1 Kings 4:29-34
New English Translation
29 God gave Solomon wisdom and very great discernment; the breadth of his understanding[a] was as infinite as the sand on the seashore. 30 Solomon was wiser than all the men of the east and all the sages of Egypt.[b] 31 He was wiser than any man, including Ethan the Ezrahite or Heman, Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol. He was famous in all the neighboring nations.[c] 32 He composed[d] 3,000 proverbs and 1,005 songs. 33 He produced manuals on botany, describing every kind of plant,[e] from the cedars of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows on walls. He also produced manuals on biology, describing[f] animals, birds, insects, and fish. 34 People from all nations came to hear Solomon’s display of wisdom;[g] they came from all the kings of the earth who heard about his wisdom.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 1 Kings 4:29 tn Heb “heart,” i.e., mind. (The Hebrew term translated “heart” often refers to the mental faculties.)
- 1 Kings 4:30 tn Heb “the wisdom of Solomon was greater than the wisdom of all the sons of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt.”
- 1 Kings 4:31 tn Heb “his name was in all the surrounding nations.”
- 1 Kings 4:32 tn Heb “spoke.”
- 1 Kings 4:33 tn Heb “he spoke about plants.”
- 1 Kings 4:33 tn Heb “he spoke about.”
- 1 Kings 4:34 tn Heb “the wisdom of Solomon.”
1 Kings 4:29-34
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Fame of Solomon’s Wisdom
29 God gave Solomon very great wisdom, discernment, and breadth of understanding as vast as the sand on the seashore,(A) 30 so that Solomon’s wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the people of the East and all the wisdom of Egypt.(B) 31 He was wiser than anyone else, wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite and Heman, Calcol, and Darda, children of Mahol; his fame spread throughout all the surrounding nations.(C) 32 He composed three thousand proverbs, and his songs numbered a thousand and five.(D) 33 He would speak of trees, from the cedar that is in the Lebanon to the hyssop that grows in the wall; he would speak of animals, and birds, and reptiles, and fish. 34 People came from all the nations to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom.(E)
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