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1 Kings Chapter
Three
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO 1 KINGS 3
This
chapter relates the marriage of Solomon with Pharaoh's daughter, 1 Kings 3:1; his
piety and devotion, 1 Kings 3:2; his
prayer for wisdom and understanding, which was acceptable to God, who promised
to grant his request, with an addition to it, 1 Kings 3:5; an
instance and proof of the wisdom given him in determining a case between two
harlots brought before him, which greatly raised his reputation, and gave him
reverence among his people, 1 Kings 3:16.
1 Kings 3:1 Now
Solomon made a treaty with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and married Pharaoh’s
daughter; then he brought her to the City of David until he had finished
building his own house, and the house of the Lord, and the wall
all around Jerusalem.
YLT
1And Solomon joineth in
marriage with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and taketh the daughter of Pharaoh, and
bringeth her in unto the city of David, till he completeth to build his own
house, and the house of Jehovah, and the wall of Jerusalem round about.
And Solomon made affinity with Pharaoh king of Egypt,.... Pharaoh
was a common name of the kings of Egypt, of whom no mention is made in
Scripture from the times of Moses until this time; which may seem strange, when
it is considered that that kingdom was a potent one, and near the land of
Canaan; but it was governed by a race of kings in this period of time, of whom,
as Diodorus SiculusF9Bibliothec. l. 1. p. 42. says, there is nothing
worthy of relation. The name of this Pharaoh, according to EupolemusF11Apud.
Euseb. Praeparet. Evangel. l. 9. c. 30, 31, 32. , an Heathen writer, was
Vaphres; for he says, that David contracted a friendship with this king, and he
relates some letters which passed between him and Solomon, concerning sending
him workmen for the building of the temple, which are still preserved; but
CalvisiusF12Chronolog. p. 191, 192. thinks it was Sesostris; what
this affinity was is next observed:
and took Pharaoh's daughter: that is, married her;
who, according to Ben Gersom, was proselyted first to the Jewish religion;
which is very probable, or otherwise it can hardly be thought Solomon would
marry her; and as the forty fifth psalm, Psalm 45:1, and the
book of Canticles, supposed to be written on that occasion, seem to confirm; to
which may be added, that it does not appear she ever enticed or drew him into
idolatry; for, of all the idols his wives drew him into the worship of, no
mention is made of any Egyptian deities. The Jews sayF13T. Bab.
Sabbat, fol. 56. 2. & Sanhedrin, fol. 21. 2. Rome was built the same day
Solomon married Pharaoh's daughter, but without foundation: this was not
Solomon's first wife; he was married to Naamah the Ammonitess before he was
king, for he had Rehoboam by her a year before that for Solomon reigned only
forty years, and Rehoboam, who succeeded him, was forty one years of age when he
began to reign, 1 Kings 11:41;
and brought her into the city of David; the fort of
Zion:
until he had made an end of building his own house: which was thirteen
years in building, and now seems to have been begun, 1 Kings 7:1;
and the house of the Lord; the temple, which
according: to the Jewish chronologyF14Seder Olam Rabba, c. 15. p.
41. , was begun building before his marriage of Pharaoh's daughter, and was
seven years in building; and therefore this marriage must be in the fourth year
of his reign; for then he began to build the temple, 1 Kings 6:37; and
so it must be, since Shimei lived three years in Jerusalem before he was put to
death, after which this marriage was, 1 Kings 2:37;
and the wall of Jerusalem round about; all which he
built by raising a levy on the people, 1 Kings 9:15; and
when these buildings were finished, he built a house for his wife, but in the
mean while she dwelt in the city of David.
1 Kings 3:2 2 Meanwhile the people
sacrificed at the high places, because there was no house built for the name of
the Lord
until those days.
YLT
2Only, the people are
sacrificing in high places, for there hath not been built a house for the name
of Jehovah till those days.
Only the people sacrificed in high places,.... On the
tops of their houses, on hills and mountains, and particularly at the high
place in Gibeon, where the tabernacle was:
because there was no house built unto the name of the Lord until
those days; to which they were obliged to repair as afterwards, and there
offer their sacrifices, as the Lord had commanded, Deuteronomy 12:5.
1 Kings 3:3 3 And Solomon loved the Lord, walking in
the statutes of his father David, except that he sacrificed and burned incense
at the high places.
YLT
3And Solomon loveth Jehovah,
to walk in the statutes of David his father -- only, in high places he is
sacrificing and making perfume –
And Solomon loved the Lord,.... The worship of the
Lord, as the Targum: and which he showed by
walking in the statutes of David his father; in which his
father walked, which were the statutes of the Lord, or which he exhorted him to
walk in, and were the same, 1 Kings 2:3;
only he sacrificed and burnt incense in high places; besides that
at Gibeon, which it seems David did not.
1 Kings 3:4 4 Now the king went to
Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place: Solomon
offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar.
YLT
4and the king goeth to
Gibeon, to sacrifice there, for it [is] the great high place; a thousand
burnt-offerings cause to ascend doth Solomon on that altar.
And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there,.... About
four or five miles from Jerusalem; See Gill on 1 Kings 2:28;
for that was the great high place; not that the
place itself might be higher than others that were used; but here were the
tabernacle of Moses, and the altar; so that it was a more dignified place, and
more sacred because of them:
a thousand burnt offerings did Solomon offer upon that altar; the brazen
altar of burnt offerings there; not at one time, but on several days
successively; though Jarchi says on one day; and which was a prodigious number,
never was known the like, unless at the dedication of the temple, 1 Kings 8:63.
1 Kings 3:5 5 At Gibeon the Lord appeared to
Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask! What shall I give you?”
YLT
5In Gibeon hath Jehovah
appeared unto Solomon, in a dream of the night, and God saith, `Ask -- what do
I give to thee?'
In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night,.... This was
not a common natural dream, but an extraordinary, divine, and supernatural one,
a prophetic dream, a night vision, such as God used to speak in to his
prophets; in which he had the full use of his reasoning powers, was under
divine impressions, and in a spiritual frame of mind, and in the exercise of
grace; it was not a mere dream that the Lord did appear to him, but he really
did appear to him while sleeping and dreaming, by some display of his glory in
some way or another:
and God said, ask what I shall give thee; he did not
hereby dream that God said to him, but he really did say this; bid him ask what
he would and it should be given him; he knew what he designed to give, but he
would have it asked of him, as he will be inquired of by all his people to do
that for them which he has intended and provided for them; and it is
encouragement enough for them to ask, since he has promised to give.
1 Kings 3:6 6 And Solomon said: “You
have shown great mercy to Your servant David my father, because he walked
before You in truth, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with You;
You have continued this great kindness for him, and You have given him a son to
sit on his throne, as it is this day.
YLT
6And Solomon saith, `Thou
hast done with Thy servant David my father great kindness, as he walked before
Thee in truth and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with Thee, and
Thou dost keep for him this great kindness, and dost give to him a son sitting
on his throne, as [at] this day.
And Solomon said,.... In his dream; not that he dreamt he
said, when he did not; but he really said, as follows:
thou hast showed unto thy servant David my father great mercy; bestowed many
favours and blessings upon him, both temporal and spiritual:
according as he walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness,
and in uprightness of heart with thee; in the truth of doctrine
and worship, according to the revealed will and word of God, and which he
observed with great strictness, living soberly, righteously, and godly, though
not without failings and imperfections, yet with great integrity and sincerity;
and this holy walk of his was not the cause of God's showing mercy to him, nor
was it in proportion to that, but what he was influenced to by the mercy that
was shown him:
and thou hast kept for him this great kindness, that thou hast
given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day; a son to be
his successor, meaning himself; which was an additional favour to all the rest,
and was in reserve, and now bestowed, as time had made to appear.
1 Kings 3:7 7 Now, O Lord my God, You
have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but I am a
little child; I do not know how to go out or come in.
YLT
7And now, O Jehovah my God,
Thou hast caused thy servant to reign instead of David my father; and I [am] a
little child, I do not know to go out and to come in;
And now, O Lord my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of
David my father,.... Removed by death, in whose stead he reigned by the
appointment of God, and through his overruling providence, notwithstanding the
attempts made to prevent it, and therefore to God he ascribes it:
and I am but a little child; not in age and stature,
but in knowledge and understanding; for though his father called him a wise
man, and he was judged so by others, and really was one, yet in his own opinion
and thought of himself such was his modesty and humility, that he was but a
child as to his intellectual powers and capacity for government: some
understand this of age; and the Jews commonly say he was but twelve years of
age when he was anointed king, which they reckon thus; that he was born at the
time that Ammon ravished Tamar, two years after which was Absalom's sheep
shearing, when he slew Amnon, on which he fled to Geshur, and was there three
years; here are five years; he returned thence and was at Jerusalem two years;
lo, seven years; he rebelled and was slain, and after that there was a famine
of three years, which make ten; and in the year following David numbered the
people, which was nine or ten months in doing; the next year he died, which was
the fortieth of his reign, in all twelve years; so reckon Jarchi and Kimchi;
and Eupolemus, an Heathen writerF14Apud Euseb. ut supra. (Praeparat.
Evangel. l. 9. c. 30, 31, 32.) , is express for it, who says, that David, when
he had reigned forty years, delivered up the kingdom to Solomon his son, being
then twelve years of age, which he must receive from the tradition of the Jews;
the same is said by several of the ancient fathers, as IgnatiusF15Epist.
ad Magnesios, p. 141. Ed. Voss. and JeromF16Epist. Rufino &
Vitali, fol. 24, 25. tom. 3. ; but this cannot be fact; for, if so, his son
Rehoboam must be born to him when he was but eleven years of age; See Gill on 1 Kings 3:5; it is
best therefore to interpret this of the sense he had of the weakness of his
understanding, and of his incapacity for government, as the next clause
explains it:
I know not how to go out or come in; in the
administration of government, to execute his office as a king, in allusion to
shepherds, as kings are sometimes called, going in and out before their sheep.
1 Kings 3:8 8 And Your servant is
in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous
to be numbered or counted.
YLT
8and Thy servant [is] in the
midst of thy people, whom Thou hast chosen, a people numerous, that is not
numbered nor counted for multitude,
And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou
hast chosen,.... To be his special and peculiar people above all people on
the earth; this is not to be understood locally, though Jerusalem, where his
palace was, was in the middle of the land; but of the exercise of his office,
he being placed over the people, and among them, and having the care and
inspection of them:
a great people, that cannot be numbered and counted for multitude; being for
number as the stars in the sky, and as the sand upon the seashore, as had been
promised.
1 Kings 3:9 9 Therefore give to Your
servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between
good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”
YLT
9and Thou hast given to Thy
servant an understanding heart, to judge Thy people, to discern between good
and evil; for who is able to judge this Thy great people?'
Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart, to judge thy
people,.... Not an understanding of things spiritual, nor of things
natural, though both were given him, but of things political, what related to
the civil government, that he might be able to judge or rule the people of Israel
in the best manner:
that I may discern between good and bad; not merely
between moral good and evil, of which he had a discernment; but between right
and wrong in any case or controversy that came before him between man and man,
that so he might be able to pass a right sentence, and do justice to every one:
for who is able to judge this thy so great a people? who are so
very numerous, and have so many causes to be heard and and those many of them
very intricate and difficult; so that no man is equal to such arduous work,
unless he has more than an ordinary capacity given him by the Lord.
1 Kings 3:10 10 The speech pleased the
Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.
YLT
10And the thing is good in
the eyes of the Lord, that Solomon hath asked this thing,
And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this
thing. Understanding in the affairs of civil government; since he had
respect not to his own private benefit and advantage, but the good of the
people he governed, and the honour and glory of God, who had set him over them,
they being his chosen people, and whose vicegerent he was.
1 Kings 3:11 11 Then God said to him:
“Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked long life for yourself,
nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies,
but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice,
YLT
11and God saith unto him,
`Because that thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thee many
days, nor asked for thee riches, nor asked the life of thine enemies, and hast
asked for thee discernment to understand judgment,
And God said unto him,.... Being yet in a
dream:
because thou hast asked this thing; wisdom for government:
and hast not asked for thyself long life; which is
naturally desired by men, and always reckoned a great temporal blessing, and
especially to be wished for by a king living in great pomp and splendour:
neither hast asked riches for thyself; to support
his grandeur; for though David his father had left him much, yet not for
himself, but for the building of the temple:
nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; victory over
them, and to have it in his power to take away their lives when he pleased;
which kings, and especially tyrants, are desirous of, such as are ambitious,
haughty, and revengeful:
but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment; where the
right of a cause lay, that so he might make a right judgment of it, and pass a
righteous sentence, a sentence not to the injury of any.
1 Kings 3:12 12 behold, I have done
according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart,
so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you
arise after you.
YLT
12lo, I have done according
to thy words; lo, I have given to thee a heart, wise and understanding, that
like thee there hath not been before thee, and after thee there doth not arise
like thee;
Behold, I have done according to thy words,.... Expressed
in his request: he not only promised he would grant him it, but he had already
done it, or at least had begun to do it:
lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; had greatly
increased his wisdom and understanding in things political, things respecting
civil government, and also in things natural, in the knowledge of the things of
nature as appears from 1 Kings 4:33; and
of the arts and sciences:
so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee
shall any arise like unto thee: which some restrain to kings, and to the
kings of Israel; that there were none of the kings before him, as Saul and
David, like him for wisdom, nor any of the kings of Judah and Israel after him;
but it may include all men of all nations in the world, since he is said to be
wiser than all men; and some other nations, and particular men of other
nations, famous for wisdom, are expressly mentioned as inferior to him, 1 Kings 4:30; but
then this must be understood of men since the fall; for Adam, doubtless, had a
larger stock of knowledge and understanding in his state of innocence than ever
Solomon had; and it must be restrained to political and natural knowledge; for,
as for divine knowledge, Kimchi excepts Moses; and we may well except the
apostles of Christ for spiritual and evangelical knowledge; and as for our
Lord, the antitype of Solomon, he is greater than him in all kind of knowledge,
all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge being hid in him, see Matthew 12:42.
1 Kings 3:13 13 And I have also given you
what you have not asked: both riches and honor, so that there shall not be
anyone like you among the kings all your days.
YLT
13and also, that which thou
hast not asked I have given to thee, both riches and honour, that there hath
not been like thee a man among the kings all thy days;
And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked,.... That is,
intended to give him, and now promised it, and was about to bestow it on him:
both riches and honour; the former through the
presents and tribute of the nations about him, and his trading to foreign
parts; and the latter chiefly through his wisdom, the fame of which was spread
everywhere:
so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all
thy days; that is, none like him for riches and honour among all the kings
of the neighbouring nations so long as he lived; though there might be kings in
later times as rich, or richer than he, as Croesus, Alexander, &c. but then
not so honourable as he; so, putting both together, there were no kings like
him before or after, and especially if wisdom be added to them, as in 2 Chronicles 1:12.
1 Kings 3:14 14 So if you walk in My ways,
to keep My statutes and My commandments, as your father David walked, then I
will lengthen your days.”
YLT
14and if thou dost walk in My
ways to keep My statutes, and My commands, as David thy father walked, then I
have prolonged thy days.'
And if thou wilt walk in my ways,.... Prescribed and
directed to in his word,
to keep my statutes and my commandments; ceremonial,
moral, and judicial:
as thy father David did walk; which Solomon himself
had observed, 1 Kings 3:6; and
whose walk was worthy of his imitation:
then I will lengthen thy days; the other promises of
riches and honour are absolute, but this of long life conditional, depending
upon his holy walk and conversation; and hence, because he failed in this the
Jews observe he did not attain to long life, dying, as they suppose, at fifty
two years of age; which is grounded on a wrong hypothesis, that he was but
twelve years of age when he he began to reign, and he reigned forty years, as
before observed.
1 Kings 3:15 15 Then Solomon awoke; and
indeed it had been a dream. And he came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark
of the covenant of the Lord,
offered up burnt offerings, offered peace offerings, and made a feast for all
his servants.
YLT
15And Solomon awaketh, and
lo, a dream; and he cometh in to Jerusalem, and standeth before the ark of the
covenant of Jehovah, and causeth to ascend burnt-offerings, and maketh
peace-offerings. And he maketh a banquet for all his servants,
And Solomon awoke, and, behold, it was a dream,.... Not that
it was nothing but a dream, a natural one, a vain and empty one, but a divine
and supernatural one, a dream of prophecy, as the Jews call it, or a prophetic
dream; a true one, which had its fall accomplishment in him, the truth of which
he perceived as soon as he awoke; for he found himself possessed of such a
measure of wisdom and knowledge he never had before, which occasioned the
thanksgiving and joy next expressed:
and he came to Jerusalem; from Gibeon, accompanied
by his nobles and servants:
and stood before the ark of the covenant the Lord; which was in
a tent David had pitched for it there, 2 Samuel 6:17; here
he stood with holy reverence, as in the presence of the Lord, and as a servant
of his, to minister to him, and as a worshipper of him, with a heart full of
gratitude for the great things he had done for him, and promised to him:
and offered up burnt offerings, and offered peace offerings; by way of
thankfulness for his quiet settlement in the for the Lord's appearance to him
at Gibeon, and what he had already given, and promised to give:
and made a feast to all his servants; in a way of
joy and gladness for the above layouts; this feast was either the part of the
peace offerings he offered, which belonged to the offerer to eat with his
friends, or this was a special feast made at his own palace for his courtiers.
1 Kings 3:16 16 Now two women who were
harlots came to the king, and stood before him.
YLT
16then come in do two women,
harlots, unto the king, and stand before him,
Then came there two women that were harlots unto the king,.... The same
day, as Abarbinel thinks, the night before which the Lord had appeared to
Solomon; this came to pass through the providence of God, that there should be
immediately an instance and proof of the wisdom and understanding the Lord had
given to Solomon; these women, according to the Targum, were victuallers or inn
keepers; and so Ben Gersom thinks they were sellers of food, as Rahab; though
he observes it is possible they might, prostitute themselves: this may be said
in their favour, that common prostitutes do not usually bear children, or, when
they do, take no care of them, have no affection for them, and much less are
fond of them, as these seem to be; but, on the other hand, no mention being
made of their husbands, and living together in one house, and alone, and being
impudent, brawling, and litigious, give great suspicion of the truth of the
character they bear in our version and others:
and stood before him; to lay their case before
him, and each plead their own cause; it may be, it had been tried in another
court before, and could not be determined, and so was brought to the king; and,
if so, the wisdom of Solomon was the more conspicuous, in deciding it in the
manner he did.
1 Kings 3:17 17 And one woman said, “O my
lord, this woman and I dwell in the same house; and I gave birth while she was
in the house.
YLT
17and the one woman saith,
`O, my lord, I and this woman are dwelling in one house, and I bring forth with
her, in the house;
And the one woman said,.... Who was the
plaintiff:
O my lord, I and this woman dwell in one house; pointing to
the defendant, who stood by her:
and I was delivered of a child with her in the house; she being
present at the delivery, and she only, as it should seem.
1 Kings 3:18 18 Then it happened, the
third day after I had given birth, that this woman also gave birth. And we were
together; no one was with us in the house, except the two of us in the
house.
YLT
18and it cometh to pass on
the third day of my bringing forth, that this woman also bringeth forth, and we
[are] together, there is no stranger with us in the house, save we two, in the
house.
And it came to pass, the third day after I was delivered,.... Of a
child, as before expressed:
that this woman was delivered also; of another child; and
being both of the same sex, both sons, as afterwards appears; and being so
nearly of an age, it was difficult to distinguish them;
and we were together; there was no stranger with us
in the house,
save we two in the house; so that in this trial no
evidences could be produced on either side.
1 Kings 3:19 19 And this woman’s son died
in the night, because she lay on him.
YLT
19And the son of this woman
dieth at night, because she hath lain upon it,
And this woman's child died in the night,.... Whether
the same night following the day it was born is not certain;
because she overlaid it; or laid upon it, being
heavy through sleep, and not knowing what she did, turned herself upon it, and
smothered it; because it had no previous illness, or any marks of any disease
it could be thought to die of, and perhaps there might be some of its being
overlaid.
1 Kings 3:20 20 So she arose in the middle
of the night and took my son from my side, while your maidservant slept, and
laid him in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom.
YLT
20and she riseth in the
middle of the night, and taketh my son from beside me -- and thy handmaid is
asleep -- and layeth it in her bosom, and her dead son she hath laid in my
bosom;
And she arose at midnight,.... Perceiving what she
had done, that she had overlaid her child, and it was dead; either through fear
of punishment inflicted on persons thus negligent, or because of the disgrace
of it, taking no more care of her child, she made use of the following
stratagem:
and took my son from beside me, while thine handmaid slept; this served
to puzzle the cause, for how could she know what she did when she was asleep?
this she could not prove, it was only conjecture:
and laid it in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom; where she
found it in the morning; but still what proof was there that it was the other
woman's, and not her own, that lay dead in her bosom?
1 Kings 3:21 21 And when I rose in the
morning to nurse my son, there he was, dead. But when I had examined him in the
morning, indeed, he was not my son whom I had borne.”
YLT
21and I rise in the morning
to suckle my son, and lo, dead; and I consider concerning it in the morning,
and lo, it was not my son whom I did bear.'
And when I rose in the morning to give my child suck,.... As she
used to do:
behold, it was dead; her own child, as she
thought at first:
but when I had considered it in the morning; it was
towards morning, or just at break of day, when she arose to suckle it, and
found it dead: but when it was broad day, and the light of the morning was
increased, she more narrowly viewed it, and by its features, or some marks she
had observed;
behold, it was not my son which I did bear: she was fully
satisfied it was not her own child, but another.
1 Kings 3:22 22 Then the other woman said,
“No! But the living one is my son, and the dead one is your son.”
And the first woman said, “No! But the dead one is your son, and the
living one is my son.” Thus they spoke before the king.
YLT
22And the other woman saith,
`Nay, but my son [is] the living, and thy son the dead;' and this [one] saith,
`Nay, but thy son [is] the dead, and my son the living.' And they speak before
the king.
And the other woman said,.... The defendant:
nay, but the living is my son, and the dead is thy
son; she denied what the other said, but offered nothing in proof of
it:
and this said; she who was the plaintiff replied in the
same language:
no: but the dead is thy son, and the living is my
son; without being able to add anything in confirmation of what she
had deposed:
thus they spake before the king; several times, over and
over again, what is before expressed, having nothing to produce on either side
in proof of their assertions; so that it was very difficult to determine to
whom the living child belonged.
1 Kings 3:23 23 And the king said, “The
one says, ‘This is my son, who lives, and your son is the dead
one’; and the other says, ‘No! But your son is the dead one, and my son is
the living one.’”
YLT
23And the king saith, `This
[one] saith, This [is] my son, the living, and thy son [is] the dead; and that
[one] saith, Nay, but thy son [is] the dead, and my son the living.'
Then said the king,.... As judge, summing up what had been said
on both sides, which were only bare assertions without proof; the one affirming
what the other denied, and the other denying what the other affirmed:
the one saith, this is my son that liveth, and thy son is
the dead;
and the other saith nay; but thy son is the dead, and my
son is the living; this he repeated to show to all present that no determination
could be made by what had been said on each side, and that some other method
must be taken.
1 Kings 3:24 24 Then the king said, “Bring
me a sword.” So they brought a sword before the king.
YLT
24And the king saith, `Take
for me a sword;' and they bring the sword before the king,
And the king said, bring me a sword,.... The design of which
might not at first appear to the court, and it might be thought strange, and
greatly wondered at: what should be the meaning of it:
and they brought a sword before the king; his commands
were obeyed.
1 Kings 3:25 25 And the king said, “Divide
the living child in two, and give half to one, and half to the other.”
YLT
25and the king saith, `Cut
the living child into two, and give the half to the one, and the half to the
other.'
And the king said,.... To one of his officers:
divide the living child in two; not that he meant it
should be actually done, though it might at first be thought he really intended
it, and so strike the minds of some with horror, as it did, however, the
mother; but he ordered this, to try the affections of the women, and thereby
come to the true knowledge of the affair; though, some think he knew it before
by their countenances and manner of speech, but that he was desirous all
present might see it, and be satisfied of it:
and give half to the one, and half to the other; since both
claimed it.
1 Kings 3:26 26 Then the woman whose son was
living spoke to the king, for she yearned with compassion for her son; and she
said, “O my lord, give her the living child, and by no means kill him!” But the
other said, “Let him be neither mine nor yours, but divide him.”
YLT
26And the woman whose son
[is] the living one saith unto the king (for her bowels yearned over her son),
yea, she saith, `O, my lord, give to her the living child, and put it not at
all to death;' and this [one] saith, `Let it be neither mine or thine -- cut
[it].'
Then spake the woman, whose the living child was, unto the
king,.... In haste, and with great vehemency, lest the executioner
should at once dispatch it:
(for her bowels yearned upon her son); not being
able to bear to see his life taken away:
and she said, O my lord: or, "on meF17בי "in me", Montanus; so Abarbinel. , my
lord"; let the sin, the lie that I have told, be on me, and the punishment
of it; she rather chose to be reckoned a liar, and to endure any punishment
such an offence deserved, than that her child should be cut asunder:
give her the living child, and in no wise slay it; being willing
to part with her interest in it, rather than it should be put to death:
but the other said, let it be neither mine nor thine, but
divide it; for as she knew it was not her own, she had no affection for it,
nor desire to have it; chose rather to be clear of the expense of keeping and
nursing it, and would, by its being put to death, be avenged of her adversary,
who had brought this cause before the king.
1 Kings 3:27 27 So the king answered and
said, “Give the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him; she is
his mother.”
YLT
27And the king answereth and
saith, `Give ye to her the living child, and put it not at all to death; she
[is] its mother.'
Then the king answered and said, give her the living child,
and in no wise slay it,.... That is, to her who
desired it might not be slain, but rather be given to her who had no right to
it:
she is the mother thereof; which might be strongly
concluded from her compassion for it, her eagerness and earnestness to have its
life spared, and from the indifference of the other, yea, from her cruelty and
barbarity in moving to have it divided.
1 Kings 3:28 28 And all Israel heard of
the judgment which the king had rendered; and they feared the king, for they
saw that the wisdom of God was in him to administer justice.
YLT
28And all Israel hear of the
judgment that the king hath judged, and fear because of the king, for they have
seen that the wisdom of God [is] in his heart, to do judgment.
And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged,.... In the
above case; the decision of it was divulged throughout the land, and the fame
of it was spread everywhere:
and they feared the king; reverenced him as a
wise, judicious, and faithful king, and feared to do anything of a criminal nature,
as perceiving that he was so sagacious and penetrating, that he would discover
it quickly, and bring them to shame and punishment:
for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to do
judgment; that God had put more than ordinary wisdom into him, to make a
right judgment in causes that came before him, and finish them in the most just
and equitable manner.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》