New International Version
1 Kings 3:12
12I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be.
1 Kings 3:12 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee.
- English Standard Version (ESV)behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you.
- New King James Version (NKJV)behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you.
- New Living Translation (NLT)I will give you what you asked for! I will give you a wise and understanding heart such as no one else has had or ever will have!
Context of 1 Kings 3:12
10The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. 11So God said to him, “Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. 13Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both wealth and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. 14And if you walk in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.”
Read all of 1 Kings 31 Kings 3:12 word by word
הִנֵּ֥ה עָשִׂ֖יתִי כִּדְבָרֶ֑יךָ הִנֵּ֣ה׀ נָתַ֣תִּי לְךָ֗ לֵ֚ב חָכָ֣ם וְנָב֔וֹן אֲשֶׁ֤ר כָּמ֙וֹךָ֙ לֹא־הָיָ֣ה לְפָנֶ֔יךָ וְאַחֲרֶ֖יךָ לֹא־יָק֥וּם כָּמֽוֹךָ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Behold, I have doneעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
- according to thy wordsדָּבָרdâbâr · wordH1697
- lo, I have givenנָתַןnâthan · to give: giveH5414
- thee a wiseחָכָםchâkâm · wiseH2450
- and an understandingבִּיןbîyn · to understandH995
- heartלֵבlêb · heartH3820
- so that there was none like thee beforeפָּנֶהpânîym · face: beforeH6440
- thee, neither afterאַחַר'achar · afterH310
- thee shall any ariseקוּםqûm · to arise: riseH6965
Cross-references for 1 Kings 3:12
- Psalms 10:17You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,
- Isaiah 65:24Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear.
- Romans 8:26In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.
- 1 John 5:14This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.
- 1 Kings 3:28When all Israel heard the verdict the king had given, they held the king in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom from God to administer justice.
- 1 Kings 2:6Deal with him according to your wisdom, but do not let his gray head go down to the grave in peace.
- 1 Kings 4:29God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore.
- 1 Kings 5:12The Lord gave Solomon wisdom, just as he had promised him. There were peaceful relations between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them made a treaty.
- 1 Kings 10:3Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too hard for the king to explain to her.
- 2 Chronicles 1:11God said to Solomon, “Since this is your heart’s desire and you have not asked for wealth, possessions or honor, nor for the death of your enemies, and since you have not asked for a long life but for wisdom and knowledge to govern my people over whom I have made you king,
- 2 Chronicles 2:12And Hiram added: “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, who made heaven and earth! He has given King David a wise son, endowed with intelligence and discernment, who will build a temple for the Lord and a palace for himself.
- 2 Chronicles 9:5She said to the king, “The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true.
- Ecclesiastes 1:13I applied my mind to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under the heavens. What a heavy burden God has laid on mankind!
- Luke 21:15For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.
- Matthew 12:42The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, and now something greater than Solomon is here.
- Colossians 2:3in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
Commentaries on 1 Kings 3:12
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 12I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart - I have given thee a capacious mind, one capable of knowing much: make a proper use of thy powers, under the direction of my Spirit, and thou shalt excel in wisdom all that have gone before thee; neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee. But, query, Was not all this conditional? If he should walk in his ways, and keep his statutes and commandments, 1 Kings 3:14. Was it not to depend upon his…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 12A wise and an understanding heart - Solomon‘s wisdom seems to have been both moral and intellectual (see 1 Kings 4:29-34). But it was moral wisdom alone which he requested, and which was promised him. The terms translated “wise” and “understanding,” both denote practical wisdom. (See Genesis 41:33, Genesis 41:39; Deuteronomy 4:6; Proverbs 1:2, etc.) Neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee - i. e. in the knowledge of what was in man, and in the…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. 10-12God was pleased with Solomon's selfless request and gave him a wise and understanding heart. These unique qualities are shown in the next section (1 Kings 3:16–28) and as Solomon organizes his administration (1 Kings 4), business dealings, construction projects, international relations, and worship practices (1 Kings 5–10).Read the comment
Topics related to 1 Kings 3:12
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
New International Version — © NIV® 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 Biblica
Commentaries