John Gill Commentary 1 Kings 3

And Solomon made affinity with Pharaoh king of Egypt
Pharaoh was a common name of the kings of Egypt, of whom no mention is made in Scripture from the times of Moses until this time. This may seem strange, considering that kingdom was potent and near the land of Canaan. However, it was governed by a race of kings during this period, of whom, as Diodorus Siculus ^F9 says, there is nothing worthy of relation. The name of this Pharaoh, according to Eupolemus ^F11, an Heathen writer, was Vaphres; for he says, that David contracted a friendship with this king, and he relates some letters which passed between him and Solomon, concerning sending him workmen for the building of the temple, which are still preserved; but Calvisius ^F12 thinks it was Sesostris; what this affinity was is next observed:

and took Pharaoh's daughter :
that is, married her. According to Ben Gersom, she was proselyted first to the Jewish religion, which is very probable, or otherwise it can hardly be thought Solomon would marry her. The forty fifth psalm (Psalms 45:1–17) and the book of Canticles, supposed to be written on that occasion, seem to confirm this. To which may be added, that it does not appear she ever enticed or drew him into idolatry; for, of all the idols his wives drew him into the worship of, no mention is made of any Egyptian deities. The Jews say

and brought her into the city of David ;
the fort of Zion:

until he had made an end of building his own house :
which was thirteen years in building, and now seems to have been begun, (1 Kings 7:1);

and the house of the Lord ;
the temple, which according to the Jewish chronology ^F14, was begun building before his marriage of Pharaoh's daughter, and was seven years in building; and therefore this marriage must be in the fourth year of his reign; for then he began to build the temple, (1 Kings 6:37 1 Kings 6:38); and so it must be, since Shimei lived three years in Jerusalem before he was put to death, after which this marriage was, (1 Kings 2:37);

and the wall of Jerusalem round about ;
all which he built by raising a levy on the people, (1 Kings 9:15); and when these buildings were finished, he built a house for his wife, but in the mean while she dwelt in the city of David.

FOOTNOTES:

• F9: Bibliothec. l. 1. p. 42.
• F11: Apud. Euseb. Praeparet. Evangel. l. 9. c. 30, 31, 32.
• F12: Chronolog. p. 191, 192.
• F14: Seder Olam Rabba, c. 15. p. 41.

Only the people sacrificed in high places
On the tops of their houses, on hills and mountains, and particularly at the high place in Gibeon, where the tabernacle was:

because there was no house built unto the name of the Lord until those
days ;
to which they were obliged to repair as afterwards, and there offer their sacrifices, as the Lord had commanded, (Deuteronomy 12:5Deuteronomy 12:6) .

And Solomon loved the Lord
The worship of the Lord, as the Targum: and which he showed by

walking in the statutes of David his father ;
in which his father walked, which were the statutes of the Lord, or which he exhorted him to walk in, and were the same, (1 Kings 2:3) ;

only he sacrificed and burnt incense in high places ;
besides that at Gibeon, which it seems David did not.

And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there
About four or five miles from Jerusalem; (See Gill on 1 Kings 2:28);

for that [was] the great high place ;
not that the place itself might be higher than others that were used; but here were the tabernacle of Moses, and the altar; so that it was a more dignified place, and more sacred because of them:

a thousand burnt offerings did Solomon offer upon that altar ;
the brazen altar of burnt offerings there; not at one time, but on several days successively; though Jarchi says on one day; and which was a prodigious number, never was known the like, unless at the dedication of the temple, (1 Kings 8:63 1 Kings 8:64) .

In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night ,
&c.] This was not a common natural dream, but an extraordinary, divine, and supernatural one, a prophetic dream, a night vision, such as God used to speak in to his prophets; in which he had the full use of his reasoning powers, was under divine impressions, and in a spiritual frame of mind, and in the exercise of grace;

It was not a mere dream that the Lord did appear to him, but he really did appear to him while sleeping and dreaming, by some display of his glory in some way or another:

and God said, ask what I shall give thee ;
He did not hereby dream that God said to him, but he really did say this; bid him ask what he would and it should be given him; he knew what he designed to give, but he would have it asked of him, as he will be inquired of by all his people to do that for them which he has intended and provided for them;

And it is encouragement enough for them to ask, since he has promised to give.