Solomon (Person)

Solomon was the third king of Israel and the second son of David and Bathsheba. He ruled for 40 years, from 970 to 930 BC. His other name was Jedidiah, which means "beloved of the Lord."

Appointed to the Throne

After Amnon and Absalom were no longer possible heirs to the throne, Solomon and Adonijah became the two leading candidates. However, God had already promised that Solomon would become king (1 Chronicles 22:9–10).

Near the end of David’s life, Adonijah challenged Solomon’s claim and tried to make himself king. Joab, the commander of the army, and Abiathar the priest supported him. Adonijah was publicly declared king, but Solomon, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah were not invited.

Nathan told Bathsheba about the plan. She then asked David whether he still intended Solomon to succeed him. David ordered that Solomon be publicly proclaimed king over Israel. Zadok the priest anointed him while trumpets sounded and the people shouted, “Long live King Solomon!” (1 Kings 1:34).

Adonijah then realized that his attempt to become king had failed. He asked Solomon for mercy and promised to remain loyal to him.

Solomon acted quickly to strengthen his control of the kingdom (1 Kings 1–2). Adonijah later asked to marry Abishag, the young woman who had cared for David in his old age (1 Kings 1:1–4), Solomon viewed this request as a possible claim to the throne. He refused and ordered Adonijah’s death (1 Kings 2:22–25).

Because Abiathar the priest had supported Adonijah, Solomon removed him from office and sent him back to Anathoth. Joab fled to the altar and held on to its horns, seeking protection. Solomon ordered Benaiah to kill him. Benaiah then became commander of the army. Shimei, a member of Saul’s family who could also be seen as a threat, was later put to death.

One of Solomon’s first recorded acts as king was to go to the high place at Gibeon, where he offered 1,000 burnt offerings. That night, the Lord appeared to him in a dream and asked what he wanted most.

Solomon asked for wisdom to govern Israel and judge the people well. God was pleased with his request (1 Kings 3). He gave Solomon wisdom, along with riches, honor, and the promise of long life.

Solomon’s Accomplishments

His Government

David united the 12 tribes, but Solomon created an organized state with many officials to assist him (1 Kings 4). The country was divided into 12 major districts. Each district provided for the king’s court for one month each year. This system was fair and spread the tax burden across the entire country.

His Buildings

One of Solomon's first building projects was the temple. David wanted to build it, but Solomon, known for peace, took on the task. Hiram, the king of Tyre, supplied cedar trees from Mount Lebanon for the temple (1 Kings 5:1–12). In exchange, he received a fair amount of food. The Canaanites were made slaves to provide labor for these projects (1 Kings 9:20–21). Israelites also worked in groups of 10,000 every third month (1 Kings 5:13–18; 2 Chronicles 2:17–18). The temple workforce included:

• 80,000 stonecutters,

• 70,000 laborers, and

• 3,600 foremen.

It took seven years to finish the temple. By modern standards, it was a small building. It was 27.4 meters (90 feet) long, 9.1 meters (30 feet) wide, and 13.7 meters (45 feet) high. Still, the gold covering on the walls and furniture made it very expensive.

In the 11th year of Solomon’s reign, they celebrated the temple's dedication with a large gathering (1 Kings 6:38; 8:1–5). The Lord's presence filled the temple, and Solomon gave a significant prayer of dedication (1 Kings 8:23–53). This event marked a high point in his devotion to the Lord. Afterward, he sacrificed 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep, along with other offerings. The people were joyful because David had such a great successor.

Solomon built several other structures:

• the House of the Forest of Lebanon,

• the Hall of Justice,

• a hall for his throne, and

• a house for Pharaoh's daughter (1 Kings 7:2–8).

It took thirteen years to build his own house, which was large enough for his wives, concubines, and servants. He also built a great fortress called Millo to protect the temple (1 Kings 9:24), along with other storage and fortified cities.

His Trade with Other Nations

The king had an agreement with Hiram, king of Tyre, to pay yearly for cedar trees, stonecutters, and other building materials. This included 4.4 million liters (125,000 bushels) of wheat; and 435,275 liters (115,000 gallons) of olive oil (1 Kings 5:11).

Additionally, Hiram received 20 cities in Galilee to settle all debts. Despite the instruction not to trade in horses (Deuteronomy 17:16), Solomon bought horses and chariots from the Egyptians. He then sold some of these to the Hittites and Arameans for a profit (1 Kings 10:28–29).

Solomon also participated in sea trade. Ships built at Ezion-geber sailed to ports on the Red Sea and Indian Ocean. The sailors collected gold, ivory, and peacocks. From Ophir, the traders brought back 420 talents of gold, which was a large fortune.

His Wisdom

Solomon wrote 3,000 proverbs and 1,005 songs (1 Kings 4:32). Most of the book of Proverbs is credited to him (Proverbs 25:1), along with Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, and Psalms 72 and 127. His obituary mentions his writings in the book of the acts of Solomon (1 Kings 11:41).

The Queen of Sheba visited to verify reports of Solomon's fame and wisdom. After seeing everything in Jerusalem and hearing his wisdom, she praised the Lord God of Israel. She acknowledged that God had raised such a wise person to sit on a magnificent throne (1 Kings 10).

His Fall

Solomon made many mistakes during his reign, including excessively taxing the people. His biggest error was adding many wives to his harem and building pagan shrines for their religious practices (1 Kings 11:1–8). The Lord punished Solomon by allowing attacks on Israel from all sides. Although the kingdom remained intact during Solomon's time, it divided during his son's rule. There is no record of Solomon repenting, but the book of Ecclesiastes might show his awareness of his poor choices.

See also Chronology of the Bible (Old Testament); Book of Ecclesiastes; History of Israel; King, Kingship; Book of Proverbs; Song of Solomon; Wisdom; Wisdom Literature.