Then the king replied, “Give the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him. She is his mother.”
Parallel translations
- WEB Then the king answered, “Give her the living child, and definitely do not kill him. She is his mother.”
- KJV Then the king answered and said, Give her the living child, and in no wise slay it: she is the mother thereof.
- BSB Then the king gave his ruling: “Give the living baby to the first woman. By no means should you kill him; she is his mother.”
- NKJV So the king answered and said, “Give the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him; she is his mother.”
- NLT Then the king said, “Do not kill the child, but give him to the woman who wants him to live, for she is his mother!”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Solomon awards the child to the woman who sought his life, declaring her the true mother. His verdict rightly identifies love as the mark of the real parent.
Overview
Reading the women's hearts, the king gives the living child to the one whose compassion spared him, recognizing her as his mother. Justice is done not through external proof but through wise discernment of love and selflessness. Solomon's ruling vindicates God's gift and rescues the innocent, displaying righteousness in judgment.
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Christ at the center
Solomon's glory, wisdom, and temple where God's presence dwells are a shadow of the greater Son of David — 'one greater than Solomon is here' — and of the true Temple, Christ himself.
How 1 Kings 3:27 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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