“Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people: for who can judge this thy people, that is so great?”
My Notes
What Does 2 Chronicles 1:10 Mean?
Solomon's request to God is breathtakingly humble: "Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people." The request isn't for power, wealth, or long life. It's for the capacity to govern well — to lead God's people with the competence the role requires.
The phrase "go out and come in" is a leadership idiom: it describes the full range of a leader's responsibilities — leading the people outward (military campaigns, external affairs) and governing their internal life (justice, administration). Solomon is asking for the ability to handle everything the kingship demands — the entire spectrum from foreign policy to domestic governance.
The question "who can judge this thy people, that is so great?" reveals Solomon's honest self-assessment: the nation is too big for him. The people God has given him are more than he can manage with his natural abilities. The request for wisdom is born from the recognition of inadequacy. Solomon asks for what he knows he doesn't have because he knows he needs it.
Reflection Questions
- 1.How does Solomon's humble self-assessment ('who can judge this great people?') model the right posture for leadership?
- 2.What does 'go out and come in' (comprehensive competence) teach about what genuine leadership requires?
- 3.How does God's response (exceeding the request) connect to the humility that produced the request?
- 4.What are you asking God for — capacity to serve or capacity to dominate?
Devotional
Give me wisdom. Not gold. Not glory. Not enemies destroyed. Wisdom and knowledge to lead your people. Solomon's first request as king is the confession that he's not enough for the job.
The request is born from honest self-assessment: "who can judge this people, that is so great?" Solomon looks at the nation God has given him and sees something he can't handle. The people are too many, the responsibilities too complex, the stakes too high for a young king's natural capacity. The gap between what Solomon is and what Solomon needs to be produces the prayer.
The "go out and come in" idiom covers everything: external leadership (going out — military, diplomacy, trade) and internal governance (coming in — justice, administration, community management). Solomon doesn't ask for ability in one area. He asks for the comprehensive competence that leadership demands across every domain. The wisdom he requests is as broad as the role it serves.
God's response (verse 12) exceeds the request: wisdom AND knowledge AND wealth AND honor — the things Solomon didn't ask for added to the things he did. The humility of the request produces extravagance in the answer. Ask for what matters (wisdom to serve), and receive what you didn't ask for (everything else) as a bonus.
The principle is permanent: the leader who asks for the ability to serve receives more than the leader who asks for the ability to dominate. Solomon's request — give me what I need to serve your people — is the prayer that unlocks everything else. The wealth and honor that follow aren't earned by wisdom; they're added to it because the heart behind the request was right.
What are you asking for — the ability to serve or the ability to dominate? The answer determines what God adds.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
The verbal differences between this passage and the corresponding one of Kings 1Ki 3:5-14 are very considerable, and…
Here is, I. Solomon's great prosperity, Ch2 1:1. Though he had a contested title, yet, God being with him, he was…
go out and come in The phrase denotes the transaction of business of all kinds.
judge Although every village by its…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture