1 Kings 3:9 (DRB)

Passage

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?

Nearby Context

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?

1 Kings 3:10 And the word was pleasing to the Lord, that Solomon had asked such a thing.

1 Kings 3:11 And the Lord said to Solomon: Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life nor riches, nor the lives of thy enemies, but hast asked for thyself wisdom to discern judgment;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "give", "therefore", "servant", "understanding", "heart", "judge", "people", and "discern". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "give" and "therefore", 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 word was pleasing to the...", so "give" and "therefore" 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 "therefore" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.