1 Kings 3:27

27 Then the king gave his ruling: “Give the living baby to the first woman. Do not kill him; she is his mother.”

1 Kings 3:27 in Other Translations

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

27 Then the king answered and said, "Give the living child to the first woman, and by no means put him to death; she is his mother."

27 Then the king said, “Do not kill the child, but give him to the woman who wants him to live, for she is his mother!”

27 The king gave his decision: "Give the living baby to the first woman. Nobody is going to kill this baby. She is the real mother."

27 The king responded, "Give the living baby to the first woman, and don't kill him. She is his mother."

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 He then gave an order: “Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other.”

26 The woman whose son was alive was deeply moved out of love for her son and said to the king, “Please, my lord, give her the living baby! Don’t kill him!” But the other said, “Neither I nor you shall have him. Cut him in two!”

27 Then the king gave his ruling: “Give the living baby to the first woman. Do not kill him; she is his mother.”

28 When all Israel heard the verdict the king had given, they held the king in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom from God to administer justice.