1 Kings 3:25

Christian Standard Bible ®

Solomon said, "Cut the living boy in two and give half to one and half to the other."

Parallel Translations

Legacy Standard Bible
Then the king said, "Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one and half to the other."

New American Standard Bible (1995)
The king said, "Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one and half to the other."

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And the king sayde: Deuide the liuing child in two, and geue the one halfe to the one, aud the other to the other.

Literal Translation
And the king said, Divide the living child into two, and give the half to the one, and the half to the other.

Easy-to-Read Version
He told the servant, "Cut the living baby in two and give one half of the baby to each woman."

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

World English Bible
The king said, Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other.

King James Version (1611)
And the king said, Diuide the liuing childe in two, and giue halfe to the one, and halfe to the other.

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

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
the kynge sayde: Parte the lyuynge childe in two partes, and geue this woman the one halfe, and yonder woman the other halfe.

THE MESSAGE
Then he said, "Cut the living baby in two—give half to one and half to the other."

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

Bible in Basic English
And the king said, Let the living child be cut in two and one half given to one woman and one to the other.

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

Webster's Bible Translation
And the king said, Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other.

New English Translation
The king then said, "Cut the living child in two, and give half to one and half to the other!"

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

Contemporary English Version
"Cut the baby in half! That way each of you can have part of him."

Complete Jewish Bible
The king said, "Cut the living child in two; give half to the one and half to the other."

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

Geneva Bible (1587)
And the King sayde, Deuide ye the liuing child in twaine, & giue the one halfe to the one, and the other halfe to the other.

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

Amplified Bible
Then the king said, "Cut the living child in two, and give half to the one [woman] and half to the other."

Hebrew Names Version
The king said, Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And the king said: 'Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other.'

New Living Translation
Then he said, "Cut the living child in two, and give half to one woman and half to the other!"

New Life Bible
And the king said, "Divide the living child in two. Give half to the one woman and half to the other."

New Revised Standard
The king said, "Divide the living boy in two; then give half to the one, and half to the other."

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the king said, Divide the live child, the suckling, in two; and give half of it to one, and half of it to the other.

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

Berean Standard Bible
and the king declared, "Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other."

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then said the king, Divide the living child, in twain, - and give half to the one, and half to the other.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Divide, said he, the living child in two, and give half to the one and half to the other.

Lexham English Bible
Then the king said, "Divide the living child into two, and give half to the one and half to the other."

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

New American Standard Bible
And the king said, "Cut the living child in two, and give half to the one and half to the other."

New Century Version
he said, "Cut the living baby into two pieces, and give each woman half."

Good News Translation
he said, "Cut the living child in two and give each woman half of it."

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
he seide, Departe ye the quyk yong child in to twei partis, and yyue ye the half part to oon, and the half part to the tother.

Young's Literal Translation
and the king saith, `Cut the living child into two, and give the half to the one, and the half to the other.'

Contextual Overview

¹⁶ Then two women who were prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. ¹⁷ One woman said, "Please my lord, this woman and I live in the same house, and I had a baby while she was in the house. ¹⁸ On the third day after I gave birth, she also had a baby and we were alone. No one else was with us in the house; just the two of us were there. ¹⁹ During the night this woman's son died because she lay on him. ²⁰ She got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while your servant was asleep. She laid him at her breast, and she put her dead son in my arms. ²¹ When I got up in the morning to nurse my son, I discovered he was dead. That morning, when I looked closely at him I realized that he was not the son I gave birth to." ²² "No," the other woman said. "My son is the living one; your son is the dead one." The first woman said, "No, your son is the dead one; my son is the living one." So they argued before the king. ²³ The king replied, "This woman says, ‘This is my son who is alive, and your son is dead,' but that woman says, ‘No, your son is dead, and my son is alive.'" ²⁴ The king continued, "Bring me a sword." So they brought the sword to the king. ²⁵ Solomon said, "Cut the living boy in two and give half to one and half to the other."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Divide: This was apparently a very strange decision; but Solomon saw that the only way to discover the real mother was by the affection and tenderness should would necessarily shew to her offspring. The plan was tried, and succeeded; and it was a proof of his sound judgment, penetration, and acquaintance with the human heart, or rather, of his extraordinary and supernatural wisdom. See note on 1 Kings 3:28. The two following instances are in some faint manner to be compared to Solomon's decision, inasmuch as they also work upon the human sympathies. Suetonius, in his Life of the emperor Claudian, tells us, that this emperor discovered a woman to be the real mother of a young man, whom she refused to acknowledge, by commanding her to marry him, the proofs being doubtful on both sides; for, rather than commit incest, she confessed the truth. Diodorus Siculus also informs us, that Ariopharnes, king of Thrace, being appointed to decided between three young men, each of whom professed to be the son of the deceased king of the Cimmerians, and claimed the succession, discovered the real son by ordering each to shoot an arrow into the dead body of the king: two of them did this without hesitation; but the real son of the deceased monarch refused. Proverbs 25:8

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the king said,.... To one of his officers:

divide the living child in two; not that he meant it should be actually done, though it might at first be thought he really intended it, and so strike the minds of some with horror, as it did, however, the mother; but he ordered this, to try the affections of the women, and thereby come to the true knowledge of the affair; though, some think he knew it before by their countenances and manner of speech, but that he was desirous all present might see it, and be satisfied of it:

and give half to the one, and half to the other; since both claimed it.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Kings 3:25. Divide the living child in two — This was apparently a very strange decision, and such as nothing could vindicate had it been carried into execution; but Solomon saw that the only way to find out the real mother was by the affection and tenderness which she would necessarily show to her offspring. He plainly saw that the real mother would rather relinquish her claim to her child than see it hewn in pieces before her eyes, while it was probable the pretender would see this with indifference. He therefore orders such a mode of trial as would put the maternal affection of the real mother to the utmost proof; the plan was tried, and it succeeded. This was a proof of his sound judgment, penetration, and acquaintance with human nature; but surely it is not produced as a proof of extraordinary and supernatural wisdom. We have several similar decisions even among heathens.

Suetonius, in his life of the Emperor Claudius, cap. xv., whom he celebrates for his wonderful sagacity and penetration on some particular occasions, tells us, that this emperor discovered a woman to be the mother of a certain young man, whom she refused to acknowledge as her son, by commanding her to marry him, the proofs being doubtful on both sides; for, rather than commit this incest, she confessed the truth. His words are: Feminam, non agnoscentem fllium suum, dubia utrinque argumentorum fide, ad confessionem compulit, indicto matrimonio juvenis.

Ariopharnes, king of Thrace, being appointed to decide between three young men, who each professed to be the son of the deceased king of the Cimmerians, and claimed the crown in consequence, found out the real son by commanding each to shoot an arrow into the body of the dead king: two of them did this without hesitation, the third refused, and was therefore judged by Ariopharnes to be the real son of the deceased. Grotius, on this place, quotes this relation from Diodorus Siculus; I quote this on his authority, but have not been able to find the place in Diodorus. This is a parallel case to that in the text; a covert appeal was made to the principle of affection; and the truth was discovered, as in the case of the mother of the living child.