Single lesson
Solomon and the Two Mothers
1 Kings 3:16–28
A painful case about one living baby and two claims showed the wisdom God had given King Solomon.
Before you teach
Two women who were prostitutes came to King Solomon with a hard dispute. They lived in the same house. One woman said she gave birth there, and three days later the other woman gave birth too. No one else was in the house with them. She said that in the night the other woman’s baby died because she lay on him. Then, while the first woman slept, the other woman took the living baby from beside her and put her own dead baby in his place.
Describe the central teaching of Solomon and the Two Mothers, using two details from the reading. A painful case about one living baby and two claims showed the wisdom God had given King Solomon.
Welcome: Solomon and the Two Mothers
4 minIntroduce “Solomon and the Two Mothers” and locate 1 Kings 3:16–28. A painful case about one living baby and two claims showed the wisdom God had given King Solomon. Invite each learner to name a detail or question they will listen for.
1 Kings 3:16, 1 Kings 3:22, 1 Kings 3:28
Read and explain the passage
8 minTwo women who were prostitutes came to King Solomon with a hard dispute. They lived in the same house. One woman said she gave birth there, and three days later the other woman gave birth too. No one else was in the house with them.
In the morning, the first woman got up to nurse the child and saw that the baby beside her was dead. But when she looked closely, she said it was not the son she had borne. The other woman denied it. Each claimed the living child was hers and the dead child belonged to the other.
Then the real mother begged for the baby’s life, because her heart yearned for her son. She asked the king to give the child to the other woman instead. But the other woman said the child should belong to neither of them. So Solomon said, “Give the living child to the first woman. Do not kill him.” He knew she was his mother. When Israel heard this judgment, they stood in awe of the king, because they saw God’s wisdom in him to do justice.
Read the selected verses together, pausing at “Solomon and the Two Mothers”. Use the source reading below and check the explanation against the words of the passage.
1 Kings 3:16, 1 Kings 3:18, 1 Kings 3:25, 1 Kings 3:21, 1 Kings 3:22, 1 Kings 3:26, 1 Kings 3:27, 1 Kings 3:28
Discuss the details and their meaning
6 minUse the three questions below. Begin with ““She said that in the night the other woman’s baby died because she lay on him.” Which details explain how the account reaches this point?” and allow time to find the supporting verses. A painful case about one living baby and two claims showed the wisdom God had given King Solomon. Ask learners to explain which details support their answer and to identify a question they would like to explore further.
1 Kings 3:19, 1 Kings 3:20, 1 Kings 3:27, 1 Kings 3:21, 1 Kings 3:22, 1 Kings 3:26, 1 Kings 3:28
Make and respond: Story sequence booklet
9 minWork on “Solomon and the Two Mothers: Story sequence booklet”. Follow the materials and steps below, using “Solomon and the Two Mothers” as reading headings. Each learner should include at least two accurate details and their verse references. Share one observation from the finished sheet and explain how it connects with the central teaching.
1 Kings 3:16, 1 Kings 3:22, 1 Kings 3:28
Closing: return to Solomon and the Two Mothers
3 minRevisit 1 Kings 3:16–28. Invite a learner to summarise what the group has learned about Solomon and the Two Mothers and another to support the summary with a verse. Give learners a moment to complete their response sheet. They can share a question or, if appropriate for the group, join the optional prayer.
1 Kings 3:16, 1 Kings 3:22, 1 Kings 3:28
Questions to explore
“She said that in the night the other woman’s baby died because she lay on him.” Which details explain how the account reaches this point?
She said that in the night the other woman’s baby died because she lay on him. Then, while the first woman slept, the other woman took the living baby from beside her and put her own dead baby in his place.
1 Kings 3:19, 1 Kings 3:20, 1 Kings 3:27
How does this moment affect the rest of the account: “In the morning, the first woman got up to nurse the child and saw that the baby beside her was dead.”?
In the morning, the first woman got up to nurse the child and saw that the baby beside her was dead. But when she looked closely, she said it was not the son she had borne. The other woman denied it. Each claimed the living child was hers and the dead child belonged to the other.
1 Kings 3:21, 1 Kings 3:22, 1 Kings 3:26
“Then the real mother begged for the baby’s life, because her heart yearned for her son.” How does this ending connect with the beginning?
Then the real mother begged for the baby’s life, because her heart yearned for her son. She asked the king to give the child to the other woman instead. But the other woman said the child should belong to neither of them. So Solomon said, “Give the living child to the first woman. Do not kill him.” He knew she was his mother. When Israel…
1 Kings 3:26, 1 Kings 3:27, 1 Kings 3:28
Make, think or respond
Solomon and the Two Mothers: Story sequence booklet
What you’ll need
- plain paper or card
- pencils or pens
- coloured pencils or crayons
Try it together
- Fold a sheet into three panels or draw three columns. Label them “Beginning”, “What changes?”, “How it ends”.
- Read 1 Kings 3:16–28. Use “Solomon and the Two Mothers” as your reading headings and add a short quotation or detail with its verse reference to each panel.
- Talk through your notes with an adult. Add a word, drawing or short quotation that helps you remember each part.
- Retell the account using your three panels, checking the order against the passage.
The finished sheet keeps the details of Solomon and the Two Mothers connected to their Bible references and gives the group a way to explain what they noticed.
Adapt for your group
- For younger children, read the selected verses aloud, prepare the three panels and let them respond with drawings or a few words. Use Solomon and the Two Mothers as the retelling prompt.
- For older children, add verse references to the response sheet and explain a connection between Solomon and the Two Mothers and the final part of the reading.
An optional closing prayer
“God, help us listen carefully as we read 1 Kings 3:16–28. Help us understand what we have read, ask thoughtful questions and respond with care for others. Amen.”
Read the Bible passage World English Bible Classic
1 Kings 3
16 Then two women who were prostitutes came to the king, and stood before him.
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.
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.
19 This woman’s child died in the night, because she lay on it.
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.
21 When I rose in the morning to nurse my child, behold, he was dead; but when I had looked at him in the morning, behold, it was not my son whom I bore.”
22 The other woman said, “No! But the living one is my son, and the dead one is your son.” The first one said, “No! But the dead one is your son, and the living one is my son.” They argued like this before the king.
23 Then the king said, “One says, ‘This is my son who lives, and your son is the dead one;’ and the other says, ‘No! But your son is the dead one, and my son is the living one.’ ”
24 The king said, “Get me a sword.” So they brought a sword before the king.
25 The king said, “Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other.”
26 Then the woman whose the living child was spoke to the king, for her heart yearned over her son, and she said, “Oh, my lord, give her the living child, and in no way kill him!” But the other said, “He shall be neither mine nor yours. Divide him.”
27 Then the king answered, “Give the first woman the living child, and definitely do not kill him. She is his mother.”
28 All Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged; and they feared the king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to do justice.
World English Bible Classic. Public domain.
Source passages
Something to make together
These activities connect with the passage. Choose one that suits your group and the time you have.
