1 Kings 3:5

Contextual Overview

⁵At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, "Ask for whatever you want me to give you."⁵ At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, "Ask for whatever you want me to give you." ⁵In Gibeon, Yahweh appeared to Solomon in a dream at night; and God said, "Ask what I should give to you." ⁵ In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream at night; and God said, "Ask what you wish me to give you."⁵ And in Gibeon the Lorde appeared to Solomon in a dreame by night, and God sayd: Aske what thou wilt, that I may geue it thee. ⁵ Jehovah appeared to Solomon in Gibeon in a dream of the night. And God said, Ask. What shall I give to you? ⁵ While Solomon was at Gibeon, the Lord came to him at night in a dream. God said, "Solomon, ask me what you want me to give you." ⁵ At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, "Ask what I shall give you." ⁵ In Gibeon Yahweh appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, Ask what I shall give you. ⁵ In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dreame by night: and God sayd, Aske what I shall giue thee.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the Lord: 1 Kings 9:2

in a dream: Genesis 28:12, Genesis 28:13, Numbers 12:6, Job 33:14, Job 33:15, Matthew 1:20, Matthew 2:13, Matthew 2:19

Ask what: 2 Chronicles 1:7-12, Matthew 7:7, Matthew 7:8, Mark 10:36, Mark 10:38-51, Mark 11:24, John 14:13, John 14:14, John 15:16, James 1:5, James 1:6, 1 John 5:14, 1 John 5:15

Reciprocal: Genesis 31:10 - a dream Genesis 31:24 - dream Genesis 37:5 - dreamed Joshua 10:41 - Gibeon Joshua 18:25 - Gibeon 1 Kings 11:9 - which had appeared 1 Chronicles 14:4 - Solomon Nehemiah 2:4 - For what Esther 5:3 - What Psalms 72:2 - He shall Proverbs 4:8 - General Proverbs 30:7 - have Zechariah 1:8 - by night Matthew 20:21 - What Luke 18:41 - What 1 Corinthians 12:8 - is given

Cross-References

Genesis 2:17
but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."

Genesis 2:17
but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die."

Genesis 2:17
but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat from it; for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die."

Genesis 2:17
but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die."

Genesis 2:17
But as touching the tree of knowlege of good and euyll thou shalt not eate of it: For in what daye so euer thou eatest therof, thou shalt dye the death.

Genesis 2:17
But you must not eat from the tree that gives knowledge about good and evil. If you eat fruit from that tree, on that day you will certainly die!"

Genesis 2:17
but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die."

Genesis 2:17
forsothe ete thou not of the tre of kunnyng of good and of yuel; for in what euere dai thou schalt ete therof, thou schalt die bi deeth.

Genesis 2:17
But of the tree of the knowledge of good and euill, thou shalt not eate of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die.

Genesis 2:17
But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night,.... This was not a common natural dream, but an extraordinary, divine, and supernatural one, a prophetic dream, a night vision, such as God used to speak in to his prophets; in which he had the full use of his reasoning powers, was under divine impressions, and in a spiritual frame of mind, and in the exercise of grace; it was not a mere dream that the Lord did appear to him, but he really did appear to him while sleeping and dreaming, by some display of his glory in some way or another:

and God said, ask what I shall give thee; he did not hereby dream that God said to him, but he really did say this; bid him ask what he would and it should be given him; he knew what he designed to give, but he would have it asked of him, as he will be inquired of by all his people to do that for them which he has intended and provided for them; and it is encouragement enough for them to ask, since he has promised to give.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The Lord appeared unto Solomon in a dream - Compare the marginal references and Genesis 15:1; Genesis 28:12; Genesis 37:5.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Kings 3:5. The Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream — This was the night after he had offered the sacrifices, (see 2 Chronicles 1:7), and probably after he had earnestly prayed for wisdom; see Wisdom 7:7: Wherefore I prayed, and understanding was given me: I called upon God, and the spirit of wisdom came to me. If this were the case, the dream might have been the consequence of his earnest prayer for wisdom: the images of those things which occupy the mind during the day are most likely to recur during the night; and this, indeed, is the origin of the greater part of our dreams. But this appears to have been supernatural.

Gregory Nyssen, speaking of different kinds of dreams, observes that our organs and brain are not unlike a musical instrument; while the strings of such instruments have their proper degree of tension, they give, when touched, a harmonious sound, but as soon as they are relaxed or screwed down, they give no sound at all. During our waking hours, our senses, touched by our reason, produce the most harmonious concert; but as soon as we are asleep, the instrument is no longer capable of emitting any sound, unless it happen that the remembrance of what passed during the day returns and presents itself to the mind while we are asleep, and so forms a dream; just as the strings of an instrument continue to emit feeble sounds for some time after the musician has ceased to strike them. - See GREG. NYSS. De opificio hominis, cap. xii., p. 77. Oper. vol. i., edit. Morell., Par. 1638.

This may account, in some measure, for common dreams: but even suppose we should not allow that Solomon had been the day before earnestly requesting the gift of wisdom from God, yet we might grant that such a dream as this might be produced by the immediate influence of God upon the soul. And if Solomon received his wisdom by immediate inspiration from heaven, this was the kind of dream that he had; a dream by which that wisdom was actually communicated. But probably we need not carry this matter so much into miracle: God might be the author of his extraordinary wisdom, as he was the author of his extraordinary riches. Some say, "He lay down as ignorant as other men, and yet arose in the morning wiser than all the children of men." I think this is as credible as that he lay down with a scanty revenue, and in the morning, when he arose, found his treasury full. In short, God's especial blessing brought him riches through the medium of his own care and industry; as the inspiration of the Almighty gave him understanding, while he gave his heart to seek and search out by his wisdom, concerning all things under the sun, Ecclesiastes 1:13. God gave him the seeds of an extraordinary understanding, and, by much study and research, they grew up under the Divine blessing, and produced a plentiful harvest; but, alas! they did not continue to grow.