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Nach YomiI Kings · מלכים א׳Chapter 3

I Kings 3

מלכים א׳ ׀ךק ג׳

Section: נביאים · נביאים ךאשונים | Book: I Kings | Chapter: 3 of 22 | Day: 103 of 742

Date: May 25, 2026

קלאוד על הנ׮ך

If chapter 2 closed with the kingdom firmly established in Shlomo’s hand, chapter 3 asks the question that the rest of the book — and arguably the rest of Sefer Melakhim — will spend its energy trying to answer: what kind of king is Shlomo going to be? The chapter offers two scenes that frame the answer in deliberate counterpoint. The first, at Givon, is private and theophanic: the young king alone before God in a dream, asked what he would like and answering with a request whose modesty becomes the chapter’s argument. The second, at Yerushalayim, is public and forensic: two unnamed women, a single living infant, a sword, and a verdict that all Israel hears. Between these two scenes lies the whole theory of biblical kingship — that the wisdom granted in private prayer must be visible in public judgment, or it is no wisdom at all.

The chapter opens with three notes the narrator places almost diffidently before the main story, but which classical commentators mine for theological weight. Shlomo enters into a marriage alliance with Pharaoh, taking Pharaoh’s daughter and bringing her to the City of Dovid until his palace, the House of the Lord, and the wall of Yerushalayim are completed. The verse is descriptive, not condemnatory, but Rashi and Radak both register the discomfort: a Davidic king begins his reign by binding himself to the very dynasty Israel had once been delivered from. The second note is that the people were still sacrificing at the bamot (high places) because the Beit ha-Mikdash had not yet been built. Metzudat David and Radak read this as historical context rather than indictment — bamot were technically permitted in this transitional period — but the text deliberately raises the issue so that Shlomo’s own sacrifice at the great bamah of Givon is read against a horizon of partial legitimacy. The third note is the crucial loving formula: “וַיֶ֌אֱהַב שְׁלֹמֹה אֶת֟ה׳” — Shlomo loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of Dovid his father. The narrator’s contrast is calibrated: a king of mixed practice but undivided love, a foreshadowing of the more troubled chapters that lie ahead.

The Givon dream itself is the theological summit of the chapter, and one of the most often-cited passages in all of Jewish tradition on the nature of wisdom. God appears to Shlomo by night and asks the open question: שְׁאַל מ־ה אֶתֶ֌ן֟ל֞ךְ — ask what I shall give you. Shlomo’s answer is preceded by an extraordinary act of theological accounting: he recalls the chesed Hashem performed for Dovid, acknowledges his own youth and inexperience (“נַעַך ק֞טֹן, לֹא אֵדַע ׊ֵאת ו֞בֹא”), takes stock of the sheer scale of the people he has been given to govern (“עַם ׹־ב אֲשֶׁך לֹא֟י֎מ֞֌נֶה וְלֹא י֎ס֞֌׀ֵך”), and only then issues his request: “וְנ֞תַת֞֌ לְעַבְדְ֌ך֞ לֵב שֹׁמֵעַ ל֎שְׁ׀ֹ֌ט אֶת֟עַמְ֌ך֞” — give Your servant a listening heart to judge Your people. The phrase “lev shomea” has fascinated commentators across centuries; Rashi reads it as a heart capable of receiving teaching, Radak as a heart trained in discernment, the midrashic tradition as a heart that can hear both sides of every dispute. What unites the readings is the recognition that Shlomo asks for a particular kind of knowledge — practical, juridical, oriented toward governance — rather than the abstract chochmah that some other tradition might have prized. God’s response — the gift of wisdom and discernment ‘such that none was before you and none shall arise after you,’ supplemented by riches, honor, and conditional length of days — restructures the asymmetry of the asking: because the request was righteous, what was not asked is added. Chazal in Berakhot 5b extract from this scene a working principle of the spiritual life — that the things one does not chase after often arrive precisely because they have not been chased.

The trial of the two mothers, which closes the chapter, is the dream’s instantiation in waking governance. Two prostitutes living in a single house each give birth, three days apart; one infant dies in the night, and the surviving baby becomes the disputed object. The narrative is composed with cinematic compression: the first woman tells the story of the substitution; the second woman flatly contradicts her; the king pauses, observes, and then commands a sword be brought. The verdict — divide the living child in two and give half to each — is, of course, never meant to be carried out. Rashi and Metzudat David explain that the proposal is a test of the maternal claim: the true mother will choose the child’s life over her own claim to him, and the false mother will accept the division because what she wants is parity of loss, not the child himself. The two women’s reactions reveal the truth that no testimony alone could have established. The king’s ruling — give the living child to the first woman, ‘she is his mother’ — is not deduced but discerned; it is the lev shomea operating in the only forum where its quality can be tested. The chapter closes on the public effect of this private competence: “וַי֎֌שְׁמְעו֌ כׇל֟י֎שְׂך֞אֵל אֶת֟הַמ֎֌שְׁ׀֞֌ט אֲשֶׁך שׁ֞׀ַט הַמֶ֌לֶךְ 
 כ֎֌י חׇכְמַת אֱלֹה֎ים בְ֌ק֎ךְב֌וֹ לַעֲשׂוֹת מ֎שְׁ׀֞֌ט” — and all Israel heard the judgment that the king had judged, and they feared before the king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was within him to do justice.

The chapter’s structural achievement is the binding of these two scenes into a single argument. Wisdom granted privately at Givon becomes visible publicly at Yerushalayim; the gift sought in solitude is verified in the most exposed of arenas. Classical commentators are unanimous that this is the architecture of the chapter — Ralbag draws explicit toaliyot (lessons) from each scene about the relationship between divine illumination and practical judgment, and Abarbanel, writing centuries later, reads the trial as the literary proof-text for the Givon promise: had the dream been a fantasy, no judgment would have followed; had the judgment come without the dream, no theological claim could be made. The book has now answered, at least provisionally, the question with which it opened. Shlomo will be the king who governs not by the sword (his father’s reign) nor by birthright (Adoniyahu’s claim) but by the mishpat that flows from a heart trained to listen. Whether that wisdom can survive the encounters with foreign wives, monumental construction, and political consolidation that will fill the next eight chapters is a question the book has not yet settled — but it has put the standard in place, and it is by this standard that everything that follows will be measured.

׀ךק ג׳ · Chapter 3

׀סוק א׳ · Verse 1

Hebrew:

וַי֌֎תְחַת֌ֵ֣ן שְׁלֹמֹ֔ה אֶת֟׀֌ַךְעֹ֖ה מֶ֣לֶךְ מ֮שְ׹־֑י֮ם וַי֌֎ק֌ַ֣ח אֶת֟ב֌ַת֟׀֌ַךְעֹ֗ה וַיְב֎יאֶ֙ה֞֙ אֶל֟ע֎֣יך ד֌֞ו֎֔ד עַ֣ד כ֌ַל֌ֹת֗וֹ ל֎בְנրוֹת אֶת֟ב֌ֵיתוֹ֙ וְאֶת֟ב֌ֵ֣ית יְהֹו֞֔ה וְאֶת֟חוֹמַ֥ת יְךו֌שׁ֞לַ֖͏֎ם ס֞ב֎֜יב׃

English:

Solomon allied himself by marriage with Pharaoh king of Egypt. He married Pharaoh’s daughter and brought her to the City of David [to live there] until he had finished building his palace, and the House of GOD, and the walls around Jerusalem.

Shlomo enters into a marriage alliance with Pharaoh, taking Pharaoh's daughter and bringing her to the City of Dovid until the building of his own house, the House of the Lord, and the wall of Yerushalayim is complete. Rashi and Radak read the alliance as a politically useful but theologically uncomfortable opening to the reign -- a Davidic king binding himself to the very dynasty Israel had once been delivered from.
ךש׎יRashi
וַי֌֎תְחַת֌ֵן שְׁלֹמֹה. וְכ־ל זְמַן שֶׁה֞י֞ה שׁ֎מְע֎י ךַב֌וֹ קַי֌֞ם, לֹא נ֎תְחַת֌ֵן ב֌וֹ, מ֎כ֌֞אן א֞מְךו֌: לְעוֹל֞ם י֞דו֌ך א־ד־ם ב֌֎מְקוֹם ךַב֌וֹ. עַד כ֌ַל֌ֹתוֹ ל֎בְנוֹת וְגוֹ'. וְאַחַך כ֌֞ךְ ב֌֞נ֞ה ל֞ה֌ ב֌ַי֎ת.
Shlomo became the son-in-law. As long as Shim'i, his teacher, was alive, he did not enter into marriage [with Pharaoh's daughter]. From here, [our Sages derived and] declared, that a person should always live in the vicinity of his teacher.1Based on the juxtaposition of Shimi's death and Shlomo's marriage to Pharaoh's daughter. See Maseches Berachos 8a.2In order to remain under his teacher's guidance and influence. Until he finished building, etc. And afterwards he built a house for her.3Alternatively, after he finished building the Beis Hamikdosh, Shlomo moved Pharaoh's daughter out of the City of Dovid which had become sanctified by the presence of the Ark.—Radak

׀סוק ב׳ · Verse 2

Hebrew:

ךַ֣ק ה֞ע֞֔ם מְזַב֌ְח֎֖ים ב֌ַב֌֞מ֑וֹת כ֌֎֠י לֹ֜א֟נ֎בְנ֥֞ה בַ֙י֎ת֙ לְשֵׁ֣ם יְהֹו֞֔ה עַ֖ד הַי֌֞מ֎֥ים ה֞הֵ֜ם׃ {×€}

English:

The people, however, continued to offer sacrifices at the open shrines, because up to that time no house had been built for GOD’s name.

Yet the people were sacrificing at the high places (bamot), because no house had been built for the name of the Lord until those days. Metzudat David and Radak emphasize that bamot were technically permitted during the transitional period before the Beit ha-Mikdash -- a historical context note rather than an indictment.
ךש׎יRashi
מְזַב֌ְח֎ים ב֌ַב֌֞מוֹת. לְשֵׁם שׁ֞מַי֎ם, כ֌֞ל ה֞ךוֹ׊ֶה ב֌וֹנֶה מ֎זְב֌ֵחַ ב֌ְךֹאשׁ ג֌ַג֌וֹ אוֹ ב֌ַחֲ׊ֵךוֹ.
Sacrificed on improvised altars. For the sake of Heaven, each [person] who so desired would build an altar on top of his roof or in his yard.4This was permitted during the period between the destruction of the Mishkan in Shilo and the construction of the Beis Hamikdosh. See Mishnayos Zevachim 14:7.

׀סוק ג׳ · Verse 3

Hebrew:

וַי֌ֶאֱהַրב שְׁלֹמֹה֙ אֶת֟יְהֹו֞֔ה ל֞לֶ֕כֶת ב֌ְחֻק֌֖וֹת ד֌֞ו֎֣ד א־ב֑֮יו ךַ֚ק ב֌ַב֌֞מ֔וֹת ה֥ו֌א מְזַב֌ֵ֖חַ ו֌מַקְט֎֜יך׃

English:

And Solomon, though he loved GOD and followed the practices of his father David, also sacrificed and offered at the shrines.

Shlomo loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of Dovid his father -- only he sacrificed and offered incense at the high places. Rashi and Radak read the verse as setting the chapter's calibrated tone: undivided love but mixed practice, a quiet foreshadowing of more troubled chapters ahead.
ךש׎יRashi
וַי֌ֶאֱהַב שְׁלֹמֹה ל֞לֶכֶת ב֌ְחֻק֌וֹת ד֌֞ו֎ד א־ב֮יו. אַךְב֌ַע שׁ֞נ֎ים, עַד שֶׁל֌ֹא ה֎תְח֎יל ל֎בְנוֹת הַב֌ַי֎ת, אֲב֞ל מ֎ש֌ֶׁה֎תְח֎יל ל֎בְנוֹת, וַי֌֎תְחַת֌ֵן שְׁלֹמֹה אֶת ׀֌ַךְעֹה, נ֎מְ׊ֵאת֞ אוֹמֵך: כ֌֎י עַל אַ׀֌֎י וְעַל חֲמ֞ת֎י ה֞יְת֞ה ל֌֎י ה֞ע֎יך הַז֌ֹאת, לְמ֮ן הַי֌וֹם אֲשֶׁך ב֌֞נו֌ אוֹת֞ה֌ וְעַד הַי֌וֹם הַז֌ֶה, כ֌֞ךְ שׁ֞נ֎ינו֌ ב֌ְסֵדֶך עוֹל֞ם, ל֞מַדְנו֌ שֶׁאֵין הַ׀֌֞ך֞שׁ֎י֌וֹת כ֌ְתו֌בוֹת כ֌ַס֌ֵדֶך. ב֌ַב֌֞מוֹת הו֌א מְזַב֌ֵחַ. ב֌֎גְנו֌תוֹ ד֌֎ב֌ֵך הַכ֌֞תו֌ב, שֶׁש֌ׁ֞ה֞ה אֶת ב֌֎נְיַן הַב֌ַי֎ת אַךְב֌ַע שׁ֞נ֎ים.
And Shlomo loved Adonoy, he conformed to the decrees of his father Dovid. [During the first] four years, before beginning to build the Beis [Hamikdosh]. But once he began to build and Shlomo married Pharaoh's daughter, consequently it states, "for as a provocation of anger and of fury has this city has been to me from the day that they built it until this day."5Yirmiyahu 32:31. Thus we learned in Seder Olam. We learn that the passages are not written in chronological order. Upon improvised altars he brought sacrifices. The text discusses his dishonor, [this occurred] because he delayed the construction of the Beis [Hamikdosh] four years.6Alternatively, Shlomo desired to attain prophetic revelation by offering sacrifices.—Ralbag

׀סוק ד׳ · Verse 4

Hebrew:

וַי֌ֵ֚לֶךְ הַמ֌ֶրלֶךְ ג֌֎בְעֹ֙נ֞ה֙ ל֎זְב֌ֹ֣חַ שׁ֞֔ם כ֌֎י֟ה֎֖יא הַב֌֞מ֣֞ה הַג֌ְדוֹל֑֞ה אֶրלֶף עֹלוֹת֙ יַעֲלֶ֣ה שְׁלֹמֹ֔ה עַ֖ל הַמ֌֎זְב֌ֵ֥חַ הַה֜ו֌א׃

English:

The king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the largest shrine; on that altar Solomon presented a thousand burnt offerings.

The king went to Givon to sacrifice there, for it was the great high place -- Shlomo offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. Rashi and Radak identify Givon as the location of the Mishkan and bronze altar (the Mishkan having been moved there after Nov; the Aron remained separately in Yerushalayim), justifying its elevated status as the great bamah.
ךש׎יRashi
ה֮יא הַב֌֞מ֞ה הַג֌ְדוֹל֞ה. הו֌א מ֎זְב֌ַח הַנ֌ְחשֶׁת שֶׁע֞שׂ֞ה משֶׁה ב֌ַמ֌֎דְב֌֞ך, וְהֻקְב֌ְע֞ה ב֌ְשׁ֎ילֹה, ח־׹ְב־ה שׁ֎ילֹה ב֌֎ימֵי עֵל֎י ו֌ב֞א לְנוֹב, ח־׹ְב־ה נוֹב ב֌֎ימֵי שׁ֞או֌ל, ו֌ב֞או֌ לְג֎בְעוֹן. יַעֲלֶה שְׁלֹמֹה. כ֌ְמוֹ מַעֲלֶה שְׁלֹמֹה. עַל הַמ֌֎זְב֌ֵחַ הַהו֌א. ב֌ְיוֹם אֶח֞ד.
For that was the great improvised altar. That was the copper altar which Moshe made in the wilderness,7I.e., it was "great" because of its holiness. and it was instituted in Shilo. Shilo was destroyed in Eili's days, and then it came to Nov. Nov was destroyed in Shaul's days, and they came to Givon. Shlomo offered. Did Shlomo offer.8Literally, יעלה means, "will offer." Upon that altar. In one day.

׀סוק ה׳ · Verse 5

Hebrew:

ב֌ְג֎בְע֗וֹן נ֮׹ְא־֧ה יְהֹו֛֞ה אֶל֟שְׁלֹמֹ֖ה ב֌ַחֲל֣וֹם הַל֌֑֞יְל֞ה וַי֌ֹ֣אמֶך אֱלֹה֎֔ים שְׁאַ֖ל מ֥֞ה אֶת֌ֶן֟ל֞֜ךְ׃

English:

At Gibeon GOD appeared toaappeared to Or “made contact with.” Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask, what shall I grant you?”

׀סוק ו׳ · Verse 6

Hebrew:

וַי֌ֹ֣אמֶך שְׁלֹמֹ֗ה אַת֌֚֞ה ע֞שׂ֎֜ית֞ ע֎ם֟עַבְד֌ְך֚֞ ד֞ו֎֣ד א֞ב֎י֮ חֶ֣סֶד ג֌֞דוֹל֒ כ֌ַאֲשֶׁך֩ ה֞לַ֚ךְ לְ׀֞נֶ֜יך֞ ב֌ֶאֱמֶ֧ת ו֌ב֎׊ְד֞ק֛֞ה ו֌בְי֎שְׁךַ֥ת לֵב֖֞ב ע֎מ֌֑֞ךְ וַת֌֎שְׁמׇך֟ל֗וֹ אֶת֟הַחֶրסֶד הַג֌֞דוֹל֙ הַז֌ֶ֔ה וַת֌֎ת֌ֶן֟ל֥וֹ בֵ֛ן יֹשֵׁ֥ב עַל֟כ֌֎סְא֖וֹ כ֌ַי֌֥וֹם הַז֌ֶ֜ה׃

English:

Solomon said, “You dealt most graciously with Your servant my father David, because he walked before You in faithfulness and righteousness and in integrity of heart. You have continued this great kindness to him by giving him a son to occupy his throne, as is now the case.

Shlomo answers: 'You have shown great chesed to Your servant Dovid my father, as he walked before You in truth, righteousness, and uprightness of heart with You; and You have kept this great chesed for him, giving him a son to sit on his throne as on this day.' Rashi reads 'va-tishmor lo' as the language of authenticating God's word -- preserving Dovid's covenantal promise -- and Metzudat David reads the opening of Shlomo's response as covenantal accounting, where every request must be preceded by acknowledgment of the chesed already received.
ךש׎יRashi
וַת֌֎שְׁמ֞ך לוֹ. לְשׁוֹן מְאַמ֌ֵת אֶת ד֌ְב֞ך֞יו, כ֌ְמוֹ: וְשׁ֞מַך ה' אֱלֹהֶיך֞ לְך־ וְגוֹ', וְאַף כ֌֞אן וַת֌֎שְׁמ֞ך לוֹ אֶת הַחֶסֶד, הֶאֱמַנְת֌֞ דְב֞ךֶיך֞ לְקַי֌ֵם לוֹ אֶת הַחֶסֶד, אֲשֶׁך ה֎בְטַחְת֌וֹ עַל יְדֵי נ֞ת֞ן הַנ֌֞ב֎יא.
You preserved for him. An expression of authenticating His words as in, "And Adonoy, your God will keep for you, etc."9Devarim 7:12. Here too You have preserved for him the kindness, You have authenticated Your words to fulfill to him the kindness which You had promised him through Noson the prophet.

׀סוק ז׳ · Verse 7

Hebrew:

וְעַת֌֞ה֙ יְהֹו֣֞ה אֱלֹה֞֔י אַת֌֞ה֙ ה֎מְלַ֣כְת֌֞ אֶ֜ת֟עַבְד֌ְך֞֔ ת֌ַ֖חַת ד֌֞ו֎֣ד א־ב֑֮י וְא֞֜נֹכ֎י֙ נַ֣עַך ק֞טֹ֔ן לֹ֥א אֵדַ֖ע ׊ֵ֥את ו֞בֹ֜א׃

English:

And now, my ETERNAL God, You have made Your servant king in place of my father David; but I am a young lad, with no experience in leadership.bwith no experience in leadership Lit. “do not know going out and coming in”; cf. Num. 27.17.

'And now, Lord my God, You have made Your servant king in place of Dovid my father -- and I am a young lad, I do not know how to go out or come in.' Rashi calculates Shlomo at twelve years old; Metzudat David and Radak read 'tzeit va-vo' as practical leadership before the people -- the request that follows is calibrated to that admitted inexperience rather than to personal ambition.
ךש׎יRashi
נַעַך ק֞טֹן. ב֌ֶן שְׁת֌ֵים עֶשְׂךֵה שׁ֞נ֞ה ה־י־ה, וְזֶה לְך־ הַחֶשְׁב֌וֹן, וַי֌֎קְך֞א שְׁמוֹ יְד֮ידְי־ה, ב֌וֹ ב֌ַ׀֌ֶךֶק ע֎נ֌֞ה אַמְנוֹן אֶת ת֌֞מ֞ך, שֶׁנ֌ֶאֱמַך: וַיְה֎י אַחֲךֵי כֵן ו֌לְאַבְשׁ֞לוֹם א֞חוֹת, מ֎ק֌ֵץ שְׁנ֞תַי֎ם י־מ֮ים וַי֌֎הְיו֌ גֹזְז֎ים לְאַבְשׁ֞לוֹם וְה֞ךַג אֶת אַמְנוֹן, וְאַבְשׁ֞לוֹם ב֌֞ךַח וַי֌ֵלֶךְ ג֌ְשׁו֌ך֞ה, וַיְה֎י שׁ֞ם שׁ֞לשׁ שׁ֞נ֎ים, הֲךֵי ח֞מֵשׁ שׁ֞נ֎ים, וְשׁ֞ב אַבְשׁ֞לוֹם ל֎יךו֌שׁ֞לַי֎ם, וַי֌ֵשֶׁב ב֌֎יךו֌שׁ֞לַי֎ם שְׁנ֞תַי֎ם, הֲךֵי שֶׁבַע ל֎שְׁלֹמֹה, ו֌מ֞ךַד ב֌ְא֞ב֎יו וְנֶהֱךַג, אַחַך זֹאת: וַיְה֎י ך֞ע֞ב ב֌֎ימֵי ד־ו֮ד שׁ֞לשׁ שׁ֞נ֎ים, הֲךֵי עֶשֶׂך, ב֌ְאַחַת עֶשְׂךֵה מ־נ־ה אֶת י֎שְׂך֞אֵל, וַי֌֞שׁו֌טו֌ ב֌ְכ֞ל ה֞א֞ךֶץ ת֌֎שְׁע֞ה חֳד֞שׁ֎ים, ב֌֎שְׁנַת מוֹתוֹ ת֌֎ק֌ֵן מ֎שְׁמ֞ךוֹת, שֶׁנ֌ֶאֱמַך: ב֌֎שְׁנַת ה֞אַךְב֌֞ע֎ים לְמַלְכו֌ת ד֌֞ו֎יד נ֎דְך֞שׁו֌, הֲךֵי שְׁת֌ֵים עֶשְׂךֵה לַמ֌ֶלֶךְ שְׁלֹמֹה.
A small lad. He was twelve years old. And this is how [his age] is calculated: "And he called his name Yedidyah."10II Shmuel 12:25. At the same time Amnon raped Tamar, as it is stated, "And it was after this, and Avsholom [the son of Dovid] had a sister."11Ibid., 13:1. At the end of, "two years, and Avsholom had sheep shearers,"12Ibid. v. 23. and he killed Amnon. Avsholom fled and went to Geshur, and he remained there three years,13Ibid. v. 38. so we have five years. Avsholom then returned to Yerusholayim, "and [Avsholom] lived in Yerusholayim two years,"14Ibid. 14:28. so we have seven [years in the life] of Shlomo. And he [Avsholom] rebelled against his father and was killed. After this, [it states], "And there was famine in the days of Dovid [for] three years,"15Ibid. 21:1. so we have ten [years]. In the eleventh [year] he counted the [Bnei] Yisroel, "and they scattered in all the land,"16Ibid 24:8. nine months. In the year of his death he instituted divisions as it is stated, "In the fortieth year of Dovid's reign they were sought,"17I Divrei Hayomim 26:31. so we have twelve [years in the life] of King Shlomo.18Other, including Abarbanel, suggest that Shlomo may have been around twenty years old at the time. The fact that he is referred to as a "lad ]=נעך]" is not necessarily a reflection of his age, for in Bereishis 44:22, Binyomin is described as a "lad [=נעך]"at the age of thirty.

׀סוק ח׳ · Verse 8

Hebrew:

וְעַ֚בְד֌ְך֞֔ ב֌ְת֥וֹךְ עַמ֌ְך֖֞ אֲשֶׁ֣ך ב֌֞ח֑֞ךְת֌֞ עַם֟ך֞֕ב אֲשֶׁ֧ך לֹ֜א֟י֎מ֌֞נֶ֛ה וְלֹ֥א י֎ס֌֞׀ֵ֖ך מֵךֹ֜ב׃

English:

Your servant finds himself in the midst of the people You have chosen, a people too numerous to be numbered or counted.

'And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen -- a great people who cannot be numbered or counted for multitude.' Metzudat David reads the verse as Shlomo's framing of the governance task by its sheer scale: a nation chosen by God and so numerous that great wisdom is required to lead it -- the request that follows is calibrated to that scale rather than to personal ambition.

׀סוק ט׳ · Verse 9

Hebrew:

וְנ֞תַת֌֚֞ לְעַבְד֌ְך֞֜ לֵրב שֹׁמֵ֙עַ֙ ל֎שְׁ׀֌ֹ֣ט אֶ֜ת֟עַמ֌ְך֞֔ לְה־ב֖֮ין ב֌ֵ֜ין֟ט֣וֹב לְך֑֞ע כ֌֎֣י מ֎րי יו֌כַל֙ ל֎שְׁ׀֌ֹ֔ט אֶת֟עַמ֌ְך֥֞ הַכ֌֞בֵ֖ד הַז֌ֶ֜ה׃

English:

Grant, then, Your servant an understanding mindcunderstanding mind Lit. “listening heart.ￜￜￜ to judge Your people, to distinguish between good and bad; for who can judge this vast people of Yours?”

'Give Your servant a listening heart (lev shomea) to judge Your people, to discern between good and evil -- for who is able to judge this Your weighty people?' Radak reads 'lev shomea' as a heart of understanding (lev sevar in Targum Yonatan), and Rashi explains 'am-cha ha-kaved' as the weight of judging Israel specifically -- where unjust rulings carry capital consequences before Heaven; the request is for practical juridical wisdom rather than abstract chochmah.
ךש׎יRashi
אֶת עַמ֌ְך֞ הַכ֌֞בֵד. מ֎ת֌וֹךְ שֶׁהֵם ךַב֌֎ים, יֵשׁ ל֞הֶם עֲס֞ק֎ים ךַב֌֎ים, ו֌ב֞א֎ים לְד֮ין, וְאֵין ל֮י מ֞תו֌ן לְעַי֌ֵן ב֌ְד֎ינ֞ם. ד֌֞ב֞ך אַחֵך: כ֌֎י מ֮י יו֌כַל ל֎שְׁ׀֌ֹט אֶת עַמ֌ְך֞ הַכ֌֞בֵד הַז֌ֶה, מ֎שְׁ׀֌֞ט֞ם כ֌֞בֵד מְאֹד, א֎ם י֞בֹא ד֮ין שְׁנֵי גוֹי֎ם לְ׀֞נַי, וְאֶט֌ֹל מ֎ז֌ֶה וְאֶת֌ֵן ל֞זֶה שֶׁל֌ֹא כַד֌֎ין, אֵינ֎י נֶעֱנַשׁ, אֲב֞ל י֎שְׂך֞אֵל הֲךֵינ֎י נֶעֱנַשׁ ע֞ל֞יו עֹנֶשׁ נְ׀֞שׁוֹת, שֶׁנ֌ֶאֱמַך: וְק֞בַע אֶת קֹבְעֵיהֶם נ֞׀ֶשׁ.
This great people of Yours. Since they are many, they have many dealings, and they come to litigate and I have no time to deliberate over their arguments. Another interpretation of, "for who is able to judge this great people of Yours," their legal decisions are very difficult [for me to make]. If a lawsuit comes before me between two non-Jews, and I take from one and give to the other unjustly, I will not be punished. But [if a lawsuit comes before me] between Jews [and I take from one and give to the other unjustly], I will be punished for it with capital punishment,19That is why Shlomo refers to the Bnei Yisroel as a "weighty [=כבד] nation." as it is stated, "And He takes the lives of those that steal from them."20Mishlei 22:23.

׀סוק י׮ · Verse 10

Hebrew:

וַי֌֎יטַ֥ב הַד֌֞ב֖֞ך ב֌ְעֵינֵ֣י אֲדֹנ֑֞י כ֌֎֚י שׁ֞אַ֣ל שְׁלֹמֹ֔ה אֶת֟הַד֌֞ב֖֞ך הַז֌ֶ֜ה׃

English:

Pleased that Solomon had asked for this,

׀סוק י׮א · Verse 11

Hebrew:

וַי֌ֹ֚אמֶך אֱלֹה֎֜ים אֵל֞֗יו יַ֩עַן֩ אֲשֶׁ֚ך שׁ֞אַ֜לְת֌֞ אֶת֟הַד֌֞ב֣֞ך הַז֌ֶ֗ה וְלֹא֟שׁ֞אַ֚לְת֌֞ ל֌ְך֞֜ י֞מ֎֣ים ךַב֌֎֗ים וְלֹ֜א֟שׁ֞אַրלְת֌֞ ל֌ְך֞֙ עֹ֔שֶׁך וְלֹ֥א שׁ֞אַ֖לְת֌֞ נֶ֣׀ֶשׁ אֹיְבֶ֑יך֞ וְשׁ֞אַ֧לְת֌֞ ל֌ְך֛֞ ה־ב֖֮ין ל֎שְׁמֹ֥עַ מ֎שְׁ׀֌֞֜ט׃

English:

God said to him, “Because you asked for this—you did not ask for long life, you did not ask for riches, you did not ask for the life of your enemies, but you asked for discernment in dispensing justice—

God said to him: 'because you asked this thing, and did not ask for yourself many days, nor riches, nor the lives of your enemies, but asked for understanding to hear judgment.' Metzudat David glosses 'havin' as the binah to grasp the merits of a case, and Radak notes that 'havin' here functions as 'lehavin' -- God recasts what Shlomo asked in His own categories ('binah lishmoa mishpat'), validating the modesty of the petition.

׀סוק י׮ב · Verse 12

Hebrew:

ה֎נ֌ֵ֥ה ע֞שׂ֎֖ית֎י כ֌֎דְב֞ךֶ֑יך֞ ה֎נ֌ֵ֣ה ׀ נ֞תַ֣ת֌֎֜י לְך־֗ לֵ֚ב ח֞כ֣֞ם וְנ֞ב֔וֹן אֲשֶׁրך כ֌֞מ֙וֹך֞֙ לֹא֟ה֞י֣֞ה לְ׀֞נֶ֔יך֞ וְאַחֲךֶ֖יך֞ לֹא֟י֞ק֥ו֌ם כ֌֞מ֜וֹך֞׃

English:

I now do as you have spoken. I grant you a wise and discerning mind; there has never been anyone like you before, nor will anyone like you arise again.

'Behold, I have done according to your words -- I have given you a wise and discerning heart, such that there has been none like you before you, and after you none shall arise like you.' Radak cites Chazal that 'chacham' is one whose learning is preserved and ready in his heart, and 'navon' is one who derives one matter from another -- and that even Moshe was not like Shlomo in natural wisdom, though Moshe surpassed him in the wisdom of the Divine; the gift exceeds the request, unique in human history.

׀סוק י׮ג · Verse 13

Hebrew:

וְגַ֚ם אֲשֶׁրך לֹ֜א֟שׁ֞אַ֙לְת֌֞֙ נ֞תַ֣ת֌֎י ל־֔ךְ ג֌ַם֟עֹ֖שֶׁך ג֌ַם֟כ֌֞ב֑וֹד אֲ֠שֶׁ֠ך לֹא֟ה֞י֚֞ה כ֞מ֥וֹך֞֜ א֎֛ישׁ ב֌ַמￜￜְל֞כ֎֖ים כ֌ׇל֟י֞מֶ֜יך֞׃

English:

And I also grant you what you did not ask for—both riches and glory all your life—the like of which no king has ever had.

'And what you did not ask I have also given you -- both riches and honor, such that none of the kings shall be like you all your days.' Metzudat David offers two readings of 'kol yamekha' -- either that wealth and honor will accompany Shlomo throughout his life, or that no contemporary will match him -- and Radak reads 'gam... gam' as an inclusive doubling, drawing out the principle Chazal extract from this verse: the things one does not chase often arrive precisely because they have not been chased.

׀סוק י׮ד · Verse 14

Hebrew:

וְא֎֣ם ׀ ת֌ֵלֵ֣ךְ ב֌֎דְך֞כַ֗י ל֎שְׁמֹրך חֻק֌ַי֙ ו֌מ֎׊ְוֺתַ֔י כ֌ַאֲשֶׁ֥ך ה֞לַ֖ךְ ד֌֞ו֎֣יד א־ב֑֮יך־ וְהַאֲךַכְת֌֎֖י אֶת֟י֞מֶ֜יך֞׃ {ס}        

English:

And I will further grant you long life, if you will walk in My ways and observe My laws and commandments, as did your father David.”

'And if you walk in My ways, keeping My statutes and commandments as Dovid your father walked, then I will lengthen your days.' Rashi and Radak emphasize that of the three gifts (wisdom, riches, length of days), only the third is conditional -- wealth and honor were given unconditionally, but longevity is bound by Torah's own condition for kings ('lemaan yaarikh yamim al mamlakhto'); the dream concludes by binding Shlomo's longevity to his obedience, a foreshadowing the book will eventually return to (Shlomo lived only fifty-two years).
ךש׎יRashi
וְא֮ם ת֌ֵלֵךְ ב֌֎דְך֞כַי וְגוֹ' וְהַאֲךַכְת֌֎י אֶת י֞מֶיך֞. ה֞עשֶׁך וְהַכ֌֞בוֹד שֶׁל֌ֹא ה֎תְנֵית֎י ב֌ְתוֹך֞ת֎י ל֞תֵת לַמ֌ֶלֶךְ, אֶת֌ֵן לְך־, ב֌ֵין זַכ֌ַאי ב֌ֵין חַי֌֞ב, אֲב֞ל אֹךֶךְ הַי֌֞מ֎ים ו֌מַלְכו֌ת הַד֌וֹךוֹת, כ֌ְב֞ך ה֎תְנֵית֎י ב֌ְתוֹך֞ת֎י: לְב֎לְת֌֎י סו֌ך מ֮ן הַמ֌֎׊ְו֞ה לְמַעַן יַאֲך֎יךְ י־מ֮ים עַל מַמְלַכְת֌וֹ וְגוֹ', וְעַל אוֹתוֹ ת֌ְנַאי לֹא אֶשְׁנֶה, וְא֮ם ת֌ֵלֵךְ ב֌֎דְך֞כַי וְהַאֲךַכְת֌֎י וְגוֹ', וְכֵן ב֌ְמַלְכו֌ת ד֌וֹךוֹת֞יו אַחֲך֞יו, א֞מַך לוֹ: וְאַת֌֞ה א֎ם ת֌ֵלֵךְ לְ׀֞נַי וְגוֹ' לֹא י֎כ֌֞ךֵת לְך־ א֎ישׁ וְגוֹ', כ֌֞ךְ שְׁנו֌י֞ה ב֌ְס֎׀ְךֵי. וְךַב֌֎י חֲנ֎ינ֞א ב֌ֶן ג֌ַמְל֎יאֵל אוֹמֵך: הֲךֵי הו֌א אוֹמֵך ג֌ַם עשֶׁך ג֌ַם כ֌֞בוֹד וְגוֹ'.
And if you will go in My ways, etc., I will lengthen your days. The wealth and the honor for which I did not impose any conditions in my Torah to give to the king, I will give you whether deserving or not. However, [to attain] longevity and [continuation of] the monarchy for [future] generations, I have already imposed conditions in my Torah, "that he shall not turn aside from the commandment [etc.,] so that he may prolong days over his kingdom, etc."21Devarim 17:20. and that condition I will not alter. So, "if you will go in My ways...I will lengthen, etc." and likewise concerning [the continuation of] the monarchy to his descendants, He said to him, "As for you, if you walk before Me, etc., no man [descendant] of yours will be cut off, etc."22Below, 9:4, 5. Thus is it learned in Sifrei, Rabbi Chanina the son of Gamliel says, "Behold he has said, 'both wealth and honor, etc.'"23Above v. 13.

׀סוק ט׮ו · Verse 15

Hebrew:

וַי֌֎קַ֥ץ שְׁלֹמֹ֖ה וְה֎נ֌ֵ֣ה חֲל֑וֹם וַי֌֞ב֚וֹא יְךו֌שׁ֞לַ֜͏֎ם וַ֜י֌ַעֲמֹ֣ד ׀ ל֎׀ְנֵ֣י ׀ אֲך֣וֹן ב֌ְך֎ית֟אֲדֹנ֞֗י וַי֌ַրעַל עֹלוֹת֙ וַי֌ַ֣עַשׂ שְׁל֞מ֎֔ים וַי֌ַ֥עַשׂ מ֎שְׁת֌ֶ֖ה לְכׇל֟עֲב֞ד֞֜יו׃ {×€}

English:

Then Solomon awoke: it was a dream! He went to Jerusalem, stood before the Ark of the Covenant of the Sovereign One, and sacrificed burnt offerings and presented offerings of well-being; and he made a banquet for all his courtiers.

Shlomo awoke, and behold it was a dream -- and he came to Yerushalayim and stood before the Ark of the Lord's covenant, offered burnt and peace offerings, and made a feast for all his servants. Rashi and Radak read 've-hineh chalom' as Shlomo's verification that the dream was true -- he heard the chirping of birds and understood their language, recognizing that the gift had taken hold; the immediate journey to the Aron in Yerushalayim signals a deliberate pivot from the bamah of Givon to the eventual seat of the Temple, and Chazal derive from his celebratory feast the custom of making a seudah for completing Torah study (siyum).
ךש׎יRashi
וַי֌֎קַץ שְׁלֹמֹה וְה֎נ֌ֵה חֲלוֹם. וְה֎נ֌ֵה הֵב֎ין שֶׁחֲלוֹמוֹ אֱמֶת, שׁוֹמֵעַ עוֹף מְ׊ַ׀ְ׊ֵף ו֌מֵב֎ין לְשׁוֹנוֹ, כ֌ֶלֶב נוֹבֵחַ ו֌מֵב֎ין לְשׁוֹנוֹ. וַי֌ַעַשׂ מ֎שְׁת֌ֶה. מ֎ש֌ׂ֎מְחַת ל֎ב֌וֹ, שֶׁהֵב֎ין שֶׁחֲלוֹמוֹ אֱמֶת.
Shlomo woke up and behold it was a dream. And behold he understood that his dream was true. He heard a bird chirping and understood its language, a dog barking and he understood its language. And [he] made a feast. Out of his heart's happiness [he celebrated] because he realized that his dream was true.24Shlomo celebrated his newly acquired wisdom. Rabbi Elazar said that from here we derive the custom of making a festive meal [e.g., siyum] to honor the completion of reading the Torah or studying a Masechta. See Shir Hashirim Rabboh 1:9.

׀סוק ט׮ז · Verse 16

Hebrew:

א֣֞ז ת֌֞בֹ֗אנ֞ה שְׁת֌ַ֛י֎ם נ֞שׁ֎֥ים זֹנ֖וֹת אֶל֟הַמ֌ֶ֑לֶךְ וַ֜ת֌ַעֲמֹ֖דְנ֞ה לְ׀֞נ֞֜יו׃

English:

Later two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him.

Two women, prostitutes (זֹנוֹת), come to the king and stand before him; classical tradition (Targum, Shabbat 56a) reads 'zonot' as innkeepers (׀ונדקאות) rather than harlots, but either reading preserves the women's social marginality. Radak ties the temporal marker 'az' to Shlomo's return from Givon — the divine gift of wisdom is immediately tested by a case that arrives at his door.

׀סוק י׮ז · Verse 17

Hebrew:

וַת֌ֹ֜אמֶך ה֞א֎שׁ֌֞րה ה֞אַחַת֙ ב֌֎֣י אֲדֹנ֎֔י אֲנ֎י֙ וְה֞א֎שׁ֌֣֞ה הַז֌ֹ֔את יֹשְׁבֹ֖ת ב֌ְבַ֣י֎ת אֶח֑֞ד ו֞אֵלֵ֥ד ע֎מ֌֖֞ה֌ ב֌ַב֌֞֜י֎ת׃

English:

The first woman said, “Please, my lord! This woman and I live in the same house; and I gave birth to a child while she was in the house.

The first woman addresses the king: 'Please, my lord — this woman and I dwell in one house, and I gave birth with her in the house.' Metzudat David glosses 'bi adoni' as the petitioner's plea for the king's attentive ear; the spatial detail (one house) frames the case as a forensic puzzle with no third-party witnesses.

׀סוק י׮ח · Verse 18

Hebrew:

וַיְה֎֞י ב֌ַי֌րוֹם הַשׁ֌ְל֎ישׁ֎י֙ לְל֎דְת֌֎֔י וַￜￜ֌ֵ֖לֶד ג֌ַם֟ה֞א֎שׁ֌֣֞ה הַז֌ֹ֑את וַאֲנַ֣חְנו֌ יַחְד֌֞֗ו אֵ֜ין֟ז֞րך א֎ת֌֞֙נו֌֙ ב֌ַב֌ַ֔י֎ת זו֌ל֞ת֎֥י שְׁת֌ַ֜י֎ם֟אֲנַ֖חְנו֌ ב֌ַב֌֞֜י֎ת׃

English:

On the third day after I was delivered, this woman also gave birth to a child. We were alone; there was no one else with us in the house, just the two of us in the house.

She continues: on the third day after her own delivery, the second woman gave birth — and the two were alone in the house, no stranger with them. Metzudat David reads the emphasis on 'no stranger' as the petitioner's deliberate elimination of any potential witness, foregrounding that the case must be resolved without testimony from outside parties.

׀סוק י׮ט · Verse 19

Hebrew:

וַי֌֛֞מׇת ב֌ֶן֟ה֞א֎שׁ֌֥֞ה הַז֌ֹ֖את ל־֑יְל־ה אֲשֶׁ֥ך שׁ֞כְב֖֞ה ע֞ל֞֜יו׃

English:

During the night this woman’s child died, because she lay on it.

The other woman's son died at night because she lay upon him. Both Metzudat David and Radak emphasize that the cause of death matters legally: had the child died of illness, neighbors visiting the sick infant would have known whose son was whose — the smothering is what creates the conditions for a case of mistaken identity to be even possible.

׀סוק כ׳ · Verse 20

Hebrew:

וַת֌֞֩קׇם֩ ב֌ְת֚וֹךְ הַל֌ַ֜יְל֞ה וַת֌֎ק֌ַ֧ח אֶת֟ב֌ְנ֎֣י מֵאֶ׊ְל֎֗י וַאֲמ֞֜תְך֞֙ יְשֵׁנ֞֔ה וַת֌ַשְׁכ֌֎יבֵ֖הו֌ ב֌ְחֵיק֑֞ה֌ וְאֶת֟ב֌ְנ֥֞ה֌ הַמ֌ֵ֖ת ה֎שְׁכ֌֎֥יב֞ה בְחֵיק֎֜י׃

English:

She arose in the night and took my son from my side while your maidservant was asleep, and laid him in her bosom; and she laid her dead son in my bosom.

She rose at midnight, the petitioner alleges, took her son from beside her while the maidservant slept, and laid her own dead child in her bosom. Metzudat David glosses 'va-amatkha yeshena' as the petitioner's own defense — she did not perceive the swap because she was asleep, not negligent.

׀סוק כ׮א · Verse 21

Hebrew:

ו֞א֞קֻ֥ם ב֌ַב֌ֹ֛קֶך לְהֵינ֎֥יק אֶת֟ב֌ְנ֎֖י וְה֎נ֌ֵה֟מֵ֑ת ו֞אֶתְב֌וֹנֵրן אֵל֞יו֙ ב֌ַב֌ֹ֔קֶך וְה֎נ֌ֵ֛ה לֹא֟ה֞י֥֞ה בְנ֖֮י אֲשֶׁ֥ך י֞ל֞֜דְת֌֎י׃

English:

When I arose in the morning to nurse my son, there he was, dead; but when I looked at him closely in the morning, it was not the son I had borne.”

She rose in the morning to nurse her son, found him dead, and on closer examination realized this was not the child she had borne. Rashi reads 'va-etbonen' as deliberate, focused scrutiny — the petitioner gave her heart to look at him; Radak adds that the morning light enabled her to perceive the substitution that the night had hidden.
ךש׎יRashi
ו֞אֶתְב֌וֹנֵן אֵל֞יו. נ֞תַת֌֎י לֵב לְה֎סְת֌ַכ֌ֵל ב֌וֹ.
I scrutinized him. I concentrated to scrutinize him.25And therefore I am certain of not making a mistake.

׀סוק כ׮ב · Verse 22

Hebrew:

וַת֌ֹ֩אמֶך֩ ה֞א֎שׁ֌֚֞ה ה֞אַחֶ֜ךֶת לֹ֣א כ֮֗י ב֌ְנ֎րי הַחַי֙ ו֌בְנֵ֣ךְ הַמ֌ֵ֔ת וְזֹրאת אֹמֶ֙ךֶת֙ לֹ֣א כ֮֔י ב֌ְנֵ֥ךְ הַמ֌ֵ֖ת ו֌בְנ֎֣י הֶח֑֞י וַת֌ְדַב֌ֵ֖ךְנ֞ה ל֎׀ְנֵ֥י הַמ֌ֶ֜לֶךְ׃

English:

The other woman spoke up, “No, the live one is my son, and the dead one is yours!” But the first insisted, “No, the dead boy is yours; mine is the live one!” And they went on arguing before the king.

The two women's claims invert each other in perfect symmetry — each says the living child is hers and the dead one belongs to the other. Metzudat David and Radak read the doubled exchange (the verse pictures them arguing back and forth before the king) as the deliberate setup for what follows: testimony against testimony cannot resolve the case, so something else will be needed.

׀סוק כ׮ג · Verse 23

Hebrew:

וַי֌ֹ֣אמֶך הַמ֌ֶ֔לֶךְ זֹ֣את אֹמֶ֔ךֶת זֶה֟ב֌ְנ֎֥י הַחַ֖י ו֌בְנֵ֣ךְ הַמ֌ֵ֑ת וְזֹրאת אֹמֶ֙ךֶת֙ לֹ֣א כ֮֔י ב֌ְנֵ֥ךְ הַמ֌ֵ֖ת ו֌בְנ֎֥י הֶח֞֜י׃ {×€}

English:

The king said, “One says, ‘This is my son, the live one, and the dead one is yours’; and the other says, ‘No, the dead boy is yours, mine is the live one.’”

Shlomo restates the symmetric claims aloud — one says the living is hers, the other says the same. Metzudat David and Radak see this as the king's deliberate first move: confirming the impasse rhetorically before introducing the test, and (per Radak's Talmudic reading) modeling the rule that a judge must repeat the litigants' arguments to demonstrate that he has understood them.

׀סוק כ׮ד · Verse 24

Hebrew:

וַי֌ֹ֥אמֶך הַמ֌ֶ֖לֶךְ קְח֣ו֌ ל֎י֟ח֑֞ךֶב וַי֌֞ב֎֥או֌ הַחֶ֖ךֶב ל֎׀ְנֵ֥י הַמ֌ֶ֜לֶךְ׃

English:

So the king gave the order, “Fetch me a sword.” A sword was brought before the king,

׀סוק כ׮ה · Verse 25

Hebrew:

וַי֌ֹ֣אמֶך הַמ֌ֶ֔לֶךְ ג֌֎זְך֛ו֌ אֶת֟הַי֌ֶ֥לֶד הַחַ֖י ל֎שְׁנ֑֞י֎ם ו֌תְנրו֌ אֶ֜ת֟הַחֲ׊֎י֙ לְאַחַ֔ת וְאֶ֜ת֟הַחֲ׊֎֖י לְאֶח֞֜ת׃

English:

and the king said, “Cut the live child in two, and give half to one and half to the other.”

The king commands: 'Cut the living child in two — half to one, half to the other.' Metzudat David explains that Shlomo has already discerned from their words who the true mother is; the order is a juridical test, never an actual sentence, designed to elicit the maternal reaction that will publicly verify what his wisdom has privately concluded.

׀סוק כ׮ו · Verse 26

Hebrew:

וַת֌ֹ֣אמֶך ה֞א֎שׁ֌֞ה֩ אֲשֶׁך֟ב֌ְנ֚֞ה֌ הַחַ֜י אֶל֟הַמ֌ֶ֗לֶךְ כ֌֎֜י֟נ֎כְמְך֣ו֌ ךַחֲמֶ֘יה֮֞ עַל֟ב֌ְנ֞ה֌֒ וַת֌ֹ֣אמֶך ׀ ב֌֎֣י אֲדֹנ֎֗י ת֌ְנו֌֟ל֞ה֌֙ אֶת֟הַי֌֞ל֣ו֌ד הַחַ֔י וְה֞מֵ֖ת אַל֟ת֌ְמ֎יתֻ֑הו֌ וְזֹ֣את אֹמֶ֗ךֶת ג֌ַם֟ל֎֥י גַם֟ל֛֞ךְ לֹ֥א י֎הְיֶ֖ה ג֌ְזֹ֜ךו֌׃

English:

But the woman whose son was the live one pleaded with the king, for she was overcome with compassion for her son. “Please, my lord,” she cried, “give her the live child; only don’t kill it!” The other insisted, “It shall be neither yours nor mine; cut it in two!”

The mother whose son lives, her compassion inflamed (כ֎֌י נ֎כְמְךו֌ ךַחֲמֶיה֞), surrenders her claim — give her the child, only do not kill him. The other accepts the division: 'let it be neither mine nor yours.' Metzudat David reveals the false claimant's true motive — she never wanted a child to nurse, only to deny her rival the joy of one; Radak adds that the true mother gambled correctly, calculating that the king would not actually grant the child to one who let him be killed.

׀סוק כ׮ז · Verse 27

Hebrew:

וַי֌ַ֚עַן הַמ֌ֶ֜לֶךְ וַי֌ֹ֗אמֶך ת֌ְנו֌֟ל֞ה֌֙ אֶת֟הַי֌֞ל֣ו֌ד הַחַ֔י וְה֞מֵ֖ת לֹ֣א תְמ֎יתֻ֑הו֌ ה֖֮יא א֎מ֌֜וֹ׃ {ס}        

English:

Then the king spoke up. “Give the live child to her,” he said, “and do not put it to death; she is its mother.”

Shlomo's verdict: give her the living child, do not put him to death — she is his mother. Rashi (citing Makkot 23b) records the tradition that a heavenly voice (בת קול) confirmed 'hi imo,' ratifying the human judgment with divine endorsement; Metzudat David and Radak ground the ruling in the mother's compassion itself — her reaction has revealed her, and the king's words name the conclusion that her body has already disclosed.
ךש׎יRashi
ה֮יא א֎מ֌וֹ. ב֌ַת קוֹל הוֹ׀֎יע֞ה וְא־מְ׹־ה: ה֮יא א֎מ֌וֹ.
She is his mother. A Divine voice appeared and said, "She is his mother."26See Rashi in Maseches Makos 23b.

׀סוק כ׮ח · Verse 28

Hebrew:

וַי֌֎שְׁמְע֣ו֌ כׇל֟י֎שְׂך֞אֵ֗ל אֶת֟הַמ֌֎שְׁ׀֌֞ט֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ך שׁ֞׀ַ֣ט הַמ֌ֶ֔לֶךְ וַי֌֎֜ךְא֖ו֌ מ֎׀֌ְנֵ֣י הַמ֌ֶ֑לֶךְ כ֌֎֣י ך֞א֔ו֌ כ֌֎֜י֟חׇכְמַ֧ת אֱלֹה֎֛ים ב֌ְק֎ךְב֌֖וֹ לַעֲשׂ֥וֹת מ֎שְׁ׀֌֞֜ט׃ {ס}        

English:

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.

All Israel hears the judgment and stands in awe of the king, for they see that the wisdom of God is within him to do justice (חׇכְמַת אֱלֹה֎ים בְ֌ק֎ךְב֌וֹ לַעֲשׂוֹת מ֎שְׁ׀֞֌ט). Metzudat David reads the people's fear as a response to the king's capacity to penetrate the secrets of the heart; Radak adds that this fear extends even to wrongdoing in private, since they now know that Shlomo's wisdom can bring hidden truths to light.

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