1 Kings 3:23 Made Simple

KJV ORIGINAL

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.

Close to the original. Clear modern English.

✦ MADE SIMPLE

Then the king said, 'One of you claims, "This living child is my son, and your son is the dead one." The other says, "No! Your son is the dead one, and my son is the living one."'

⚡ THE BOTTOM LINE

King Solomon is summarizing the dispute between two women who both claim the same living baby is theirs.

📚 Historical Context

This takes place during Solomon's early reign as king of Israel, around 970-930 BC. Two prostitutes came before Solomon with a dispute over a baby, as one child had died during the night and both women claimed the living child was theirs. This famous case would demonstrate Solomon's God-given wisdom in making difficult judgments.

Explore Similar Verses

1 Kings 3:20

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.

1 Kings 3:22

But the other woman said, 'No! The living child is my son, and the dead one is yours.' The first woman replied, 'No! The dead child is yours, and the living one is mine.' This is how they argued back and forth in front of the king.

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