• Jacob Chanikuzhy

Harlots are no strangers to the Bible. One can find in the Bible, stories of real harlots and those who pretended to be harlots. An interesting story in  1 Kings 3, is the story of two harlots claiming for a child. According to the narrative of the first woman, the second woman swapped her dead child with the living child of the first woman while she was asleep. Supposedly, the judges in the local courts could not deliver a reasonable verdict as there were no witnesses. Finally, the case came to the court of King Solomon. He ordered the child to be divided into two and given to the women. Upon hearing this judgment from the king, the real mother forfeited her claim for the child and asked the king to give the child alive to the other woman. However the other woman objected to it and insisted on dividing the child into two.

Bible scholars do not agree on who the real mother of the child is. Many think that the first woman, the complainant, is the genuine mother. Others hold that the defendant is the biological mother of the child. The first woman has a story to tell. Is it a cooked up story or a real one? After all, she is a harlot whose ethical standards are questionable. But, since one is a harlot, should everything she says be a lie? The reliability of the other woman is that she has no story and she did not need to make one. In today’s world many make a fortune by forging false stories about themselves and others. It needs a ruler with divine wisdom to discern the true stories from the false ones and to identify the agenda hidden behind the stories.

The decision of the king to divide the child into two was not taken arbitrarily. According to the property laws of Israel, when there is a reasonable doubt regarding the ownership, then the property is to be equally divided among those who claim it. This is what King Solomon did in the case of the baby. One of the women was satisfied with her legal right for the half of the child. However, the original mother was horrified by the legal judgement that would cause the death of the child. She was ready to give up her legal rights in order to save the life of her child. The king was wise enough to identify the real mother from her willingness to sacrifice her rights for the sake of the life of child.

The story is an eye opener in some ways. First, the judicial system of King Solomon had a place for the hapless people like the harlots. The king was keen on doing justice to the harlots even though they were looked down by the general public. Today we take pride in an advanced judicial system and a greatly developed society. However, how many are concerned with the life issues of the marginalised, oppressed, discriminated, and especially those who are forced to surrender their human rights and dignity just to survive?

Secondly, the story proves the adage that the mother is the greatest warrior when her child is at risk. The whore who left no stones unturned to get her child for herself is a challenge for those mothers who are willing to abandon their babies to protect their egoistic or pragmatic interests.

Thirdly, even a harlot was capable of making utmost sacrifice of giving up her child for the best interest of that child. Even though she loses the joy of bringing up her child with all its attached emotions and experiences, she is content with the fact that her child is alive. It is a great suffering to see one’s child in the lap of a stranger who enjoys the love and trust of one’s own child. The real mother overcomes her right consciousness, ego, envy, and hatred, all for the sake of her baby. Our genuine love and interest for someone or something is manifested by the amount of sacrifices we are prepared to make for the well-being of the object of our love. By holding on to law, legal power and legal rights we may succeed , succeed to get the carcass.