1 Kings 3:9 (ASV)

Passage

Give thy servant therefore an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and evil; for who is able to judge this thy great people?

Nearby Context

1 Kings 3:7 And now, O Jehovah 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.

1 Kings 3:8 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.

1 Kings 3:9 Give thy servant therefore an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and evil; for who is able to judge this thy great people?

1 Kings 3:10 And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.

1 Kings 3:11 And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life, neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies, but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern justice;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "give", "servant", "therefore", "understanding", "heart", "judge", "people", and "discern". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "give" and "servant", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 8's "And thy servant is in the midst..." into verse 10's "And the speech pleased the Lord that...", so "give" and "servant" belong inside that flow. In 1 Kings context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "give" and "servant" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.