1 Kings 3:1

The Lord Gives Solomon Wisdom

3:1 Solomon made an alliance by marriage with Pharaoh, king of Egypt; he married Pharaoh’s daughter. He brought her to the City of David ¹  until he could finish building his residence and the temple of the Lord and the wall around Jerusalem. ² 

1 Kings 18:26

18:26 So they took a bull, as he had suggested, ³  and prepared it. They invoked the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, “Baal, answer us.” But there was no sound and no answer. They jumped ⁴  around on the altar they had made. ⁵ 

1 Kings 20:31

20:31 His advisers ⁶  said to him, “Look, we have heard that the kings of the Israelite dynasty are kind. ⁷  Allow us to put sackcloth around our waists and ropes on our heads ⁸  and surrender ⁹  to the king of Israel. Maybe he will spare our lives.”

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¹ sn The phrase City of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.

² map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.

³ tn Heb “and they took the bull which he allowed them.”

⁴ tn Heb “limped” (the same verb is used in v. 21).

⁵ tc The MT has “which he made,” but some medieval Hebrew mss and the ancient versions have the plural form of the verb.

⁶ tn Or “servants.”

⁷ tn Or “merciful.” The word used here often means “devoted” or “loyal.” Perhaps the idea is that the Israelite kings are willing to make treaties with other kings.

⁸ sn Sackcloth was worn as a sign of sorrow and repentance. The precise significance of the ropes on the head is uncertain, but it probably was a sign of submission. These actions were comparable to raising a white flag on the battlefield or throwing in the towel in a boxing match.

⁹ tn Heb “go out.”