1 Kings 3:14

1Ki 3:14 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.

Ver. 14. And if thou wilt walk in my ways.] It hath been before observed that God’s promises are with a condition, which is as an oar in a boat or stern of a ship, and turneth the promise another way.

As thy father David did walk.] Examples are the best lectures, and virtue the best example.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

1Ki_3:14

I will lengthen thy days.

Long life

I get a good deal of comfort out of that promise, with long life will I satisfy thee. I dont think that means a short life down here--seventy years, eighty years, ninety years, or one hundred years. Do you think that any man living would be satisfied if he could live to be one hundred years old, and then have to die? Not by a good deal. Suppose Adam had lived until to-day, and had to die tonight; would he be satisfied? Not a bit of it! Not if he had lived a million years, and then had to die. You know we are all the time coming to the end of things here--the end of the week, the end of the month, the end of the year, the end of schooldays. It is the end, end, end all the time. But, thank God, He is going to satisfy us with long life; no end to it, an endless life. Life is very sweet. It would be a pretty dark world if death were eternal, and when our loved ones die we were to be eternally separated from them. Thank God, it is not so; we shall be reunited. It is just moving out of this house into a better one; stepping up higher and living on and on for ever. (D. L. Moody.)

The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

1 Kings 35:5

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

(14) I will lengthen.—In this promise only one point, “length of days,” is conditional; and it was not fulfilled. For though Solomon’s age at the time of death is not given, yet, as his reign is given as lasting forty years, it could hardly have exceeded sixty. (Josephus, indeed, with his usual tendency to amplification, extends the reign to eighty years, and makes Solomon die in extreme old age.) The rest received an extraordinary fulfilment. The greatness of Solomon’s kingdom stands out remarkable in its sudden and unique development, the fruit of David’s long career of conquest and improvement, destined to wither at once at Solomon’s death. Then, for the first and last time, did the monarchy assume something of the character of an empire, unequalled in peaceful prosperity of wealth and power, and in splendour of civilisation.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

14. as thy father David did walk] We are not to draw from words like these an approval by God of all David’s life, but only that his heart was right towards God for the most part, and his repentance sincere for the sins into which he fell.

I will lengthen thy days] Not only shall the king’s life be made prosperous, but God will add to his days if he be observant of His laws.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And Solomon awoke, and, behold, it was a dream,.... Not that it was nothing but a dream, a natural one, a vain and empty one, but a divine and supernatural one, a dream of prophecy, as the Jews call it, or a prophetic dream; a true one, which had its fall accomplishment in him, the truth of which he perceived as soon as he awoke; for he found himself possessed of such a measure of wisdom and knowledge he never had before, which occasioned the thanksgiving and joy next expressed:

and he came to Jerusalem; from Gibeon, accompanied by his nobles and servants:

and stood before the ark of the covenant the Lord; which was in a tent David had pitched for it there, Sa2 6:17; here he stood with holy reverence, as in the presence of the Lord, and as a servant of his, to minister to him, and as a worshipper of him, with a heart full of gratitude for the great things he had done for him, and promised to him:

and offered up burnt offerings, and offered peace offerings; by way of thankfulness for his quiet settlement in the for the Lord's appearance to him at Gibeon, and what he had already given, and promised to give:

and made a feast to all his servants; in a way of joy and gladness for the above layouts; this feast was either the part of the peace offerings he offered, which belonged to the offerer to eat with his friends, or this was a special feast made at his own palace for his courtiers.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

I will lengthen thy days - The promise here was only conditional. As the condition was not observed 1Ki 11:1-8, the right to the promise was forfeited, and it was not fulfilled. Solomon can scarcely have been more than fifty-nine or sixty at his death.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Days. But this he forfeited. (Menochius)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

If thou wilt walk in my ways: this caution God gives him, lest his great wisdom should make him proud, or careless, or presumptuous, as if he were out of all danger; and to oblige him to more care and circumspection to avoid the snares and mischiefs to which so much prosperity and glory would probably expose him; and withal, to justify himself in case he should afterwards alter the course of his providence towards Solomon; and that when men are surprised with Solomon’s dreadful fall, they might know it was no surprisal to God, but that he did foresee it, and would overrule it to his own glory one way or other.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

14. If thou wilt walk in my ways — So the Divine promises were largely conditional.

Then I will lengthen thy days — But this wise king, whose reign began so auspiciously, failed to meet the conditions of long-continued prosperity. “No character in the sacred writings,” says Dr. Clarke, “disappoints us more than the character of Solomon.”

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as thy father David did walk ver. 6; 1Ki_15:4. This is the Divine confirmation of David"s words to his son (1Ki_2:3, 1Ki_2:4) and of the son"s description of his father"s piety (ver. 6 supra), then I will lengthen thy days Solomon"s days were not of an unusual length, as he can hardly have been more than sixty (if so much), although called qezi 1Ki_11:41 at the time of his decease. But he had not fulfilled the condition. (1Ki_11:9-12)

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And if - This caution God gives him, lest his wisdom should make him proud, careless, or presumptuous.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

And if you will go in My ways, etc., I will lengthen your days. 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.” 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.” Thus is it learned in Sifrei, Rabbi Chanina the son of Gamliel says, “Behold he has said, ‘both wealth and honor, etc.’”

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.