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

19That night this woman’s son died because she rolled over on top of him. 20So she got up during the night and took my son, who was beside me, while I was asleep. She held him in her arms. Then she laid her dead son in my arms. When I got up in the morning to nurse my son, he was dead! I took a good look at him and realized that he wasn’t my son at all!” 22The other woman said, “No! My son is alive—your son is dead.” The first woman kept on saying, “No! Your son is dead—my son is alive.” So they argued in front of the king. 23The king said, “This one keeps saying, ‘My son is alive—your son is dead,’ and that one keeps saying, ‘No! Your son is dead—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 21:7Who would have predicted to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet, I have given him a son in his old age.”
• 1 Samuel 1:23“Do what you think is best,” her husband Elkanah told her. “Wait until you’ve weaned him. May the Lord keep his word.” The woman stayed and nursed her son until she had weaned him.
• Lamentations 4:3Even jackals offer their breasts to nurse their young, but the women of my people are as cruel as wild ostriches.

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