Christian Standard Bible
1 Kings 3:7
7“Lord my God, you have now made your servant king in my father David’s place. Yet I am just a youth with no experience in leadership.
1 Kings 3:7 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And now, O Lord my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in.
- New International Version (NIV)“Now, Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties.
- English Standard Version (ESV)And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Now, O Lord my God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in.
Context of 1 Kings 3:7
5At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream at night. God said, “Ask. What should I give you?” 6And Solomon replied, “You have shown great and faithful love to your servant, my father David, because he walked before you in faithfulness, righteousness, and integrity. You have continued this great and faithful love for him by giving him a son to sit on his throne, as it is today. “Lord my God, you have now made your servant king in my father David’s place. Yet I am just a youth with no experience in leadership. 8Your servant is among your people you have chosen, a people too many to be numbered or counted. 9So give your servant a receptive heart to judge your people and to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of yours?”
Read all of 1 Kings 31 Kings 3:7 word by word
וְעַתָּה֙ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהָ֔י אַתָּה֙ הִמְלַ֣כְתָּ אֶֽת־עַבְדְּךָ֔ תַּ֖חַת דָּוִ֣ד אָבִ֑י וְאָֽנֹכִי֙ נַ֣עַר קָטֹ֔ן לֹ֥א אֵדַ֖ע צֵ֥את וָבֹֽא׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And now, O Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- my Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- thou hast made thy servantעֶ֫בֶד‛ebed · servant/slaveH5650
- kingמָלַךְmâlak · to reignH4427
- instead of Davidדָּוִדdâvid dâvîyd · DavidH1732
- my fatherאָב'âb · fatherH1
- a littleקָטֹןqâţân qâţôn · smallH6996
- childנַ֫עַרna‛ar · youthH5288
- I knowיָדַעyâda‛ · to knowH3045
- to go outיָצָאyâtsâ' · to come out: comeH3318
- or come inבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
Cross-references for 1 Kings 3:7
- Daniel 2:21He changes the times and seasons; he removes kings and establishes kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding.
- Daniel 4:25You will be driven away from people to live with the wild animals. You will feed on grass like cattle and be drenched with dew from the sky for seven periods of time, until you acknowledge that the Most High is ruler over human kingdoms, and he gives them to anyone he wants.
- Daniel 5:18Your Majesty, the Most High God gave sovereignty, greatness, glory, and majesty to your predecessor Nebuchadnezzar.
- 1 Chronicles 29:1Then King David said to all the assembly, “My son Solomon — God has chosen him alone — is young and inexperienced. The task is great because the building will not be built for a human but for the Lord God.
- Job 32:6So Elihu son of Barachel the Buzite replied: I am young in years, while you are old; therefore I was timid and afraid to tell you what I know.
- Ecclesiastes 10:16Woe to you, land, when your king is a youth and your princes feast in the morning.
- Jeremiah 1:6But I protested, “Oh no, Lord God! Look, I don’t know how to speak since I am only a youth.”
- Matthew 18:3“Truly I tell you,” he said, “unless you turn and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
- Numbers 27:17who will go out before them and come back in before them, and who will bring them out and bring them in, so that the Lord’s community won’t be like sheep without a shepherd.”
- Deuteronomy 31:2saying, “I am now 120 years old; I can no longer act as your leader. The Lord has told me, ‘You will not cross the Jordan.’
- 1 Samuel 18:16But all Israel and Judah loved David because he was leading their troops.
- 2 Samuel 5:2Even while Saul was king over us, you were the one who led us out to battle and brought us back. The Lord also said to you, ‘You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will be ruler over Israel.’”
- Psalms 121:8The Lord will protect your coming and going both now and forever.
- John 10:3The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
Commentaries on 1 Kings 3:7
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 7I know not how to go out or come in - I am just like an infant learning to walk alone, and can neither go out nor come in without help.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 7See 1 Kings 2:2 note, and on the hyperbole contained in the phrase “little child,” compare Genesis 43:8; Exodus 33:11. How to go out or come in - This expression is proverbial for the active conduct of affairs. (See the marginal reference.)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. 7-9The Hebrew term for little child often referred to someone inexperienced in their job, like an "assistant" (1 Kings 19:21). Solomon humbly admitted his lack of experience and his need for wisdom. He understood that to govern the people well and make good decisions, he needed God's help.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 77. I am but a little child--not in age, for he had reached manhood (1Ki 2:9) and must have been at least twenty years old; but he was raw and inexperienced in matters of government.Read the comment
Topics related to 1 Kings 3:7
In the dictionaries
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
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