1 Kings 3:16
New International Version
Now two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him.

New Living Translation
Some time later two prostitutes came to the king to have an argument settled.

English Standard Version
Then two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him.

Berean Standard Bible
At that time two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him.

King James Bible
Then came there two women, that were harlots, unto the king, and stood before him.

New King James Version
Now two women who were harlots came to the king, and stood before him.

New American Standard Bible
Then two women who were prostitutes came to the king and stood before him.

NASB 1995
Then two women who were harlots came to the king and stood before him.

NASB 1977
Then two women who were harlots came to the king and stood before him.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then two women who were harlots came to the king and stood before him.

Amplified Bible
Then two women who were prostitutes came to the king and stood before him.

Christian Standard Bible
Then two women who were prostitutes came to the king and stood before him.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Then two women who were prostitutes came to the king and stood before him.

American Standard Version
Then there came two women that were harlots, unto the king, and stood before him.

Contemporary English Version
One day two women came to King Solomon,

English Revised Version
Then came there two women, that were harlots, unto the king, and stood before him.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
A short time later two prostitutes came to the king and stood in front of him.

Good News Translation
One day two prostitutes came and presented themselves before King Solomon.

International Standard Version
Right about then, two prostitutes approached the king and requested an audience with him.

Majority Standard Bible
At that time two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him.

NET Bible
Then two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him.

New Heart English Bible
Then two women who were prostitutes came to the king, and stood before him.

Webster's Bible Translation
Then came there two women, that were harlots, to the king, and stood before him.

World English Bible
Then two women who were prostitutes came to the king, and stood before him.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Then two women, harlots, come to the king, and they stand before him,

Young's Literal Translation
then come in do two women, harlots, unto the king, and stand before him,

Smith's Literal Translation
Then will come two women, harlots, to the king, and they will stand before him.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Then there came two women that were harlots, to the king, and stood before him:

Catholic Public Domain Version
Then two women harlots went to the king, and they stood before him.

New American Bible
Later, two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him.

New Revised Standard Version
Later, two women who were prostitutes came to the king and stood before him.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Then came there two women who were harlots to plead before King Solomon.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Then two women harlots came to be judged before King Solomon.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Then came there two women, that were harlots, unto the king, and stood before him.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Then there appeared two harlots before the king, and they stood before him.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Solomon Judges Wisely
16At that time two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. 17One woman said, “Please, my lord, this woman and I live in the same house, and I gave birth while she was in the house.…

Cross References
John 8:3-11
The scribes and Pharisees, however, brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before them / and said, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. / In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such a woman. So what do You say?” ...

Matthew 22:15-22
Then the Pharisees went out and conspired to trap Jesus in His words. / They sent their disciples to Him along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that You are honest and that You teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You seek favor from no one, because You pay no attention to external appearance. / So tell us what You think: Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” ...

Luke 20:20-26
So they watched Him closely and sent spies who pretended to be sincere. They were hoping to catch Him in His words in order to hand Him over to the rule and authority of the governor. / “Teacher,” they inquired, “we know that You speak and teach correctly. You show no partiality but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. / Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” ...

Proverbs 31:9
Open your mouth, judge righteously, and defend the cause of the poor and needy.

James 1:5
Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.

Matthew 12:42
The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and now One greater than Solomon is here.

2 Chronicles 9:8
Blessed be the LORD your God, who has delighted in you to set you on His throne to be king for the LORD your God. Because your God loved Israel enough to establish them forever, He has made you king over them to carry out justice and righteousness.”

Proverbs 2:6-9
For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding. / He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk with integrity, / to guard the paths of justice and protect the way of His saints. ...

Isaiah 11:2-4
The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him—the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and strength, the Spirit of knowledge and fear of the LORD. / And He will delight in the fear of the LORD. He will not judge by what His eyes see, and He will not decide by what His ears hear, / but with righteousness He will judge the poor, and with equity He will decide for the lowly of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth and slay the wicked with the breath of His lips.

Psalm 72:1-2
Of Solomon. Endow the king with Your justice, O God, and the son of the king with Your righteousness. / May he judge Your people with righteousness and Your afflicted with justice.

Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it pierces even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Romans 11:33
O, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and untraceable His ways!

Proverbs 8:14-16
Counsel and sound judgment are mine; I have insight and strength. / By me kings reign, and rulers enact just laws; / By me princes rule, and all nobles who govern justly.

Ecclesiastes 7:19
Wisdom makes the wise man stronger than ten rulers in a city.

Colossians 2:3
in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.


Treasury of Scripture

Then came there two women, that were harlots, to the king, and stood before him.

two women

Leviticus 19:29
Do not prostitute thy daughter, to cause her to be a whore; lest the land fall to whoredom, and the land become full of wickedness.

Deuteronomy 23:17
There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel.

Joshua 2:1
And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho. And they went, and came into an harlot's house, named Rahab, and lodged there.

Joshua 2:1
And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho. And they went, and came into an harlot's house, named Rahab, and lodged there.

Judges 11:1
Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valour, and he was the son of an harlot: and Gilead begat Jephthah.

stood.

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Harlots Loose Places Prostitutes Stand Stood Women
1 Kings 3
1. Solomon marries Pharaoh's daughter
2. High places being in use, Solomon sacrifices at Gibeon
5. Solomon at Gibeon, in the choice which God gave him,
10. preferring wisdom, obtains wisdom, riches, and honor
16. Solomon's judgment makes him renowned














At that time
This phrase situates the narrative within a specific period in King Solomon's reign. It follows the account of Solomon's request for wisdom from God, which is foundational to understanding the events that unfold. The Hebrew root for "time" (עֵת, 'et) often signifies a divinely appointed moment, suggesting that this incident is not random but orchestrated within God's sovereign plan. It highlights the immediacy and relevance of Solomon's wisdom being put to the test.

two prostitutes
The mention of "prostitutes" (זֹנוֹת, zonot) is significant, as it underscores the inclusivity of Solomon's justice. In ancient Israel, prostitutes were marginalized and often disregarded by society. By bringing their case before the king, it demonstrates that Solomon's wisdom and justice were accessible to all, regardless of social status. This reflects the biblical principle that God's justice is impartial and available to everyone, echoing the teachings of Jesus who ministered to the marginalized.

came to the king
The act of coming to the king (בָּאוּ אֶל־הַמֶּלֶךְ, ba'u el-hammelech) signifies seeking justice and resolution from the highest authority in the land. In the ancient Near Eastern context, the king was not only a political leader but also a judicial figure. This phrase emphasizes the role of the king as a shepherd of his people, responsible for their welfare and justice, a role that Solomon fulfills with divine wisdom.

and stood before him
Standing before the king (וַתַּעֲמֹדְנָה לְפָנָיו, vata'amodna lefanav) indicates a formal presentation of their case. In biblical times, standing was a posture of respect and readiness to present one's plea. This phrase highlights the gravity of the situation and the respect accorded to the king's authority. It also sets the stage for the demonstration of Solomon's God-given wisdom, as he listens and discerns the truth in a complex and emotionally charged situation.

(16) Then came there.--The celebrated "judgment of Solomon," given here as a specimen of his wisdom, is simply an instance of intuitive sagacity, cutting the Gordian knot of hopeless difficulty by the appear to maternal instinct--an appeal which might, of course, fail, but which was, under the exceptional circumstances, the only appeal possible. It is in the knowledge how to risk failure rather than be reduced to impotence, and how to go straight to the heart of a difficulty when the slow, regular approaches of science are impossible, that we recognise what men call "a touch of genius," and what Scripture here calls the "wisdom of God."

Verse 16. - Then came there two women that were harlots [The Jewish writers here, as in the case of Rahab (Joshua 2:1), would understand "hostess," "innkeeper" (פונדקיתא, not פונדקן, as Bahr, which = , πανδοκεῖον, "inn"). In support of which it is alleged that prostitutes never have children, or if they have are not solicitous about them. The meaning "hostess," however (as if from זוּן, to feed), is not to be entertained for a moment, but we may readily admit that these children, though born out of wedlock, were not necessarily the offspring of professed harlots, though the fact that their mothers dwelt together and alone (ver. 17) is certainly suspicious; and see Gesen. s.v. זָנָה. Grotius, from Deuteronomy 23:17, concludes that they must have been foreigners. But it is equally probable that the law was constantly violated] unto the king [as supreme judge] and stood before him.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
At that time
אָ֣ז (’āz)
Adverb
Strong's 227: At that time, place, therefore

two
שְׁתַּ֛יִם (šə·ta·yim)
Number - fd
Strong's 8147: Two (a cardinal number)

prostitutes
זֹנ֖וֹת (zō·nō·wṯ)
Noun - feminine plural
Strong's 2185: Harlots

came
תָּבֹ֗אנָה (tā·ḇō·nāh)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine plural
Strong's 935: To come in, come, go in, go

to
אֶל־ (’el-)
Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

the king
הַמֶּ֑לֶךְ (ham·me·leḵ)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4428: A king

and stood
וַֽתַּעֲמֹ֖דְנָה (wat·ta·‘ă·mō·ḏə·nāh)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person feminine plural
Strong's 5975: To stand, in various relations

before him.
לְפָנָֽיו׃ (lə·p̄ā·nāw)
Preposition-l | Noun - common plural construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 6440: The face


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OT History: 1 Kings 3:16 Then there came two women who were (1Ki iKi i Ki 1 Kg 1kg)
1 Kings 3:15
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