1 Kings 3:22 (GNV)

Passage

Then the other woman sayd, Nay, but my sonne liueth, and thy sonne is dead. Againe she sayde, No, but thy sonne is dead, and mine aliue: thus they spake before the King.

Nearby Context

1 Kings 3:20 And she rose at midnight, and tooke my sonne from my side, while thine handmaide slept, and layde him in her bosome, and layde her dead sonne in my bosome.

1 Kings 3:21 And when I rose in the morning to giue my sonne sucke, beholde, he was dead: and when I had well considered him in the morning, beholde, it was not my sonne, whom I had borne.

1 Kings 3:22 Then the other woman sayd, Nay, but my sonne liueth, and thy sonne is dead. Againe she sayde, No, but thy sonne is dead, and mine aliue: thus they spake before the King.

1 Kings 3:23 Then sayde the King, She sayth, This that liueth is my sonne, and the dead is thy sonne: and the other sayth, Nay, but the dead is thy sonne, and the liuing is my sonne.

1 Kings 3:24 Then the King said, Bring me a sworde: and they brought out a sworde before the King.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "other", "woman", "sayd", "sonne", "liueth", "dead", and "againe". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "other" and "woman", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 21's "And when I rose in the morning..." into verse 23's "Then sayde the King She sayth This...", so "other" and "woman" 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 "other" and "woman" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.