The Judgment of Solomon is the biblical example of King Solomon’s wisdom. When Solomon ascended to the throne, he sought after God, and God gave him opportunity to ask for whatever he wanted. Solomon humbly acknowledged his inability to rule well and unselfishly asked God wisdom. God gave him wisdom and wealth besides (1 Kings 3:4–15; 10:27). In fact, “King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth” (1 Kings 10:23). God also gave Solomon peace on all sides during most of his reign (1 Kings 4:20–25). The account of the Judgment of Solomon is found in 1 Kings 3:16–27:
Solomon’s strategy relied on the reality of the maternal instinct. He knew the true mother would prefer losing her son to another woman over seeing him killed. Solomon’s shrewdness in getting to the truth and the just verdict he pronounced caused everyone to take note: “When all Israel heard the verdict the king had given, they held the king in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom from God to administer justice” (1 Kings 3:28).
It is the responsibility of national leaders to search out the truth and provide justice. “A wise king winnows out the wicked; he drives the threshing wheel over them” (Proverbs 20:26; see also Deuteronomy 16:18–20 and Psalm 82:2–4). In his divinely bestowed wisdom, Solomon was able to provide justice and promote righteousness in his kingdom.
The Judgment of Solomon has been the subject of many classical paintings, including works by Flemish painters Frans Floris and Peter Paul Rubens, Dutch painter Matthias Stom, and Italian painter Giovanni Battista Tiepolo.