מלכים א, פרק ג׳, פסוק י״ח

Two women stand in a desperate legal dispute over a living infant, presenting a case plagued by a central difficulty: a complete lack of witnesses. The plaintiff, claiming to be the true mother, begins by establishing the timeline of the births. She notes that the second woman also gave birth to a son exactly three days after her own delivery [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Highlighting this specific time gap is a deliberate strategy. The mother hopes the king will use his wisdom to recognize the physical differences between a three-day-old infant and a fresh newborn, allowing the truth to surface despite the absence of eyewitnesses [אברבנאל].

To further establish the facts of the case, the mother repeatedly stresses their total isolation during the night in question, making it clear that no one else was present to observe what truly happened [מצודת דוד, אברבנאל]. Her repetitive descriptions of their living situation are highly intentional, designed to systematically rule out any possibility of another person being anywhere in the building. She explains that they did not merely share a house while sleeping in separate quarters, but actually stayed together in the exact same room. She confirms that no one else was present with them in that specific room, and further emphasizes that the rest of the rooms in the entire house were completely empty as well [מלבי״ם].