1 Kings 3:27

27 Then the king answered and said, "Give her the living child, and in no wise slay it. She is the mother thereof."

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 And the king said, "Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one and half to the other."

26 Then spoke the woman whose the living child was unto the king, for her heart yearned for her son and she said, "O my lord, give her the living child, and in no wise slay it!" But the other said, "Let it be neither mine nor thine, but divide it."

27 Then the king answered and said, "Give her the living child, and in no wise slay it. She is the mother thereof."

28 And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged; and they feared the king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to do judgment.