25 And the king said, Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other.
25 He then gave an order: "Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other."
25 And the king said, "Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one and half to the other."
25 Then he said, "Cut the living baby in two - give half to one and half to the other."
25 And the king said, "Divide the living child in two, and give half to one, and half to the other."
25 Then he said, "Cut the living child in two, and give half to one woman and half to the other!"
Matthew Henry's Commentary on 1 Kings 3:25
Commentary on 1 Kings 3:16-28
(Read 1 Kings 3:16-28)
An instance of Solomon's wisdom is given. Notice the difficulty of the case. To find out the true mother, he could not try which the child loved best, and therefore tried which loved the child best: the mother's sincerity will be tried, when the child is in danger. Let parents show their love to their children, especially by taking care of their souls, and snatching them as brands out of the burning. By this and other instances of the wisdom with which God endued him, Solomon had great reputation among his people. This was better to him than weapons of war; for this he was both feared and loved.