1 Kings 3:24

24 So the king told his servants to bring him a sword. When they brought it,

1 Kings 3:24 Meaning and Commentary

1 Kings 3:24

And the king said, bring me a sword
The design of which might not at first appear to the court, and it might be thought strange, and greatly wondered at: what should be the meaning of it: and they brought a sword before the king;
his commands were obeyed.

1 Kings 3:24 In-Context

22 The other woman said, "No! My son is alive--your son is dead." The first woman kept on saying, "No! Your son is dead--my son is alive." So they argued in front of the king.

23 The king said, "This one keeps saying, 'My son is alive--your son is dead,' and that one keeps saying, 'No! Your son is dead--my son is alive.'"

24 So the king told his servants to bring him a sword. When they brought it,

25 he said, "Cut the living child in two. Give half to the one and half to the other."

26 Then the woman whose son was still alive was deeply moved by her love for the child. She said to the king, "Please, sir, give her the living child. Please don't kill him!" But the other woman said, "He won't be mine or yours. Cut him [in two]."