EasyEnglish Bible 2018
1 Kings 3:16
16Two women who were prostitutes came to meet with the king. They stood in front of him to tell him their problem.
1 Kings 3:16 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Then came there two women, that were harlots, unto the king, and stood before him.
- New International Version (NIV)Now two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Then two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Now two women who were harlots came to the king, and stood before him.
Context of 1 Kings 3:16
14And if you serve me faithfully, I will also give you a long life. But you must obey my rules and my commands, as your father David did.’ 15Then Solomon woke up. He realized that it was a dream. He returned to Jerusalem and he stood in front of the Lord's Covenant Box. He offered burnt offerings and peace offerings to God there. Then he gave a feast for all his officers. Two women who were prostitutes came to meet with the king. They stood in front of him to tell him their problem. 17One woman said, ‘My lord I live in the same house with this woman. I gave birth to a baby while she lived there with me. 18Three days later, she also gave birth to a baby. We were alone in the house. Only the two of us were there, no one else.
Read all of 1 Kings 31 Kings 3:16 word by word
אָ֣ז תָּבֹ֗אנָה שְׁתַּ֛יִם נָשִׁ֥ים זֹנ֖וֹת אֶל־הַמֶּ֑לֶךְ וַֽתַּעֲמֹ֖דְנָה לְפָנָֽיו׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for 1 Kings 3:16
- Leviticus 19:29He must not sell his daughter for sex. You would make her ashamed. If he does this, all the people might do the same. The whole land would become full of sin.
- Deuteronomy 23:17No Israelite man or woman must ever become a prostitute at places where people worship their gods.
- Joshua 2:1Then Joshua sent two men to go out from Shittim. He sent them in secret to see what the land was like. He told them, ‘Go! Look at all the land. Look very carefully at Jericho city.’ When they came to Jericho city, they arrived at the house of a prostitute. Her name was Rahab. They stayed there.
- Judges 11:1Jephthah of Gilead was a brave soldier. His father's name was Gilead, but his mother was a prostitute.
Commentaries on 1 Kings 3:16
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 16Then came there two women - harlots - The word זנות zonoth, which we here, and in some other places, improperly translate harlots, is by the Chaldee (the best judge in this case) rendered פונדקין pundekayan, tavern-keepers. (See on Joshua 2:1; (note)). If these had been harlots, it is not likely they would have dared to appear before Solomon; and if they had been common women, it is not likely they would have had children; nor is it likely that such…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. 16prostitutes: The law condemned prostitution (Leviticus 19:29; Deuteronomy 23:18), but it still existed in ancient Israel. These women were among the most looked down upon in Israelite society. However, Solomon showed kindness and fairness to them by treating them as mothers, not just as prostitutes.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1616. Then came there two women--Eastern monarchs, who generally administer justice in person, at least in all cases of difficulty, often appeal to the principles of human nature when they are at a loss otherwise to find a clue to the truth or see clearly their way through a mass of conflicting testimony. The modern history of the East abounds with anecdotes of judicial cases, in which the decision given was the result of an experiment similar to this of…Read the comment
Topics related to 1 Kings 3:16
In the dictionaries
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
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