Solomon offered many sacrifices at the high place in Gibeon. That night God appeared to him in a dream and told him to ask for what he wanted. Solomon spoke of God’s faithfulness to David and said that he was like a child who did not know how to govern. He asked for a listening heart to judge the great people entrusted to him.
God was pleased because Solomon had not asked for long life, riches, or the death of enemies. God gave him a wise and discerning heart and also promised wealth and honor. Solomon returned to Jerusalem, stood before the ark, offered sacrifices, and gave a feast for his servants.
Two women came before him, each claiming the same living infant. They had lived in one house and given birth three days apart. One woman said the other’s child had died in the night and that she had exchanged the dead child for the living one. The other woman denied it, insisting that the living child was hers.
Solomon called for a sword and said the living child should be divided between them. The true mother begged that the child be given to the other woman rather than killed. The other said he should be divided. Solomon gave the living child to the woman who begged for his life. Israel heard the judgment and saw that God’s wisdom was in the king.
Solomon woke and knew it had been a dream. He returned to Jerusalem, stood before the ark, offered sacrifices, and held a feast. The dispute that follows shows the kind of judgment for which he had asked.
Both women repeated the same claim: the living child was hers and the dead child belonged to the other. Solomon did not summon a witness to the night. He called for a sword and ordered the child divided. One woman asked that the child be given away alive; the other agreed to division.
Solomon declared that the woman who wanted the child to live was the mother and gave the child to her. Israel heard the judgment and feared the king, recognizing that God’s wisdom was in him to administer justice.