1 Kings 3:20

1 Kings 3:20 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And 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.
• New International Version (NIV)So she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while I your servant was asleep. She put him by her breast and put her dead son by my breast.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And she arose at midnight and took my son from beside me, while your servant slept, and laid him at her breast, and laid her dead son at my breast.
• New King James Version (NKJV)So she arose in the middle of the night and took my son from my side, while your maidservant slept, and laid him in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom.

Context of 1 Kings 3:20

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. 19But in the night, this woman lay on her son and he died. So she got up during the night and she took my son from my side. I was still asleep. She put my son beside her. She put her dead son beside me. 21When I got up in the morning to feed my son, I saw that he was dead! So I looked carefully at him in the morning light. Then I realized that he was not my son. He was not the son that I had given birth to!’ 22Then the other woman said, ‘No, that is not true! It is my son who is alive. Your son is dead!’ But the first woman answered, ‘No! The dead baby is your son. My son is alive!’ They continued to argue like that in front of the king.

1 Kings 3:20 word by word

וַתָּקָם֩ בְּת֨וֹךְ הַלַּ֜יְלָה וַתִּקַּ֧ח אֶת־בְּנִ֣י מֵֽאֶצְלִ֗י וַאֲמָֽתְךָ֙ יְשֵׁנָ֔ה וַתַּשְׁכִּיבֵ֖הוּ בְּחֵיקָ֑הּ וְאֶת־בְּנָ֥הּ הַמֵּ֖ת הִשְׁכִּ֥יבָה בְחֵיקִֽי׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And she aroseקוּםqûm · to arise: riseH6965
• at midnightלַ֫יְלָהlayil lêyl layelâh · nightH3915
• at midnightתָּ֫וֶךְtâvek · midstH8432
• and tookלָקַחlâqach · to take: takeH3947
• my sonבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
• from besideאֵ֫צֶל'êtsel · besideH681
• me, while thine handmaidאָמָה'âmâh · maidservantH519
• sleptיָשֵׁןyâshên · sleepingH3463
• and laidשָׁכַבshâkab · to lie down: lay downH7901
• it in her bosomחֵיקchêyq chêq chôq · bosom: embraceH2436
• her deadמוּתmûth · to dieH4191

Cross-references for 1 Kings 3:20

• Job 24:13Some people refuse to live in the light. They do not understand it. They do not go along the good way that it shows to them.
• Psalms 139:11I might say, ‘I will hide myself in the dark, and the light round me will change into night.’
• Matthew 13:25But one night, when everyone was sleeping, a bad person came to the farmer's field. He did not like the farmer. This bad person planted seeds from weeds among the good wheat seeds. Then the bad person went away again.
• John 3:20Everyone who does evil things hates the light. A person like that will not come to the light because he is afraid. He does not want the bad things that he has done to show clearly.
• 1 Kings 3:21When I got up in the morning to feed my son, I saw that he was dead! So I looked carefully at him in the morning light. Then I realized that he was not my son. He was not the son that I had given birth to!’

Commentaries on 1 Kings 3:20

• 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 3:20

• Arbitration
• Judge
• Rulers
• Solomon
• Wisdom

In the dictionaries

• Affinity
• Divide
• Solomon
• Yearn
• Abishag
• Decision
• Handmaid
• Israel, History of
• Kings, Books of
• Midnight

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