2 Chronicles 1 Study Notes: Solomon Asks for Wisdom
Solomon leads Israel to worship at Gibeon, where Moses’ tent and its bronze altar still stand. That night God invites him to ask for anything, and Solomon requests wisdom and knowledge for leading God’s people. God grants it and adds great riches and honor, and wealth soon fills Jerusalem.
General
Before making his request, what did Solomon recall about God’s dealings with his father David (2 Chronicles 1:8-9)?
Answer: God had shown David great kindness and made him a promise
Solomon did not start by listing his own strengths. He began with God’s faithfulness: God had shown great loving devotion, His loyal and faithful love, to David, and had placed Solomon on David’s throne (1:8). Then Solomon asked God to bring His promise to David to completion (1:9). That promise was God’s word that a son of David would build His house and that God would make his throne secure (1 Chronicles 17:11-12; 22:9-10). Solomon also described the people as countless as specks of dust on the ground, the same picture God had used in promising Jacob a vast family (Genesis 28:14).
- 2 Chronicles 1:8-9 (BSB)“Solomon replied to God: “You have shown much loving devotion to my father David, and You have made me king in his place. Now, O LORD God, let Your promise to my father David be fulfilled. For You have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth.”Solomon recalls God’s loving devotion to David and asks Him to fulfill His promise.
- 1 Chronicles 17:11-12 (BSB)“And when your days are fulfilled and you go to be with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. He will build a house for Me, and I will establish his throne forever.”This is the promise in view: a son of David would build God’s house and have his throne established.
- 1 Chronicles 22:9-10 (BSB)“But a son will be born to you who will be a man of rest. I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side; for his name will be Solomon, and I will grant to Israel peace and quiet during his reign. He is the one who will build a house for My Name. He will be My son, and I will be his Father. And I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.’”David later reports the promise naming Solomon as the son who would build and reign.
- Genesis 28:14 (BSB)“Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and east and north and south. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.”God had promised Jacob descendants like the dust, the same picture Solomon uses for a countless people.
Theological
On what did Solomon ground his prayer before making his request (2 Chronicles 1:8-9)?
Answer: God had shown David great kindness and made him a promise
Solomon’s petition rests on covenant faithfulness, not on his own merit. He recalls the LORD’s loving devotion to David and his own accession to David’s throne (1:8), then asks that God’s promise to David be confirmed (1:9), the promise of a son who would build God’s house and whose throne God would establish (1 Chronicles 17:11-12; 22:9-10). His description of a people as countless as specks of dust uses the same picture as God’s promise to Jacob (Genesis 28:14). Prayer pleads God’s own word back to Him.
- 2 Chronicles 1:8-9 (BSB)“Solomon replied to God: “You have shown much loving devotion to my father David, and You have made me king in his place. Now, O LORD God, let Your promise to my father David be fulfilled. For You have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth.”Solomon recalls God’s loving devotion to David and asks Him to fulfill His promise.
- 1 Chronicles 17:11-12 (BSB)“And when your days are fulfilled and you go to be with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. He will build a house for Me, and I will establish his throne forever.”This is the promise in view: a son of David would build God’s house and have his throne established.
- 1 Chronicles 22:9-10 (BSB)“But a son will be born to you who will be a man of rest. I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side; for his name will be Solomon, and I will grant to Israel peace and quiet during his reign. He is the one who will build a house for My Name. He will be My son, and I will be his Father. And I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.’”David later reports the promise naming Solomon as the son who would build and reign.
- Genesis 28:14 (BSB)“Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and east and north and south. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.”God had promised Jacob descendants like the dust, the same picture Solomon uses for a countless people.
General
Why did Solomon lead the assembly of Israel to Gibeon (2 Chronicles 1:3-5)?
Answer: Moses’ Tent of Meeting stood there with its bronze altar
Gibeon had a high place, a hilltop site for worship, and there stood the Tent of Meeting, the portable worship tent Moses built during the desert journey, along with the bronze altar Bezalel had built (1:3, 5). The ark, the sacred chest that stood for God’s presence, was no longer there; David had already brought it to a tent he set up in Jerusalem (1:4). So Solomon went where the LORD’s appointed altar stood, and there he and the assembly sought the LORD and Solomon presented a thousand animals as burnt offerings (1:5-6). Earlier, David had left priests at Gibeon to keep up the daily sacrifices as the Law required (1 Chronicles 16:39-40; 21:29), and Exodus records Bezalel making that altar and covering it with bronze (Exodus 38:1-2).
- 2 Chronicles 1:3-5 (BSB)“And Solomon and the whole assembly went to the high place at Gibeon because it was the location of God’s Tent of Meeting, which Moses the servant of the LORD had made in the wilderness. Now David had brought the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim to the place he had prepared for it, because he had pitched a tent for it in Jerusalem. But the bronze altar made by Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, was in Gibeon before the tabernacle of the LORD. So Solomon and the assembly inquired of Him there.”Solomon and the assembly go to Gibeon, where Moses’ tent and Bezalel’s altar stood, while the ark was already in Jerusalem.
- 1 Chronicles 16:39-40 (BSB)“And David left Zadok the priest and his fellow priests before the tabernacle of the LORD at the high place in Gibeon to regularly present burnt offerings to the LORD on the altar of burnt offerings, morning and evening, according to all that was written in the Law of the LORD, which He had commanded Israel to keep.”David had left priests at Gibeon to keep offering the daily burnt offerings there as the Law required.
- 1 Chronicles 21:29 (BSB)“For the tabernacle of the LORD that Moses had made in the wilderness and the altar of burnt offering were presently at the high place in Gibeon,”Chronicles confirms that Moses’ tabernacle and the altar of burnt offering were then at Gibeon.
- Exodus 38:1-2 (BSB)“Bezalel constructed the altar of burnt offering from acacia wood. It was square, five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high. He made a horn at each of its four corners, so that the horns and altar were of one piece, and he overlaid the altar with bronze.”Bezalel made the altar of burnt offering in the wilderness and covered it with bronze.
Theological
What drew Solomon and the gathered people to Gibeon (2 Chronicles 1:3-5)?
Answer: Moses’ Tent of Meeting stood there with its bronze altar
Gibeon housed the Mosaic Tent of Meeting and the bronze altar Bezalel had made (1:3, 5), while the ark had already been installed by David in a tent in Jerusalem (1:4). Solomon therefore led the assembly to the altar the Law had appointed, where they sought the LORD and Solomon presented a thousand animals as burnt offerings (1:5-6). David had stationed priests there to maintain the regular sacrifices according to the Law (1 Chronicles 16:39-40; 21:29), and the altar itself traces back to Bezalel’s work in Exodus 38:1-2. Solomon’s reign begins with worship ordered by God’s word.
- 2 Chronicles 1:3-5 (BSB)“And Solomon and the whole assembly went to the high place at Gibeon because it was the location of God’s Tent of Meeting, which Moses the servant of the LORD had made in the wilderness. Now David had brought the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim to the place he had prepared for it, because he had pitched a tent for it in Jerusalem. But the bronze altar made by Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, was in Gibeon before the tabernacle of the LORD. So Solomon and the assembly inquired of Him there.”Solomon and the assembly go to Gibeon, where Moses’ tent and Bezalel’s altar stood, while the ark was already in Jerusalem.
- 1 Chronicles 16:39-40 (BSB)“And David left Zadok the priest and his fellow priests before the tabernacle of the LORD at the high place in Gibeon to regularly present burnt offerings to the LORD on the altar of burnt offerings, morning and evening, according to all that was written in the Law of the LORD, which He had commanded Israel to keep.”David had left priests at Gibeon to keep offering the daily burnt offerings there as the Law required.
- 1 Chronicles 21:29 (BSB)“For the tabernacle of the LORD that Moses had made in the wilderness and the altar of burnt offering were presently at the high place in Gibeon,”Chronicles confirms that Moses’ tabernacle and the altar of burnt offering were then at Gibeon.
- Exodus 38:1-2 (BSB)“Bezalel constructed the altar of burnt offering from acacia wood. It was square, five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high. He made a horn at each of its four corners, so that the horns and altar were of one piece, and he overlaid the altar with bronze.”Bezalel made the altar of burnt offering in the wilderness and covered it with bronze.
General
How did God answer Solomon’s request (2 Chronicles 1:11-12)?
Answer: He gave wisdom and knowledge, plus riches and honor
God answered by pointing to what was in Solomon’s heart. Solomon had not asked for riches, honor, the death of his enemies or a long life, but for wisdom to govern God’s people (1:11). So God granted the wisdom and knowledge he asked for, and then added riches and honor beyond any king before or after him (1:12). The gift went beyond the request. Later the promise is kept, as Solomon outshines every other king on earth in both wealth and wisdom (2 Chronicles 9:22-23). This was God’s particular promise to Solomon as king; what it displays is God’s generosity, for He can give far more than His people ask (Ephesians 3:20). Wisdom itself remains the greater treasure (Proverbs 3:13-14).
- 2 Chronicles 1:11-12 (BSB)“God said to Solomon, “Since this was in your heart instead of requesting riches or wealth or honor for yourself or death for your enemies—and since you have not even requested long life but have asked for wisdom and knowledge to govern My people over whom I have made you king— therefore wisdom and knowledge have been granted to you. And I will also give you riches and wealth and honor unlike anything given to the kings before you or after you.””God commends what Solomon did and did not ask for, grants wisdom, and adds riches and honor.
- 2 Chronicles 9:22-23 (BSB)“So King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom. All the kings of the earth sought an audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom that God had put in his heart.”Later the promise is seen kept as Solomon outshines every king in both riches and wisdom.
- Ephesians 3:20 (BSB)“Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us,”God is able to give far beyond what His people ask.
- Proverbs 3:13-14 (BSB)“Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who acquires understanding, for she is more profitable than silver, and her gain is better than fine gold.”Wisdom is worth more than silver and gold, which is why Solomon’s choice was the better one.
Theological
What was God’s response to Solomon’s petition (2 Chronicles 1:11-12)?
Answer: He gave wisdom and knowledge, plus riches and honor
God answers by naming what was in Solomon’s heart: he sought wisdom to govern God’s people rather than wealth, honor, vengeance or long life (1:11). God grants the wisdom and knowledge requested and adds riches and honor unmatched among kings (1:12), a promise later seen fulfilled (2 Chronicles 9:22-23). The added gifts are God’s particular promise to this king; they display the God who gives beyond what is asked (Ephesians 3:20), while wisdom remains the more valuable gain (Proverbs 3:13-14).
- 2 Chronicles 1:11-12 (BSB)“God said to Solomon, “Since this was in your heart instead of requesting riches or wealth or honor for yourself or death for your enemies—and since you have not even requested long life but have asked for wisdom and knowledge to govern My people over whom I have made you king— therefore wisdom and knowledge have been granted to you. And I will also give you riches and wealth and honor unlike anything given to the kings before you or after you.””God commends what Solomon did and did not ask for, grants wisdom, and adds riches and honor.
- 2 Chronicles 9:22-23 (BSB)“So King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom. All the kings of the earth sought an audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom that God had put in his heart.”Later the promise is seen kept as Solomon outshines every king in both riches and wisdom.
- Ephesians 3:20 (BSB)“Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us,”God is able to give far beyond what His people ask.
- Proverbs 3:13-14 (BSB)“Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who acquires understanding, for she is more profitable than silver, and her gain is better than fine gold.”Wisdom is worth more than silver and gold, which is why Solomon’s choice was the better one.
General
True or False: Solomon first asked God for wisdom, and only afterward did God appear to him at night (2 Chronicles 1:7-10).
Answer: False
This is false. The first move was God’s. After the sacrifices at Gibeon, God came to Solomon that night and told him to ask for whatever he wanted (1:7). Solomon’s request for wisdom came as his reply to that invitation (1:8-10). Solomon did not have to talk God into giving; God opened the door Himself. Jesus also invites His followers to ask, promising that their requests will be granted (Matthew 7:7), and He points to the Father in heaven, who is far more ready than any earthly father to bless His children with good things when they ask (Matthew 7:11).
- 2 Chronicles 1:7 (BSB)“That night God appeared to Solomon and said, “Ask, and I will give it to you!””On the night after the sacrifices at Gibeon, God appears to Solomon and invites him to ask.
- Matthew 7:7 (BSB)“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.”Jesus likewise invites His followers to ask with the promise that it will be given.
- Matthew 7:11 (BSB)“So if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!”Jesus grounds the invitation in the Father’s readiness to give good things to those who ask.
Theological
True or False: Solomon’s request for wisdom came before God appeared to him and invited him to ask (2 Chronicles 1:7-10).
Answer: False
This is false. The initiative is God’s: God came to Solomon during the night and invited him to ask (1:7), and Solomon’s petition is a response to that gracious offer (1:8-10). Prayer here answers a divine invitation rather than extracting a favor from a reluctant God. Jesus extends the same kind of invitation (Matthew 7:7) and grounds it in the Father’s far greater readiness than any earthly parent to bless His children with good things when they ask (Matthew 7:11).
- 2 Chronicles 1:7 (BSB)“That night God appeared to Solomon and said, “Ask, and I will give it to you!””On the night after the sacrifices at Gibeon, God appears to Solomon and invites him to ask.
- Matthew 7:7 (BSB)“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.”Jesus likewise invites His followers to ask with the promise that it will be given.
- Matthew 7:11 (BSB)“So if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!”Jesus grounds the invitation in the Father’s readiness to give good things to those who ask.
General
As Solomon’s reign begins, what does 2 Chronicles 1:1 say about the LORD’s relationship to him?
Answer: The LORD stood by him and made him very great
The book opens Solomon’s story by stressing God’s presence and favor. Solomon made his rule secure, and the LORD stood by him and raised him to great honor (1:1). His greatness is presented as God’s gift, not his own achievement. This continues what 1 Chronicles had already shown: the LORD lifted Solomon up before all Israel with royal majesty no earlier king in Israel had known (1 Chronicles 29:25). It also fits God’s promise to David that one of his own sons would rule after him and that God would make his kingdom firm (1 Chronicles 17:11-12; 22:9-10).
- 2 Chronicles 1:1 (BSB)“Now Solomon son of David established himself securely over his kingdom, and the LORD his God was with him and highly exalted him.”Solomon’s reign opens with his rule made secure and God’s favor on him.
- 1 Chronicles 29:25 (BSB)“The LORD highly exalted Solomon in the sight of all Israel and bestowed on him royal majesty such as had not been bestowed on any king in Israel before him.”The close of 1 Chronicles already shows the LORD lifting Solomon up before all Israel with royal majesty beyond any earlier king of Israel.
- 1 Chronicles 17:11-12 (BSB)“And when your days are fulfilled and you go to be with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. He will build a house for Me, and I will establish his throne forever.”God had promised David to raise up one of his sons and establish his kingdom, the promise now unfolding in Solomon.
- 1 Chronicles 22:9-10 (BSB)“But a son will be born to you who will be a man of rest. I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side; for his name will be Solomon, and I will grant to Israel peace and quiet during his reign. He is the one who will build a house for My Name. He will be My son, and I will be his Father. And I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.’”God had named Solomon as the son of rest who would build His house and whose throne He would establish.
Theological
What does 2 Chronicles 1:1 say about the LORD’s relationship to Solomon at the start of his reign?
Answer: The LORD stood by him and made him very great
From the first verse, Solomon’s secure reign is credited to God: his God stood by him and made him exceedingly great (1:1). Solomon’s exaltation is the LORD’s doing, continuing 1 Chronicles 29:25, where the LORD bestowed on him unprecedented royal majesty. It is also the outworking of the Davidic promise, in which God pledged to raise up David’s son and establish his kingdom (1 Chronicles 17:11-12; 22:9-10). The king’s greatness rests on covenant grace, not on personal merit.
- 2 Chronicles 1:1 (BSB)“Now Solomon son of David established himself securely over his kingdom, and the LORD his God was with him and highly exalted him.”Solomon’s reign opens with his rule made secure and God’s favor on him.
- 1 Chronicles 29:25 (BSB)“The LORD highly exalted Solomon in the sight of all Israel and bestowed on him royal majesty such as had not been bestowed on any king in Israel before him.”The close of 1 Chronicles already shows the LORD lifting Solomon up before all Israel with royal majesty beyond any earlier king of Israel.
- 1 Chronicles 17:11-12 (BSB)“And when your days are fulfilled and you go to be with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. He will build a house for Me, and I will establish his throne forever.”God had promised David to raise up one of his sons and establish his kingdom, the promise now unfolding in Solomon.
- 1 Chronicles 22:9-10 (BSB)“But a son will be born to you who will be a man of rest. I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side; for his name will be Solomon, and I will grant to Israel peace and quiet during his reign. He is the one who will build a house for My Name. He will be My son, and I will be his Father. And I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.’”God had named Solomon as the son of rest who would build His house and whose throne He would establish.
General
What did Solomon ask God to give him, and for what purpose (2 Chronicles 1:10)?
Answer: Wisdom and knowledge for leading God’s people well
Given an open invitation, Solomon requested wisdom and knowledge, the ability to understand what is right and to act on it, so that he could lead the people (1:10). His reason looked beyond himself. He called the people God’s own, said they were great in number, and admitted that no one is able to rule them in his own strength. He wanted wisdom to serve, not to show off. Scripture teaches that such wisdom comes from the LORD (Proverbs 2:6), and James urges anyone short of wisdom to request it from God, who is generous and does not find fault (James 1:5). A king of Israel was meant to shepherd a people that belonged to the LORD (Psalm 78:71).
- 2 Chronicles 1:10 (BSB)“Now grant me wisdom and knowledge, so that I may lead this people. For who is able to govern this great people of Yours?””Solomon asks for wisdom and knowledge to lead, confessing that the people are God’s and too great for him alone.
- Proverbs 2:6 (BSB)“For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.”Wisdom, knowledge and understanding are gifts that come from the LORD.
- James 1:5 (BSB)“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.”James invites anyone who lacks wisdom to ask God, who gives it generously.
- Psalm 78:71 (BSB)“from tending the ewes He brought him to be shepherd of His people Jacob, of Israel His inheritance.”Israel’s king was to shepherd a people that belonged to the LORD as His inheritance.
Theological
What did Solomon request, and to what end (2 Chronicles 1:10)?
Answer: Wisdom and knowledge for leading God’s people well
Solomon requests wisdom and knowledge in order to lead the people (1:10), and his reasoning is God-centered: the people are the LORD’s, they are many, and no one is sufficient to rule them unaided. The request is shaped by dependence and by a sense of stewardship over a people who belong to God (Psalm 78:71). Wisdom is the LORD’s gift (Proverbs 2:6), and James extends the same invitation to every believer who lacks it, promising that God gives generously and without finding fault (James 1:5).
- 2 Chronicles 1:10 (BSB)“Now grant me wisdom and knowledge, so that I may lead this people. For who is able to govern this great people of Yours?””Solomon asks for wisdom and knowledge to lead, confessing that the people are God’s and too great for him alone.
- Proverbs 2:6 (BSB)“For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.”Wisdom, knowledge and understanding are gifts that come from the LORD.
- James 1:5 (BSB)“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.”James invites anyone who lacks wisdom to ask God, who gives it generously.
- Psalm 78:71 (BSB)“from tending the ewes He brought him to be shepherd of His people Jacob, of Israel His inheritance.”Israel’s king was to shepherd a people that belonged to the LORD as His inheritance.
General
True or False: By the end of chapter 1, silver and gold had become as ordinary as stones in Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 1:15).
Answer: True
This is true. The chapter closes with a picture of overflowing wealth: chariots and horses, gold and silver as commonplace as rocks, with cedar as plentiful as common sycamore trees in the hills (1:14-17). Right after God promised Solomon riches and honor (1:12), that word begins to come true. David had already confessed that wealth and honor are given by God, who rules over all (1 Chronicles 29:12), and the same picture of abundance returns at the height of Solomon’s reign (2 Chronicles 9:27). The wealth is presented as God’s gift to this king, just as He had said.
- 2 Chronicles 1:15 (BSB)“The king made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as abundant as sycamore in the foothills.”Wealth in Jerusalem becomes so plentiful that silver, gold and cedar are commonplace.
- 2 Chronicles 1:12 (BSB)“therefore wisdom and knowledge have been granted to you. And I will also give you riches and wealth and honor unlike anything given to the kings before you or after you.””God had just promised Solomon riches and honor beyond other kings.
- 1 Chronicles 29:12 (BSB)“Both riches and honor come from You, and You are the ruler over all. In Your hands are power and might to exalt and give strength to all.”David had confessed that riches and honor come from God alone.
- 2 Chronicles 9:27 (BSB)“The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as abundant as sycamore in the foothills.”The same picture of abundance is repeated at the height of Solomon’s reign.
Theological
True or False: The chapter ends by describing gold and silver as ordinary as stones in Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 1:15).
Answer: True
This is true. Chariots, horses, silver, gold and cedar fill the closing verses (1:14-17), showing the promise of 1:12 already being fulfilled. The abundance is God’s gift, in keeping with David’s confession that wealth and honor are given by Him (1 Chronicles 29:12), and the same summary returns at the height of the reign (2 Chronicles 9:27). The point is God’s faithfulness to His specific word to Solomon.
- 2 Chronicles 1:15 (BSB)“The king made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as abundant as sycamore in the foothills.”Wealth in Jerusalem becomes so plentiful that silver, gold and cedar are commonplace.
- 2 Chronicles 1:12 (BSB)“therefore wisdom and knowledge have been granted to you. And I will also give you riches and wealth and honor unlike anything given to the kings before you or after you.””God had just promised Solomon riches and honor beyond other kings.
- 1 Chronicles 29:12 (BSB)“Both riches and honor come from You, and You are the ruler over all. In Your hands are power and might to exalt and give strength to all.”David had confessed that riches and honor come from God alone.
- 2 Chronicles 9:27 (BSB)“The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as abundant as sycamore in the foothills.”The same picture of abundance is repeated at the height of Solomon’s reign.