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26The woman whose son was alive was deeply moved out of love for her son and said to the king, “Please, my lord, give her the living baby! Don’t kill him!”
But the other said, “Neither I nor you shall have him. Cut him in two!”
27Then the king gave his ruling: “Give the living baby to the first woman. Do not kill him; she is his mother.”
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Solomon’s Judgement
1 Kings 3:25-27
25He then gave an order: “Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other.”26The woman whose son was alive was deeply moved out of love for her son and said to the king, “Please, my lord, give her the living baby! Don’t kill him!”
But the other said, “Neither I nor you shall have him. Cut him in two!”
27Then the king gave his ruling: “Give the living baby to the first woman. Do not kill him; she is his mother.”
Full bible text
1 Kings 3 verses 16 to 28
16Now two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. 17One of them said, “Pardon me, my lord. This woman and I live in the same house, and I had a baby while she was there with me. 18The third day after my child was born, this woman also had a baby. We were alone; there was no one in the house but the two of us.
19“During the night this woman’s son died because she lay on him. 20So 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. 21The 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.”
22The other woman said, “No! The living one is my son; the dead one is yours.”
But the first one insisted, “No! The dead one is yours; the living one is mine.” And so they argued before the king.
23The king said, “This one says, ‘My son is alive and your son is dead,’ while that one says, ‘No! Your son is dead and mine is alive.’ ”
24Then the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a sword for the king. 25He then gave an order: “Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other.”
26The woman whose son was alive was deeply moved out of love for her son and said to the king, “Please, my lord, give her the living baby! Don’t kill him!”
But the other said, “Neither I nor you shall have him. Cut him in two!”
27Then the king gave his ruling: “Give the living baby to the first woman. Do not kill him; she is his mother.”
28When all Israel heard the verdict the king had given, they held the king in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom from God to administer justice.
16Now two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. 17One of them said, “Pardon me, my lord. This woman and I live in the same house, and I had a baby while she was there with me. 18The third day after my child was born, this woman also had a baby. We were alone; there was no one in the house but the two of us.
19“During the night this woman’s son died because she lay on him. 20So 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. 21The 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.”
22The other woman said, “No! The living one is my son; the dead one is yours.”
But the first one insisted, “No! The dead one is yours; the living one is mine.” And so they argued before the king.
23The king said, “This one says, ‘My son is alive and your son is dead,’ while that one says, ‘No! Your son is dead and mine is alive.’ ”
24Then the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a sword for the king. 25He then gave an order: “Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other.”
26The woman whose son was alive was deeply moved out of love for her son and said to the king, “Please, my lord, give her the living baby! Don’t kill him!”
But the other said, “Neither I nor you shall have him. Cut him in two!”
27Then the king gave his ruling: “Give the living baby to the first woman. Do not kill him; she is his mother.”
28When all Israel heard the verdict the king had given, they held the king in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom from God to administer justice.
About this painting
After king David's death, his son Solomon becomes king in his place. 1 Kings 2.
This shows God's faithfulness to His covenant promise to David (2 Samuel 7 verses 12 to 17)
Solomon acknowledges the LORD as the One who gives him the kingdom.
In a dream the LORD reveals Himself to Solomon and asks him what Solomon wants Him to give him. Solomon asks for an attentive heart, to be able to judge the people and to distinguish between good and evil. 1 Kings 3 verse 9.
God gives him a wise and understanding heart and also promises to give him wealth and honor.
Solomon's wisdom is immediately tested.
Two whores come to him and present him with a case in which he must adjudicate. Both women gave birth to a child. One of them accidentally laid on her child, causing him to suffocate. However, she secretly switched her child with the living child of the other woman. Both women now say: 'The living one is my son!'.
When the king orders the living child to be cut in two, and one half given to each woman, the real mother begs the king not to kill the child under any circumstances, but to give it to the other woman. The other woman says, “Cut it in half!”
This moment is depicted in the painting.
The king then says, “On no account kill it!” and returns the child to its mother.
The wise statement in this matter makes one respect Solomon; “all the people saw that the wisdom of God was in him.”
Solomon's great wisdom is described in 1 Kings 4 verses 29 to 34.
He is mentioned as the author of the Bible books, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Song of Songs.
In Matthew 12 verse 42 Jesus says: 'A greater than Solomon is here'. He means Himself.
Solomon was a prefiguration of the Messiah, Jesus. But Solomon would later fall into folly when he allowed himself to be seduced into idolatry by his many wives.
In King Jesus, divine wisdom and justice dwell forever, as can be seen from the following texts:
Luke 1 verse 32 'He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.'
Isaiah 11 verse 2 'And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and might,
the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord'.
Proverbs 8 verse 14,15 'I have counsel and sound wisdom;
I have insight; I have strength.
By me kings reign,
and rulers decree what is just'
Isaiah 42 verse 3, 4
he will faithfully bring forth justice.
He will not grow faint or be discouraged
till he has established justice in the earth;
Jeremiah 17 verse 10 'I the Lord search the heart
and test the mind,
to give every man according to his ways,
according to the fruit of his deeds.”
2 Corinthians 5 verse 10 'For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil'.
Acts 10 verse 42 ‘And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
Believers may share in His wisdom:
1 Corinthians 1 verse 30 'And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption',
Ephesians 1 verse 17 'that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, 18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints'.
Luke 21 verse 14 'Settle it therefore in your minds not to meditate beforehand how to answer, 15 for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict.'
Acts 6 verse 10 'But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he (Stephen) was speaking'.
Revelation 19 verse 1 'After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out,
“Hallelujah!
Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,
for his judgments are true and just'
This shows God's faithfulness to His covenant promise to David (2 Samuel 7 verses 12 to 17)
Solomon acknowledges the LORD as the One who gives him the kingdom.
In a dream the LORD reveals Himself to Solomon and asks him what Solomon wants Him to give him. Solomon asks for an attentive heart, to be able to judge the people and to distinguish between good and evil. 1 Kings 3 verse 9.
God gives him a wise and understanding heart and also promises to give him wealth and honor.
Solomon's wisdom is immediately tested.
Two whores come to him and present him with a case in which he must adjudicate. Both women gave birth to a child. One of them accidentally laid on her child, causing him to suffocate. However, she secretly switched her child with the living child of the other woman. Both women now say: 'The living one is my son!'.
When the king orders the living child to be cut in two, and one half given to each woman, the real mother begs the king not to kill the child under any circumstances, but to give it to the other woman. The other woman says, “Cut it in half!”
This moment is depicted in the painting.
The king then says, “On no account kill it!” and returns the child to its mother.
The wise statement in this matter makes one respect Solomon; “all the people saw that the wisdom of God was in him.”
Solomon's great wisdom is described in 1 Kings 4 verses 29 to 34.
He is mentioned as the author of the Bible books, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Song of Songs.
In Matthew 12 verse 42 Jesus says: 'A greater than Solomon is here'. He means Himself.
Solomon was a prefiguration of the Messiah, Jesus. But Solomon would later fall into folly when he allowed himself to be seduced into idolatry by his many wives.
In King Jesus, divine wisdom and justice dwell forever, as can be seen from the following texts:
Luke 1 verse 32 'He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.'
Isaiah 11 verse 2 'And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and might,
the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord'.
Proverbs 8 verse 14,15 'I have counsel and sound wisdom;
I have insight; I have strength.
By me kings reign,
and rulers decree what is just'
Isaiah 42 verse 3, 4
he will faithfully bring forth justice.
He will not grow faint or be discouraged
till he has established justice in the earth;
Jeremiah 17 verse 10 'I the Lord search the heart
and test the mind,
to give every man according to his ways,
according to the fruit of his deeds.”
2 Corinthians 5 verse 10 'For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil'.
Acts 10 verse 42 ‘And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
Believers may share in His wisdom:
1 Corinthians 1 verse 30 'And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption',
Ephesians 1 verse 17 'that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, 18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints'.
Luke 21 verse 14 'Settle it therefore in your minds not to meditate beforehand how to answer, 15 for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict.'
Acts 6 verse 10 'But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he (Stephen) was speaking'.
Revelation 19 verse 1 'After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out,
“Hallelujah!
Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,
for his judgments are true and just'