1 Kings 3:27

27 Then the king said, “Do not kill the child, but give him to the woman who wants him to live, for she is his mother!”

1 Kings 3:27 Meaning and Commentary

1 Kings 3:27

Then the king answered and said, give her the living child,
and in no wise slay it
That is, to her who desired it might not be slain, but rather be given to her who had no right to it:

she [is] the mother thereof;
which might be strongly concluded from her compassion for it, her eagerness and earnestness to have its life spared, and from the indifference of the other, yea, from her cruelty and barbarity in moving to have it divided.

1 Kings 3:27 In-Context

25 Then he said, “Cut the living child in two, and give half to one woman and half to the other!”

26 Then the woman who was the real mother of the living child, and who loved him very much, cried out, “Oh no, my lord! Give her the child—please do not kill him!” But the other woman said, “All right, he will be neither yours nor mine; divide him between us!”

27 Then the king said, “Do not kill the child, but give him to the woman who wants him to live, for she is his mother!”

28 When all Israel heard the king’s decision, the people were in awe of the king, for they saw the wisdom God had given him for rendering justice.