9 and Thou hast given to Thy servant an understanding heart, to judge Thy people, to discern between good and evil; for who is able to judge this Thy great people?'
and if any of you do lack wisdom, let him ask from God, who is giving to all liberally, and not reproaching, and it shall be given to him;
and thy maid-servant saith, Let, I pray thee, the word of my lord the king be for ease; for as a messenger of God so `is' my lord the king, to understand the good and the evil; and Jehovah thy God is with thee.'
For, if for intelligence thou callest, For understanding givest forth thy voice, If thou dost seek her as silver, And as hid treasures searchest for her, Then understandest thou fear of Jehovah, And knowledge of God thou findest. For Jehovah giveth wisdom, From His mouth knowledge and understanding. Even to lay up for the upright substance, A shield for those walking uprightly. To keep the paths of judgment, And the way of His saints He preserveth. Then understandest thou righteousness, And judgment, and uprightness -- every good path.
By Solomon. O God, Thy judgments to the king give, And Thy righteousness to the king's son. He judgeth Thy people with righteousness, And Thy poor with judgment.
Rested on him hath the Spirit of Jehovah, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and might, The spirit of knowledge and fear of Jehovah. To refresh him in the fear of Jehovah, And by the sight of his eyes he judgeth not, Nor by the hearing of his ears decideth. And he hath judged in righteousness the poor, And decided in uprightness for the humble of earth, And hath smitten earth with the rod of his mouth, And with the breath of his lips he putteth the wicked to death.
To get wisdom -- how much better than gold, And to get understanding to be chosen than silver!
Only, Jehovah give to thee wisdom and understanding, and charge thee concerning Israel, even to keep the law of Jehovah thy God;
and the wisdom from above, first, indeed, is pure, then peaceable, gentle, easily entreated, full of kindness and good fruits, uncontentious, and unhypocritical: --
not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything, as of ourselves, but our sufficiency `is' of God,
The righteousness of Thy testimonies `is' to Cause me to understand, and I live!
for your proving the things that differ, that ye may be pure and offenceless -- to a day of Christ,
And Moses saith unto God, `Who `am' I, that I go unto Pharaoh, and that I bring out the sons of Israel from Egypt?' and He saith, `Because I am with thee, and this `is' to thee the sign that I have sent thee: in thy bringing out the people from Egypt -- ye do serve God on this mount.'
and the natural man doth not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for to him they are foolishness, and he is not able to know `them', because spiritually they are discerned; and he who is spiritual, doth discern indeed all things, and he himself is by no one discerned;
but John was forbidding him, saying, `I have need by thee to be baptized -- and thou dost come unto me!'
And I say, `Ah, Lord Jehovah! lo, I have not known -- to speak, for I `am' a youth.'
and there hath been found in it a poor wise man, and he hath delivered the city by his wisdom, and men have not remembered that poor man! And I said, `Better `is' wisdom than might, and the wisdom of the poor is despised, and his words are not heard.' -- The words of the wise in quiet are heard, More than the cry of a ruler over fools. Better `is' wisdom than weapons of conflict, And one sinner destroyeth much good!
Wisdom `is' good with an inheritance, And an advantage `it is' to those beholding the sun.
A hearing ear, and a seeing eye, Jehovah hath made even both of them.
O the happiness of a man `who' hath found wisdom, And of a man `who' bringeth forth understanding. For better `is' her merchandise Than the merchandise of silver, And than gold -- her increase. Precious she `is' above rubies, And all thy pleasures are not comparable to her. Length of days `is' in her right hand, In her left `are' wealth and honour. Her ways `are' ways of pleasantness, And all her paths `are' peace. A tree of life she `is' to those laying hold on her, And whoso is retaining her `is' happy.
`Yod.' Thy hands made me and establish me, Cause me to understand, and I learn Thy commands.
And all Israel hear of the judgment that the king hath judged, and fear because of the king, for they have seen that the wisdom of God `is' in his heart, to do judgment.
And Moses saith unto Jehovah, `O, my Lord, I `am' not a man of words, either yesterday, or before, or since Thy speaking unto Thy servant, for I `am' slow of mouth, and slow of tongue.' And Jehovah saith unto him, `Who appointed a mouth for man? or who appointeth the dumb, or deaf, or open, or blind? is it not I, Jehovah? and now, go, and I -- I am with thy mouth, and have directed thee that which thou speakest;' and he saith, `O, my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand Thou dost send.'
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on 1 Kings 3
Commentary on 1 Kings 3 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 3
Solomon's reign looked bloody in the foregoing chapter, but the necessary acts of justice must not be called cruelty; in this chapter it appears with another face. We must not think the worse of God's mercy to his subjects for his judgments on rebels. We have here,
1Ki 3:1-4
We are here told concerning Solomon,
1Ki 3:5-15
We have here an account of a gracious visit which God paid to Solomon, and the communion he had with God in it, which put a greater honour upon Solomon than all the wealth and power of his kingdom did.
1Ki 3:16-28
An instance is here given of Solomon's wisdom, to show that the grant lately made him had a real effect upon him. The proof is fetched, not from the mysteries of state and the policies of the council-board, though there no doubt he excelled, but from the trial and determination of a cause between party and party, which princes, though they devolve them upon their judges, must not think it below them to take cognizance of. Observe,