1 Kings 3:8

Serving others

⁶ And Solomon said, Thou hast shewed unto thy servant David my father great mercy, according as he walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with thee; and thou hast kept for him this great kindness, that thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.

⁷ And now, O LORD my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in.

And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude.

⁹ Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?

¹⁰ And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.

Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB: Your servant is here among the people You have chosen, a people too numerous to count or number.
KJV: And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude.
WEB: Your servant is among your people which you have chosen, a great people, that can’t be numbered or counted for multitude.
ASV: And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude.
DARBY: And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude.
BLB: And Your servant [is] in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a people numerous that is not to be numbered and not to be counted for multitude.

ÅB: Og din tjener står her midt iblant ditt folk, det som du har utvalgt, et folk som er så stort at det ikke kan regnes eller telles, så stort er det.
OTB: Og her er din tjener blant ditt utvalgte folk, en stor mengde som ikke kan telles eller regnes.
B1930: Og din tjener står her midt iblandt ditt folk, det som du har utvalgt, et folk som er så stort at det ikke kan regnes eller telles, så stort er det.

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

Genesis 15:5
And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.
Read in context
Genesis 13:16
And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.
Read in context
1 Chronicles 21:2
And David said to Joab and to the rulers of the people, Go, number Israel from Beer-sheba even to Dan; and bring the number of them to me, that I may know it.
Read in context
Genesis 22:17
That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;
Read in context
1 Chronicles 27:23–24
But David took not the number of them from twenty years old and under: because the LORD had said he would increase Israel like to the stars of the heavens.
Read in context
Psalms 78:71
From following the ewes great with young he brought him to feed Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance.
Read in context
Exodus 19:5–6
Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:
Read in context
Deuteronomy 7:6–8
For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.
Read in context