1 Kings 3:16

Two women. The case was one of no ordinary difficulty, or it would not have been brought to the king. The wisdom of Solomon was here to be put to a supreme test. Both disputants were of questionable character. The word of neither could be trusted. Their testimonies were evenly balanced, the stout affirmation of the one being met by the equally stout denial of the other. It seemed impossible to arrive at any certain or just decision. The whole court was in an atmosphere of suspense. Would the king have to admit that the matter was too difficult for him to handle? Inference, calculation, deduction, hypothesis — what were these but cumbersome weights to retard the wheels of justice in such a case as this? But Solomon cut across the cumbrous legal machinery of the court and gave a swift and certain verdict, the justice of which was beyond dispute. The child was returned to its mother, justice had had its way, and Solomon’s fame for wisdom and judgment was ensured for all time to come.

A mural from Pompeii now in the National Museum at Naples depicts what is thought to be the scene of Solomon judging between the two harlots.