1 Kings 3:21

1 Kings 3:21 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And 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.
• New International Version (NIV)The next morning, I got up to nurse my son—and he was dead! But when I looked at him closely in the morning light, I saw that it wasn’t the son I had borne.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)When I rose in the morning to nurse my child, behold, he was dead. But when I looked at him closely in the morning, behold, he was not the child that I had borne."
• New King James Version (NKJV)And when I rose in the morning to nurse my son, there he was, dead. But when I had examined him in the morning, indeed, he was not my son whom I had borne.”

Context of 1 Kings 3:21

19But in the night, this woman lay on her son and he died. 20So 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. When 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. 23Then the king said, ‘One of you says, “My son is alive and your son is dead.” But the other one says, “No! Your son is dead and my son is alive.” ’

1 Kings 3:21 word by word

וָאָקֻ֥ם בַּבֹּ֛קֶר לְהֵינִ֥יק אֶת־בְּנִ֖י וְהִנֵּה־מֵ֑ת וָאֶתְבּוֹנֵ֤ן אֵלָיו֙ בַּבֹּ֔קֶר וְהִנֵּ֛ה לֹֽא־הָיָ֥ה בְנִ֖י אֲשֶׁ֥ר יָלָֽדְתִּי׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And when I roseקוּםqûm · to arise: riseH6965
• in the morningבֹּ֫קֶרbôqer · morningH1242
• to give my childבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
• suckיָנַקyânaq · to suckleH3243
• behold, it was deadמוּתmûth · to dieH4191
• but when I had consideredבִּיןbîyn · to understandH995
• which I did bearיָלַדyâlad · to begetH3205

Cross-references for 1 Kings 3:21

• Genesis 21:7She also said, ‘Abraham would never have thought that I would feed a child at my breasts. But I have given birth to a son for him, even when he is old.’
• 1 Samuel 1:23Elkanah said to Hannah, ‘You must do what seems right to you. Stay here at home until the boy begins to eat proper food. May the Lord help you, as he has promised.’ So Hannah stayed at home with her son while he continued to drink milk from her breasts.
• Lamentations 4:3Even the jackals feed their babies at their breasts. But Jerusalem's young women have become cruel. They are like ostriches that leave their eggs in the desert.

Commentaries on 1 Kings 3:21

• 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 3:21

• Arbitration
• Judge
• Rulers
• Solomon
• Wisdom

In the dictionaries

• Affinity
• Divide
• Solomon
• Yearn
• Abishag
• Bear; Born
• Decision
• Israel, History of
• Kings, Books of
• Proverbs, the Book of

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