1 Kings 10:24
in 1 Kings 10The whole world sought an audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom that God had put in his heart.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And all the earth sought the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart.
KJV
And all the earth sought to Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart.
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This verse in 1 Kings 10
Commentary
6 notes on this verseFor the beauty of Wisdom is wondrous, and no one looks upon her without admiration and ecstasy, as it is said of Esther and of Solomon, for "all the earth desired to see Solomon's face"; and the Queen of Sheba "came from the ends of …
This site's exposition
exceeded all the kings of the earth
on 1 Kings 10:23-25
The chapter's own summary, Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth for riches and for wisdom, is repeated in substance for the whole earth seeking him in the next verse, and it is this scene Jesus draws on when he says a greater than Solomon is here. Every visitor brings a present year by year, vessels of silver and gold, garments, armour, spices, horses and mules, a tribute list that folds Solomon's fame into ordinary annual traffic rather than one royal visit. The wisdom God put in his heart, the same gift asked for at 3:9, is what the whole earth is said to be seeking, not his wealth alone.
This site's exposition
the wisdom that God had put
John Wesley reads the whole world through 2 Chronicles 9:23, which names all the kings of the earth, and limits it to the nearer lands. Bonaventure took the scene as a picture of the beauty of wisdom, which moves all who see it to wonder. John Gill calls the wisdom God's own gift.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
All the earth - That is, all the kings of the earth, (as it is expressed 2 Chron. ix, 23,) namely of those parts of the earth.
And all the earth sought to Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart. For it was all of God, a peculiar gift of his; by "all the earth" is meant the inhabitants of it, and only them, and those the more principal; who came from the several parts of it, hearing the fame of his wisdom, to know the truth of it, and to improve themselves by it.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
The ascent to it was by six steps, on each of which stood lions, in place of a railing--while a lion, probably of gilt metal, stood at each side, which, we may suppose from the analogy of other Oriental thrones, supported a canopy. A golden footstool is mentioned (2Ch 9:18) as attached to this throne, whose magnificence is described as unrivalled.
The words behind it
13 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְכָ֨ל־ | vekhol | and all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| הָאָ֔רֶץ | haaretz | the earth | H776 → | 2504 times |
| מְבַקְשִׁ֖ים | mevakshim | [were] seeking | H1245 → | 225 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| פְּנֵ֣י | penei | [the] face of | H6440 → | 2123 times |
| שְׁלֹמֹ֑ה | shelomoh | Solomon | H8010 → | 291 times |
| לִשְׁמֹ֙עַ֙ | lishmoa' | to hear | H8085 → | 1159 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| חָכְמָת֔וֹ | chakhemato | wisdom his | H2451 → | 153 times |
| אֲשֶׁר־ | ʾasher- | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| נָתַ֥ן | natan | he had put | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| אֱלֹהִ֖ים | ʾelohim | God | H430 → | 2601 times |
| בְּלִבּֽוֹ׃ | belibo | in heart his | H3820 → | 595 times |
וְכָ֨ל־and all
vekholH3605 →5413 times
הָאָ֔רֶץthe earth
haaretzH776 →2504 times
מְבַקְשִׁ֖ים[were] seeking
mevakshimH1245 →225 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
פְּנֵ֣י[the] face of
peneiH6440 →2123 times
שְׁלֹמֹ֑הSolomon
shelomohH8010 →291 times
לִשְׁמֹ֙עַ֙to hear
lishmoa'H8085 →1159 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
חָכְמָת֔וֹwisdom his
chakhematoH2451 →153 times
אֲשֶׁר־which
ʾasher-H834 →5497 times
נָתַ֥ןhe had put
natanH5414 →2011 times
אֱלֹהִ֖יםGod
ʾelohimH430 →2601 times
בְּלִבּֽוֹ׃in heart his
beliboH3820 →595 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
James 1:5Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.
it leads to
- Proverbs 2:3–6
if you truly call out to insight and lift your voice to understanding,
- 1 John 5:14–15
And this is the confidence that we have before Him: If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- John 15:7
If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
- Jeremiah 29:12–13
Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.
- Proverbs 3:5–7
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding;
- Proverbs 2:3–6
Through
Proverbs 2:6For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.
it leads to
- James 1:5
Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Ephesians 1:17–18
that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in your knowledge of Him.
- Job 32:8
But there is a spirit in a man, the breath of the Almighty, that gives him understanding.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- James 1:5
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About 1 Kings
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Bonaventure, Collations on the Hexaemeron, Collation 2; F. W. Farrar, The First Book of Kings (Expositor's Bible); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.