1 Kings 3:18 (WEB)

Passage

The third day after I delivered, this woman delivered also. We were together. There was no stranger with us in the house, just us two in the house.

Nearby Context

1 Kings 3:16 Then two women who were prostitutes came to the king, and stood before him.

1 Kings 3:17 The one woman said, “Oh, my lord, I and this woman dwell in one house. I delivered a child with her in the house.

1 Kings 3:18 The third day after I delivered, this woman delivered also. We were together. There was no stranger with us in the house, just us two in the house.

1 Kings 3:19 This woman’s child died in the night, because she lay on it.

1 Kings 3:20 She arose at midnight, and took my son from beside me, while your servant slept, and laid it in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "third", "after", "delivered", "woman", "together", "stranger", and "house". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "third" and "after", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 17's "The one woman said Oh my lord..." into verse 19's "This woman s child died in the...", so "third" and "after" 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 "third" and "after" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.