Solomon's wisdom and wealth

The LORD makes Solomon wise

(1 Kings 3.1-15)

1King Solomon, the son of David, was now in complete control of his kingdom, because the LORD God had blessed him and made him a powerful king.

2-5At that time, the sacred tent that Moses the servant of the LORD had made in the desert was still kept at Gibeon, and in front of the tent was the bronze altar that Bezalel1.2-5 Bezalel: Hebrew “Bezalel son of Uri son of Hur”. had made.1.4: 2 S 6.1-17; 1 Ch 13.5-14; 15.25—16.1.1.5: Ex 38.1-7.

One day, Solomon told the people of Israel, the army commanders, the officials, and the family leaders, to go with him to the place of worship at Gibeon, even though his father King David had already moved the sacred chest from Kiriath-Jearim to the tent that he had set up for it in Jerusalem. Solomon and the others went to Gibeon to worship the LORD, 6and there at the bronze altar, Solomon offered a thousand animals as sacrifices to please the LORD.1.6 sacrifices to please the LORD: These sacrifices have traditionally been called “whole burnt offerings”, because the whole animal was burnt on the altar. A main purpose of such sacrifices was to please the LORD with the smell of the sacrifice, and so in the CEV they are often called “sacrifices to please the LORD”.

7God appeared to Solomon that night in a dream and said, “Solomon, ask for anything you want, and I will give it to you.”

8Solomon answered:

LORD God, you were always loyal to my father David, and now you have made me king of Israel. 9I am supposed to rule these people, but there are as many of them as there are specks of dust on the ground. So keep the promise you made to my father1.9: Gn 13.16; 28.14. 10and make me wise. Give me the knowledge I'll need to be the king of this great nation of yours.

11God replied:

Solomon, you could have asked me to make you rich or famous or to let you live a long time. Or you could have asked for your enemies to be destroyed. Instead, you asked for wisdom and knowledge to rule my people. 12So I will make you wise and intelligent. But I will also make you richer and more famous than any king before or after you.

13Solomon then left Gibeon and returned to Jerusalem, the capital city of Israel.

Solomon's wealth

(1 Kings 10.26-29)

14Solomon had a force of one thousand four hundred chariots and twelve thousand horses that he kept in Jerusalem and other towns.1.14: 1 K 4.26.

15While Solomon was king of Israel, there was silver and gold everywhere in Jerusalem, and cedar was as common as ordinary sycamore trees in the foothills.

16-17Solomon's merchants bought his horses and chariots in the regions of Musri and Kue.1.16,17 Musri and Kue: Hebrew “Egypt and Kue”. Musri and Kue were regions in what is today south-east Turkey. They paid six hundred pieces of silver for a chariot and a hundred and fifty pieces of silver for a horse. They also sold horses and chariots to the Hittite and Syrian kings.1.16: Dt 17.16.