Passage
And the King sayde, Deuide ye the liuing child in twaine, and giue the one halfe to the one, and the other halfe to the other.
1 Kings 3:25 (GNV)
Nearby Context
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.
1 Kings 3:25 And the King sayde, Deuide ye the liuing child in twaine, and giue the one halfe to the one, and the other halfe to the other.
1 Kings 3:26 Then spake the woman, whose the liuing child was, vnto the King, for her compassion was kindled toward her sonne, and she sayde, Oh my lorde, giue her the liuing childe, and slay him not: but the other sayde, Let it be neither mine nor thine, but deuide it.
1 Kings 3:27 Then the King answered, and sayde, Giue her the liuing childe, and slay him not: this is his mother.
Study Lenses
The verse centers on "king", "sayde", "deuide", "liuing", "child", "twaine", "giue", and "halfe". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "king" and "sayde", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The nearby context moves from verse 24's "Then the King said Bring me a..." into verse 26's "Then spake the woman whose the liuing...", so "king" and "sayde" 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 "king" and "sayde" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.