1 Kings 3:23 — Meaning and Application

King James Version

“Then said the king, 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.”

1 Kings 3:23

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Understanding the surrounding verses prevents misinterpretation:

And when I rose in the morning to give my child suck, behold, it was dead: but when I had considered it in the morning, behold, it was not my son, which I did bear.

And the other woman said, Nay; but the living {is} my son, and the dead {is} thy son. And this said, No; but the dead {is} thy son, and the living {is} my son. Thus they spake before the king.

Then said the king, 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.

And the king said, Bring me a sword. And they brought a sword before the king.

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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1 Kings 3:1

"And Solomon made affinity with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and took Pharaoh's daughter, and brought her into the city of David, until he had made an end of building his own house, and the house of the LORD, and the wall of Jerusalem round about."

1 Kings 3:2

"Only the people sacrificed in high places, because there was no house built unto the name of the LORD, until those days."

1 Kings 3:3

"And Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of David his father: only he sacrificed and burnt incense in high places."

1 Kings 3:4

"And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there; for that {was} the great high place: a thousand burnt offerings did Solomon offer upon that altar."

1 Kings 3:5

"In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee."

1 Kings 3:6

"And Solomon said, Thou hast shewed unto thy servant David my father great mercy, according as he walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with thee; 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. {mercy: or, bounty}"

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