The reality of the gift that Solomon had received from God in his dream is demonstrated in 1 Kings 3:16–28. It can be divided into several sections. Here in verse 16 we see a dispute between two female prostitutes brought before the king.

The presentation before the king of a controversy that could not be settled privately by the individuals involved reminds us of the judicial responsibilities that fell upon Israel’s king. Before the monarchy had been established, persons who led the people were named judges, thus illustrating the importance of this function to the nation.

Even in the time of Moses the need for judicial decisions was so pronounced that Moses’ father-in-law said it was exhausting Moses. And after the intervening period of the judges, such a need for judicial decisions remained and became an important responsibility of the king (Exodus 18:16, Exodus 18:18).

This does not mean that there were no lower magistrates. But cases that the king’s officials could not solve would be brought to the king. This case as we will see was a difficult one since it pitted the word of one prostitute against the other in a case where there did not exist third-party witnesses or documentary evidence.