1 Kings 3 21

1 Kings 3:21 kjv

And when I rose in the morning to give my child suck, behold, it was dead: but when I had considered it in the morning, behold, it was not my son, which I did bear.

1 Kings 3:21 nkjv

And when I rose in the morning to nurse my son, there he was, dead. But when I had examined him in the morning, indeed, he was not my son whom I had borne."

1 Kings 3:21 niv

The next morning, I got up to nurse my son?and he was dead! But when I looked at him closely in the morning light, I saw that it wasn't the son I had borne."

1 Kings 3:21 esv

When I rose in the morning to nurse my child, behold, he was dead. But when I looked at him closely in the morning, behold, he was not the child that I had borne."

1 Kings 3:21 nlt

And in the morning when I tried to nurse my son, he was dead! But when I looked more closely in the morning light, I saw that it wasn't my son at all."

1 Kings 3 verses

1 Kings 3 21 Meaning

1 Kings 3:21 details a pivotal moment in the biblical narrative of the two women before Solomon. The verse describes the waking hour of one of the women, as she prepared to nurse her child, only to discover the infant was dead. Upon closer inspection in the morning light, she realized the deceased child was not her own, but rather the child of the other woman. This discovery directly sets the stage for the dramatic dispute presented to King Solomon for his wisdom and judgment.

1 Kings 3 21 Context

1 Kings 3:21 is situated immediately preceding Solomon's renowned act of judicial wisdom. The preceding verses (1 Ki 3:16-20) introduce two prostitutes who lived in the same house and gave birth within three days of each other. Tragically, one night, one of the mothers accidentally suffocated her own child in her sleep. Instead of acknowledging her error, she secretly swapped the dead baby with the living baby of the other woman while she slept. This verse details the awakening of the second woman, who is innocent, setting in motion the conflict that would soon be brought before King Solomon. The overall context of 1 Kings 3 focuses on Solomon's prayer for wisdom (1 Ki 3:5-15) and God's granting of it, which is immediately put to the test in this intricate legal dispute. The narrative emphasizes the grave reality of infant mortality in ancient times and the deeply personal nature of a mother's bond with her child, laying the emotional groundwork for Solomon's insightful solution.

1 Kings 3 21 Word analysis

• "When I rose": From Hebrew qûm (קוּם), meaning "to rise," "get up." It signifies the start of the daily routine, indicating the transition from sleep to activity. The act is intentional and routine, leading to the unexpected discovery.
• "in the morning": Hebrew bōqer (בֹּקֶר), referring to the early part of the day, dawn. This repetition of "morning" later in the verse highlights that the discovery occurs not in the darkness of night (when the swap occurred) but in the light, which allows for closer inspection and discernment.
• "to give my child suck": The verb yānaq (יָנַק) means "to suck" or "to nurse." This describes the most intimate and primary act of maternal care. The expectation was to nurture life, making the discovery of death even more jarring and unnatural. It implies a close, physical bond.
• "behold, it was dead": The Hebrew hinneh (הִנֵּה), "behold" or "lo," emphasizes sudden and shocking discovery. Mêṯ (מֵת) means "dead." The immediate realization of the child's lifelessness creates immediate alarm. This is the initial, raw perception.
• "but when I had considered it": The Hebrew bîn (בִּין) means "to understand," "discern," "perceive," "consider carefully." This marks a shift from initial shock to analytical observation. It suggests a close, deliberate examination, often aided by available light.
• "in the morning": Again bōqer, stressing that adequate light was necessary for the full realization. It highlights the contrast between the darkness when the crime occurred and the clarity brought by dawn.
• "behold, it was her son, that was dead": hinneh again signals the profound, astonishing realization. The "her son" implies the child of the other woman, the antagonist in this narrative. This final, dreadful realization forms the crux of the legal dispute, transforming a tragedy into a case of theft and deceit.

Words-group analysis:

• "When I rose in the morning to give my child suck": This phrase depicts a normal, nurturing routine transformed by unexpected horror. It establishes the woman's innocence and her natural maternal instinct as she prepared for the most intimate act of care.
• "behold, it was dead: but when I had considered it in the morning": This contrasts immediate, shocking perception with a subsequent, clearer discernment facilitated by the dawn. It moves from general observation ("it was dead") to specific identification ("her son").
• "behold, it was her son, that was dead": This marks the moment of clarity and truth, revealing the deceit. The double emphasis of "behold" underscores the woman's dawning, horrifying realization and the true nature of the crime. The passive voice ("that was dead") maintains the focus on the child's state rather than who caused it (which the reader knows but the woman is just discovering through the swap).

1 Kings 3 21 Bonus section

The detailed depiction of the morning discovery underscores a common theme in wisdom literature and biblical narratives: that light often reveals hidden truths and exposes deeds of darkness. The incident's context within a single house, with two women and two infants, creates a contained and solvable problem for divine wisdom. In ancient Israelite society, infanticide was known, but the emphasis here is on deception and the desperate lengths to which one might go to replace a lost child, especially without confession. This scenario presents a uniquely difficult case to judge due to the lack of witnesses, the intimate setting, and the identical appearance of the infants, truly testing Solomon's wisdom. The narrative implicitly values maternal instincts and connection to one's true offspring as a fundamental truth that could ultimately reveal the deceit.

1 Kings 3 21 Commentary

1 Kings 3:21 is a succinct yet powerful verse, marking the turning point in the most famous narrative of Solomon's wisdom. It pivots the story from tragedy to the uncovering of deception. The vivid details of "rising in the morning," the intended act of "nursing," and the sudden confrontation with "death" evoke profound maternal grief and alarm. The phrase "when I had considered it in the morning" is crucial, signifying a move from initial, perhaps dim, awareness to a thorough, clear-sighted examination made possible by daylight. This discerning gaze exposes the deception and initiates the legal dispute that calls for Solomon's celebrated judgment. The verse effectively sets the conflict between the raw truth of one woman's discovery and the deceit of the other, preparing the reader for Solomon's divinely inspired intervention.