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 this woman also had a baby. We were alone; there were only two of us in the house. 19“But her baby died during the night when she rolled over on it. Then she got up in the night and took my son from beside me while I was asleep. She laid her dead child in my arms and took mine to sleep beside her. 21And in the morning when I tried to nurse my son, he was dead! But when I looked more closely in the morning light, I saw that it wasn’t my son at all.” 22Then the other woman interrupted, “It certainly was your son, and the living child is mine.” “No,” the first woman said, “the living child is mine, and the dead one is yours.” And so they argued back and forth before 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 24:13“Wicked people rebel against the light. They refuse to acknowledge its ways or stay in its paths.
• Psalms 139:11I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night—
• Matthew 13:25But that night as the workers slept, his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat, then slipped away.
• John 3:20All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed.
• 1 Kings 3:21And in the morning when I tried to nurse my son, he was dead! But when I looked more closely in the morning light, I saw that it wasn’t my son at all.”

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