1 Kings 11:36 kjv
And unto his son will I give one tribe, that David my servant may have a light alway before me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen me to put my name there.
1 Kings 11:36 nkjv
And to his son I will give one tribe, that My servant David may always have a lamp before Me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen for Myself, to put My name there.
1 Kings 11:36 niv
I will give one tribe to his son so that David my servant may always have a lamp before me in Jerusalem, the city where I chose to put my Name.
1 Kings 11:36 esv
Yet to his son I will give one tribe, that David my servant may always have a lamp before me in Jerusalem, the city where I have chosen to put my name.
1 Kings 11:36 nlt
His son will have one tribe so that the descendants of David my servant will continue to reign, shining like a lamp in Jerusalem, the city I have chosen to be the place for my name.
1 Kings 11 36 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Davidic Covenant / Lamp | ||
| 2 Sam 7:12-16 | When your days are fulfilled…I will raise up your offspring…I will establish his kingdom…Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me; your throne shall be established forever. | God's eternal covenant promise to David's dynasty. |
| Ps 89:3-4 | “I have made a covenant with my chosen one…‘I will establish your offspring forever and build your throne for all generations.’” | Reiterates the covenant with David for an enduring throne. |
| Ps 132:17 | There I will make a horn to sprout for David; I have prepared a lamp for my anointed. | Explicitly links "lamp" to David's lineage. |
| 2 Sam 21:17 | The men of David swore to him, “You shall no longer go out with us to battle…lest you quench the lamp of Israel.” | David himself as "the lamp" of Israel's hope. |
| Jer 33:17-18 | For thus says the Lord: David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel. | Divine guarantee for an unbroken Davidic succession. |
| Lk 1:69 | And has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, | Fulfillment in Christ as the promised Davidic heir. |
| Jerusalem / God's Name | ||
| Deut 12:5 | But you shall seek the place that the Lord your God will choose…to put his name there. | Anticipates God's chosen place for worship. |
| 2 Sam 5:6-9 | ...David captured the stronghold of Zion, that is, the City of David…So David lived in the stronghold and called it the City of David. | David establishing Jerusalem as capital. |
| 1 Ki 8:29 | …your eyes may be open night and day toward this house, the place of which you have said, ‘My name shall be there.’ | Solomon's prayer confirming Jerusalem as God's chosen dwelling. |
| Ps 132:13-14 | For the Lord has chosen Zion; he has desired it for his dwelling place: “This is my resting place forever; here I will dwell.” | God's specific choice and desire for Jerusalem. |
| Zec 2:10-11 | Shout and rejoice, O daughter of Zion…many nations shall join themselves to the Lord in that day…and dwell in your midst. | Jerusalem's future glory with God's presence. |
| Isa 60:19-20 | The sun shall be no more your light by day…but the Lord will be your everlasting light…the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your days of mourning shall be ended. | The Lord's perpetual light and presence in Jerusalem's restoration. |
| Kingdom Division / Judgment & Mercy | ||
| 1 Ki 11:11-13 | Therefore the Lord said to Solomon…I will surely tear the kingdom from you and will give it to your servant…However, I will not do it in your days, for the sake of David your father. | Immediate context: God's judgment pronounced on Solomon. |
| 1 Ki 11:31-32 | He said to Jeroboam, “Take for yourself ten pieces…‘Behold, I am about to tear the kingdom from the hand of Solomon…but he shall have one tribe…” | Ahijah's prophecy explaining the ten-tribe split. |
| 1 Ki 12:20 | And when all Israel heard…they sent and called him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. There was none that followed the house of David but the tribe of Judah only. | Fulfillment: only Judah (and Benjamin) remained. |
| Ps 89:30-34 | If his children forsake my law…I will punish their transgression…but I will not remove my steadfast love from him, nor be false to my faithfulness. | God's faithfulness endures despite human unfaithfulness. |
| Rom 3:3-4 | What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? By no means! Let God be true though every man were a liar… | God's character of unwavering faithfulness. |
| 2 Tim 2:13 | if we are faithless, he remains faithful—for he cannot deny himself. | God's enduring faithfulness regardless of human failings. |
| Messianic Fulfillment | ||
| Isa 9:7 | Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it…forevermore. | Prophecy of Christ's eternal Davidic reign. |
| Jer 23:5-6 | “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch…And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord Is Our Righteousness.’” | Prophecy of the Messiah, the "Branch" from David. |
| Acts 2:29-30 | Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried…God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne. | Peter affirming the Davidic covenant and Christ's fulfillment. |
1 Kings 11 verses
1 Kings 11 36 Meaning
This verse signifies God's enduring faithfulness to His covenant with David despite Solomon's severe apostasy. While judgment was decreed against Solomon's house, the promise of a continuing Davidic line was preserved. God would tear the kingdom from Solomon's son, but allow one tribe (Judah, often encompassing Benjamin) to remain under his rule. This partial preservation was not due to Solomon's merit, but "that David my servant may have a lamp always before me in Jerusalem." It affirms God's commitment to His chosen king, David, and to Jerusalem as the consecrated place for His name and dwelling. The verse highlights God's justice in punishment tempered by His unwavering loyalty to His oath, specifically pointing towards the continuation of the Messianic lineage.
1 Kings 11 36 Context
This verse is embedded within God's pronouncement of judgment against King Solomon for his widespread idolatry and disobedience (1 Kings 11:1-13). Despite Solomon's initial wisdom and his role in building the Temple, he married foreign wives who turned his heart after other gods, causing him to build high places for idols, an abomination to the Lord. God's anger led Him to declare that He would tear the kingdom away from Solomon's son. However, this verse provides a crucial covenantal safeguard. For the sake of David, God would preserve one tribe for Solomon's heir (Rehoboam), thus maintaining a "lamp" or continuous dynastic line in Jerusalem. This distinction reveals God's unswerving commitment to His earlier covenant with David, ensuring that even amidst the consequence of human sin, His divine promise and plan (including the future Messiah from David's line) would endure, rooted in the specific location of Jerusalem, His chosen city. The immediate narrative moves to the split of the kingdom in 1 Kings 12, fulfilling this very prophecy.
1 Kings 11 36 Word analysis
- And unto his son: Refers to Rehoboam, Solomon's successor. This highlights the generational consequences of sin but also the partial grace extended. The disruption would come after Solomon's death, out of respect for David (1 Ki 11:12).
- will I give one tribe: This denotes a single tribe out of the twelve, namely Judah. Though Benjamin is typically absorbed into the Southern Kingdom of Judah, the prophecy strictly states "one tribe" emphasizing the drastic reduction. This remnant secured the continuation of the Davidic dynasty and God's name in Jerusalem, vital for the fulfillment of the Messianic promises.
- that David my servant: This phrase elevates David's status and significance as the true basis for God's partial mercy, contrasting with Solomon's unfaithfulness. The Hebrew word for "servant,"
עֶבֶד('eved), implies a faithful, obedient relationship, emphasizing David's heart for God. God remembers His covenant with David, prioritizing His divine oath over the immediate judgment due to Solomon. - may have a light alway before me: The Hebrew
נִיר(niyrorner) means "lamp" or "light." This is a powerful metaphor for the perpetual continuation of David's dynasty and the secure existence of a ruling heir on the throne. To have a "lamp" (or "flame" or "seed") that never goes out is a biblical idiom for an unbroken lineage and perpetual royalty. "Alway" (Hebrewתָּמִיד,tamiyd) signifies an unbroken continuity. "Before me" underscores that this is in God's presence, under His watchful eye and approval. It's a statement of God's sovereign intent to uphold the Davidic line. - in Jerusalem:
יְרוּשָׁלַיִם(Yerushalaim), the divinely chosen capital, is crucial for God's purpose. It was David's city, the place where God chose to place His Temple, and thus, where His presence (name) resided among His people. The concentration of the "lamp" in Jerusalem signifies the preservation of a singular, God-sanctioned spiritual and political center for the Davidic line, serving as a beacon of hope. - the city which I have chosen me to put my name there: The Hebrew
בָּחַר(bahar) for "chosen" highlights God's sovereign election of Jerusalem. To "put my name there" (שִׂים שֵׁם,sim shem) means that God has chosen this specific place to manifest His presence, authority, and identity. It is the designated location for His dwelling, where His covenant fidelity and divine purpose would be publicly acknowledged and accessed, pointing ultimately to Christ who perfectly embodies God's Name.
1 Kings 11 36 Bonus section
The concept of "lamp" (נִיר/נֵר) extending to a dynasty can also be found in extra-biblical ancient Near Eastern treaties where the continuity of a royal line was expressed using similar symbolism, lending cultural resonance to the metaphor. The emphasis on David's obedience, even retrospectively, in contrast to Solomon's apostasy, undergirds the principle of generational blessings and curses. Though the consequences of sin are experienced, God's greater redemptive plan, specifically tied to the Davidic covenant, ensures the continuity of the covenant people and their spiritual capital. This verse underscores the foundational truth that God's plan is ultimately invulnerable to human sin, not because sin is insignificant, but because His power and faithfulness are supreme. It also explains why the term "Judah" eventually becomes synonymous with the remaining kingdom after the split, highlighting the strength of this singular tribal remnant that preserved the royal line.
1 Kings 11 36 Commentary
1 Kings 11:36 stands as a pivotal statement of divine fidelity amidst human failing. Despite Solomon's severe departure from God's commands, triggering a divinely decreed tearing apart of the united monarchy, God's promise to David endured. This verse specifically articulates the preservation of one tribe for Solomon's heir (Rehoboam) to rule in Jerusalem, not as an act of grace for Solomon, but purely "for the sake of David, my servant." The imagery of "a lamp" perpetually burning signifies the unwavering commitment to uphold David's royal lineage, ensuring an unbroken line that would eventually lead to the Messiah. This demonstrated God's steadfastness and determination to fulfill His promises, emphasizing that His covenant faithfulness does not depend on human perfect obedience but on His own character. It reveals God's purpose for Jerusalem as the specific place where His "Name" or manifested presence would reside, safeguarding the integrity of worship and the ultimate fulfillment of redemptive history. This provision ensures the Messianic promise from the house of David and located in Jerusalem would eventually be realized in Jesus Christ.