A frequent misinterpretation is to regard high-place sacrifices as inherently approved by God, when the verse only provides a neutral explanation for their occurrence due to the temple's absence, without endorsement; later biblical texts condemn high places for fostering idolatry and unauthorized worship, even post-temple, showing they deviated from God's prescribed centralized worship at the tabernacle or temple.
I Kings 3:2
King James Version (1769)
2 Only the people sacrificed in high places, because there was no house built unto the name of the Lord, until those days.
This verse offers historical context for the early years of Solomon's reign, explaining that the people sacrificed on high places simply because no temple had yet been built for the Lord's name, highlighting a transitional phase in Israel's worship before the establishment of centralized sacrifice in Jerusalem and emphasizing the people's devotion amid imperfect circumstances.