1 Kings 3:24 (YLT)

Passage

And the king saith, `Take for me a sword;' and they bring the sword before the king,

Nearby Context

1 Kings 3:22 And the other woman saith, `Nay, but my son <FI>is<Fi> the living, and thy son the dead;' and this <FI>one<Fi> saith, `Nay, but thy son <FI>is<Fi> the dead, and my son the living.' And they speak before the king.

1 Kings 3:23 And the king saith, `This <FI>one<Fi> saith, This <FI>is<Fi> my son, the living, and thy son <FI>is<Fi> the dead; and that <FI>one<Fi> saith, Nay, but thy son <FI>is<Fi> the dead, and my son the living.'

1 Kings 3:24 And the king saith, `Take for me a sword;' and they bring the sword before the king,

1 Kings 3:25 and the king saith, `Cut the living child into two, and give the half to the one, and the half to the other.'

1 Kings 3:26 And the woman whose son <FI>is<Fi> the living one saith unto the king (for her bowels yearned over her son), yea, she saith, `O, my lord, give to her the living child, and put it not at all to death;' and this <FI>one<Fi> saith, `Let it be neither mine or thine--cut <FI>it<Fi> .'

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "king", "saith", "take", "sword", "bring", and "before". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "king" and "saith", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 23's "And the king saith This FI one..." into verse 25's "and the king saith Cut the living...", so "king" and "saith" 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 "saith" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.