1 Kings 3:4

1 Kings 3:4 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there; for that was the great high place: a thousand burnt offerings did Solomon offer upon that altar.
• New International Version (NIV)The king went to Gibeon to offer sacrifices, for that was the most important high place, and Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place. Solomon used to offer a thousand burnt offerings on that altar.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Now the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place: Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar.

Context of 1 Kings 3:4

2Because there was not yet a temple where people could give honour to the Lord, they offered sacrifices at altars in other places. 3Solomon loved the Lord and he obeyed the rules of his father David. But he offered sacrifices and he burned incense at altars in country places. The king went to Gibeon to offer sacrifices there. That was the place where the most important altar was. Solomon offered burnt offerings a thousand times on the altar there. 5One night in Gibeon, the Lord showed himself to Solomon in a dream. God said, ‘Ask me to give you whatever you want.’ 6Solomon answered, ‘You always showed your faithful love to your servant, my father David. He served you faithfully as a good, honest man. You have continued to show your faithful love to him even now. You have given him a son to rule as king on his throne.

1 Kings 3:4 word by word

וַיֵּ֨לֶךְ הַמֶּ֤לֶךְ גִּבְעֹ֙נָה֙ לִזְבֹּ֣חַ שָׁ֔ם כִּ֥י הִ֖יא הַבָּמָ֣ה הַגְּדוֹלָ֑ה אֶ֤לֶף עֹלוֹת֙ יַעֲלֶ֣ה שְׁלֹמֹ֔ה עַ֖ל הַמִּזְבֵּ֥חַ הַהֽוּא׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And the kingמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
• wentיָלַךְyâlak · to walkH3212
• to Gibeonגִּבְעוֹןgib‛ôn · GibeonH1391
• to sacrificeזָבַחzâbach · to sacrificeH2076
• there; for thatהוּאhû' hîy' · he/she/itH1931
• the greatגָּדוֹלgâdôl gâdôl · great: largeH1419
• high placeבָּמָהbâmâh · high placeH1116
• a thousandאֶ֫לֶף'eleph · thousandH505
• burnt offeringsעֹלָה‛ôlâh ‛ôlâh · burnt offeringH5930
• did Solomonשְׁלֹמֹהshelômôh · SolomonH8010
• offerעָלָה‛âlâh · to ascend: offer upH5927
• upon that altarמִזְבֵּחַmizbêach · altarH4196

Cross-references for 1 Kings 3:4

• 1 Kings 9:2Then the Lord appeared to Solomon a second time, as he had appeared to him at Gibeon.
• Joshua 9:3Some Hivite people who lived in Gibeon heard how Joshua had won against Jericho and Ai.
• Joshua 10:2The king and the people of Jerusalem were very afraid, because Gibeon was a great city. It was bigger than Ai, like a city with a king. All its men were brave soldiers.
• 1 Chronicles 16:39Zadok and the other priests served the Lord at the tabernacle in Gibeon. That was still the place where the Israelites worshipped God.
• 1 Chronicles 21:29At that time the Lord's tabernacle was at Gibeon, where the Israelites worshipped God. The tabernacle was the special tent that Moses had made in the wilderness. The altar for burnt offerings was also at Gibeon.
• 2 Chronicles 1:3Then Solomon went with all those people to Gibeon town to worship God. The special tent that the Lord's servant Moses had made in the desert was there. It was the tent where God met with his people.
• 1 Kings 8:63These are the friendship offerings that Solomon offered to the Lord: 22,000 cows. 120,000 sheep and goats. In this way, King Solomon and all the Israelite people offered the temple as a gift to the Lord.
• 2 Chronicles 1:6Solomon went up to the bronze altar which was in front of the Lord's special tent. He offered 1,000 burnt offerings on the altar to the Lord.
• 2 Chronicles 29:32For their burnt offerings, the people brought 70 bulls, 100 male sheep and 200 lambs to offer to the Lord.
• 2 Chronicles 30:24King Hezekiah of Judah gave 1,000 bulls and 7,000 sheep to the people. The leaders also gave them 1,000 bulls and 10,000 sheep. Many more priests also made themselves clean to serve the Lord.
• Isaiah 40:16All the trees from Lebanon's forests are not enough to make a fire for his altar. All its animals are not enough to offer to him as burnt offerings.
• Matthew 6:6But this is how you should pray. Go to a place in your house where you can be alone. You can shut the door and you can pray to God your Father. He is in that secret place. He sees what you do there. He will give you good things in return.

Commentaries on 1 Kings 3:4

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4Gibeon - The transfer to Gibeon of the “tabernacle of the congregation,” and the brass “altar of burnt offerings” made by Moses, which were removed there from Nob (compare 1 Samuel 21:6, with marginal references “i,” “k”), had made it “the great high-place,” more sacred, i. e., than any other in the holy land, unless it were Mount Zion where the ark had been conveyed by David. For the position of Gibeon, see Joshua 9:3 note. A thousand burnt offerings did…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4The city of Gibeon was six miles northwest of Jerusalem. Its altar was known as the great high place. It was a major worship site for large sacrifices. Gibeon also hosted the tabernacle (a sacred tent used for worship) (1 Chronicles 16:39–40; 21:29; 2 Chronicles 1:2–6).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there--The old tabernacle and the brazen altar which Moses had made in the wilderness were there (1Ch 16:39; 21:29; 2Ch 1:3-6). The royal progress was of public importance. It was a season of national devotion. The king was accompanied by his principal nobility (2Ch 1:2); and, as the occasion was most probably one of the great annual festivals which lasted seven days, the rank of the offerer and the succession of…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Kings 3:4

• Children
• Dream
• Gibeon
• High Places
• Prayer
• Solomon

In the dictionaries

• Gibeon
• Solomon
• Gibeon, Gibeonite
• High place
• Affinity
• Divide
• Yearn
• Abishag
• Altar
• Bamah

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