delivery, and she only, as it should seem.

And it came to pass, the third day after I was delivered Of a child, as before expressed: that this woman was delivered also; of another child; and being both of the same sex, both sons, as afterwards appears; and being so nearly of an age, it was difficult to distinguish them; and we were…

And this woman’s child died in the night Whether the same night following the day it was born is not certain; because she overlaid it; or laid upon it, being heavy through sleep, and not knowing what she did, turned herself upon it, and smothered it; because it had no previous illness, or any marks…

And she arose at midnight Perceiving what she had done, that she had overlaid her child, and it was dead; either through fear of punishment inflicted on persons thus negligent, or because of the disgrace of it, taking no more care of her child, she made use of the following stratagem: and took my…

And when I rose in the morning to give my child suck As she used to do: behold, it was dead; her own child, as she thought at first: but when I had considered it in the morning; it was towards morning, or just at break of day, when she arose to suckle it, and found it dead: but when it was broad…

And the other woman said The defendant: nay, but the living is my son, and the dead is thy son; she denied what the other said, but offered nothing in proof of it: and this said; she who was the plaintiff replied in the same language: no: but the dead is thy son, and the living is my son; without…

Then said the king As judge, summing up what had been said on both sides, which were only bare assertions without proof; the one affirming what the other denied, and the other denying what the other affirmed: the one saith, this is my son that liveth, and thy son is the dead; and the other saith…

And the king said, bring me a sword The design of which might not at first appear to the court, and it might be thought strange, and greatly wondered at: what should be the meaning of it: and they brought a sword before the king; his commands were obeyed.

And the king said To one of his officers: divide the living child in two; not that he meant it should be actually done, though it might at first be thought he really intended it, and so strike the minds of some with horror, as it did, however, the mother; but he ordered this, to try the affections…

Then spake the woman, whose the living child was, unto the king In haste, and with great vehemency, lest the executioner should at once dispatch it: (for her bowels yearned upon her son); not being able to bear to see his life taken away: and she said, O my lord: or, “on me [[15]], my lord”; let…

Then the king answered and said, give her the living child, and in no wise slay it That is, to her who desired it might not be slain, but rather be given to her who had no right to it: she is the mother thereof; which might be strongly concluded from her compassion for it, her eagerness and…

And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged In the above case; the decision of it was divulged throughout the land, and the fame of it was spread everywhere: and they feared the king; reverenced him as a wise, judicious, and faithful king, and feared to do anything of a criminal…