1
Then Solomon became the son-in-law of Pharaoh king of Egypt; he took Pharaoh’s daughter and brought her to the City of David, until he had finished building his own house and the house of the LORD and the wall around Jerusalem.
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Only, the people were still sacrificing at the high places, because no house had yet been built for the name of the LORD until that time.
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And Solomon showed his love for the LORD by walking in the statutes of David his father; only, he still offered sacrifices and incense at the high places.
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One day the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice, for that was the greatest high place; a thousand burnt offerings Solomon offered on that altar.
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At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night. God said, “Ask what I shall give you.”
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Then Solomon said, “You have shown great steadfast love to Your servant David my father, because he walked before You in faithfulness, righteousness, and uprightness of heart toward You; and You have kept for him this great steadfast love by giving him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.
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And now, O LORD my God, You have made Your servant king in place of David my father, though I am still very young and inexperienced.
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And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too many to be numbered or counted.
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So give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil; for who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”
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It was pleasing in the sight of the Lord that Solomon had asked this thing.
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So God said to him, “Because you have asked this thing and have not asked for long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but for understanding to administer justice,
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behold, I do according to your word; behold, I give you a wise and understanding heart, so that none before you has been like you, and none after you shall arise like you.
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And I also give you what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that among the kings all your days no one shall be like you.
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And if you walk in My ways, keeping My statutes and My commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.”
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Then Solomon awoke; it had been a dream. When he returned to Jerusalem, he stood before the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and then he made a feast for all his servants.
16
At that time two women who were prostitutes came before the king, and they stood before him.
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The one woman said, “Oh, my lord! I and this woman live in the same house, and I gave birth to a child while she was in the house.
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Then on the third day after I gave birth, this woman also gave birth to a child; we were alone, no outsider was with us in the house, only the two of us in the house.
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During the night this woman’s child died, because she lay on him.
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At midnight she arose and took my child from beside me; while your servant was asleep, she laid my child in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom.
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When I rose in the morning to nurse my child, behold, the child was dead; but when I looked closely at him in the morning, behold, he was not the child I had borne.”
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Then the other woman said, “No! My child is the living one, and your child is the dead one.” But the first woman said again, “No! Your child is the dead one, and my child is the living one.” So they argued before the king.
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Then the king said, “The one says, ‘This is my living child, and your child is the dead one.’ And the other says, ‘No! Your child is the dead one, and my child is the living one.’”
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After this the king said, “Bring me a sword,” and a sword was brought before the king.
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The king said, “Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one and half to the other.”
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Then the woman whose child was the living one said to the king, because her compassion for her child was stirred, “Oh, my lord! Give her the living baby, and by no means kill him.” But the other said, “It shall be neither mine nor yours; divide him!”
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But the king answered and said, “Give her the living baby, and by no means kill him; she is his mother.”
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When all Israel heard the judgment that the king had given, they feared the king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in his heart to do justice.
👑📖⚖️ Summary of 1 Kings 3 – Solomon Asks for Wisdom and Judges Wisely
1 Kings 3 is one of the most iconic chapters in the Bible because it contains Solomon’s request for wisdom and the story of the judgment between two mothers. Solomon, who had just become king, shows humility before God by not asking for wealth or a long life, but instead for wisdom to rule the people justly. God is pleased and grants extraordinary wisdom and additional blessings. This chapter emphasizes the importance of a sensitive heart, fear of God, and social justice.
📌 1. Solomon Forms a Political Alliance and Worships at Gibeon (verses 1–4)
➡️ Solomon married Pharaoh’s daughter as a political alliance (there was not yet a Temple at that time)
➡️ He offered sacrifices at Gibeon, the center of worship at that time
➡️ He burned 1,000 burnt offerings as a sign of earnestness
🎯 Greatness begins with a thankful heart and wholehearted action toward the Lord.
📌 2. The Lord Appears and Solomon Asks for Wisdom (verses 5–15)
➡️ In a dream, the Lord offered Solomon: “Ask what I shall give you.”
➡️ Solomon did not ask for riches or victory, but rather:
“A heart that understands how to judge Your people”
➡️ The Lord granted that request and added:
✔️ Riches
✔️ Honor
✔️ Long life (if faithful)
➡️ Solomon arose and gave thanks, then held a feast for all the people
🎯 The Lord values a sincere heart focused on others, not on oneself.
📌 3. The Judgment of Two Mothers and One Baby (verses 16–28)
➡️ Two women came to Solomon, each claiming to be the mother of a baby
➡️ There were no witnesses — only their words
➡️ Solomon ordered: “Divide the baby and give half to each”
➡️ The true mother was willing to lose her child in order to save him
➡️ Solomon gave the child to the loving mother
➡️ All Israel was amazed at the king’s wisdom
🎯 True wisdom is not only clever, but also able to read the heart and reveal the truth.
📖 Main Teaching
- True leadership begins with humility and awareness of the need for God
- A request that pleases God is one oriented toward responsibility and others
- God’s wisdom surpasses human logic, able to separate the true from the false
- Moral steadfastness and love are clear evidence of truth
- Wisdom and justice strengthen a leader’s spiritual and social authority
✨ Spiritual Meaning (New Testament)
“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God…”
➡️ Like Solomon, wisdom is given generously to those who ask in faith.
“Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness…”
➡️ Solomon prioritized justice and responsibility, not personal gain.
“The word of God… is able to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
➡️ Wisdom like Solomon’s is able to pierce the depths of the human heart.
“Christ has become wisdom for us…”
➡️ Solomon is a foreshadowing of Christ — the King full of divine wisdom and perfect justice.
🕊️ “Give your servant a discerning heart to judge your people.” – 1 Kings 3:9
🕊️ “Because you did not ask for long life or riches… I will give you a wise and understanding heart.” – 1 Kings 3:11–12
🕊️ “All Israel feared the king, because they saw that the wisdom of God was in his heart.” – 1 Kings 3:28
