1 Kings 3:22

KJV

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.

KJV (with Strong's)

And the other {H312} woman {H802} said {H559}, Nay; but the living {H2416} is my son {H1121}, and the dead {H4191} is thy son {H1121}. And this said {H559}, No; but the dead {H4191} is thy son {H1121}, and the living {H2416} is my son {H1121}. Thus they spake {H1696} before {H6440} the king {H4428}.

Complete Jewish Bible

The other woman broke in, "No! The living one is my son, and the dead one is your son!" The first one said, "No! The dead one is your son and the living one is my son!" This is how they spoke in the presence of the king.

Berean Standard Bible

“No,” said the other woman, “the living one is my son and the dead one is your son.” But the first woman insisted, “No, the dead one is yours and the living one is mine.” So they argued before the king.

American Standard Version

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.

Commentary

### SUMMARY
1 Kings 3:22 captures the escalating and uncompromising verbal conflict between two women, each claiming the single living child as her own while accusing the other of being the mother of the deceased infant. This verse vividly portrays the absolute deadlock in their dispute, highlighting the profound challenge presented to King Solomon and setting the stage for the dramatic demonstration of his divinely endowed wisdom in resolving an otherwise irresolvable human impasse.

### CONTEXT
* **Literary Context:** This verse is a pivotal moment immediately following God's extraordinary gift of wisdom to King Solomon, as recorded in [1 Kings 3:5-14](/1_kings/3-5 "1 Kings 3:5-14 - God's Promise of Wisdom to Solomon"). The narrative of the two prostitutes and the disputed child serves as the very first and most significant public test of this divine wisdom. The intense verbal exchange in [1 Kings 3:22](/1_kings/3-22 "1 Kings 3:22 - The Women's Conflicting Claims") directly precedes Solomon's ingenious and divinely inspired judgment, which is detailed in [1 Kings 3:23-28](/1_kings/3-23 "1 Kings 3:23-28 - Solomon's Wise Judgment"). The entire account functions as a powerful literary device to establish Solomon's reign as one marked by unparalleled discernment and justice, fulfilling God's promise.

* **Historical & Cultural Context:** In ancient Israel, the king served as the supreme judicial authority, especially for cases that could not be resolved by local elders or family heads. There was no formal "court system" as we understand it today, making direct appeal to the monarch a common last resort for complex disputes. The women in this narrative are identified as prostitutes, indicating their marginalized social status. This likely meant they lacked family or male advocates to represent them, making the king their sole recourse for justice. The absence of witnesses or physical evidence beyond the children themselves placed an immense burden on the judge, underscoring the need for extraordinary discernment. Furthermore, children, particularly sons, were considered a vital part of a family's legacy and economic security, making the dispute over a living child one of profound existential importance.

* **Key Themes:** The central theme illuminated by this verse and the broader narrative is the **nature of divine wisdom** and its practical application in governance and justice. The absolute stalemate presented by the conflicting claims in [1 Kings 3:22](/1_kings/3-22 "1 Kings 3:22 - The Impasse of Claims") underscores the **impasse of human testimony** when truth is obscured, thereby emphasizing the necessity of a higher, divinely inspired discernment. This situation also tests and reveals the **true nature of maternal love**, contrasting genuine, self-sacrificial love with a false, possessive claim, a theme that Solomon brilliantly exploits in his resolution (cf. [1 Kings 3:26-27](/1_kings/3-26 "1 Kings 3:26-27 - The True Mother's Love Revealed")). Ultimately, the entire account serves to affirm **God's faithfulness** in empowering His chosen leaders to administer **righteous judgment** for His people.

### EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
#### Key Word Analysis
* **Nay / No (Hebrew, _lō'_):** This simple but powerful Hebrew negative particle is repeated by both women, underscoring their absolute and uncompromising denial of the other's claim. It signifies an unyielding stance, creating an immediate and undeniable verbal deadlock that no amount of further questioning could resolve. Its starkness highlights the impossibility of reaching a conclusion based on their testimonies alone.
* **living (Hebrew, _ḥay_):** This word is central to the entire dispute, representing the object of contention and the very essence of the conflict. The contrast between "living" and "dead" is the stark reality that drives the women's desperate claims. The "living" child embodies hope, lineage, and the future, making the fight over him a matter of life and death, both literally and figuratively, for the women involved.
* **dead (Hebrew, _mēt_):** The tragic counterpoint to "living," this word represents the loss and the accusation. Each woman uses the "dead" child as a weapon against the other, asserting her own innocence and the other's culpability. The presence of a dead child is the catalyst for the dispute, forcing the king to discern which woman's claim to the living child is true and which is based on a lie and a desire to compensate for her own loss.

#### Verse Breakdown
* **"And the other woman said, Nay; but the living [is] my son, and the dead [is] thy son."**: This clause presents the first woman's firm and immediate rebuttal. Her "Nay" (or "No") is an absolute rejection of the initial accusation, followed by a clear, declarative statement of ownership over the living child and a direct counter-accusation regarding the dead child. This establishes the pattern of mutual, uncompromising claims.
* **"And this said, No; but the dead [is] thy son, and the living [is] my son."**: The second woman's response mirrors the first's in its intensity and structure. Her "No" is equally emphatic, and she reverses the claims, asserting the living child is hers and the dead child belongs to the other. This creates the perfect verbal symmetry of the stalemate, where both parties present identical, mutually exclusive claims, making it impossible to discern truth from falsehood based solely on their words.
* **"Thus they spake before the king."**: This concluding phrase formally marks the end of the verbal exchange. It emphasizes the solemnity of the setting—a royal court—and the gravity of the situation. It signifies that the verbal arguments have exhausted themselves, leaving the king with a seemingly irresolvable dilemma and the weight of a life-and-death decision resting squarely upon his shoulders.

#### Literary Devices
The verse effectively employs several literary devices to heighten the tension and underscore the judicial challenge. **Antithesis** is prominent, with the stark contrast between "living" and "dead" forming the core of the dispute and highlighting the life-or-death stakes. **Repetition** of the exact phrasing ("the living is my son, and the dead is thy son" and its inverse) by both women emphasizes the absolute deadlock and the futility of further verbal argument. This creates a sense of **stichomythia**, a rapid, alternating dialogue that builds dramatic tension. Furthermore, the narrative employs **dramatic irony**, as the reader is aware of Solomon's recently acquired divine wisdom (from [1 Kings 3:9](/1_kings/3-9 "1 Kings 3:9 - Solomon's Prayer for Wisdom")), even as the characters within the scene remain ignorant of it. This creates anticipation for Solomon's ingenious resolution, which will soon follow and dramatically reveal his unique gift.

### THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
The verbal impasse in 1 Kings 3:22 profoundly illustrates the limitations of human judgment when faced with conflicting claims and the absence of clear evidence. It highlights the inherent difficulty in discerning truth from falsehood based solely on testimony, especially when both parties are equally insistent. Theologically, this situation sets the stage for the demonstration of God's wisdom operating through a human agent. It underscores the biblical principle that true justice often requires a discernment that transcends mere human logic or legal precedent, necessitating divine insight. God's provision of wisdom to Solomon for such a case reveals His commitment to justice for the vulnerable and His active involvement in the governance of His people, ensuring that righteousness prevails even in the most perplexing circumstances.

* [James 1:5](/james/1-5 "James 1:5 - Asking God for Wisdom")
* [Proverbs 2:6](/proverbs/2-6 "Proverbs 2:6 - The Lord Gives Wisdom")
* [Deuteronomy 1:16-17](/deuteronomy/1-16 "Deuteronomy 1:16-17 - Impartial Judgment")

### REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
The scene in 1 Kings 3:22 serves as a powerful reminder that life often presents us with complex situations where truth is obscured by conflicting narratives, strong emotions, and a lack of clear evidence. Just as Solomon faced an irresolvable human impasse, we too encounter moments where our own wisdom, experience, or logical reasoning falls short. This narrative encourages us to recognize the limitations of human discernment and to cultivate a posture of humility and dependence on a higher wisdom. It challenges us to look beyond surface appearances and conflicting claims, seeking the deeper truth that often lies hidden beneath layers of self-interest or deception. Ultimately, the story calls us to seek God's divine wisdom, believing that He can provide clarity and guide us toward righteous judgment, not only in grand judicial matters but also in the everyday complexities of our relationships and decisions.

#### Questions for Reflection
* **How do you typically approach situations in your life where conflicting claims or perspectives make it difficult to discern the truth?**
* **In what specific areas of your life or decision-making do you feel the greatest need for God's wisdom and discernment?**
* **What does the true mother's eventual action (in the broader narrative) teach us about the nature of genuine love and sacrifice, and how might this apply to our own relationships?**

### FAQ
**Why did Solomon allow such a lengthy and public dispute, rather than immediately intervening?**

Answer: Solomon's allowance of the protracted verbal dispute, as captured in [1 Kings 3:22](/1_kings/3-22 "1 Kings 3:22 - The Women's Conflicting Claims"), was crucial for several reasons. Firstly, it fully exposed the absolute impasse created by the conflicting testimonies, demonstrating that no ordinary human judgment could resolve the matter. This set the stage for the dramatic revelation of his divinely granted wisdom. Secondly, as the supreme judge, it was customary for the king to hear cases directly, especially those of such gravity and public interest. The public nature of the dispute meant that the subsequent resolution would serve as a powerful and undeniable demonstration of God's favor upon Solomon and his fitness to rule Israel, fulfilling the promise made in [1 Kings 3:12](/1_kings/3-12 "1 Kings 3:12 - God's Promise to Solomon"). It was a deliberate, divinely orchestrated test designed to validate his reign.

### CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
The wisdom displayed by Solomon in resolving the dispute of the two women, foreshadowed by the impasse in [1 Kings 3:22](/1_kings/3-22 "1 Kings 3:22 - The Women's Conflicting Claims"), points ultimately to Jesus Christ, who is the very embodiment of divine wisdom. While Solomon's wisdom was a gift for a specific purpose and time, Christ *is* "wisdom from God" ([1 Corinthians 1:30](/1_corinthians/1-30 "1 Corinthians 1:30 - Christ, Our Wisdom")). He is the ultimate Judge who does not merely discern truth from outward appearances or conflicting testimonies, but knows the hearts and intentions of all ([Hebrews 4:12](/hebrews/4-12 "Hebrews 4:12 - The Word of God Discerning Thoughts and Intentions")). Unlike Solomon, who needed a clever test, Jesus, as the Son of God, possesses inherent omniscience, allowing Him to judge with perfect righteousness and impartiality ([John 8:15-16](/john/8-15 "John 8:15-16 - Jesus Judges Righteously")). The true mother's willingness to sacrifice her claim for the child's life also echoes Christ's ultimate sacrifice, laying down His life not just to reveal truth, but to give life to those who were spiritually dead ([John 10:11](/john/10-11 "John 10:11 - The Good Shepherd Lays Down His Life")). In Christ, the wisdom of God is not just demonstrated for a kingdom, but offered for the salvation of all who believe, bringing ultimate justice and life where there was once only death and confusion.

Note: Commentary is generated by AI with a directive for Biblical fidelity. Always rely on the Holy Spirit for discernment. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

Cross-References

1 Kings 3:23

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 3:24

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