KJV ORIGINAL
Then the king answered and said, Give her the living child, and in no wise slay it: she is the mother thereof.
Close to the original. Clear modern English.
✦ MADE SIMPLE
Then the king answered and said, 'Give her the living child, and don't kill it at all. She is the child's mother.'
⚡ THE BOTTOM LINE
King Solomon reveals his wisdom by identifying the true mother through her willingness to give up her child rather than see it harmed.
📚 Historical Context
This is the climactic moment of Solomon's famous judgment between two women claiming the same baby. Solomon had just proposed cutting the living child in half, which caused the real mother to cry out in anguish and offer to give up her claim to save the child's life. This demonstration of Solomon's God-given wisdom spread throughout Israel and established his reputation as a wise ruler.
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