The Judgment of Solomon is a story from the Hebrew Bible in which King Solomon ruled between two women both claiming to be the mother of a child. He tricked the parties into revealing their true feelings by using a fallacious appeal to moderation. Some consider it an archetypal example of an impartial judge displaying wisdom in making a ruling. Solomon was a wealthy and wise king of Israel who succeeded his father, King David. The conventional dates of Solomon's reign are 970 to 931 BC. No artist credited, undated.