New English Translation
1 Kings 3:25
25The king then said, “Cut the living child in two, and give half to one and half to the other!”
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
23The king said, “One says, ‘My son is alive; your son is dead,’ while the other says, ‘No, your son is dead; my son is alive.’” 24The king ordered, “Get me a sword!” So they placed a sword before the king. The king then said, “Cut the living child in two, and give half to one and half to the other!” 26The real mother spoke up to the king, for her motherly instincts were aroused. She said, “My master, give her the living child! Whatever you do, don’t kill him!” But the other woman said, “Neither one of us will have him! Let them cut him in two!” 27The king responded, “Give the first woman the living child; don’t kill him. She is the mother.”
Read all of 1 Kings 31 Kings 3:25 word by word
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ גִּזְר֛וּ אֶת־הַיֶּ֥לֶד הַחַ֖י לִשְׁנָ֑יִם וּתְנ֤וּ אֶֽת־הַחֲצִי֙ לְאַחַ֔ת וְאֶֽת־הַחֲצִ֖י לְאֶחָֽת׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for 1 Kings 3:25
- 1 Kings 3:28When all Israel heard about the judicial decision which the king had rendered, they respected the king, for they realized that he possessed supernatural wisdom to make judicial decisions.
- Proverbs 25:8Do not go out hastily to litigation, or what will you do afterward when your neighbor puts you 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
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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