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1 Kings 3:22

Old Testament Historical ASV (1901)

What does 1 Kings 3:22 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And the other woman said, Nay; but the living is my son, and the dead is thy son. And this said, No; but the dead is thy son, and the living is my son. Thus they spake before the king.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And the other woman said, Nay; but the living is my son, and the dead is thy son. And this said, No; but the dead is thy son, and the living is my son. Thus they spake before the king.
1 Kings 3:22 — American Standard Version

Context — 1 Kings 3

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
19And this woman`s child died in the night, because she lay upon it.
20And she arose at midnight, and took my son from beside me, while thy handmaid slept, and laid it in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom.
21And when I rose in the morning to give my child suck, behold, it was dead; but when I had looked at it in the morning, behold, it was not my son, whom I did bear.
22And the other woman said, Nay; but the living is my son, and the dead is thy son. And this said, No; but the dead is thy son, and the living is my son. Thus they spake before the king.
23Then said the king, The one saith, This is my son that liveth, and thy son is the dead: and the other saith, Nay; but thy son is the dead, and my son is the living.
24And the king said, Fetch me a sword. And they brought a sword before the king.
25And the king said, Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other.
← 1 Kings 3:211 Kings 3:23 →
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And the other woman said, etc.] The defendant: nay, but the living [is] my son, and the dead [is] thy son; she denied what the other said, but offered nothing in proof of it: and this said; she who was the plaintiff replied in the same language: no: but the dead [is] thy son, and the living [is] my son; without being able to add anything in confirmation of what she had deposed: thus they spake before the king; several times, over and over again, what is before expressed, having nothing to produce on either side in proof of their assertions; so that it was very difficult to determine to whom the living child belonged.”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“Nay: Kg1 3:23, Kg1 3:24 3 Kings (1 Kings) 3:25”
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Related study paths

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Sources and verification