Give me now wisdom and knowledge to go out and come in before this people, for who can judge this great people of yours? — Solomon requests חָכְמָה וּדַעַת (chokhma u-da'at, 'wisdom and knowledge'), combining what the Hebrew Bible sometimes treats as distinct: חָכְמָה (chokhma, practical wisdom, skill in governance) and דַעַת (da'at, knowledge, insight, understanding). The idiom 'go out and come in' (יָצָא וּבוֹא) refers to all manner of leadership—military campaigns, judicial decisions, administrative oversight. Notably, Solomon does not ask for victory, riches, or long life (as the comparison in verse 11 will emphasize), but for the intellectual and spiritual capacity to govern justly. The rhetorical question—'who can judge?'—acknowledges human inadequacy and the need for divine wisdom to govern such a multitude. This request aligns Solomon with the ideal of the Torah-king, who is to study and apply divine instruction.

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