The judgement of Solomon: justice, compassion and the interest of children

Abstract

This essay examines the biblical story of the judgement of Solomon. It gives, first, a survey of the controversy about the historical and biblical Solomon, before giving the two official versions (one rabbinic, another biblical) of the judgement. Second, the article analyses the first part of the judgement centred on the “splitting the baby” or the “cutting the baby in half”. Third, it examines the second and final part of the judgement, focused on the King’s declaration that the first mother is the true mother because she is the loving mother of the disputed child. In a fourth section, the article understands the judgement through the contemporary judicial standards of “fair play” and “due process”.