"Then the woman whose son was alive said to the king, 'Oh my lord, give her the living child, and by no means slay it.' Her heart yearned over her son." — The first woman's response is *urgent and selfless*: *adi adoni ten lah et-ha-yeled ha-chay ve-'al-tamitehu* (Oh, my lord, give her the living child, and by no means slay it). The reason—*ki-nichmeruh rachamim alaV* (her heart yearned over her son)—reveals *maternal love*. The phrase *nichmeruh rachamim* (her bowels/womb was moved with compassion) is the language of *visceral parental emotion*. She *surrenders* her claim to the child rather than see it killed. The true mother is willing to *lose* the child rather than see it harmed.

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