One night at Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream, and God said, “Ask, and I will give it to you!”
Parallel translations
- WEB In Gibeon, Yahweh appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask for what I should give you.”
- KJV In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee.
- NKJV At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask! What shall I give you?”
- NASB In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream at night; and God said, “Ask what you wish Me to give you.”
- NLT That night the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream, and God said, “What do you want? Ask, and I will give it to you!”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
God appears to Solomon in a dream at Gibeon and invites him to ask for whatever he wishes. The offer tests and reveals the new king's heart.
Overview
In a remarkable act of grace, the LORD appears to Solomon and opens His hand to give. The open-ended invitation, 'Ask for what I should give you,' both honors Solomon and probes his deepest desires. God's readiness to give anticipates the gospel generosity of the One who invites His people to ask and promises good gifts to those who seek Him.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 17
- 1 Kgs 9:2the LORD appeared to him a second time, as He had appeared to him at Gibeon.
- Jas 1:5–6Now 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.
- 2 Chr 1:7–12That night God appeared to Solomon and said, “Ask, and I will give it to you!”
- Num 12:6He said, “Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the LORD, will reveal Myself to him in a vision; I will speak to him in a dream.
- John 14:13–14And I will do whatever you ask in My name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
- Gen 28:12–13And Jacob had a dream about a ladder that rested on the earth with its top reaching up to heaven, and God’s angels were going up and down the ladder.
- Mark 10:36“What do you want Me to do for you?” He inquired.
- Matt 2:13When the Magi had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up!” he said. “Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the Child to kill Him.”
- 1 Kgs 11:9Now the LORD grew angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice.
- John 15:16You did not choose Me, but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will remain—so that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you.
- Mark 10:38–51“You do not know what you are asking,” Jesus replied. “Can you drink the cup I will drink, or be baptized with the baptism I will undergo?”
- Matt 2:19After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt.
- Matt 7:7–8Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.
- Matt 1:20But after he had pondered these things, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to embrace Mary as your wife, for the One conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
- Job 33:14–15For God speaks in one way and in another, yet no one notices.
- Mark 11:24Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
- 1 Jn 5:14–15And this is the confidence that we have before Him: If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Solomon's glory, wisdom, and temple where God's presence dwells are a shadow of the greater Son of David — 'one greater than Solomon is here' — and of the true Temple, Christ himself.
How 1 Kings 3:5 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.