I Kings 3: Split Second Decision

Chapter 3 details the famous story of the two women fighting over a baby. After an introduction highlighting Shlomo’s wisdom, the chapter jumps directly into the story as the ultimate example of Shlomo’s wisdom. Two prostitutes come before Shlomo with a dilemma. One of the women gives the background. The two gave birth around the same time in the same house. One night while they were sleeping, the other woman’s baby died because its mother lied down on it. According to the first women, the second woman then secretly snuck into her room and switch her dead baby with the other woman’s live one. When the fist woman woke up, she at first was startled to see her son dead, but then realized it was not her baby. The first woman asks Shlomo to force the second woman to give her the baby. The second woman protests that the first woman is making up the story. Shlomo immediately asks for a sword. He tells the two women that he will cut the baby in half and give each woman one half of the baby. The second, accused, woman cries out and tells Shlomo to give the baby to the first woman. She would rather the baby live than it be killed. The first woman is fine with neither of them having the child. Shlomo decrees that the baby remain with the second woman. Her compassion for the child reveled that she is the true mother. “When all Israel heard the decision that the king had rendered, they stood in awe of the king; for they saw that he possessed divine wisdom to execute justice” (verse 28). Why does this story send such shockwaves through the land that it is the ultimate sign of Shlomo’s wisdom? The Malbim explains that the people were impressed with how swiftly Shlomo figured out the dilemma. His immediate call for the sword showed that he quickly figured out the problem. Metzudat David explains that the people were impressed by the creative sword test. Radak points to the second part of the verse as the key revelation. The people feared Shlmo’s wisdom because they believed that his judgment was divinely inspired. It is also possible that the people were impressed that Shlomo would give his time to dispense justice in a dispute between two prostitutes. He cared for the result, even for these two women and their bastard child. It is also possible that the people were in awe with how Shlomo did not flinch when he decreed that a child should be cut in half. Shlomo did not deliberate or even ask for advice. This showed that he had complete confidence in his decree and what he thought the result would be.