1 Kings 3:16 (GNV)

Passage

Then came two harlots vnto the King, and stoode before him.

Nearby Context

1 Kings 3:14 And if thou wilt walke in my wayes, to keepe mine ordinances and my commandements, as thy father Dauid did walke, I will prolong thy dayes.

1 Kings 3:15 And when Salomon awoke, behold, it was a dreame, and he came to Ierusalem, and stoode before the Arke of the couenant of the Lord, and offred burnt offrings and made peace offrings, and made a feast to all his seruants.

1 Kings 3:16 Then came two harlots vnto the King, and stoode before him.

1 Kings 3:17 And the one woman sayd, Oh my lorde, I and this woman dwell in one house, and I was deliuered of a childe with her in the house.

1 Kings 3:18 And the third day after that I was deliuered, this woman was deliuered also: and we were in the house together: no stranger was with vs in the house, saue we twaine.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "came", "harlots", "vnto", "king", "stoode", and "before". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "came" and "harlots", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "And when Salomon awoke behold it was..." into verse 17's "And the one woman sayd Oh my...", so "came" and "harlots" 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 "came" and "harlots" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.