New Living Translation
1 Kings 4:29
29God gave Solomon very great wisdom and understanding, and knowledge as vast as the sands of the seashore.
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 district governors faithfully provided food for King Solomon and his court; each made sure nothing was lacking during the month assigned to him. 28They also brought the necessary barley and straw for the royal horses in the stables. God gave Solomon very great wisdom and understanding, and knowledge as vast as the sands of the seashore. 30In fact, his wisdom exceeded that of all the wise men of the East and the wise men of Egypt. 31He was wiser than anyone else, including Ethan the Ezrahite and the sons of Mahol—Heman, Calcol, and Darda. His fame spread throughout all the surrounding nations.
Read all of 1 Kings 41 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 3:12I 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!
- 1 Kings 10:23So King Solomon became richer and wiser than any other king on earth.
- 2 Chronicles 1:10Give me the wisdom and knowledge to lead them properly, for who could possibly govern this great people of yours?”
- Psalms 119:34Give me understanding and I will obey your instructions; I will put them into practice with all my heart.
- Proverbs 2:6For the Lord grants wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
- Ecclesiastes 1:16I said to myself, “Look, I am wiser than any of the kings who ruled in Jerusalem before me. I have greater wisdom and knowledge than any of them.”
- Ecclesiastes 2:26God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy to those who please him. But if a sinner becomes wealthy, God takes the wealth away and gives it to those who please him. This, too, is meaningless—like chasing the wind.
- James 1:5If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.
- James 3:17But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere.
- Isaiah 60:5Your eyes will shine, and your heart will thrill with joy, for merchants from around the world will come to you. They will bring you the wealth of many lands.
- 1 Kings 4:20The people of Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They were very contented, with plenty to eat and drink.
- Genesis 41:49He piled up huge amounts of grain like sand on the seashore. Finally, he stopped keeping records because there was too much to measure.
- Judges 7:12The armies of Midian, Amalek, and the people of the east had settled in the valley like a swarm of locusts. Their camels were like grains of sand on the seashore—too many to count!
- Jeremiah 33:22And as the stars of the sky cannot be counted and the sand on the seashore cannot be measured, so I will multiply the descendants of my servant David and the Levites who minister before me.”
- Habakkuk 1:9“On they come, all bent on violence. Their hordes advance like a desert wind, sweeping captives ahead of them like 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
In the dictionaries
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
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