1 Kings 3:27

27 Then the king responded: "Give the first woman the living boy; do not kill him. 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 The king said, "Divide the living boy in two; then give half to the one, and half to the other."

26 But the woman whose son was alive said to the king—because compassion for her son burned within her—"Please, my lord, give her the living boy; certainly do not kill him!" The other said, "It shall be neither mine nor yours; divide it."

27 Then the king responded: "Give the first woman the living boy; do not kill him. She is his mother."

28 All Israel heard of the judgment that the king had rendered; and they stood in awe of the king, because they perceived that the wisdom of God was in him, to execute justice.