‘And she said, O my lord, give her the living child, and in no wise slay it.’ The scene as imagined by 17th century Flemish artist Gaspar de Crayer (1584-1669).
SOON after he was crowned King of Israel, two women appeared before Solomon, asking him to judge their case.
They were prostitutes who lived in the same house, and both had given birth within days of each other. According to one, the other had very craftily swapped babies after finding that her own had died in the night. Of course, the accused woman protested wildly that it was all the other way round, and the living child really was hers.
Solomon surprised everyone by turning to an attendant to say, ‘Slice the child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other’.
Of the two women, one met the King’s decision with a shrug, but the other tearfully begged Solomon to award the child to her rival, rather than harm a hair of its head. This told the King all he needed to know, and he was able to restore the baby to its own loving mother.
Précis
King Solomon was asked to decide between two women, both of whom claimed to be the mother of the same baby. So he proposed dividing the baby in half, and watched for the reaction. Solomon reasoned that the one who cared more for the child’s life than for her own rights was likely to be the real mother. (58 / 60 words)
