1 Kings 3:26

Then spake the woman whose the living child was unto the king, for her bowels yearned upon her son, and she said, O my lord, give her the living child, and in no wise slay it. But the other said, Let it be neither mine nor thine, but divide it.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
spake	וַתֹּ֣אמֶר va.To.mer	H559	to say (used with great latitude) · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person feminine singular
woman	הָאִשָּׁה֩ ha.'i.Shah	H802	a woman · definite article + noun, common feminine singular absolute
living	הַחַ֜י ha.Chai	H2416	alive · definite article + adjective, masculine singular absolute
child	בְּנָ֨הּ be.Nah	H1121	a son (as a builder of the family name) · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person feminine singular
king	הַמֶּ֗לֶךְ ha.Me.lekh	H4428	a king · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
bowels	רַחֲמֶיהָ֮ ra.cha.mei.Ha	H7356	compassion (in the plural) · noun, common masculine plural construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person feminine singular
yearned	נִכְמְר֣וּ nikh.me.Ru	H3648	properly · verb, niphal perfect, 3rd person common plural
son	בְּנָהּ֒ be.Nah	H1121	a son (as a builder of the family name) · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person feminine singular
said	וַתֹּ֣אמֶר va.To.mer	H559	to say (used with great latitude) · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person feminine singular
O	בִּ֣י bi	H994	oh that! · interjection
lord	אֲדֹנִ֗י 'a.do.Ni	H113	sovereign · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix
give	תְּנוּ te.nu-	H5414	to give · verb, qal imperative, 2nd person masculine plural
living	הַחַ֔י ha.Chai	H2416	alive · definite article + adjective, masculine singular absolute
child	הַיָּל֣וּד hai.ya.Lud	H3205	to bear young · definite article + verb, qal passive participle, masculine singular absolute
wise	וְהָמֵ֖ת ve.ha.Met	H4191	to die (literally or figuratively) · conjunction + verb, hiphil infinitive absolute
slay	תְּמִיתֻ֑הוּ te.mi.Tu.hu	H4191	to die (literally or figuratively) · verb, hiphil imperfect, 2nd person masculine plural + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
said	אֹמֶ֗רֶת 'o.Me.ret	H559	to say (used with great latitude) · verb, qal active participle, feminine singular absolute
divide	גְּזֹֽרוּ ge.Zo.ru	H1504	to cut down or off · verb, qal imperative, 2nd person masculine plural

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

Isaiah 49:15 Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forge…
Jeremiah 31:20 Is Ephraim my dear son? is he a pleasant child? for since I spake against him, I do earnestly remember him still: therefore my bowels are tr…
1 John 3:17 But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love…
Genesis 43:30 And Joseph made haste; for his bowels did yearn upon his brother: and he sought where to weep; and he entered into his chamber, and wept the…
Hosea 11:8 How shall I give thee up, Ephraim? how shall I deliver thee, Israel? how shall I make thee as Admah? how shall I set thee as Zeboim? mine he…
Philippians 1:8 For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ.
Philippians 2:1 If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies,
Psalms 39:3 My heart was hot within me, while I was musing the fire burned: then spake I with my tongue,

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 3:25

Divide 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 pretender would see this with indifference. He therefore orders such a mode of trial as would put the maternal affection of the real mother to the utmost proof; the plan was tried, and it succeeded. This was a proof of his sound judgment, penetrati…

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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…
Bowels · .Of the sensibilities — .Of the sensibilities
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 3:26

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 3:25

Dictionary and topics

1 Kings 3:26

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 3:25

Dictionary and topics

John Gill on 1 Kings 3:26

Keil & Delitzsch on 1 Kings 3:16-26

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

Rashi on 1 Kings 3:21