1 Kings 3:8

1 Kings 3:8 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude.
• New International Version (NIV)Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, too many to be numbered or counted for multitude.
• New King James Version (NKJV)And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted.

Context of 1 Kings 3:8

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. 7Lord my God, I am only a young man. I have not learned how to rule well. But you have now made me become king, as my father David was king. I am here as your servant to lead the people that you have chosen for yourself. It is a great nation and it has too many people to count. 9So please give me a wise mind that understands things well. Then I will be able to rule your people properly. I will know the difference between right things and wrong things. I will only be able to rule this great nation of your people if you do that for me.’ 10The Lord God was pleased that Solomon had asked for this.

1 Kings 3:8 word by word

וְעַ֨בְדְּךָ֔ בְּת֥וֹךְ עַמְּךָ֖ אֲשֶׁ֣ר בָּחָ֑רְתָּ עַם־רָ֕ב אֲשֶׁ֧ר לֹֽא־יִמָּנֶ֛ה וְלֹ֥א יִסָּפֵ֖ר מֵרֹֽב׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And thy servantעֶ֫בֶד‛ebed · servant/slaveH5650
• in the midstתָּ֫וֶךְtâvek · midstH8432
• of thy peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
• which thou hast chosenבָּחַרbâchar · to chooseH977
• a greatרַבrab · manyH7227
• that cannot be numberedמָנָהmânâh · to countH4487
• nor countedסָפַרsâphar · to recountH5608
• for multitudeרֹבrôb · abundanceH7230

Cross-references for 1 Kings 3:8

• Exodus 19:5Now you must be careful to obey me and my covenant with you. Then you will belong to me as my special people. The whole earth belongs to me, and I have chosen you from among all the nations.
• Deuteronomy 7:6Remember that you are a special people who belong to the Lord your God. He has chosen you for himself out of all the other people who live on the earth. He loves you as his special people.
• 1 Samuel 12:22The Lord was pleased to choose you to be his own people. He will show that he is faithful and he will not leave you alone.
• Psalms 78:71so that he no longer took care of his father's sheep. He became like a shepherd, to lead his people, Jacob's descendants. He ruled the people that belonged to God, the Israelite people.
• Genesis 13:16I will make your descendants become very many. Like the dust of the ground, people will not be able to count them all.
• Genesis 15:5The Lord took Abram outside. He said to Abram, ‘Look up at the sky. Count the stars. They are too many for you to count!’ Then God said, ‘That is how many descendants you will have.’
• Genesis 22:17Because you have done this, I will bless you. I will make your descendants become so many that people cannot count them. They will be as many as the stars that are in the sky. They will be as many as the pieces of sand on the shore by the sea. Your descendants will win against their enemies and their enemies' cities.
• 1 Chronicles 21:2So David said to Joab and to the officers in his army, ‘Go and count the men everywhere in Israel, from Beersheba to Dan. Then come and give me a report. I want to know how many men there are.’
• 1 Chronicles 27:23The Lord had promised to make Israel a nation with as many people as there are stars in the sky. So King David did not count the men who were less than 20 years old.

Commentaries on 1 Kings 3:8

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 8Compare the marginal references. Solomon regards the promises as fulfilled in the existing greatness and glory of the Jewish nation.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

Topics related to 1 Kings 3:8

• Children
• Communion
• Dream
• Prayer
• Solomon

In the dictionaries

• Affinity
• Divide
• Gibeon
• Solomon
• Yearn
• Abishag
• Divination
• Intercession
• Israel, History of
• King; Kingdom

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