1 Kings 3:5–9
God tells Solomon to ask, and he asks for a heart that listens
Study it word by word5At Gibeon YHWH appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and Elohim said, “Ask what I shall give you.”
6And Solomon said, “You have shown your servant David my father great loyal love, because he walked before you in truth and in righteousness and in uprightness of heart toward you; and you have kept for him this great loyal love and have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.
7And now, YHWH my Elohim, you have made your servant king in place of David my father, but I am a little boy; I do not know how to go out or come in.
8And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered or counted for multitude.
9So give your servant a heart that listens, to judge your people, to discern between good and evil; for who is able to judge this people of yours, so great?”
In its context
3And Solomon loved YHWH, walking in the statutes of David his father; only, at the high places he sacrificed and offered up in smoke.
4And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place; a thousand burnt offerings Solomon offered on that altar.
…
10And the thing was good in the eyes of Adonai, that Solomon had asked this thing.
11And Elohim said to him, “Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked for yourself many days, and have not asked for yourself riches, and have not asked for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself discernment to hear justice,
Its words in the original
- גִבְעוֹןgivon· Gibeon
Gibeon: a Hivite city northwest of Jerusalem whose inhabitants made a covenant with Israel. The name comes from "hill."
- נִרְאָהnira· see
See. Also look, observe, notice, consider; in some forms, "appear" or "show".
- יְהֹוָהyehova· YHWH
The personal name of the God of Israel, written in Hebrew with four letters, Y-H-W-H, without vowels. Out of reverence Jews stopped pronouncing it and read "Adonai" (Lord), so many Bibles put "the LORD" or "Jehovah". This translation keeps the four letters. The name is related to the verb "to be" (Exodus 3:14-15). He is not a god other than Elohim: "YHWH Elohim" is the same Creator God, called by his name.
- שְׁלֹמֹהshelomo· Solomon
Solomon: son of David and Bathsheba, who reigned after him and built the temple. His name comes from "peace" (shalom).
- חֲלוֹםchalom· dream
Dream: what one sees while asleep. In the Bible, God sometimes speaks through dreams.
- לָּיְלָהlayla· night
Night.
- יֹּאמֶרyomer· say
Say, speak. The most common verb for bringing in what someone says; sometimes "think" (say to oneself) or "command".
- אֱלֹהִיםelohim· Elohim, God, gods
The Hebrew word usually translated "God". This translation keeps "Elohim" when it speaks of the one true God, the Creator, the God of Israel. The word ends like a plural, but it does not mean several: for him the verb is singular ("Elohim created"); the plural form expresses greatness. The same word as a common noun names the "gods" of other peoples, and there it is a true plural, translated "gods". It is also used of mighty ones or judges.
- שְׁאַלsheal· ask
Ask, inquire; request.
- אֶתֶּןeten· give, put, set
Give, in a very wide sense: hand over, put, place, grant, allow, make something be.
- עָשִׂיתָasita· do, make
Do, make, in the widest sense: build, produce, carry out, keep (a command), prepare.
- עַבְדְּavd· slave, servant
Slave, servant: someone who belongs to another or is in his service. It can be a slave, a worker or a high official of the king; before God, one who serves him. "Your servant" is a polite way to say "I".
- דָוִדdavid· David
David, youngest son of Jesse, of Bethlehem; the second king of Israel. The name means "beloved."
- אָבִavi· father
Father; also ancestor ("our fathers"), and the founder or head of a family or group.
- חֶסֶדchesed· loyal love
"Chesed": love that stays faithful to a commitment. It is kindness that does not remain a feeling: it acts in favor of the other and does not abandon him. The Bible says it above all of God's love for his people.
- גָּדוֹלgadol· great
Great in size, number, age or importance; also "the elder" of two; "high priest" is "great priest".
- הָלַךְhalach· go, walk
Go, walk, come. Figuratively, the way one lives ("walk with God").
- פָנֶיfane· face, presence
Face. From there "surface" (the face of something) and "presence" (being before someone's face); with a preposition it means "before" or "in front of".
- אֱמֶתemet· faithfulness, truth
Truth, firmness. Said of a person or of God, faithfulness: he can be trusted because he keeps his word. It often goes with "loyal love".
- צְדָקָהtsedaka· righteousness
Righteousness: being right with God and acting rightly with others; justice.
- יִשְׁרַתyishrat· uprightness
Uprightness: walking straight, without turning aside. It appears only once in the Bible (1 Kings 3:6), in "uprightness of heart."
- לֵבָבlevav· heart
Heart: the inner part of the person, where one thinks, feels and decides.
- תִּשְׁמָרtishmar· keep, guard
Keep: watch over, guard, protect; also keep a command or a covenant, observe.
- בֵןven· son
Son. In the plural it can include sons and daughters, and also grandsons and descendants. "Son of..." also says what group someone belongs to ("sons of Israel" = Israelites).
- יֹשֵׁבyoshev· sit, dwell
Sit, sit down; from there stay in a place, live, dwell. In the causative form, settle someone, make to dwell. Also sit as judge or as king.
- כִּסְאkis· throne
Throne: the king's seat, sign of his authority.
- יּוֹםyom· day
Day: the hours of light, or a whole day from one evening to the next. Also an indefinite time or age ("in the day that...", "in those days").
- הִמְלַכְתָּhimlachta· reign
Reign, be king; in the causative form, make someone king.
- נַעַרnaar· young man, servant
Boy, young man; also a servant or attendant.
- קָטֹןkaton· small, younger
Small; the younger or lesser of two, in size, age or importance.
- אֵדַעeda· know
Know. Not only having a fact: it is knowing by experience and closely; also recognize, care for, make known. So Hebrew also uses it for the intimate union of a man and his wife ("he knew his wife").
- צֵאתtset· go out, bring out
Go out, come out. In the causative form, "make go out", "bring out", "lead out", "produce".
- בֹאvo· come, go in, bring
Come, arrive, go in, enter. In the causative form, "bring" or "carry in". "Go in to" a woman is to have marital relations with her.
- תוֹךְtoch· midst
The middle, the center of something; "in the midst of", "among".
- עַמְּam· people
People: a human group joined by kinship, history and destiny. "My people", said by God, is Israel. Also the people as a crowd, or troops.
- בָּחָרְתָּbacharta· choose
Choose, select.
- רָבrav· many, great
Many, much, abundant, great; also "elder" or "chief".
- יִמָּנֶהyimane· count
Count, number how many there are; also appoint.
- יִסָּפֵרyisafer· count, tell
Count (numbers) and also tell (relate, recount). From here comes the word for "scribe".
- רֹבrov· abundance
Abundance, great number; greatness.
- לֵבlev· heart
Heart. In Hebrew it is not only the place of feelings: it is the center of the person, where one thinks, decides and wills; also the middle of something.
- שֹׁמֵעַshomea· hear, listen, obey
Hear, listen. In the Bible listening truly includes paying heed; so it often means "obey". In the causative form, make heard, proclaim.
- שְׁפֹּטshepot· judge
Judge: decide who is in the right and do him justice; also punish. Also rule, govern.
- הָבִיןhavin· understand, discern
Understand, discern: perceive clearly, distinguish, see what ought to be done.
- טוֹבtov· good
Good in the widest sense: pleasant, beautiful, useful, right, of good quality. As a noun, "good", "good things", "well-being".
- רָעra· evil, bad, harm
Bad; evil. It includes what is morally wrong and also what does harm: misfortune, disaster, distress.
- יוּכַלyuchal· be able, can
Be able, can; also prevail, overcome.
- כָּבֵדkaved· heavy, severe
Heavy. Figuratively, grievous, severe; also great, abundant.