3 Kings 4:34
And they came from all nations to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and from all the kings of the earth, who heard of his wisdom.
Open 3 Kings 4:34 in the Motif Searcher, word by word across all five texts →Show on the spiral →The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- Et veniebant de cunctis populis ad audiendam sapientiam Salomonis, et ab universis regibus terræ qui audiebant sapientiam ejus.
- Septuagint (Swete) shown from 3 Kings 4:30
- καὶ παρεγίνοντο πάντες οἱ λαοὶ ἀκοῦσαι τῆς σοφίας Σαλωμών, καὶ παρὰ πάντων τῶν βασιλέων τῆς γῆς ὅσοι ἤκουον τῆς σοφίας αὐτοῦ.
- Hebrew (WLC) shown from 3 Kings 5:14
- וַיָּבֹ֨אוּ֙ מִכָּל הָ֣עַמִּ֔ים לִשְׁמֹ֕עַ אֵ֖ת חָכְמַ֣ת שְׁלֹמֹ֑ה מֵאֵת֙ כָּל מַלְכֵ֣י הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֥ר שָׁמְע֖וּ אֶת חָכְמָתֽוֹ
Haydock's commentary
Wisdom. The Scriptures relate the coming of the queen of Saba, chap. x. Thus Livy attracted the attention of distant nations, who neglected the grandeur of Rome, to visit him. (St. Jerome, Ep. ad Paulin.) Solomon's wisdom is compared to a great river, inundating the whole earth. (Ecclesiasticus xlvii. 16.)
From Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary, 1859, in the transcription made by Todd Easton and kept online by John Paul Wohlschied at johnblood.gitlab.io/haydock.
The Fathers on this verse
St Irenaeus Against Heresies: Book IV, Chapter XXVII, The sins of the men of
1. As I have heard from a certain presbyter, who had heard it from those who had seen the apostles, and from those who had been their disciples, the punishment [declared] in Scripture was sufficient for the ancients in regard to what they did without the Spirit’s guidance. For as God is no respecter of persons, He inflicted a proper punishment on deeds displeasing to Him. As in the case of David, when he suffered persecution from Saul for righteousness’ sake, and fled from King Saul, and would not avenge himself of his enemy, he both sung the advent of Christ, and instructed the nations in wisdom, and did everything after the Spirit’s guidance, and pleased God. …