1 Kings 3:5

1 Kings 3:5 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee.
• New International Version (NIV)At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, "Ask what I shall give you."
• New King James Version (NKJV)At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask! What shall I give you?”

Context of 1 Kings 3:5

3Now Solomon loved the Lord, walking [at first] in the statutes of David his father, except [for the fact that] he sacrificed and burned incense in the high places [ignoring the law that required all sacrifices to be offered at the tabernacle]. 4The king went to Gibeon [near Jerusalem, where the tabernacle and the bronze altar stood] to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place. Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream at night; and God said, “Ask [Me] what I shall give you.” 6Then Solomon said, “You have shown Your servant David my father great lovingkindness, because he walked before You in faithfulness and righteousness and with uprightness of heart toward You; and You have kept for him this great lovingkindness, in that You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is today. 7So now, O Lord my God, You have made Your servant king in place of David my father; and as for me, I am but a little boy [in wisdom and experience]; I do not know how to go out or come in [that is, how to conduct business as a king].

1 Kings 3:5 word by word

בְּגִבְע֗וֹן נִרְאָ֧ה יְהֹוָ֛ה אֶל־שְׁלֹמֹ֖ה בַּחֲל֣וֹם הַלָּ֑יְלָה וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֔ים שְׁאַ֖ל מָ֥ה אֶתֶּן־לָֽךְ׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• In Gibeonגִּבְעוֹןgib‛ôn · GibeonH1391
• the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• appearedרָאָהrâ'âh · to see: seeH7200
• to Solomonשְׁלֹמֹהshelômôh · SolomonH8010
• in a dreamחֲלוֹםchălôm chălôm · dreamH2472
• by nightלַ֫יְלָהlayil lêyl layelâh · nightH3915
• and Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
• saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• Askשָׁאַלshâ'al shâ'êl · to askH7592
• what I shall giveנָתַןnâthan · to give: giveH5414

Cross-references for 1 Kings 3:5

• 1 Kings 9:2that the Lord appeared to Solomon a second time, just as He had appeared to him at Gibeon.
• Genesis 28:2Arise, go to Paddan-aram, to the house of Bethuel your mother’s father; and take from there as a wife for yourself one of the daughters of Laban your mother’s brother.
• Numbers 12:6And He said, “Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I the Lord will make Myself known to him in a vision And I will speak to him in a dream.
• Job 33:14For God speaks once, And even twice, yet no one notices it [including you, Job].
• Matthew 1:20But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, descendant of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.
• Matthew 2:13Now when they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod intends to search for the Child in order to destroy Him.”
• 2 Chronicles 1:7That night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, “Ask what I shall give to you.”
• Matthew 7:7“ Ask and keep on asking and it will be given to you; seek and keep on seeking and you will find; knock and keep on knocking and the door will be opened to you.
• Mark 10:36And He replied to them, “What do you want Me to do for you?”
• Mark 11:24For this reason I am telling you, whatever things you ask for in prayer [in accordance with God’s will], believe [with confident trust] that you have received them, and they will be given to you.
• John 14:13And I will do whatever you ask in My name [as My representative], this I will do, so that the Father may be glorified and celebrated in the Son.
• John 15:16You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and I have appointed and placed and purposefully planted you, so that you would go and bear fruit and keep on bearing, and that your fruit will remain and be lasting, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name [as My representative] He may give to you.
• James 1:5If any of you lacks wisdom [to guide him through a decision or circumstance], he is to ask of [our benevolent] God, who gives to everyone generously and without rebuke or blame, and it will be given to him.
• 1 John 5:14This is the [remarkable degree of] confidence which we [as believers are entitled to] have before Him: that if we ask anything according to His will, [that is, consistent with His plan and purpose] He hears us.

Commentaries on 1 Kings 3:5

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 5The Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream - This was the night after he had offered the sacrifices, (see 2 Chronicles 1:7;), and probably after he had earnestly prayed for wisdom; see Wis. 7:7: Wherefore I prayed, and understanding was given me: I called upon God, and the spirit of wisdom came to me. If this were the case, the dream might have been the consequence of his earnest prayer for wisdom: the images of those things which occupy the mind during the…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 5The Lord appeared unto Solomon in a dream - Compare the marginal references and Genesis 15:1; Genesis 28:12; Genesis 37:5.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 5-15Verses 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…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4-15The story of God giving wisdom to Solomon is told as a chiasm (a mirrored structure where A and B reflect B' and A'). It highlights Solomon's interaction with the Lord: A: While Solomon was sacrificing at Gibeon, the Lord appeared to him in a dream (1 Kings 3:4–5). B: Solomon asked for wisdom to govern his people fairly and effectively (1 Kings 3:6–9). B’: The Lord agreed to his request and gave him extra blessings (1 Kings 3:10–14). A’: Solomon woke up…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 55. In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream--It was probably at the close of this season, when his mind had been elevated into a high state of religious fervor by the protracted services. Solomon felt an intense desire, and he had offered an earnest petition, for the gift of wisdom. In sleep his thoughts ran upon the subject of his prayer, and he dreamed that God appeared to him and gave him the option of every thing in the world--that he asked…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Kings 3:5

• Children
• Communion
• Dream
• Gibeon
• God
• Prayer
• Solomon

In the dictionaries

• Gibeon
• God
• Solomon
• Gibeon, Gibeonite
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Affinity
• Divide
• Dream
• Prayer
• Yearn

Commentaries on 1 Kings 3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings