All Israel heard of Solomon's discernment in this case, a judgment that amply demonstrated his great wisdom. Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people? Watch and pray, that you enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. Calling for a sword, Solomon declared his judgment: the live and dead babies would be cut in two, each woman to receive two halves. The biblical King Solomon, faced with two mothers who each claimed to be the mother of the same child, had the wisdom to identify the real mother. 28 And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged; and they feared the king: for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him, to do judgment. All of the known parallels, among them several from India, have been recorded in later periods than the biblical story; nevertheless, it is unclear whether they reflect earlier or later traditions. It teaches us our true mother, God the Mother. There are some striking similarities between this story and the Judgment of Solomon. 24 And the king said, Bring me a sword. The narrative of the King and the Two Prostitutes (1 Kgs 3:16-27) presents the reader with a riddle to identify the true mother of the living child. 22 And the other woman said, Nay; but the living is my son, and the dead is thy son. The novella emphasizes such human traits as cleverness, eroticism, loyalty, and wiliness, that drive the plot forward more than any other element".[3]. Jacob Liver, "The Book of the Acts of Solomon". My baby is alive!, The dead baby is yours, the first woman yelled. There was no stranger with us in the house, only the two of us in the house. Follow Christ's journey to the Cross. As stated before, most of the story is reported by direct speech of the women and Solomon, with a few sentences and utterance verbs by the narrator. Nobody else was there with us. American King James Version). You may unsubscribe from Bible Gateways emails at any time. The mother of the dead baby, very quietly, changed her dead child for the other . [44][45], The women are not explicitly condemned for their occupation,[46] and some think that the narrator does not intend to discredit them for being prostitutes, and their conduct should be judged against universal human standards. Two women come before the monarch claiming to be a child's mother. [32] And he spoke three thousand proverbs: and his songs were a thousand and five. We also do well to remember that God is the ultimate Judge of Solomon, not we human beings. Sign up now for the latest news and deals from Bible Gateway! He had 700 wives and 300 concubines, "and his wives turned away his heart" (1 Kings 11:3 1 Kings 11:3And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart.American King James Version). One of the women cried out that she would give up the child, thus revealing herself as the true mother. [18] And he made the pillars, and two rows round about on the one network, to cover the capitals that were on the top, with pomegranates: and so did he for the other capital. [6] But if you shall at all turn from following me, you or your children, and will not keep my commandments and my statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods, and worship them: King Solomon was faced with a most difficult case. And God said to him, "Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, behold, I now do according to your word. King Solomon did not hesitate but gave his verdict saying: Bring me a sword. [29] And on the borders that were between the ledges were lions, oxen, and cherubim: and on the ledges there was a base above: and beneath the lions and oxen were certain additions made of thin work. [34] However, I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand: but I will make him prince all the days of his life for David my servant's sake, whom I chose, because he kept my commandments and my statutes: They can seek justice from only one source: God, embodied in the story as the source of Solomon's wisdom. [6] And he made a porch of pillars; the length thereof was fifty cubits, and the breadth thereof thirty cubits: and the porch was before them: and the other pillars and the thick beam were before them. Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred three score and six talents of gold. Solomon's weakness for women would be his downfall. Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, on the hill that is east of Jerusalem, and for Molech the abomination of the people of Ammon. Solomon's sins would lead to his kingdom being divided into the two separate kingdoms of Israel and Judah (1 Kings 11:26-40 1 Kings 11:26-40 [26] And Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephrathite of Zereda, Solomon's servant, whose mother's name was Zeruah, a widow woman, even he lifted up his hand against the king. If you have any questions, please review our Privacy Policy or email us at [email protected]. "In the Bible's story about the Judgment of Solomon, King Solomon ruled between two women both claiming to be the mother of a baby. [27] And Hiram sent in the navy his servants, shipmen that had knowledge of the sea, with the servants of Solomon. It was a heartrending scene: Two women stood before King Solomon, each claiming to be the mother of the same baby boy. [40], Like many other women in the Hebrew Bible, the two women in this story are anonymous. Solomon and the two Mothers Solomon's Famous Judgement Watch on 1 Kings 3:16- 28 16 Then came there two women, that were harlots, unto the king, and stood before him. [15] And this is the reason of the levy which king Solomon raised; for to build the house of the LORD, and his own house, and Millo, and the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, and Megiddo, and Gezer. 17 And the one woman said, O my lord, I and this woman dwell in one house; and I was delivered of a child with her in the house. In this article: At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, "Ask what I shall give you. PrivacyPolicyTerms ofUse. [26] And king Solomon made a navy of ships in Eziongeber, which is beside Eloth, on the shore of the Red sea, in the land of Edom. He ruled Israel for forty years, ushering in an era of peace and prosperity for his people. [12] And the great court round about was with three rows of hewed stones, and a row of cedar beams, both for the inner court of the house of the LORD, and for the porch of the house. She is the real mother." Is this action not like trying to cut in half or take away your baby? And Solomon told her all her questions: there was not any thing hid from the king, which he told her not. Both deal with nameless women who gave birth to a son. [6] And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the LORD to his place, into the oracle of the house, to the most holy place, even under the wings of the cherubim. But the other woman claimed that baby. The description of the case eliminates the possibility of obtaining circumstantial evidence, thereby forcing the recipient to confront the dilemma directly and not seek indirect ways to solve it. And yet, as we all know, its only when Jobs returned to Apple that hemade massive changes that helped turn the company around to become a Silicon Valley legend, turning a $1 billion loss in 1997 into a $300 million profit in 1998. [18] And Baalath, and Tadmor in the wilderness, in the land, It involved two mothers that lived together. When Solomon suggested splitting the infant in half, the lying woman, wishing to escape the constraints of Yibbum in the eyes of God, agreed. So Solomon's builders, Hiram's builders, and the Gebalites quarried them; and they prepared timber and stones to build the temple" (1 Kings 5:15-18 1 Kings 5:15-18 [15] And Solomon had three score and ten thousand that bore burdens, and fourscore thousand hewers in the mountains; Spring Bird Paper Mask. Download Cross References 1 Kings 3:15 Then Solomon awoke, and indeed it had been a dream. [39] And he put five bases on the right side of the house, and five on the left side of the house: and he set the sea on the right side of the house eastward over against the south. [18] Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with the best gold. The women had agreed to cook and eat the son of one woman, and on the other day to do the same with the son of the other woman; but after they had eaten the first woman's son, the other woman hid her own son. [15] Stuart Lasine classifies the story as a law-court riddle. King Solomon Craft. In the morning, the other woman recognized that the dead son was not her child. One day King Solomon, the wise judge was in his court. Start FREE. Telling the Truth - Stuart, Jill & Pete Briscoe, Defiance: A Biblical Warning So she turned and went to her own country, she and her servants. Give the baby to her.. [7] And now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in. Copyright 1995 by American Bible Society For more information about CEV, visit www.bibles.com and www.cev.bible. 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. One day Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith, came to see Bathsheba, Solomon's mother. King Solomon was the son of David and the third king of Israel. The story comes to its climax with the shocking royal order to cut the boy, which for a moment casts doubt on the king's judgment. Solomon returns to Jerusalem, the capital of his kingdom. The beginning of Solomon's famous wisdom was the story of the two harlots and their sons in 1 Kings 3: 16-28. King Solomon asks for a sword, resolving to settle the matter by cutting the baby in half so each can possess half the child. It involved two mothers that lived together. [21] And he set up the pillars in the porch of the temple: and he set up the right pillar, and called the name thereof Jachin: and he set up the left pillar, and called the name thereof Boaz. 21In the morning when I got up to feed my son, I saw that he was dead. When disputing with the other woman failed, she took her case to King Solomon for judgement. This is the great law that is the basis of the divine government. Solomon had many soldiers, ships, horses, elephants, etc. [10] And it came to pass at the end of twenty years, when Solomon had built the two houses, the house of the LORD, and the king's house, Solomon marries Pharaoh's daughter 2. The first mother told of how she and the second woman had each given birth to a son, three days apart. [23] So king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth for riches and for wisdom. Their reactions told the king all he needed to know. [25] And they brought every man his present, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and garments, and armor, and spices, horses, and mules, a rate year by year. . But the procedure is actually a concealed emotional test, designed to force each woman to decide between her compassion for the baby and her will to win. 23Then the king said, [d]The one says, This is my son who is living, and your son is the dead one; and [e]the other says, No! Edward Lipinski suggests that the story is an example of "king's bench tales", a subgenre of the wisdom literature to which he finds parallels in Sumerian literature. [17] And you say in your heart, My power and the might of my hand has gotten me this wealth. And Solomon brought in the things which David his father had dedicated; even the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, did he put among the treasures of the house of the LORD. For your son is the dead one, and my son is the living one. 24And the king said, Get me a sword. So they brought a sword before the king. One of the babies had died, and each claimed the remaining boy as her own. One mother did not contest the ruling, declaring that if she could not have the baby then neither of them could, but the other begged Solomon, "Give the baby to her, just don't kill him!". [13] And king Solomon sent and fetched Hiram out of Tyre. Solomon, King David's son, was required to decide which of two women was the mother of a baby, when each of them claimed parenthood. In all the jurisdictions, judges award disputed custody by deciding which parent serves the "best . For the living one is my son, and the dead one is your son. But [c]the first woman said, No! [21] And all king Solomon's drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold; none were of silver: it was nothing accounted of in the days of Solomon. Of the nations concerning which the LORD said to the children of Israel, You shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in to you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon joined to these in love. The first mother pleaded with the king: "O my lord, give her the living child, and by no means kill him!" Solomon was a very famous king in Israel's history, who wrote many of the Proverbs as well as the book of Ecclesiastes. A perplexing situation indeed and one which presented a great test for the king! 28 And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged; and they feared the king: for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him, to do judgment. "And Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of his father David . It is said that God himself blessed King Solomon that he would become the most intelligent ruler. About UsContact UsPrayer RequestsPrivacy Policy, Latest AnswersBible LessonsBibleAsk LIVEOnline Bible. It is that of the first judgment of King Solomon and the display of his wisdom: the story of the two mothers and their babies. The women seem to be poor. [16] And king Solomon made two hundred targets of beaten gold: six hundred shekels of gold went to one target. - Listen to 44. 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