וַיִּתְחַזֵּק שְׁלֹמֹה בֶן־דָּוִיד עַל־מַלְכוּתוֹ וַה' אֱלֹהָיו עִמּוֹ וַיְגַדְּלֵהוּ לְמָעְלָה

Solomon son of David grew stronger in his kingdom, his rule was well established, and the Lord his God was with him, and God exalted him upward. Solomon had a firm grip on the reins of power, and his kingdom grew gradually greater.

וַיֹּאמֶר שְׁלֹמֹה לְכָל־יִשְׂרָאֵל לְשָׂרֵי הָאֲלָפִים וְהַמֵּאוֹת וְלַשֹּׁפְטִים וּלְכֹל נָשִׂיא לְכָל־יִשְׂרָאֵל רָאשֵׁי הָאָבוֹת

Solomon spoke with all Israel: To the leaders of the thousands and of the hundreds, to the judges, and to every prince in all Israel, the heads of the patrilineal houses. He gathered together all his military and governmental officials, and also all the local leaders.

וַיֵּלְכוּ שְׁלֹמֹה וְכָל־הַקָּהָל עִמּוֹ לַבָּמָה אֲשֶׁר בְּגִבְעוֹן כִּי־שָׁם הָיָה אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד הָאֱלֹהִים אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה מֹשֶׁה עֶבֶד־ה' בַּמִּדְבָּר

Solomon and all the assembly with him went to the shrine that was at Givon, as there was the Tent of Meeting of God, which Moses servant of the Lord had crafted in the wilderness. The remains of the Tabernacle that was initially constructed in the wilderness, and which had stood in Shilo, had later been transferred to Givon.

אֲבָל אֲרוֹן הָאֱלֹהִים הֶעֱלָה דָוִיד מִקִּרְיַת יְעָרִים בַּהֵכִין לוֹ דָּוִיד כִּי נָטָה לוֹ אֹהֶל בִּירוּשָׁלִָם

But the ark was not in the Tabernacle in Givon, as David had taken up the Ark of God from Kiryat Ye’arim to the place that David had prepared for it, for he had pitched a tent for it in Jerusalem.

וּמִזְבַּח הַנְּחֹשֶׁת אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה בְּצַלְאֵל בֶּן־אוּרִי בֶן־חוּר שָׂם לִפְנֵי מִשְׁכַּן ה' וַיִּדְרְשֵׁהוּ שְׁלֹמֹה וְהַקָּהָל

The great bronze altar which had been in the Tabernacle, that Betzalel, son of Uri, son of Hur, had crafted, had also been brought to the Land of Israel, and he, Solomon, placed it before the Tabernacle of the Lord, and Solomon and the assembly sought it; they turned to it. All the leaders gathered before the altar to sacrifice offerings upon it.

וַיַּעַל שְׁלֹמֹה שָׁם עַל־מִזְבַּח הַנְּחֹשֶׁת לִפְנֵי ה' אֲשֶׁר לְאֹהֶל מוֹעֵד וַיַּעַל עָלָיו עֹלוֹת אָלֶף

Solomon presented, that is, at his command they sacrificed there, on the bronze altar before the Lord, which was at the Tent of Meeting; he, the priests at his command, presented on it one thousand burnt offerings.

בַּלַּיְלָה הַהוּא נִרְאָה אֱלֹהִים לִשְׁלֹמֹה וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ שְׁאַל מָה אֶתֶּן־לָךְ

On that night, after the offerings had been sacrificed, God appeared to Solomon in a prophetic vision, and He said to him: Ask; what shall I give you?

וַיֹּאמֶר שְׁלֹמֹה לֵאלֹהִים אַתָּה עָשִׂיתָ עִם־דָּוִיד אָבִי חֶסֶד גָּדוֹל וְהִמְלַכְתַּנִי תַּחְתָּיו

Solomon said to God: You acted with great kindness to David my father, as You made him a victorious and powerful king, and You crowned me king in his stead.

עַתָּה ה' אֱלֹהִים יֵאָמֵן דְּבָרְךָ עִם דָּוִיד אָבִי כִּי אַתָּה הִמְלַכְתַּנִי עַל־עַם רַב כַּעֲפַר הָאָרֶץ

Now, Lord God, let Your word to David my father be substantiated, as You have crowned me king over a people numerous like the dust of the earth, the entire people of Israel.

עַתָּה חָכְמָה וּמַדָּע תֶּן־לִי וְאֵצְאָה לִפְנֵי הָעָם־הַזֶּה וְאָבוֹאָה כִּי־מִי יִשְׁפֹּט אֶת־עַמְּךָ הַזֶּה הַגָּדוֹל

Now, grant me wisdom and knowledge, and I will go out and come before this people. This expression, “go out and come before,” which appears in several instances in the Bible, means “to lead.” As who can judge this great people of Yours? Who can properly judge an entire nation, and lead the people while providing for all their needs, both material and spiritual?

וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים לִשְׁלֹמֹה יַעַן אֲשֶׁר הָיְתָה זֹאת עִם־לְבָבֶךָ וְלֹא־שָׁאַלְתָּ עֹשֶׁר נְכָסִים וְכָבוֹד וְאֵת נֶפֶשׁ שֹׂנְאֶיךָ וְגַם־יָמִים רַבִּים לֹא שָׁאָלְתָּ וַתִּשְׁאַל־לְךָ חָכְמָה וּמַדָּע אֲשֶׁר תִּשְׁפּוֹט אֶת־עַמִּי אֲשֶׁר הִמְלַכְתִּיךָ עָלָיו

God said to Solomon: Because this was in your heart, and you did not request wealth, property, or honor, or the life of your enemies, and you also did not request long life, but instead you requested wisdom and knowledge for yourself so that you can judge My people, over whom I crowned you king;

הַחָכְמָה וְהַמַּדָּע נָתוּן לָךְ וְעֹשֶׁר וּנְכָסִים וְכָבוֹד אֶתֶּן־לָךְ אֲשֶׁר לֹא־הָיָה כֵן לַמְּלָכִים אֲשֶׁר לְפָנֶיךָ וְאַחֲרֶיךָ לֹא יִהְיֶה־כֵּן

therefore, the wisdom and the knowledge is granted to you as you requested, and in addition, despite the fact that you did not request them, I will grant you wealth, and property, and honor, the like of which none of the kings before you had, and the like of which there will not be after you.

וַיָּבֹא שְׁלֹמֹה לַבָּמָה אֲשֶׁר־בְּגִבְעוֹן יְרוּשָׁלִַם מִלִּפְנֵי אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד וַיִּמְלֹךְ עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵל

Solomon came to the shrine that was in Givon on the day following his vision, in order to give thanks for the good tidings he had received that night. He continued to Jerusalem, from before the Tent of Meeting in Givon, and he reigned over Israel.

וַיֶּאֱסֹף שְׁלֹמֹה רֶכֶב וּפָרָשִׁים וַיְהִי־לוֹ אֶלֶף וְאַרְבַּע־מֵאוֹת רֶכֶב וּשְׁנֵים־עָשָׂר אֶלֶף פָּרָשִׁים וַיַּנִּיחֵם בְּעָרֵי הָרֶכֶב וְעִם־הַמֶּלֶךְ בִּירוּשָׁלִָם

These are some depictions of the grandeur of Solomon’s kingdom: Solomon accumulated chariots and horsemen; he had one thousand four hundred chariots and twelve thousand horsemen, and he deployed them, the horsemen, in the chariot cities,e.g., Megiddo, where there were very large stables where the chariots were stored, and some of the chariots and horsemen remained with the king in Jerusalem, probably as his garrison.

וַיִּתֵּן הַמֶּלֶךְ אֶת הַכֶּסֶף וְאֶת־הַזָּהָב בִּירוּשָׁלִַם כָּאֲבָנִים וְאֶת־הָאֲרָזִים נָתַן כַּשִׁקְמִים אֲשֶׁר בַּשְּׁפֵלָה לָרֹב

The king rendered, through his wise actions, the silver and the gold in Jerusalem like stones. Due to its abundance, people considered silver as no more precious than stones. Israel was a primarily agricultural society in which silver had not been a particularly valuable commodity. However, in Solomon’s days, the structure of the country’s economy began to change, and gold and silver became valuable. Even then, due to the great amounts of silver and gold that flowed into the land, the people considered it unremarkable. And the cedars, he, Solomon, rendered like the sycamores, that are grown on the plain in abundance. The king brought so many cedar trees to Jerusalem that the sight of this tree, imported from Lebanon, became similarly unremarkable for the city’s residents.

וּמוֹצָא הַסּוּסִים אֲשֶׁר לִשְׁלֹמֹה מִמִּצְרָיִם וּמִקְוֵא סֹחֲרֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ מִקְוֵא יִקְחוּ בִּמְחִיר

The origin of the horses of Solomon was Egypt,which was a great center of horse breeding; and collection [mikve] was by the king’s, Solomon’s, merchants, who would purchase a collection for a price. As King Solomon had been granted the concession to trade in horses, he had a collection center in Egypt, from where the king’s merchants would sell them. Alternatively, mikve means from Keveh, another province that sold horses to Solomon.

וַיַּעֲלוּ וַיּוֹצִיאוּ מִמִּצְרַיִם מֶרְכָּבָה בְּשֵׁשׁ מֵאוֹת כֶּסֶף וְסוּס בַּחֲמִשִּׁים וּמֵאָה וְכֵן לְכָל־מַלְכֵי הַחִתִּים וּמַלְכֵי אֲרָם בְּיָדָם יוֹצִיאוּ

They took up and took out of Egypt a chariot for six hundred silver shekels, and a horse for one hundred and fifty silver shekels; and so it was for all the kings of the Hitites, and the kings of Aram; by their hand they would take them out, at the behest of King Solomon’s merchants. These Hitite and Aramean kings were forced to purchase the horses from Solomon’s merchants, and Solomon therefore earned a substantial profit as the intermediary. It was lucrative to trade in these horses and chariots, as the horses were utilized as warhorses, and the chariots in armored battles.

וַיֹּאמֶר שְׁלֹמֹה לִבְנוֹת בַּיִת לְשֵׁם ה' ובַיִת לְמַלְכוּתוֹ

After his kingdom was established, Solomon resolved to fulfill his father’s will and to build a house for the name of the Lord, the Temple, and to also build a house, a royal palace, for his kingdom.