Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 1 Kings 3:15

And Solomon awoke; and, behold, [it was] a dream. And he came to Jerusalem, and stood before the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and offered up burnt offerings, and offered peace offerings, and made a feast to all his servants.

15. behold it was a dream ] So of Pharaoh (Gen 41:7). This expression does not imply, as at first sight might be supposed, that the vision was something illusory and not to be trusted to. On the contrary, the dream was one of the recognized modes whereby men expected to receive knowledge of the divine will. (See above on 1Ki 3:5.) Hence in this case, Solomon goes to Jerusalem and offers there a solemn sacrifice; while Pharaoh deemed his dream of so much concern, that ‘his spirit was troubled’ until he could find some one to interpret it.

before the ark of the covenant of the Lord ] Which David had brought and set up on Mt Zion in the city of David. See 2Sa 6:12; 1Ch 15:1; 1Ch 16:1.

The king’s burnt offerings, peace offerings, and the feast to his servants were tokens of his faith in, and joy over, the promises which had been made to him in his dream.

The LXX. by way of comment says ‘he stood before the altar which was before the ark of the covenant of the Lord on Zion.’ In the Chronicles (2Ch 1:13) there is no mention of this second sacrifice on Zion. Probably the compiler deemed the splendid ceremonial and sacrifices at Gibeon, before the tabernacle of the congregation, to be so much the most important as to render the service on Zion not needful to be recorded.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Solomon determined to inaugurate his reign by a grand religious ceremonial at each of the two holy places which at this time divided between them the reverence of the Jews. Having completed the religious service at Gibeon, where was the tabernacle of the congregation, he proceeded to Jerusalem, and sacrificed before the ark of the covenant, which was in Mount Zion 2Sa 6:12. A great feast naturally followed on a large sacrifice of peace-offerings. In these the sacrificer always partook of the flesh of the victim, and he was commanded to call in to the feast the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow Deu 14:29. Compare 2Sa 6:19; 1Ch 16:3.

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

It was a dream, i.e. he perceived that it was a dream; not a vain dream, wherewith men are commonly deluded; but a Divine knew, dream, assuring him of the thing; which he partly by a Divine impression and inspiration thereof in his mind after he was awakened; and partly by the vast alteration which he presently found within himself in point of wisdom and knowledge.

The ark of the covenant of the Lord was there in the city of David, 2Sa 6:17, before which he presented himself in the way of holy ministration and adoration, which may be noted by the word stood. Or that word may note his abode there for some consider able time, as the offering of so many sacrifices required.

Offered up burnt-offerings, chiefly for the expiation of his and his peoples sins, through the blood of Christ, manifestly signified in these sacrifices.

And offered peace-offerings, solemnly to praise God for all his mercies, and especially for giving him a quiet and fixed possession of the kingdom, and for his glorious appearance to him in a dream, and for the great promise therein made to him, and the actual accomplishment of it since wrought in him.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

15. behold, it was a dreamThevivid impression, the indelible recollection he had of this dream,together with the new and increased energy communicated to his mind,and the flow of worldly prosperity that rushed upon him, gave himassurance that it came by divine inspiration and originated in thegrace of God. The wisdom, however, that was asked and obtained wasnot so much of the heart as of the headit was wisdom not forhimself personally, but for his office, such as would qualify him forthe administration of justice, the government of a kingdom, and forthe attainment of general scientific knowledge.

1Ki3:16-28. HIS JUDGMENTBETWEEN TWOHARLOTS.

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

And Solomon awoke, and, behold, [it was] a dream,…. Not that it was nothing but a dream, a natural one, a vain and empty one, but a divine and supernatural one, a dream of prophecy, as the Jews call it, or a prophetic dream; a true one, which had its fall accomplishment in him, the truth of which he perceived as soon as he awoke; for he found himself possessed of such a measure of wisdom and knowledge he never had before, which occasioned the thanksgiving and joy next expressed:

and he came to Jerusalem; from Gibeon, accompanied by his nobles and servants:

and stood before the ark of the covenant the Lord; which was in a tent David had pitched for it there, 2Sa 6:17; here he stood with holy reverence, as in the presence of the Lord, and as a servant of his, to minister to him, and as a worshipper of him, with a heart full of gratitude for the great things he had done for him, and promised to him:

and offered up burnt offerings, and offered peace offerings; by way of thankfulness for his quiet settlement in the for the Lord’s appearance to him at Gibeon, and what he had already given, and promised to give:

and made a feast to all his servants; in a way of joy and gladness for the above layouts; this feast was either the part of the peace offerings he offered, which belonged to the offerer to eat with his friends, or this was a special feast made at his own palace for his courtiers.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

(15) Stood before the ark of the covenant, in its Tabernacle on Mount Sion, which now constituted a second, and probably still more sacred, place of worship. The great sacrificenow distinctly a thank-offering, followed as usual by a sacred feastis naturally repeated there.

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

15. Behold, it was a dream Nevertheless it was a real Divine communication, given by inspiration of God. See note on 1Ki 3:5.

Came to Jerusalem The tabernacle was at Gibeon, the ark at Jerusalem, and Solomon’s going from the former to the latter place with sacrificial offerings was a most significant act, opening a new epoch in the history of Israelitish worship. It was, probably, the last public service of the kind at Gibeon, and so, in effect, was a public transfer of sacrificial worship from the wandering, unsettled tabernacle, to that divinely chosen spot where alone henceforth Jehovah would be pleased to accept the more public offerings and vows of Israel. See Deu 12:5. It also symbolized that coming hour when, under the “greater than Solomon,” all separation of tabernacle and ark would be forever past, and the true worshippers would advance from a cultus that made locality a test, to find their great altar in the inner temple of the spirit, and to worship the Father in spirit and in truth. Joh 4:21-24.

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

(15) And Solomon awoke; and, behold, it was a dream. And he came to Jerusalem, and stood before the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and offered up burnt offerings, and offered peace offerings, and made a feast to all his servants.

Reader! it is impossible to enter into the full apprehension of what the feelings of Solomon were, unless, like him, our own souls have known somewhat of the refreshments of grace. But oh! the mind of man is certainly furnished by its great Author, when in a state of regeneration, for such manifestations of divine love. The patriarch Jacob’s history affordeth a most delightful instance of the kind. Gen 28:11-18 .

Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

1Ki 3:15 And Solomon awoke; and, behold, [it was] a dream. And he came to Jerusalem, and stood before the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and offered up burnt offerings, and offered peace offerings, and made a feast to all his servants.

Ver. 15. And behold it was a dream. ] But a divine dream, very well worth the heeding. There are also dreams diabolical. Eusebius writeth that Simon Magus had his devils , by whom he caused people to dream great matters of him, and highly to admire him. That was a strange dream which Jerome a had, when he was not only reproved but beaten black and blue for reading Cicero rather than the Holy Scriptures; this voice being uttered, as he perfectly remembered, Ciceronianus es, non Christianus, – Thou art a better Ciceronian than Christian.

a Epist. 18, ad Eustoch.

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)