The Judgment of Solomon
The tenth-century King of Israel demonstrated his legendary wisdom in a delicate custody battle.
970 BC-931 BC
The tenth-century King of Israel demonstrated his legendary wisdom in a delicate custody battle.
970 BC-931 BC
A ‘judgment of Solomon’ is an ultimatum that reveals what someone’s priorities really are. The term comes from a tale about King Solomon, who inherited the throne of his father David in 970 BC.
SOON after he was crowned King of Israel, two women appeared before Solomon, asking him to judge their case.
They were prostitutes who lived in the same house, and both had given birth within days of each other. According to one, the other had very craftily swapped babies after finding that her own had died in the night. Of course, the accused woman protested wildly that it was all the other way round, and the living child really was hers.
Solomon surprised everyone by turning to an attendant to say, ‘Slice the child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other’.
Of the two women, one met the King’s decision with a shrug, but the other tearfully begged Solomon to award the child to her rival, rather than harm a hair of its head. This told the King all he needed to know, and he was able to restore the baby to its own loving mother.
Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.
What was the dispute Solomon was asked to rule on?
Who should have custody of a baby.
Express the ideas below in a single sentence, using different words as much as possible. Do not be satisfied with the first answer you think of; think of several, and choose the best.
Solomon toured his new kingdom. He returned to Jerusalem. Two women brought a legal dispute to him.