He spoke three thousand proverbs; and his songs numbered one thousand five.
Parallel translations
- KJV And he spake three thousand proverbs: and his songs were a thousand and five.
- BSB Solomon composed three thousand proverbs, and his songs numbered a thousand and five.
- NKJV He spoke three thousand proverbs, and his songs were one thousand and five.
- NASB He also told three thousand proverbs, and his songs numbered 1,005.
- NLT He composed some 3,000 proverbs and wrote 1,005 songs.
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
Solomon spoke three thousand proverbs and composed over a thousand songs. His creative output matched his great wisdom.
Overview
Some of these proverbs are preserved in the book of Proverbs, and songs include the Song of Solomon and certain psalms. The sheer volume shows wisdom expressed in literature for teaching and worship. This rich gift served to instruct God's people in righteous living, a wisdom fully embodied later in Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Song 1:1–17The Song of songs, which is Solomon’s.
- Matt 13:35that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophet, saying, “I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things hidden from the foundation of the world.”
- Prov 1:1–31The proverbs of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel:
- Eccl 12:9Further, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge. Yes, he pondered, sought out, and set in order many proverbs.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
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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 4:32 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.