And she arose at midnight, and took my son from beside me, while thine handmaid slept, and laid it in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom.
She got up in the middle of the night and took my son from beside me while I was sleeping, and put him next to herself, and put her dead child next to me.
This verse is part of a woman's testimony claiming that another woman secretly switched their babies during the night, taking her living child and leaving her dead one.
📚 Historical Context
In the biblical narrative of 1 Kings 3, this verse is part of a story about two women living together as prostitutes in ancient Israel, where one woman's baby died during the night, prompting her to swap it with the living child of the other woman. The deception occurred while the true mother was asleep, leading to a heated dispute that was brought before the newly crowned King Solomon for judgment. This event highlights the cultural context of family and justice in ancient Israelite society, where such matters were resolved by the king's wisdom.
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