1 Kings 3:22

And the other woman said, Nay; but the living is my son, and the dead is thy son. And this said, No; but the dead is thy son, and the living is my son. Thus they spake before the king.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
other	הָאַחֶ֜רֶת ha.'a.Che.ret	H312	properly · definite article + adjective, feminine singular absolute
woman	הָאִשָּׁ֨ה ha.'i.Shah	H802	a woman · definite article + noun, common feminine singular absolute
said	וַתֹּאמֶר֩ va.to.Mer	H559	to say (used with great latitude) · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person feminine singular
living	הַחַי֙ ha.Chai	H2416	alive · definite article + adjective, masculine singular absolute
son	בְּנִ֤י be.Ni	H1121	a son (as a builder of the family name) · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix
dead	הַמֵּ֔ת ha.Met	H4191	to die (literally or figuratively) · definite article + verb, qal active participle, masculine singular absolute
son	וּבְנֵ֣ךְ u.ve.Nekh	H1121	a son (as a builder of the family name) · conjunction + noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 2nd person feminine singular
said	אֹמֶ֙רֶת֙ 'o.Me.ret	H559	to say (used with great latitude) · verb, qal active participle, feminine singular absolute
dead	הַמֵּ֖ת ha.Met	H4191	to die (literally or figuratively) · definite article + verb, qal active participle, masculine singular absolute
son	בְּנֵ֥ךְ be.Nekh	H1121	a son (as a builder of the family name) · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 2nd person feminine singular
living	הֶחָ֑י he.Chai	H2416	alive · definite article + adjective, masculine singular absolute
son	וּבְנִ֣י u.ve.Ni	H1121	a son (as a builder of the family name) · conjunction + noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix
spake	וַתְּדַבֵּ֖רְנָה va.te.da.Be.re.nah	H1696	perhaps properly · conjunction + verb, piel sequential imperfect, 3rd person feminine plural
before	לִפְנֵ֥י lif.Nei	H6440	the face (as the part that turns) · preposition + noun, common masculine plural construct
king	הַמֶּֽלֶךְ ha.Me.lekh	H4428	a king · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

1 Kings 3:23-24 Then said the king, The one saith, This is my son that liveth, and thy son is the dead: and the other saith, Nay; but thy son is the dead, a…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Kings 3:16–end

An instance is here given of Solomon's wisdom, to show that the grant lately made him had a real effect upon him. The proof is fetched, not from the mysteries of state and the policies of the council-board, though there no doubt he excelled, but from the trial and determination of a cause between party and party, which princes, though they devolve them upon their judges, must not think it below them to take cognizance of. Observe, I. The case opened, not by lawyers, but by the parties themselves, though they were women, which made it the easier to such a piercing eye as Solomon had to discern between right and wrong by their own showing. These two women were harlots, kept a public house, and…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Kings 3:16

HIS JUDGMENT BETWEEN TWO HARLOTS. (Kg1 3:16-28) Then came there two women--Eastern monarchs, who generally administer justice in person, at least in all cases of difficulty, often appeal to the principles of human nature when they are at a loss otherwise to find a clue to the truth or see clearly their way through a mass of conflicting testimony. The modern history of the East abounds with anecdotes of judicial cases, in which the decision given was the result of an experiment similar to this of Solomon upon the natural feelings of the contending parties. Next: 1 Kings Chapter 4

Adam Clarke on 1 Kings 3:16

Then came there two women - harlots - The word זנות zonoth, which we here, and in some other places, improperly translate harlots, is by the Chaldee (the best judge in this case) rendered פונדקין pundekayan, tavern-keepers. (See on Jos 2:1 (note)). If these had been harlots, it is not likely they would have dared to appear before Solomon; and if they had been common women, it is not likely they would have had children; nor is it likely that such persons would have been permitted under the reign of David. Though there is no mention of their husbands, it is probable they might have been at this time in other parts, following their necessary occupations; and the settling the present business co…

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Dictionary and topics

Law of Moses — Is the whole body of the Mosaic legislation (1 Kings 2:3; 2 Kings 23:25; Ezra 3:2). It is called by way of eminence simply “the Law” (Heb. Torah, Deut. 1:5; 4:8, 44; 17:18, 19; 27:3, 8). As a written…
Solomon — Peaceful, (Heb. Shelomoh), David’s second son by Bathsheba, i.e., the first after their legal marriage (2 Sam. 12). He was probably born about B.C. 1035 (1 Chr. 22:5; 29:1). He succeeded his father…
Courts Of Justice · The accused: Permitted to plead their own cause — The accused: Permitted to plead their own cause
Judge · Kings and other rulers as — Kings and other rulers as
Justice · Exemplified: Solomon — Exemplified: Solomon
Magistrates · Should: Judge wisely — Should: Judge wisely
Wisdom · Of — Of

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

1 Kings 3:22

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Kings 3:16–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Kings 3:16

Adam Clarke on 1 Kings 3:16

Dictionary and topics

1 Kings 3:22

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Kings 3:16–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Kings 3:16

Adam Clarke on 1 Kings 3:16

Dictionary and topics

John Gill on 1 Kings 3:22

Keil & Delitzsch on 1 Kings 3:16-26

Tyndale Open Study Notes on 1 Kings 3:16-28

Rashi on 1 Kings 3:21