23 Then said H559 the king, H4428 The one H2063 saith, H559 This is my son H1121 that liveth, H2416 and thy son H1121 is the dead: H4191 and the other H2063 saith, H559 Nay; but thy son H1121 is the dead, H4191 and my son H1121 is the living. H2416
24 And the king H4428 said, H559 Bring H3947 me a sword. H2719 And they brought H935 a sword H2719 before H6440 the king. H4428
25 And the king H4428 said, H559 Divide H1504 the living H2416 child H3206 in two, H8147 and give H5414 half H2677 to the one, H259 and half H2677 to the other. H259
26 Then spake H559 the woman H802 whose the living H2416 child H1121 was unto the king, H4428 for her bowels H7356 yearned H3648 upon her son, H1121 and she said, H559 O H994 my lord, H113 give H5414 her the living H2416 child, H3205 and in no wise H4191 slay H4191 it. But the other said, H559 Let it be neither mine nor thine, but divide H1504 it.
27 Then the king H4428 answered H6030 and said, H559 Give H5414 her the living H2416 child, H3205 and in no wise H4191 slay H4191 it: she is the mother H517 thereof.
28 And all Israel H3478 heard H8085 of the judgment H4941 which the king H4428 had judged; H8199 and they feared H3372 the king: H6440 for they saw H7200 that the wisdom H2451 of God H430 was in him, H7130 to do H6213 judgment. H4941
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on 1 Kings 3
Commentary on 1 Kings 3 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 3
Solomon's reign looked bloody in the foregoing chapter, but the necessary acts of justice must not be called cruelty; in this chapter it appears with another face. We must not think the worse of God's mercy to his subjects for his judgments on rebels. We have here,
1Ki 3:1-4
We are here told concerning Solomon,
1Ki 3:5-15
We have here an account of a gracious visit which God paid to Solomon, and the communion he had with God in it, which put a greater honour upon Solomon than all the wealth and power of his kingdom did.
1Ki 3:16-28
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,