1 Kings 3:7 (DRB)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

1 Kings 3:5 And the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, saying: Ask what thou wilt that I should give thee.

1 Kings 3:6 And Solomon said: Thou hast shewed great mercy to thy servant David, my father, even as he walked before thee in truth, and justice, and an upright heart with thee: and thou hast kept thy great mercy for him, and hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.

1 Kings 3:7 And now, O Lord God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David, my father: and I am but a child, and know not how to go out and come in;

1 Kings 3:8 And thy servant is in the midst of the people which thou hast chosen, an immense people, which cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude.

1 Kings 3:9 Give therefore to thy servant an understanding heart, to judge thy people, and discern between good and evil. For who shall be able to judge this people, thy people, which is so numerous?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "lord", "thou", "hast", "servant", "king", "instead", "david", and "father". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "lord" and "thou", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 6's "And Solomon said Thou hast shewed great..." into verse 8's "And thy servant is in the midst...", so "lord" and "thou" 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 "lord" and "thou" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.