1 Kings 3:25

1 Kings 3:25 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And the king said, Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other.
• New International Version (NIV)He then gave an order: “Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)And the king said, "Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one and half to the other."
• New King James Version (NKJV)And the king said, “Divide the living child in two, and give half to one, and half to the other.”

Context of 1 Kings 3:25

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. And 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.

1 Kings 3:25 word by word

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ גִּזְר֛וּ אֶת־הַיֶּ֥לֶד הַחַ֖י לִשְׁנָ֑יִם וּתְנ֤וּ אֶֽת־הַחֲצִי֙ לְאַחַ֔ת וְאֶֽת־הַחֲצִ֖י לְאֶחָֽת׃Read the interlinear

• kingמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
• saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• childיֶ֫לֶדyeled · youthH3206
• twoשְׁנַ֫יִםshenayim shettayim · twoH8147
• giveנָתַןnâthan · to give: giveH5414
• halfחֲצִיchêtsîy · halfH2677
• oneאֶחָד'echâd · oneH259

Cross-references for 1 Kings 3:25

• 1 Kings 3:28And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged; and they feared the king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him, to do justice.
• Proverbs 25:8Go not forth hastily to strive, lest [thou know not] what to do in the end thereof, when thy neighbour hath put thee to shame.

Commentaries on 1 Kings 3:25

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 25Divide the living child in two - This was apparently a very strange decision, and such as nothing could vindicate had it been carried into execution; but Solomon saw that the only way to find out the real mother was by the affection and tenderness which she would necessarily show to her offspring. He plainly saw that the real mother would rather relinquish her claim to her child than see it hewn in pieces before her eyes, while it was probable the…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 16-28Verses 16-28 An instance of Solomon's wisdom is given. Notice the difficulty of the case. To find out the true mother, he could not try which the child loved best, and therefore tried which loved the child best: the mother's sincerity will be tried, when the child is in danger. Let parents show their love to their children, especially by taking care of their souls, and snatching them as brands out of the burning. By this and other instances of the wisdom…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 16-28Solomon's decision about the true mother of the living baby shows his wisdom in legal matters. First Kings 4–10 show his wisdom in all parts of his rule.Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Kings 3:25

• Arbitration
• Judge
• Parents
• Rulers
• Solomon
• Tact
• Wisdom

In the dictionaries

• Affinity
• Divide
• Solomon
• Yearn
• Abishag
• Decision
• Israel, History of
• Kings, Books of
• Proverbs, the Book of
• Queen of Sheba

Commentaries on 1 Kings 3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings