1 Kings 4:29

1 Kings 4:29 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore.
• New International Version (NIV)God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding beyond measure, and breadth of mind like the sand on the seashore,
• New King James Version (NKJV)And God gave Solomon wisdom and exceedingly great understanding, and largeness of heart like the sand on the seashore.

Context of 1 Kings 4:29

27The 12 officers in each region supplied food for King Solomon and for everybody that ate in his palace. Each region supplied food for one month each year so that there was enough for everyone. 28Each officer also supplied barley and straw for the king's horses. They took the right amount to the different places where the horses lived. God gave Solomon wisdom so that he understood things well. He knew about everything, more things than there is sand on the shore of the sea! 30Solomon was wiser than all the wise men in the East and all the wise men in Egypt. 31He was wiser than any other man. This includes Ethan the Ezrahite, as well as Heman, Calcol and Darda, the sons of Mahol. Solomon was famous in all the nations around Israel.

1 Kings 4:29 word by word

וַיִּתֵּן֩ אֱלֹהִ֨ים חָכְמָ֧ה לִשְׁלֹמֹ֛ה וּתְבוּנָ֖ה הַרְבֵּ֣ה מְאֹ֑ד וְרֹ֣חַב לֵ֔ב כַּח֕וֹל אֲשֶׁ֖ר עַל־שְׂפַ֥ת הַיָּֽם׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
• gaveנָתַןnâthan · to give: giveH5414
• Solomonשְׁלֹמֹהshelômôh · SolomonH8010
• wisdomחׇכְמָהchokmâh · wisdomH2451
• and understandingתְּבוּנָהtâbûn tebûnâh tôbûnâh · understandingH8394
• exceedingמְאֹדme'ôd · muchH3966
• muchרָבָהrâbâh · to multiplyH7235
• and largenessרֹ֫חַבrôchab · widthH7341
• of heartלֵבlêb · heartH3820
• even as the sandחוֹלchôl · sandH2344
• on the seaיָםyâm · seaH3220
• shoreשָׂפָהώâphâh ώepheth · lip: shoreH8193

Cross-references for 1 Kings 4:29

• 1 Kings 10:23King Solomon was richer and wiser than any other king in the world.
• 2 Chronicles 1:10So please give me wisdom and knowledge, so that I can be a good leader of these people. I will only be able to rule this great nation of your people if you do that for me.’
• Psalms 119:34Explain your Law to me, then I will obey it. I will always love to do what it says.
• Proverbs 2:6It is the Lord who gives wisdom to people. He teaches us to understand things, so that we know what is true.
• Ecclesiastes 1:16I said to myself, ‘Listen! I have become very wise! I am much wiser than any of the kings who ruled in Jerusalem before me. I know a lot more things than they ever did!’
• Ecclesiastes 2:26God gives wisdom, knowledge and joy to people who please him. Wicked people may work hard and become rich. But God takes away their valuable things and he gives them to someone who pleases him. So their hard work has no purpose. It is like somebody who tries to catch the wind.
• James 1:5But maybe you need to know how to be wise. Then ask God to help you. He is ready to give everyone what they need. And he never says that it is wrong to ask. So God will help you to be wise.
• James 3:17But if God makes you really wise, you will live in a completely good way. That is the most important thing. Also, you will live in a way that brings peace. You will be kind to other people so that they become your friends. You will listen to them and not argue. You will forgive them and do many good things to help them. You will not choose between people. And you will not be a hypocrite.
• Isaiah 60:5As you see this, your eyes will shine with joy. Your hearts will beat fast, and you will be proud to see them. Traders will bring valuable things to you from lands across the seas. The riches of other nations will come to you.
• 1 Kings 4:20The people in Judah and Israel were too many to count. There were as many of them as the sand on the shore of the sea. They had enough to eat and to drink and they were happy.
• Genesis 41:49In this way, Joseph stored a lot of food. The food grains were as many as the sand by the sea! Joseph stopped counting how much food he had stored because there was too much food to measure.
• Judges 7:12The valley was full of Midianites, Amalekites and all the people from the east. They covered the ground like locusts. There were too many men to count. Their camels also were more than the sand on the shore of the sea.
• Jeremiah 33:22I promise that my servant David will always have many descendants. There will also be very many Levites to serve me as priests. You will not be able to count them. They will be more than the stars in the sky and more than the sand on the shore of the sea.” ’
• Habakkuk 1:9Their whole army comes to do violent things. They march forward like a wind from the desert. They make people their prisoners, as easily as if they are picking up sand.

Commentaries on 1 Kings 4:29

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 29God gave Solomon wisdom, etc. - He gave him a capacious mind, and furnished him with extraordinary assistance to cultivate it. Even as the sand that is on the sea-shore - Lord Bacon observes on this: "As the sand on the sea-shore encloses a great body of waters, so Solomon's mind contained an ocean of knowledge." This is a happy and correct illustration.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 29Largeness of heart - What we call “great capacity.” The expression which follows is common in reference to numerical multitude 1 Kings 4:20, but its use here to express mere amplitude or greatness is unique.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 29-34Verses 29-34 Solomon's wisdom was more his glory than his wealth. He had what is here called largeness of heart, for the heart is often put for the powers of the mind. He had the gift of utterance, as well as wisdom. It is very desirable, that those who have large gifts of any kind, should have large hearts to use them for the good of others. What treasures of wisdom and knowledge are lost! But every sort of knowledge that is needful for salvation is to…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 29-30men of the East: Babylon was famous for its wise men. However, Solomon's wisdom, given by God (1 Kings 3:9, 12, 28; Proverbs 1:7; Ecclesiastes 12:13), was greater than all of them (1 Kings 4:34).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2929. God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart--that is, high powers of mind, great capacity for receieving, as well as aptitude for communicating knowledge.Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Kings 4:29

• Heart
• Liberality
• Solomon
• Wisdom
• Wise Men

In the dictionaries

• God
• Solomon
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• the sea, the Great Sea, the western sea
• Region
• Abishag
• Breadth
• Deer
• Genealogy
• Horse

Commentaries on 1 Kings 4

• 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