I Kings 3:16-27 · Bible study
1 Kings 3:16-27 Commentary: Solomon's Wisdom
Hebrew · 8 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Why does God's gift of wisdom first appear in a case involving prostitutes? This study explores how God's justice reaches the lowly.
Research Summary
- Meaning: God’s wisdom discerns truth through self-sacrificing love, even in the most difficult cases.
- Key words: prostitutes (zonot, H2181); grow warm/yearned (kamaru, H3648); mother (em, H0517).
- Main debate: Whether the women were literal prostitutes or innkeepers (Adam Clarke argues from the Targum).
- Theological theme: God’s wisdom is practical, impartial, and reaches the powerless.
- Best use: Teaching on God’s concern for the marginalized and the nature of godly wisdom in decision-making.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
16At that time two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him.
17One woman said, “Please, my lord, this woman and I live in the same house, and I gave birth while she was in the house.
18On the third day after I gave birth, this woman also had a baby. We were alone, with no one in the house but the two of us.
19During the night this woman’s son died because she rolled over on him.
20So she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while I was asleep. She laid him in her bosom and put her dead son at my bosom.
21The next morning, when I got up to nurse my son, I discovered he was dead. But when I examined him, I realized that he was not the son I had borne.”
22“No,” said the other woman, “the living one is my son and the dead one is your son.” But the first woman insisted, “No, the dead one is yours and the living one is mine.” So they argued before the king.
23Then the king replied, “This woman says, ‘My son is alive and yours is dead,’ but that woman says, ‘No, your son is dead and mine is alive.’”
24The king continued, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought him a sword,
25and the king declared, “Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other.”
26Then the woman whose son was alive spoke to the king because she yearned with compassion for her son. “Please, my lord,” she said, “give her the living baby. Do not kill him!” But the other woman said, “He will be neither mine nor yours. Cut him in two!”
27Then the king gave his ruling: “Give the living baby to the first woman. By no means should you kill him; she is his mother.”
WEB World English Bible 2000
16Then two women who were prostitutes came to the king, and stood before him.
17The one woman said, “Oh, my lord, I and this woman dwell in one house. I delivered a child with her in the house.
18The third day after I delivered, this woman delivered also. We were together. There was no stranger with us in the house, just us two in the house.
19This woman’s child died in the night, because she lay on it.
20She arose at midnight, and took my son from beside me while your servant slept, and laid it in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom.
21When I rose in the morning to nurse my child, behold, he was dead; but when I had looked at him in the morning, behold, it was not my son whom I bore.”
22The other woman said, “No! But the living one is my son, and the dead one is your son.” The first one said, “No! But the dead one is your son, and the living one is my son.” They argued like this before the king.
23Then the king said, “One says, ‘This is my son who lives, and your son is the dead one;’ and the other says, ‘No! But your son is the dead one, and my son is the living one.’”
24The king said, “Get me a sword.” So they brought a sword before the king.
25The king said, “Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other.”
26Then the woman whose the living child was spoke to the king, for her heart yearned over her son, and she said, “Oh, my lord, give her the living child, and in no way kill him!” But the other said, “He shall be neither mine nor yours. Divide him.”
27Then the king answered, “Give the first woman the living child, and definitely do not kill him. She is his mother.”
KJV King James Version 1769
16Then came there two women, that were harlots, unto the king, and stood before him.
17And the one woman said, O my lord, I and this woman dwell in one house; and I was delivered of a child with her in the house.
18And it came to pass the third day after that I was delivered, that this woman was delivered also: and we were together; there was no stranger with us in the house, save we two in the house.
19And this woman’s child died in the night; because she overlaid it.
20And she arose at midnight, and took my son from beside me, while thine handmaid slept, and laid it in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom.
21And when I rose in the morning to give my child suck, behold, it was dead: but when I had considered it in the morning, behold, it was not my son, which I did bear.
22And the other woman said, Nay; but the living is my son, and the dead is thy son. And this said, No; but the dead is thy son, and the living is my son. Thus they spake before the king.
23Then said the king, The one saith, This is my son that liveth, and thy son is the dead: and the other saith, Nay; but thy son is the dead, and my son is the living.
24And the king said, Bring me a sword. And they brought a sword before the king.
25And the king said, Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other.
26Then spake the woman whose the living child was unto the king, for her bowels yearned upon her son, and she said, O my lord, give her the living child, and in no wise slay it. But the other said, Let it be neither mine nor thine, but divide it.
27Then the king answered and said, Give her the living child, and in no wise slay it: she is the mother thereof.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
16Then there came two women that were harlots, unto the king, and stood before him.
17And the one woman said, Oh, my lord, I and this woman dwell in one house; and I was delivered of a child with her in the house.
18And it came to pass the third day after I was delivered, that this woman was delivered also; and we were together; there was no stranger with us in the house, save we two in the house.
19And this woman’s child died in the night, because she lay upon it.
20And she arose at midnight, and took my son from beside me, while thy handmaid slept, and laid it in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom.
21And when I rose in the morning to give my child suck, behold, it was dead; but when I had looked at it in the morning, behold, it was not my son, whom I did bear.
22And the other woman said, Nay; but the living is my son, and the dead is thy son. And this said, No; but the dead is thy son, and the living is my son. Thus they spake before the king.
23Then said the king, The one saith, This is my son that liveth, and thy son is the dead: and the other saith, Nay; but thy son is the dead, and my son is the living.
24And the king said, Fetch me a sword. And they brought a sword before the king.
25And the king said, Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other.
26Then spake the woman whose the living child was unto the king, for her heart yearned over her son, and she said, Oh, my lord, give her the living child, and in no wise slay it. But the other said, It shall be neither mine nor thine; divide it.
27Then the king answered and said, Give her the living child, and in no wise slay it: she is the mother thereof.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
16then come in do two women, harlots, unto the king, and stand before him,
17and the one woman saith, `O, my lord, I and this woman are dwelling in one house, and I bring forth with her, in the house;
18and it cometh to pass on the third day of my bringing forth, that this woman also bringeth forth, and we are together, there is no stranger with us in the house, save we two, in the house.
19And the son of this woman dieth at night, because she hath lain upon it,
20and she riseth in the middle of the night, and taketh my son from beside me--and thy handmaid is asleep--and layeth it in her bosom, and her dead son she hath laid in my bosom;
21and I rise in the morning to suckle my son, and lo, dead; and I consider concerning it in the morning, and lo, it was not my son whom I did bear.'
22And the other woman saith, `Nay, but my son is the living, and thy son the dead;' and this one saith, `Nay, but thy son is the dead, and my son the living.' And they speak before the king.
23And the king saith, `This one saith, This is my son, the living, and thy son is the dead; and that one saith, Nay, but thy son is the dead, and my son the living.'
24And the king saith, `Take for me a sword;' and they bring the sword before the king,
25and the king saith, `Cut the living child into two, and give the half to the one, and the half to the other.'
26And the woman whose son is the living one saith unto the king (for her bowels yearned over her son), yea, she saith, `O, my lord, give to her the living child, and put it not at all to death;' and this one saith, `Let it be neither mine or thine--cut it .'
27And the king answereth and saith, `Give ye to her the living child, and put it not at all to death; she is its mother.'
Darby Darby Bible 1890
16Then came two women, harlots, to the king, and stood before him.
17And the first woman said, Ah, my lord! I and this woman abode in one house; and I was delivered of a child with her in the house.
18And it came to pass the third day after I was delivered, that this woman was delivered also; and we were together; no stranger was with us in the house, only we two were in the house.
19And this woman's child died in the night; because she had lain upon it.
20And she arose at midnight, and took my son from beside me, while thy handmaid slept, and laid it in her bosom, and laid her dead son in my bosom.
21And when I rose in the morning to give my child suck, behold, it was dead; and I considered it in the morning, and behold, it was not my son, whom I bore.
22And the other woman said, No, for the living is my son, and the dead is thy son. And this one said, No, but the dead is thy son, and the living is my son. Thus they spoke before the king.
23Then said the king, The one says, This that is living is my son, and thy son is the dead; and the other says, No, for thy son is the dead, and my son is the living.
24And the king said, Bring me a sword. And they brought a sword before the king.
25And the king said, Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other.
26Then spoke the woman whose was the living child to the king, for her bowels yearned over her son, and she said, Ah, my lord! give her the living child, and in no wise put it to death. But the other said, Let it be neither mine nor thine; divide it.
27And the king answered and said, Give this one the living child, and in no wise put it to death: she is its mother.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
16Then there came two women that were harlots, to the king, and stood before him.
17And one of them said: I beseech thee, my lord, I and this woman dwelt in one house, and I was delivered of a child with her in the chamber.
18And the third day after I was delivered, she also was delivered; and we were together, and no other person with us in the house; only we two.
19And this woman's child died in the night: for in her sleep she overlaid him.
20And rising in the dead time of the night, she took my child from my side, while I, thy handmaid, was asleep, and laid it in her bosom: and laid her dead child in my bosom.
21And when I arose in the morning, to give my child suck, behold it was dead: but considering him more diligently, when it was clear day, I found that it was not mine which I bore.
22And the other woman answered: It is not so as thou sayest, but thy child is dead, and mine is alive. On the contrary, she said; Thou liest: for my child liveth, and thy child is dead. And in this manner they strove before the king.
23Then said the king: The one saith, My child is alive, and thy child is dead. And the other answereth: Nay; but thy child is dead, and mine liveth.
24The king therefore said: Bring me a sword. And when they had brought a sword before the king,
25Divide, said he, the living child in two, and give half to the one and half to the other.
26But the woman, whose child was alive, said to the king; (for her bowels were moved upon her child) I beseech thee, my lord, give her the child alive, and do not kill it. But the other said: Let it be neither mine nor thine; but divide it.
27The king answered, and said: Give the living child to this woman, and let it not be killed; for she is the mother thereof.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · I Kings 3:16
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that this narrative showcases the extraordinary wisdom God granted Solomon (Keil & Delitzsch; Matthew Henry). The case was impossible to solve by ordinary evidence: no witnesses, only contradictory claims (Cambridge Bible). Solomon’s command to cut the living child in two was not intended to be carried out. As Gill explains, the order exposed which woman would reveal genuine maternal love. The real mother’s response, her heart yearning for her son, preferring to give him away rather than see him die, exposed the truth. Adam Clarke calls this “sound judgment and penetration” into human nature, though he questions whether it required supernatural wisdom. All agree the story fulfills God’s promise in 1 Kings 3:12 and caused Israel to fear the king for the wisdom of God in him (v.28). Even the women’s background, described as prostitutes (zonot), underscores that God’s wisdom is impartial, reaching those on society’s margins. The real mother’s compassion becomes the lens through which justice is done.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: God’s wisdom, granted to Solomon, discerns the truth through the real mother’s self-sacrificing love.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Identity of the women (prostitutes or innkeepers) | The Hebrew term <em>zonot</em> (H2181) is consistently translated as 'prostitutes' in English versions. | Adam Clarke, citing the Aramaic Targum, argues they were tavern-keepers (<em>pundekayan</em>), maintaining that actual prostitutes would not have appeared before the king or borne children. Other commentators accept the literal sense. |
| Solomon's test: bluff or genuine order | Commentators agree Solomon did not intend to kill the child; the order served to reveal the true mother. | Gill and others stress the order was purely a psychological test. Some readers question whether a wise king would even pretend to command such violence. The narrative does not explicitly resolve this. |
| The nature of Solomon's wisdom | All affirm that God granted wisdom in response to Solomon's prayer (1 Kings 3:12). | Adam Clarke sees the judgment as 'sound judgment and penetration' comparable to human insight. Keil & Delitzsch and Matthew Henry regard it as extraordinary proof of divine wisdom. Both views affirm that 'the wisdom of God was in him' (v.28). |
Historical & Cultural Context
This episode takes place early in Solomon’s reign, immediately after his dream at Gibeon where he asked for a discerning heart (1 Kings 3:9). Kings in the ancient Near East often served as chief judges, hearing cases personally (Exodus 18:13). The women come “before the king” in an official audience. They are described as zonot (H2181), a term usually translated “prostitutes.” However, Adam Clarke, citing the Aramaic Targum, argues it meant “tavern-keepers” or innkeepers, who would have been women of low social standing but not necessarily immoral. Either way, these women occupied the margins of society. The fact that Solomon judged their case shows that God’s wisdom is not reserved for the elite.
The situation they describe was common in ancient households where unrelated women shared living space. The absence of witnesses made the dispute impossible to resolve by normal legal procedure (v.18). The children were born only three days apart, so they were similar in age and could not be distinguished by size. The dead child had been smothered by a mother who rolled over in her sleep (v.19).
Solomon’s test, ordering the child cut in two, shocked the court. As Jamieson-Fausset-Brown note, Eastern monarchs sometimes used experiments on human nature to find truth. The real mother’s cry to spare the child even at the cost of losing custody (v.26) was the response he expected. The story serves as a supporting proof of God’s gift (Keil & Delitzsch). All Israel saw that “the wisdom of God was in him to do justice” (1 Kings 3:28). Even today, this passage reassures us that God’s wisdom can bring clarity when we face impossible choices.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for this passage. The narrative is consistent across Hebrew manuscripts and ancient versions.
Reception History
Throughout church history, this story has been received as a model of wise judgment. The phrase “the judgment of Solomon” entered common language as a symbol of shrewd discernment. Early Christian writers often interpreted the true mother as a type of the Church, willing to sacrifice her own comfort for her children, while the false mother represented the adversary or heresy. In art and literature, the scene is frequently depicted as a sign of God-given authority. The story continues to remind readers that God’s wisdom is available for those who ask, and that his justice reaches the forgotten.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- God’s wisdom meets us in our mess. The women were on the bottom rung of society, yet the king heard their case. God’s wisdom does not avoid messy, hidden disputes.
- False claims unravel when faced with sacrifice. The lying woman agreed to the murder; the true mother could not. Love is willing to lose everything to protect.
- Compassion reveals where true love lives. The real mother’s yearning (her bowels “grew warm,” H3648) was the decisive evidence. Justice that looks like folly can uncover deep truth.
Five-point outline
- The setting: two prostitutes stand before the king, one accusing the other.
- The problem: no witnesses, only bare assertions (v.22).
- The test: the shocking command to divide the child (v.25).
- The reveal: one mother cries out to spare him, the other does not (v.26).
- The verdict: the child goes to the woman who showed compassion (v.27).
Illustration hooks
- A parent who steps back to let a child succeed, even when it costs their own pride. The willingness to release reveals true love.
- Two colleagues claim credit for a project. The one who offers to share the credit, even to let the other take it, likely did the real work.
- A judge questioning a claim of ownership: the one who demands equal destruction is not the owner; the one who pleads for mercy probably is.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Where can I find practical wisdom when I face a situation with no clear answer?
- Does God care about small or shameful situations, like the mess these women were in?
- How do I respond when I see injustice against people no one respects?
Leading a Discussion
This story invites us to see God’s wisdom at work in the most unexpected places. Two women at the bottom of society bring their impossible dispute to the king. With no witnesses, no lawyers, only words, it seems hopeless. But God’s gift to Solomon, a discerning heart, finds a way. As you talk through the passage, notice how real love and false claims show themselves when put to the test.
Discussion questions
- What details in the story first catch your attention? (Look at vv.16-22)
- Why do you think the narrator tells us these women were prostitutes? How would the first listeners have viewed them?
- Why was this case so hard to judge? What made Solomon’s command to “divide the child” so surprising?
- How does each woman’s response (v.26) reveal what she truly values?
- Solomon did not examine evidence. He examined hearts. What does that tell you about the kind of wisdom God gives?
- How does this story challenge our tendency to judge people by their status or reputation?
- When have you seen sacrificial love bring clarity to a conflict? What kept you from seeing clearly beforehand?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Exodus 18:13 | On the next day, Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood around Moses from the morning to the evening. |
| Exodus 18:16 | When they have a matter, they come to me, and I judge between a man and his neighbor, and I make them know the statutes of God, and his laws.” |
| Leviticus 19:29 | “‘Don’t profane your daughter, to make her a prostitute; lest the land fall to prostitution, and the land become full of wickedness. |
| Numbers 27:2 | They stood before Moses, before Eleazar the priest, and before the princes and all the congregation, at the door of the Tent of Meeting, saying, |
| Deuteronomy 23:17 | There shall be no prostitute of the daughters of Israel, neither shall there be a sodomite of the sons of Israel. |
| Joshua 2:1 | Joshua the son of Nun secretly sent two men out of Shittim as spies, saying, “Go, view the land, including Jericho.” They went and came into the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab, and slept there. |
| Judges 11:1 | Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valor. He was the son of a prostitute. Gilead became the father of Jephthah. |
| Genesis 43:20 | and said, “Oh, my lord, we indeed came down the first time to buy food. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
6 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Adam Clarke argues the women were tavern-keepers, not harlots, as the Chaldee translation suggests. He also treats Solomon's judgment as a shrewd test of maternal instinct, not supernatural wisdom, since similar courtroom tactics appear in Roman and Thracian histories.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
Cambridge Bible Schools notes that 'then' in this story does not imply immediate time succession. They also point out that the Hebrew verb in Solomon's command for a sword differs from the later word for 'brought,' so it should read 'Fetch me a sword.' Most distinctively, they argue Solomon threatened only the living child, not both, intending to expose the real mother through her mercy.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill emphasizes that Solomon's command to divide the living child was not a literal order but a test of the women's true affections. The real mother's urgent plea to spare the child, even at the cost of losing him, proved her identity, while the other woman's cold willingness to let the child be killed revealed her fraud.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB points out that Eastern kings often judged difficult cases personally by testing human nature, just as Solomon did. The decision came from an experiment on the natural feelings of the women, a method consistent with ancient Eastern judicial practice.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch highlight that Solomon's order to cut the living child in two was a deliberate test designed to expose the true mother. Her willingness to surrender her child to a rival rather than see it killed proved her maternal love, while the other woman's indifference condemned her. This showed extraordinary judicial wisdom from the Lord.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry notes that Solomon's unusual test, ordering the child cut in two, was designed to expose the real mother by her natural tenderness. The woman who would give up her son to save his life proved her love, while the other woman's willingness to see him killed showed she had no genuine claim.