Verse Lens · Expanded explanation
1 Kings 3:15 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 15. 15And Solomon awoke; and, behold, it was a dream. And he came to Jerusalem, and stood before the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and offered up burnt offerings, and offered peace offerings, and made a feast to all his servants.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
This verse closes the thought unit with its stated result or transition: “And Solomon awoke; and, behold, it was a dream. And he came to Jerusalem, and stood before the….” Its responsible meaning belongs to the complete movement “Solomon asks for a discerning heart.”
At Gibeon the LORD invites a request
This verse is one part of that explanation in 1 Kings 3:5–15. The complete section carries the connected meaning and how it should shape life.
Read It With
- 1 Kings 3:5–15
Read 1 Kings 3:15 with 3:5–15. The selected wording supplies one closing in the thought unit with its stated result or transition; the surrounding verses supply the causes, responses, and outcome summarized here: Introduces the divine dream invitation for Solomon to ask for a gift; returns Solomon from the dream to Jerusalem, covenant worship, sacrifices, and a feast for his servants.
Why This Verse Appears Here
Within “Solomon asks for a discerning heart,” 1 Kings 3:15 closes the thought unit with its stated result or transition through the wording “And Solomon awoke; and, behold, it was a dream. And he came to Jerusalem, and stood before the….” Its placement is governed by this reviewed relationship: 1 Kings 3:1–4 establishes this prior movement: Opens Solomon's reign with an Egyptian marriage alliance and unfinished royal, temple, and city construction; places Solomon's lavish sacrifice at Gibeon's prominent high place. 1 Kings 3:5–15 responds to the pressure, request, or claim already established; that demonstrated relationship, rather than database adjacency alone, explains its placement.
Read 1 Kings 3:5–15 together
Why these verses belong together: Solomon asks for a discerning heart is the complete reviewed scene, prayer, oracle, list, or regnal notice bounded at 3:5–3:15.
Verse 5. 5 In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee.
Verse 6. 6 And Solomon said, Thou hast shewed unto thy servant David my father great mercy, according as he walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with thee; and thou hast kept for him this great kindness, that thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.
Verse 7. 7 And now, O LORD my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in.
Verse 8. 8 And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude.
Verse 9. 9 Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?
Verse 10. 10 And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.
Verse 11. 11 And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment;
Verse 12. 12 Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee.
Verse 13. 13 And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honour: so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days.
Verse 14. 14 And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy days.
Verse 15. 15 And Solomon awoke; and, behold, it was a dream. And he came to Jerusalem, and stood before the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and offered up burnt offerings, and offered peace offerings, and made a feast to all his servants.
Follow the Context
- Introduces the divine dream invitation for Solomon to ask for a gift
- Returns Solomon from the dream to Jerusalem, covenant worship, sacrifices, and a feast for his servants
What This Verse Is Not Saying
1 Kings 3:15 does not permit the wording “And Solomon awoke; and, behold, it was a dream. And he came to Jerusalem, and stood before the…” to be read apart from the selected verse's context. The unit does not make wisdom moral infallibility, reduce vulnerable people to illustrations, or promise wealth, health, or success to everyone who asks for discernment.
What Remains True
Discernment serves justice when it hears vulnerable people carefully and remains open to later moral evaluation. This unit tests that truth through introduces the divine dream invitation for Solomon to ask for a gift; returns Solomon from the dream to Jerusalem, covenant worship, sacrifices, and a feast for his servants. In 1 Kings 3:15, the concrete line “And Solomon awoke; and, behold, it was a dream. And he came to Jerusalem, and stood before the…” keeps that truth accountable to the narrated evidence.
Teach It Back
In 70–220 words, explain 1 Kings 3:15's role in 3:5–15. Paraphrase “And Solomon awoke; and, behold, it was a dream. And he came to Jerusalem, and stood before the…,” identify one agent or affected person, state one material source or historical limit, and name one conclusion the context does not authorize.
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Continue in Context
Read the complete section for the connected explanation and how it should shape life. This verse is a doorway into that passage, not a saying that stands alone.
Read 1 Kings 3:5–15 — Solomon asks for a discerning heartSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? probable
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact displayed KJV wording, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete verse coverage.
Exact location: 1 Kings 3:5–15, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: 1 Kings
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2
Supports: Hebrew wording and morphology used for lexical, grammatical, name, clause, and older-English checks; this is not a critical apparatus or historical proof.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v.2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/1Kgs.xml, Masoretic words and morphology for 3:5–15
Open source ↗translation and translator notes
NET Bible: 1 Kings with translators' notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, 2006
Supports: Only printed unit-level translation, lexical, grammatical, textual, historical, and verse-numbering notes; silence is not evidence.
Exact location: NET Bible 1 Kings PDF, printed pp. 589–591, translation and translator notes for 3:5–15
Open source ↗