The king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there; for that was the great high place. Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar.
Parallel Translations
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The king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there; for that was the great high place. Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar.
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And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there; for that was the great high place: a thousand burnt offerings did Solomon offer upon that altar.
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And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there; for that was the great high place; a thousand burnt-offerings did Solomon offer upon that altar.
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Cross-references (13)
Passages linked to 1 Kings 3:4 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- 1 Chronicles 16:39 and Zadok the priest, and his brothers the priests, before Yahweh’s tabernacle in the high place that was at Gibeon,
- 2 Chronicles 1:3 So Solomon, and all the assembly with him, went to the high place that was at Gibeon; for God’s Tent of Meeting was there, which Yahweh’s servant Moses had made in the wilderness.
- 2 Chronicles 7:5 King Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty-two thousand head of cattle and a hundred twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the people dedicated God’s house.
- 1 Chronicles 21:29 For Yahweh’s tabernacle, which Moses made in the wilderness, and the altar of burnt offering, were at that time in the high place at Gibeon.
- 2 Chronicles 1:6-12 Solomon went up there to the bronze altar before Yahweh, which was at the Tent of Meeting, and offered one thousand burnt offerings on it. That night, God appeared to Solomon and said to him, “Ask for what you want me to give you.” Solomon said to God, “You have shown great loving kindness to David my father, and have made me king in his place. Now, Yahweh God, let your promise to David my father be established; for you have made me king over a people like the dust of the earth in multitude. Now give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people; for who can judge this great people of yours?” God said to Solomon, “Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked riches, wealth, honor, or the life of those who hate you, nor yet have you asked for long life; but have asked for wisdom and knowledge for yourself, that you may judge my people, over whom I have made you king, therefore wisdom and knowledge is granted to you. I will give you riches, wealth, and honor, such as none of the kings have had who have been before you had, and none after you will have.”
- Joshua 9:3 But when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and to Ai,
- Isaiah 40:16 Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor its animals sufficient for a burnt offering.
- 1 Kings 8:63 Solomon offered for the sacrifice of peace offerings, which he offered to Yahweh, twenty two thousand head of cattle, and one hundred twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the children of Israel dedicated Yahweh’s house.
- 2 Chronicles 29:32-35 The number of the burnt offerings which the assembly brought was seventy bulls, one hundred rams, and two hundred lambs. All these were for a burnt offering to Yahweh. The consecrated things were six hundred head of cattle and three thousand sheep. But the priests were too few, so that they could not skin all the burnt offerings. Therefore their brothers the Levites helped them, until the work was ended, and until the priests had sanctified themselves; for the Levites were more upright in heart to sanctify themselves than the priests. Also the burnt offerings were in abundance, with the fat of the peace offerings, and with the drink offerings for every burnt offering. So the service of Yahweh’s house was set in order.
- 2 Chronicles 30:24 For Hezekiah king of Judah gave to the assembly for offerings one thousand bulls and seven thousand sheep; and the princes gave to the assembly a thousand bulls and ten thousand sheep: and a great number of priests sanctified themselves.
- Joshua 10:2 they were very afraid, because Gibeon was a great city, as one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all its men were mighty.
- Micah 6:6-7 How shall I come before Yahweh, and bow myself before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will Yahweh be pleased with thousands of rams? With tens of thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my disobedience? The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
- 1 Kings 9:2 Yahweh appeared to Solomon the second time, as he had appeared to him at Gibeon.
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Explain this verse (14 sources)
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain For there the Tabernacle was, 2 Chron. 1:3.
For there the Tabernacle was, 2 Chron. 1:3.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain 1Ki 3:4 And the king went to Gibeon to…
1Ki 3:4 And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there; for that [was] the great high place: a thousand burnt offerings did Solomon offer upon that altar.
Ver. 4. And the king went to Gibeon.] To seek God; and that he might be the better prepared to build the temple, whereunto he now thought it but time to address himself.
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For that was the great high place.] Because there was the tabernacle {1Ch 16:39} and the altar of burnt offering; {1Ch 21:29} hence there was great resorting to it.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain The great high place; the most eminent and frequented,…
The great high place; the most eminent and frequented, because there was the tabernacle and the altar of Moses, 1Ch 16:39; 21:29; 2Ch 1:3,5,6, which possibly were placed upon a high or raised ground.
A thousand burnt offerings did Solomon offer upon that altar; thereby showing his special respect to this above all other places, and by his example teaching and inviting all his people to do so.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there,....…
And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there,.... About four or five miles from Jerusalem; See Gill on Kg1 2:28;
for that was the great high place; not that the place itself might be higher than others that were used; but here were the tabernacle of Moses, and the altar; so that it was a more dignified place, and more sacred because of them:
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a thousand burnt offerings did Solomon offer upon that altar; the brazen altar of burnt offerings there; not at one time, but on several days successively; though Jarchi says on one day; and which was a prodigious number, never was known the like, unless at the dedication of the temple, Kg1 8:63.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain 1Ki 3:4. The king went to Gibeon — Because…
1Ki 3:4. The king went to Gibeon — Because the tabernacle was there, and the great brazen altar which Moses made. For after Shiloh was destroyed, they were carried to Nob; and the priests being there slain by Saul, they were removed to Gibeon, 2Ch 1:3-6. That was the great high place — The most eminent and frequented; and, possibly, was a high and raised ground. A thousand burnt-offerings did Solomon offer — This undoubtedly includes the peace-offerings which were killed and dressed for the entertainment of the guests who were invited to the sacrifices; for it can hardly be supposed that so many were wholly consumed on the altar at one time of sacrificing.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain Gibeon - The transfer to Gibeon of the “tabernacle…
Gibeon - The transfer to Gibeon of the “tabernacle of the congregation,” and the brass “altar of burnt offerings” made by Moses, which were removed there from Nob (compare 1Sa 21:6, with marginal references “i,” “k”), had made it “the great high-place,” more sacred, i. e., than any other in the holy land, unless it were Mount Zion where the ark had been conveyed by David. For the position of Gibeon, see Jos 9:3 note.
A thousand burnt offerings did Solomon offer - Solomon presented the victims. The priests were the actual sacrificers 1Ki 8:5. A sacrifice of a thousand victims was an act of royal magnificence suited to the greatness of Solomon. So Xerxes offered 1,000 oxen at Troy. If the offerings in this case were “whole burnt offerings,” and were all offered upon the altar of Moses, the sacrifice must have lasted several days.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain Victims. These he accompanied with most fervent prayer, Wisdom…
Victims. These he accompanied with most fervent prayer, Wisdom vii. 7., and 2 Paralipomenon i. 9.
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there--The old…
the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there--The old tabernacle and the brazen altar which Moses had made in the wilderness were there (Ch1 16:39; Ch1 21:29; Ch2 1:3-6). The royal progress was of public importance. It was a season of national devotion. The king was accompanied by his principal nobility (Ch2 1:2); and, as the occasion was most probably one of the great annual festivals which lasted seven days, the rank of the offerer and the succession of daily oblations may help in part to account for the immense magnitude of the sacrifices.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain SOLOMON’S WISE CHOICE, 1Ki_3:4-15.
SOLOMON’S WISE CHOICE, 1Ki_3:4-15.
4. Gibeon — The modern el-Jib, a few miles northwest of Jerusalem. See note on Jos_9:3.
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That was the great high place — The most distinguished and sacred of all the heights on which the people were wont to sacrifice, for there were the tabernacle and the brazen altar. 2Ch_1:3; 2Ch_1:5.
A thousand burnt offerings — This great number corresponded with the thousands of the congregation that went with Solomon to the high place, (see 1Ch_1:2-3,) and also denoted the national significance of the occasion. So at the dedication of the temple Solomon offered twenty-two thousand oxen, and one hundred and twenty thousand sheep, or, as elsewhere expressed, “Sheep and oxen, that could not be told nor numbered for multitude.” See 1Ki_8:5; 1Ki_8:63. We are not to suppose that all these offerings were made at the same instant or by one person; still less that Solomon offered them with his own hands. Scores of priests officiated on such occasions, and the sacred festival lasted many days.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 4. to Gibeon] The Hivite city which was assigned…
4. to Gibeon] The Hivite city which was assigned by Joshua to the tribe of Benjamin (Jos_18:21-25). It is most known in early times for the cunning device of its inhabitants to secure a treaty with Joshua and the Israelites (Joshua 9), and in later history because it was the place where the tabernacle of the congregation and the brazen altar of burnt-offering were set up until the completion of Solomon’s temple. Whether this position was chosen as a high place by the Israelites or whether it had been a place used for worship by the Hivites beforetime there is nothing to indicate.
the great high place] Probably because the tabernacle was there. This was likely to make it more famous than its neighbours at Ramah or Mizpeh.
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a thousand burnt offerings] In the Chronicles (2Ch_1:2-3) we are told a little more about this sacrifice. The king had consulted all the people, and the great officers, and went up in a solemn procession with all the congregation. This accounts for the abundance of the offerings. After this occasion we hear no more of sacrifices at Gibeon.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (4) Gibeon.—The name itself, signifying “belonging to a hill,”…
(4) Gibeon.—The name itself, signifying “belonging to a hill,” indicates its position on the central plateau of Israel, in the land of Benjamin, whence rise several round hills, on one of which the town stood. There was now reared the Tabernacle, with the brazen altar of sacrifice, to which the descendants of the old Gibeonites were attached as “hewers of wood and drawers of water” (Jos_9:23). It was therefore naturally “the great high place.”
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain And the king went to Gibeon (Jos_9:3 Jos_10:2 Jos_18:25…
And the king went to Gibeon (Jos_9:3 Jos_10:2 Jos_18:25 2Sa_21:1. Now known as El-Jib, a commanding eminence (as the name implies) some six miles north of Jerusalem. Strictly, it consists of two heights, on one of which, it is conjectured, the town stood, while the other was the high place. Solomon was accompanied to Gibeon by "all the congregation," including the captains, judges, governors, etc. (2Ch_1:2, 2Ch_1:3) to sacrifice there (This religious service was designed to inaugurate his reign, (2Ch_1:13) after the precedent of 1Sa_11:15; cf. 2Sa_6:2. His object was also to supplicate the Divine blessing on his undertakings. If his visit served at the same time as a farewell, or "honourable funeral to the tabernacle" (this was an accident); for that was the great high place (being the place of the tabernacle and brazen altar. In 1Sa_21:6 we find the tabernacle at Nob, though without the ark. (1Sa_4:2) After the massacre of the priests it lost the ephod. (1Sa_22:20 1Sa_23:6) It could hardly remain in a spot stained by so much blood; but how or when it found its way to Gibeon, we do not know: (See 1Ch_16:37, 39 2Ch_1:3-6) a thousand burnt offerings such numbers were not infrequent at festivals. See on 1Ki_8:62, and cf. 2Ch_29:33, 2Ch_29:34. Rawlinson reminds us that "Xerxes offered 1000 oxen at Troy" (Heb 7:43). did Solomon offer (not, of course, personally, as some (Ewald. e.g. ) have sup. posed. He is said to have "offered" them, because he (together with the congregation, perhaps) provided them. The immense number alone shows that he cannot have offered in person. The festival probably lasted for seven or eight days, but even then a thousand victims can hardly have been offered whole ( twl ) unless the altar was greatly enlarged, or additional temporary altars were erected. This latter supposition is not negatived by the next words. (See on 1Ki_8:63, 1Ki_8:64) upon that altar.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 General Information:
General Information:
God asks Solomon what he can do for Solomon.
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the great high place
"the most famous place for makings sacrifices" or "the most important altar"
Ask! What should I give you?
"Ask me for whatever you want and I will give it to you." or "What do you want? Ask and I will give it to you."
translationWords
Gibeon
burnt offering
altar
dream
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 3:4-15 God’s gift of wisdom to Solomon is narrated…
3:4-15 God’s gift of wisdom to Solomon is narrated as a chiasm (a symmetrical arrangement in which sections A and B are mirrored by sections B’ and A’), drawing the focus in on Solomon’s transaction with the Lord: A: While he sacrificed at Gibeon . . . the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream (3:4-5). B: Solomon prayed for wisdom to govern his people equitably and efficiently (3:6-9). B’: The Lord favorably answered his request and granted additional blessings (3:10-14). A’: Solomon awoke from the dream and offered additional sacrifices to the Lord (3:15).
3:4 The city of Gibeon lay six miles northwest of Jerusalem. Its altar, the most important of these [local] places of worship (literally the great high place), accommodated sacrifices of royal proportions. Gibeon was also the site of the Tabernacle (1 Chr 16:39-40; 21:29; 2 Chr 1:2-6).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.