1 Kings 3:21
ESV
When I rose in the morning to nurse my child, behold, he was dead. But when I looked at him closely in the morning, behold, he was not the child that I had borne."
NIV
The next morning, I got up to nurse my son—and he was dead! But when I looked at him closely in the morning light, I saw that it wasn’t the son I had borne."
NASB
When I got up in the morning to nurse my son, behold, he was dead! But when I examined him closely in the morning, behold, he was not my son, whom I had borne!'
CSB
When I got up in the morning to nurse my son, I discovered he was dead. That morning, when I looked closely at him I realized that he was not the son I gave birth to."
NLT
And in the morning when I tried to nurse my son, he was dead! But when I looked more closely in the morning light, I saw that it wasn’t my son at all.'
KJV
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.
NKJV
And when I rose in the morning to nurse my son, there he was, dead. But when I had examined him in the morning, indeed, he was not my son whom I had borne.”
What does 1 Kings 3:21 mean?
King Solomon is hearing testimony on a court case so unusual that we still talk about it today. Two women stand before him. They live together, and they both gave birth to boys, one three days after the other. Tragically, one of the women lay on her baby while she slept and smothered him. When she awoke, she realized her horrible mistake. Desperate for a child, even one who isn't hers, she swapped the dead baby with her housemate's living child. When the other woman tried to nurse her son, she realized the dead boy in her arms wasn't hers (1 Kings 3:16–20).At least, that's the story one of the women tells. The other denies it. They argue, and Solomon contemplates (1 Kings 3:22–23).
The only evidence Solomon has is the testimony of two desperate women. No other adults were in the house. Apparently, no one knows them well enough to identify whose infant is whose. The living baby is too young to speak for himself. One of the women is lying, the other risks losing her newborn to a rival. Solomon must trick the false witness into revealing the truth.
In what must have been a surprising response, Solomon prepares to cut the baby in two and give them half each. One of the women immediately gives up her claim to the boy. She prefers that her son be raised by another rather than seeing him die. The other woman agrees with Solomon's plan. If she can't have a son, at least her rival won't have one, either (1 Kings 3:24–26).
