What Does 1 Kings 1:47 Mean in the King James?

And moreover the king’s servants came to bless our lord king David, saying, God make the name of Solomon better than thy name, and make his throne greater than thy throne. And the king bowed himself upon the bed.

1 Kings 1:47 · KJV

The analysis reads the King James wording.

King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.

This verse in the Selah Decoded Version

THE KEY

Solomon’s name carries the root of wholeness, so the blessing seeks a future whose nature and rule surpass David’s.

THE MEANING

Your name can carry a nature forward, and what follows you can grow beyond the stature you have reached. Solomon’s name bears the root of wholeness, and the blessing asks that his name and throne surpass David’s. David bows on his bed as that future is spoken.

WHAT THIS UNDOES

A successor’s greater stature cancels the predecessor’s honor.

THE ROOT

שְׁלֹמֹה

Shelomoh

GROWS FROM

שלם

sh-l-m

To be whole, complete, or sound.

Solomon’s name comes from the root ⁨שלם⁩, also carried by shalom, “wholeness.” The blessing about his name therefore reaches into the nature associated with that name, as well as his public standing and throne.

ALSO GROWS

shalom: Wholeness, well-being, peace.

שָׁלוֹם

This branch makes the root of Solomon’s name audible in the blessing: the nature carried by his name is tied to wholeness.

shalem: Whole, complete, sound.

שָׁלֵם

This adjective shows the same root as a state of completeness, giving depth to the wish that Solomon’s name and rule exceed David’s.

לְבָרֵךְ

levarekh

GROWS FROM

ברך

b-r-k

To bless; the word family also includes the word for knee.

“bless” in this verse is levarekh. The root-family places blessing beside the knee through the word berekh. David’s “bowed himself” is a different Hebrew verb, so their pairing here is a scene-level echo rather than a shared root.

ALSO GROWS

berakhah: Blessing; favor spoken over someone.

בְּרָכָה

This noun names the blessing the servants voice over David and Solomon.

berekh: Knee.

בֶּרֶךְ

The word for knee shares the root’s consonants; beside the spoken blessing, David’s bodily bow makes that association visible, though it uses another verb.

THE PATTERN

A name carries a nature whose standing can be enlarged beyond the one who bore it first.

And I was with thee whithersoever thou wentest, and have cut off all thine enemies out of thy sight, and have made thee a great name, like unto the name of the great men that are in the earth.

2 Samuel 7:9 · KJVDavid’s name itself becomes an honor God enlarges, setting his greatness beside the later wish for Solomon’s name to surpass it.

A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one’s birth.

Ecclesiastes 7:1 · KJVThe name is weighed as a lasting good, showing that it carries value beyond its sound or title.

Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:

Philippians 2:9 · KJVA name is raised above every name, expressing honor that exceeds the usual measure of comparison.

THE THREAD

A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one’s birth.

Ecclesiastes 7:1 · KJV

The Hebrew ⁨שֵׁם⁩ (shem, “name”) appears in both verses, and Ecclesiastes uses the same comparative move, calling a good name better than precious oil. This echo makes the wish about Solomon a question of what quality a name carries forward, measured in value as well as rank.

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