1 Kings 3:7 (GNV)

Passage

And now, O Lord my God, thou hast made thy seruant King in steade of Dauid my father: and I am but a yong childe, and know not howe to go out and in.

Nearby Context

1 Kings 3:5 In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Salomon in a dreame by night: and God sayd, Aske what I shall giue thee.

1 Kings 3:6 And Salomon sayd, Thou hast shewed vnto thy seruant Dauid my father great mercie, when hee walked before thee in trueth, and in righteousnesse, and in vprightnes of heart with thee: and thou hast kept for him this great mercie, and hast giuen him a sonne, to sit on his throne, as appeareth this day.

1 Kings 3:7 And now, O Lord my God, thou hast made thy seruant King in steade of Dauid my father: and I am but a yong childe, and know not howe to go out and in.

1 Kings 3:8 And thy seruant is in the mids of thy people, which thou hast chosen, euen a great people which cannot be told nor nobred for multitude.

1 Kings 3:9 Giue therefore vnto thy seruant an vnderstanding heart, to iudge thy people, that I may discerne betweene good and bad: for who is able to iudge this thy mightie people?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "lord", "thou", "hast", "seruant", "king", "steade", "dauid", 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 Salomon sayd Thou hast shewed vnto..." into verse 8's "And thy seruant is in the mids...", 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.