1 Kings 3:25 BSB — MannaFest

1 Kings 3:25

and the king declared, “Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other.”

BSB

Parallel translations (2) ▾

ASV

And the king said, Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other.

KJV

And the king said, Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other.

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Commentary

3 voices

John Cassian

CONFERENCE 17.25 (435)

What about Solomon, who in his first judgment manifested the gift of wisdom, which he had received of God, only by making use of falsehood? For in order to get at the truth which was hidden by the woman's lie, even he used the help of a lie most cunningly invented, saying: "Bring me a sword and divide the living child into two parts, and give the one half to the one and the other half to the other."

The record, by era

The Church Fathers1 voice

Jerome

Letter 74 (420)

The interpretation of Solomon's judgment on the quarrel of two harlot women (1 Kings 3) is clear as far as the simple history is concerned: that a boy of twelve years judged with an affection beyond his age for the depths of human nature. Hence, he was both admired and feared by all Israel, because he would not miss what was so skillfully concealed.

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible (1832)

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.

Voices on this verse

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Original language & word study

14 tagged words

Original	Transliteration	Meaning	Word study
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר	vai.Yo.mer	and he said	H559 →
הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ	ha.Me.lekh	the king	H4428 →
גִּזְר֛וּ	giz.Ru	cut	H1504 →
אֶת־	'et-	<obj.>	H853 →
הַיֶּ֥לֶד	hai.Ye.led	the child	H3206 →
הַחַ֖י	ha.Chai	<the> living	H2416 →
לִשְׁנָ֑יִם	lish.Na.yim	into two	H8147 →
וּתְנ֤וּ	u.te.Nu	and give	H5414 →
אֶֽת־	'et-	<obj.>	H853 →
הַחֲצִי֙	ha.cha.Tzi	<the> half	H2677 →
לְאַחַ֔ת	le.'a.Chat	to one	H259 →
וְאֶֽת־	ve.'Et	and <obj.>	H853 →
הַחֲצִ֖י	ha.cha.Tzi	<the> half	H2677 →
לְאֶחָֽת׃	le.'e.Chat	to one	H259 →

Rare words are the text's own signal of a deliberate thread: the fewer the occurrences, the more the places it appears belong together.

The walk

The walk5

Where the connections lead

Follow this verse’s cross-references two steps out. Each card is a verse this one points to, and beneath it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several different paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it. Every stop shows its own words, and every stop is a page.

Through
Proverbs 25:8
do not bring hastily to court. Otherwise, what will you do in the end when your neighbor puts you to shame?
leads to
- Matthew 5:25
  Reconcile quickly with your adversary, while you are still on the way to court. Otherwise, he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and…
- Proverbs 17:14
  To start a quarrel is to release a flood; so abandon the dispute before it breaks out.
- Proverbs 18:6
  A fool’s lips bring him strife, and his mouth invites a beating.
- Proverbs 14:12
  There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.
- Proverbs 30:33
  For as the churning of milk yields butter, and the twisting of the nose draws blood, so the stirring of anger brings forth strife.”

Featured studies on this passage

On 1 Kings 3:25

Solomon and the Two Mothers — 1 Kings 3

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The Judgment of Solomon — Gustave Doré, Doré's English Bible (1866), public domain

1 Kings: the study guide →Read chapter 3 →The featured study →

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01Commentary

The record, by era

Voices on this verse

02Original language & word study

03The walk

Where the connections lead

04Related verses

05Featured studies on this passage

06About 1 Kings

The record, by era

Where the connections lead

Commentary

Original language & word study

The walk

Related verses

Featured studies on this passage

About 1 Kings