1 Kings 3:21 (DRB)

Passage

And when I arose in the morning, to give my child suck, behold it was dead: but considering him more diligently, when it was clear day, I found that it was not mine which I bore.

Nearby Context

1 Kings 3:19 And this woman's child died in the night: for in her sleep she overlaid him.

1 Kings 3:20 And rising in the dead time of the night, she took my child from my side, while I, thy handmaid, was asleep, and laid it in her bosom: and laid her dead child in my bosom.

1 Kings 3:21 And when I arose in the morning, to give my child suck, behold it was dead: but considering him more diligently, when it was clear day, I found that it was not mine which I bore.

1 Kings 3:22 And the other woman answered: It is not so as thou sayest, but thy child is dead, and mine is alive. On the contrary, she said; Thou liest: for my child liveth, and thy child is dead. And in this manner they strove before the king.

1 Kings 3:23 Then said the king: The one saith, My child is alive, and thy child is dead. And the other answereth: Nay; but thy child is dead, and mine liveth.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "arose", "morning", "give", "child", "suck", "behold", "dead", and "considering". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "arose" and "morning", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 20's "And rising in the dead time of..." into verse 22's "And the other woman answered It is...", so "arose" and "morning" belong inside that flow. In 1 Kings context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "arose" and "morning" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.