1 And Solomon made affinity with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and took Pharaoh's daughter, and brought her into the city of David, until he had made an end of building his own house, and the house of the Lord, and the wall of Jerusalem round about.
2 Only the people sacrificed in high places, because there was no house built unto the name of the Lord, until those days.
3 And Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of David his father: only he sacrificed and burnt incense in high places.
4 And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there; for that was the great high place: a thousand burnt offerings did Solomon offer upon that altar.
5 In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee.
6 And Solomon said, Thou hast shewed unto thy servant David my father great mercy, according as he walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with thee; and thou hast kept for him this great kindness, that thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.
7 And now, O Lord my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in.
8 And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude.
9 Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?
10 And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.
11 And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment;
12 Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee.
13 And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honour: so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days.
14 And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy days.
15 And Solomon awoke; and, behold, it was a dream. And he came to Jerusalem, and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and offered up burnt offerings, and offered peace offerings, and made a feast to all his servants.
16 Then came there two women, that were harlots, unto the king, and stood before him.
17 And the one woman said, O my lord, I and this woman dwell in one house; and I was delivered of a child with her in the house.
18 And it came to pass the third day after that I was delivered, that this woman was delivered also: and we were together; there was no stranger with us in the house, save we two in the house.
19 And this woman's child died in the night; because she overlaid it.
20 And she arose at midnight, and took my son from beside me, while thine handmaid slept, and laid it in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom.
21 And when I rose in the morning to give my child suck, behold, it was dead: but when I had considered it in the morning, behold, it was not my son, which I did bear.
22 And the other woman said, Nay; but the living is my son, and the dead is thy son. And this said, No; but the dead is thy son, and the living is my son. Thus they spake before the king.
23 Then said the king, The one saith, This is my son that liveth, and thy son is the dead: and the other saith, Nay; but thy son is the dead, and my son is the living.
24 And the king said, Bring me a sword. And they brought a sword before the king.
25 And the king said, Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other.
26 Then spake the woman whose the living child was unto the king, for her bowels yearned upon her son, and she said, O my lord, give her the living child, and in no wise slay it. But the other said, Let it be neither mine nor thine, but divide it.
27 Then the king answered and said, Give her the living child, and in no wise slay it: she is the mother thereof.
28 And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged; and they feared the king: for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him, to do judgment.
<html><b>Shlomo became the son-in-law.</b> As long as Shim’i, his teacher, was alive, he did not enter into marriage [with Pharaoh’s daughter]. From here, [our Sages derived and] declared, that a person should always live in the vicinity of his teacher.1<i class=“footnote”>Based on the juxtaposition of Shimi’s death and Shlomo’s marriage to Pharaoh’s daughter. See Maseches Berachos 8a.</i>2<i class=“footnote”>In order to remain under his teacher’s guidance and influence.</i> <b>Until he finished building, etc.</b> And afterwards he built a house for her.3<i class=“footnote”>Alternatively, after he finished building the Beis Hamikdosh, Shlomo moved Pharaoh’s daughter out of the City of Dovid which had become sanctified by the presence of the Ark.—Radak</i></html>
<html><b>Sacrificed on improvised altars.</b> For the sake of Heaven, each [person] who so desired would build an altar on top of his roof or in his yard.4<i class=“footnote”>This was permitted during the period between the destruction of the Mishkan in Shilo and the construction of the Beis Hamikdosh. See Mishnayos Zevachim 14:7.</i></html>
<html><b>And Shlomo loved Adonoy, he conformed to the decrees of his father Dovid.</b> [During the first] four years, before beginning to build the Beis [Hamikdosh]. But once he began to build and Shlomo married Pharaoh’s daughter, consequently it states, “for as a provocation of anger and of fury has this city has been to me from the day that they built it until this day.”5<i class=“footnote”>Yirmiyahu 32:31.</i> Thus we learned in Seder Olam. We learn that the passages are not written in chronological order. <b>Upon improvised altars he brought sacrifices.</b> The text discusses his dishonor, [this occurred] because he delayed the construction of the Beis [Hamikdosh] four years.6<i class=“footnote”>Alternatively, Shlomo desired to attain prophetic revelation by offering sacrifices.—Ralbag</i></html>
<html><b>For that was the great improvised altar.</b> That was the copper altar which Moshe made in the wilderness,7<i class=“footnote”>I.e., it was “great” because of its holiness.</i> and it was instituted in Shilo. Shilo was destroyed in Eili’s days, and then it came to Nov. Nov was destroyed in Shaul’s days, and they came to Givon. <b>Shlomo offered.</b> Did Shlomo offer.8<i class=“footnote”>Literally, יעלה means, “will offer.”</i> <b>Upon that altar.</b> In one day.</html>
<html><b>You preserved for him.</b> An expression of authenticating His words as in, “And Adonoy, your God will keep for you, etc.”9<i class=“footnote”>Devarim 7:12.</i> Here too You have preserved for him the kindness, You have authenticated Your words to fulfill to him the kindness which You had promised him through Noson the prophet.</html>
<html><b>A small lad.</b> He was twelve years old. And this is how [his age] is calculated: “And he called his name Yedidyah.”10<i class=“footnote”>II Shmuel 12:25.</i> At the same time Amnon raped Tamar, as it is stated, “And it was after this, and Avsholom [the son of Dovid] had a sister.”11<i class=“footnote”>Ibid., 13:1.</i> At the end of, “two years, and Avsholom had sheep shearers,”12<i class=“footnote”>Ibid. v. 23.</i> and he killed Amnon. Avsholom fled and went to Geshur, and he remained there three years,13<i class=“footnote”>Ibid. v. 38.</i> so we have five years. Avsholom then returned to Yerusholayim, “and [Avsholom] lived in Yerusholayim two years,”14<i class=“footnote”>Ibid. 14:28.</i> so we have seven [years in the life] of Shlomo. And he [Avsholom] rebelled against his father and was killed. After this, [it states], “And there was famine in the days of Dovid [for] three years,”15<i class=“footnote”>Ibid. 21:1.</i> so we have ten [years]. In the eleventh [year] he counted the [Bnei] Yisroel, “and they scattered in all the land,”16<i class=“footnote”>Ibid 24:8.</i> nine months. In the year of his death he instituted divisions as it is stated, “In the fortieth year of Dovid’s reign they were sought,”17<i class=“footnote”>I Divrei Hayomim 26:31.</i> so we have twelve [years in the life] of King Shlomo.18<i class=“footnote”>Other, including Abarbanel, suggest that Shlomo may have been around twenty years old at the time. The fact that he is referred to as a “lad ]=נער]” is not necessarily a reflection of his age, for in Bereishis 44:22, Binyomin is described as a “lad [=נער]”at the age of thirty.</i></html>
<html><b>This great people of Yours.</b> Since they are many, they have many dealings, and they come to litigate and I have no time to deliberate over their arguments. Another interpretation of, “for who is able to judge this great people of Yours,” their legal decisions are very difficult [for me to make]. If a lawsuit comes before me between two non-Jews, and I take from one and give to the other unjustly, I will not be punished. But [if a lawsuit comes before me] between Jews [and I take from one and give to the other unjustly], I will be punished for it with capital punishment,19<i class=“footnote”>That is why Shlomo refers to the Bnei Yisroel as a “weighty [=כבד] nation.”</i> as it is stated, “And He takes the lives of those that steal from them.”20<i class=“footnote”>Mishlei 22:23.</i></html>
<html><b>And if you will go in My ways, etc., I will lengthen your days.</b> The wealth and the honor for which I did not impose any conditions in my Torah to give to the king, I will give you whether deserving or not. However, [to attain] longevity and [continuation of] the monarchy for [future] generations, I have already imposed conditions in my Torah, “that he shall not turn aside from the commandment [etc.,] so that he may prolong days over his kingdom, etc.”21<i class=“footnote”>Devarim 17:20.</i> and that condition I will not alter. So, “if you will go in My ways…I will lengthen, etc.” and likewise concerning [the continuation of] the monarchy to his descendants, He said to him, “As for you, if you walk before Me, etc., no man [descendant] of yours will be cut off, etc.”22<i class=“footnote”>Below, 9:4, 5.</i> Thus is it learned in Sifrei, Rabbi Chanina the son of Gamliel says, “Behold he has said, ‘both wealth and honor, etc.’”23<i class=“footnote”>Above v. 13.</i></html>
<html><b>Shlomo woke up and behold it was a dream.</b> And behold he understood that his dream was true. He heard a bird chirping and understood its language, a dog barking and he understood its language. <b>And [he] made a feast.</b> Out of his heart’s happiness [he celebrated] because he realized that his dream was true.24<i class=“footnote”>Shlomo celebrated his newly acquired wisdom. Rabbi Elazar said that from here we derive the custom of making a festive meal [e.g., siyum] to honor the completion of reading the Torah or studying a Masechta. See Shir Hashirim Rabboh 1:9.</i></html>
<html><b>I scrutinized him.</b> I concentrated to scrutinize him.25<i class=“footnote”>And therefore I am certain of not making a mistake.</i></html>
<html><b>She is his mother.</b> A Divine voice appeared and said, “She is his mother.”26<i class=“footnote”>See Rashi in Maseches Makos 23b. </i></html>