And the king said, Bring me a sword. And they brought a sword before the king.
The order to bring a sword came early in Solomon's reign as a demonstration of both wisdom and kindly sympathy. It was given in the course of a dispute between two women over a child, where human testimony alone could not settle the claim. By calling for the sword Solomon exposed the true mother, distinguishing her by her self-sacrificing love from the false claimant. In this way the helpless child, even a tiny babe, was identified with its rightful parent and restored to her care.
The order to bring a sword came early in Solomon's reign as a demonstration of both wisdom and kindly sympathy. It was given in the course of a dispute between two women over a child, where human testimony alone could not settle the claim. By calling for the sword Solomon exposed the true mother, distinguishing her by her self-sacrificing love from the false claimant. In this way the helpless child, even a tiny babe, was identified with its rightful parent and restored to her care.