Solomon
The name Solomon means “peaceable; perfect; one who recompenses”
Summary
Profile
Solomon was the third king of Israel and the second son of David and Bathsheba (2 Samuel 12:13–25). He ruled for forty years, from 971 to 931 BC. When Solomon first became king he had strong faith in God. But, he ended his life worshiping idols, which led to the destruction of his kingdom.
As King David neared death, his son Adonijah tried to make himself king with support from the priest Abiathar and the general Joab (1 Kings 1:1–53). However, the kingdom was promised to Solomon (1 Kings 1:17; see 2 Samuel 12:24–25; 1 Chronicles 28:4–7). So, Bathsheba and the prophet Nathan told David about Adonijah’s plans. David quickly arranged for Solomon to be officially declared king. Then David advised Solomon to follow God faithfully (1 Kings 2:1–9).
Solomon loved God and asked for his help. God offered him a gift, and Solomon chose wisdom over long life, riches, or fame. As a result, God granted Solomon all of these:
He ruled wisely (1 Kings 3:16–28).
He earned worldwide respect (1 Kings 4:20–34).
He wrote the Song of Songs, most of Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes.
Rabbis (Jewish teachers) said these books reflect three stages of his life: “When a man is young he composes songs; when he grows older he makes sententious remarks; and when he becomes an old man he speaks of the vanity of things” (Midrash Rabbah). He also built the temple in Jerusalem and his palace. He expanded trade and increased Israel's wealth and security. His wisdom and wealth were famous. The queen of Sheba visited Jerusalem to see him herself (1 Kings 10:1–29).
Solomon made many foreign alliances and married many foreign women, starting with the daughter of Egypt’s pharaoh (1 Kings 3:1). His foreign wives led him away from God and toward idols. Later in life, Solomon, once wise, became very foolish under their influence. He worshiped false gods and treated his people badly. As a result, God used Jeroboam to take away a large part of Solomon's kingdom.
Even so, the New Testament remembers Solomon’s wisdom and glory as the example by which others are judged. Jesus is the incarnation of God's wisdom (or God's wisdom in human form), which greatly exceeds Solomon's (Matthew 12:42; Luke 11:31).
Passages for Further Study
2 Samuel 12:24–25; 1 Kings 1:1–11:43; 2 Chronicles 1:1–9:31; Psalms 72:1–20; 127:1–5; Proverbs 1:1; Matthew 6:28–30; 12:42; Luke 11:31; 12:27
Events
- Reign of Solomonc. 1015 BC
Glossary entries
Family members
Alternative names
- Σολομών, ΣαλωμώνSolomon
- יְדִידְיָהJedidiahmeans “beloved of the Lord”
- שְׁלֹמֹהSolomon
Mentions
Includes 171 verses that refer to Solomon without naming them, as “he”, “she”, or the subject of a verb.
- 2 Samuel 5:14שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonThese are the names of the children born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon,
- 2 Samuel 12:24שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonThen David comforted his wife Bathsheba, and he went to her and lay with her. So she gave birth to a son, and they named him Solomon. Now the LORD loved the child
- 2 Samuel 12:25יְדִידְיָה · Jedidiah…and sent word through Nathan the prophet to name him Jedidiah because the LORD loved him.
- 1 Kings 1:10שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonBut he did not invite Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, the mighty men, or his brother Solomon.
- 1 Kings 1:11שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonThen Nathan said to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, “Have you not heard that Adonijah son of Haggith has become king, and our lord David does not know it?
- 1 Kings 1:12שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonNow please, come and let me advise you. Save your own life and the life of your son Solomon.
- 1 Kings 1:13שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonGo at once to King David and say, ‘My lord the king, did you not swear to your maidservant, “Surely your son Solomon will reign after me, and he will sit on my throne”? Why then has Adonijah become king?’
- 1 Kings 1:17שְׁלֹמֹה · Solomon“My lord,” she replied, “you yourself swore to your maidservant by the LORD your God: ‘Surely your son Solomon will reign after me, and he will sit on my throne.’
- 1 Kings 1:19שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonAnd he has sacrificed an abundance of oxen, fattened calves, and sheep, and has invited all the other sons of the king, as well as Abiathar the priest and Joab the commander of the army. But he has not invited your servant Solomon.
- 1 Kings 1:21שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonOtherwise, when my lord the king rests with his fathers, I and my son Solomon will be counted as criminals.”
- 1 Kings 1:26שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonBut me your servant he has not invited, nor Zadok the priest, nor Benaiah son of Jehoiada, nor your servant Solomon.
- 1 Kings 1:30שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonI will carry out this very day exactly what I swore to you by the LORD, the God of Israel: Surely your son Solomon will reign after me, and he will sit on my throne in my place.”
- 1 Kings 1:33שְׁלֹמֹה · Solomon“Take my servants with you,” said the king. “Set my son Solomon on my own mule and take him down to Gihon.
- 1 Kings 1:34שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonThere Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet are to anoint him king over Israel. You are to blow the ram’s horn and declare, ‘Long live King Solomon!’
- 1 Kings 1:35Referred to, not namedThen you shall go up with him, and he is to come and sit on my throne and reign in my place. For I have appointed him ruler over Israel and Judah.”
- 1 Kings 1:37שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonJust as the LORD was with my lord the king, so may He be with Solomon and make his throne even greater than that of my lord King David.”
- 1 Kings 1:38שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonThen Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, along with the Cherethites and Pelethites, went down and set Solomon on King David’s mule, and they escorted him to Gihon.
- 1 Kings 1:39שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonZadok the priest took the horn of oil from the tabernacle and anointed Solomon. Then they blew the ram’s horn, and all the people proclaimed, “Long live King Solomon!”
- 1 Kings 1:40Referred to, not namedAll the people followed him, playing flutes and rejoicing with such a great joy that the earth was split by the sound.
- 1 Kings 1:43שְׁלֹמֹה · Solomon“Not at all,” Jonathan replied. “Our lord King David has made Solomon king.
- 1 Kings 1:44Referred to, not namedAnd with Solomon, the king has sent Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, along with the Cherethites and Pelethites, and they have set him on the king’s mule.
- 1 Kings 1:45Referred to, not namedZadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king at Gihon, and they have gone up from there with rejoicing that rings out in the city. That is the noise you hear.
- 1 Kings 1:46שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonMoreover, Solomon has taken his seat on the royal throne.
- 1 Kings 1:47שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonThe king’s servants have also gone to congratulate our lord King David, saying, ‘May your God make the name of Solomon more famous than your own name, and may He make his throne greater than your throne.’ And the king has bowed in worship on his bed,
- 1 Kings 1:50שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonBut Adonijah, in fear of Solomon, got up and went to take hold of the horns of the altar.
- 1 Kings 1:51שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonIt was reported to Solomon: “Behold, Adonijah fears King Solomon, and he has taken hold of the horns of the altar, saying, ‘Let King Solomon first swear to me not to put his servant to the sword.’”
- 1 Kings 1:52שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonAnd Solomon replied, “If he is a man of character, not a single hair of his will fall to the ground. But if evil is found in him, he will die.”
- 1 Kings 1:53שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonSo King Solomon summoned Adonijah down from the altar, and he came and bowed down before King Solomon, who said to him, “Go to your home.”
- 1 Kings 2:1שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonAs the time drew near for David to die, he charged his son Solomon,
- 1 Kings 2:2Referred to, not named“I am about to go the way of all the earth. So be strong and prove yourself a man.
- 1 Kings 2:3Referred to, not namedAnd keep the charge of the LORD your God to walk in His ways and to keep His statutes, commandments, ordinances, and decrees, as written in the Law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you turn,
- 1 Kings 2:5Referred to, not namedMoreover, you know what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me—what he did to Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether, the two commanders of the armies of Israel. He killed them in peacetime to avenge the blood of war. He stained with the blood of war the belt around his waist and the sandals on his feet.
- 1 Kings 2:6Referred to, not namedSo act according to your wisdom, and do not let his gray head go down to Sheol in peace.
- 1 Kings 2:7Referred to, not namedBut show loving devotion to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be among those who eat at your table, because they stood by me when I fled from your brother Absalom.
- 1 Kings 2:8Referred to, not namedKeep an eye on Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjamite from Bahurim who is with you. He called down bitter curses against me on the day I went to Mahanaim, but when he came down to meet me at the Jordan, I swore to him by the LORD: ‘I will never put you to the sword.’
- 1 Kings 2:9Referred to, not namedNow therefore, do not hold him guiltless, for you are a wise man. You know what you ought to do to him to bring his gray head down to Sheol in blood.”
- 1 Kings 2:12שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonSo Solomon sat on the throne of his father David, and his kingdom was firmly established.
- 1 Kings 2:13שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonNow Adonijah son of Haggith went to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, and she asked, “Do you come in peace?” “Yes, in peace,” he replied.
- 1 Kings 2:17שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonAdonijah replied, “Please speak to King Solomon, since he will not turn you down. Let him give me Abishag the Shunammite as my wife.”
- 1 Kings 2:19שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonSo Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah. The king stood up to greet her, bowed to her, and sat down on his throne. Then the king had a throne brought for his mother, who sat down at his right hand.
- 1 Kings 2:22שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonKing Solomon answered his mother, “Why do you request Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Since he is my older brother, you might as well request the kingdom for him and for Abiathar the priest and for Joab son of Zeruiah!”
- 1 Kings 2:23שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonThen King Solomon swore by the LORD: “May God punish me, and ever so severely, if Adonijah has not made this request at the expense of his life.
- 1 Kings 2:25שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonSo King Solomon gave orders to Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he struck down Adonijah and he died.
- 1 Kings 2:27שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonSo Solomon banished Abiathar from the priesthood of the LORD and thus fulfilled the word that the LORD had spoken at Shiloh against the house of Eli.
- 1 Kings 2:29שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonIt was reported to King Solomon: “Joab has fled to the tent of the LORD and is now beside the altar.” So Solomon sent Benaiah son of Jehoiada, saying, “Go, strike him down!”
- 1 Kings 2:41שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonWhen Solomon was told that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and had returned,
- 1 Kings 2:45שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonBut King Solomon will be blessed and David’s throne will remain secure before the LORD forever.”
- 1 Kings 2:46שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonThen the king commanded Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he went out and struck Shimei down, and he died. Thus the kingdom was firmly established in the hand of Solomon.
- 1 Kings 3:1שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonLater, Solomon formed an alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt by marrying his daughter. Solomon brought her to the City of David until he had finished building his palace and the house of the LORD, as well as the wall around Jerusalem.
- 1 Kings 3:3שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonAnd Solomon loved the LORD and walked in the statutes of his father David, except that he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.
- 1 Kings 3:4שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonNow the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for it was the great high place. Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on the altar there.
- 1 Kings 3:5שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonOne night at Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream, and God said, “Ask, and I will give it to you!”
- 1 Kings 3:6שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonSolomon replied, “You have shown much loving devotion to Your servant, my father David, because he walked before You in faithfulness, righteousness, and uprightness of heart. And You have maintained this loving devotion by giving him a son to sit on his throne this very day.
- 1 Kings 3:10שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonNow it pleased the Lord that Solomon had made this request.
- 1 Kings 3:11Referred to, not namedSo God said to him, “Since you have asked for this instead of requesting long life or wealth for yourself or death for your enemies—but you have asked for discernment to administer justice—
- 1 Kings 3:12Referred to, not named…behold, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been another like you, nor will there ever be.
- 1 Kings 3:13Referred to, not namedMoreover, I will give you what you did not request—both riches and honor—so that during all your days no man in any kingdom will be your equal.
- 1 Kings 3:14Referred to, not namedSo if you walk in My ways and keep My statutes and commandments, just as your father David did, I will prolong your days.”
- 1 Kings 3:15שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonThen Solomon awoke, and indeed it had been a dream. So he returned to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. Then he held a feast for all his servants.
- 1 Kings 4:1שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonSo King Solomon ruled over Israel,
- 1 Kings 4:7שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonSolomon had twelve governors over all Israel to provide food for the king and his household. Each one would arrange provisions for one month of the year,
- 1 Kings 4:11שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonBen-abinadab in Naphath-dor (Taphath, a daughter of Solomon, was his wife);
- 1 Kings 4:15שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonAhimaaz in Naphtali (he had married Basemath, a daughter of Solomon);
- 1 Kings 4:21שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonAnd Solomon reigned over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. These kingdoms offered tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.
- 1 Kings 4:22שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonSolomon’s provisions for a single day were thirty cors of fine flour, sixty cors of meal,
- 1 Kings 4:24Referred to, not namedFor Solomon had dominion over everything west of the Euphrates—over all the kingdoms from Tiphsah to Gaza—and he had peace on all sides.
- 1 Kings 4:25שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonThroughout the days of Solomon, Judah and Israel dwelt securely from Dan to Beersheba, each man under his own vine and his own fig tree.
- 1 Kings 4:26שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonSolomon had 4,000 stalls for his chariot horses and 12,000 horses.
- 1 Kings 4:27שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonEach month the governors in turn provided food for King Solomon and all who came to his table. They saw to it that nothing was lacking.
- 1 Kings 4:29שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonAnd God gave Solomon wisdom, exceedingly deep insight, and understanding beyond measure, like the sand on the seashore.
- 1 Kings 4:30שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonSolomon’s wisdom was greater than that of all the men of the East, greater than all the wisdom of Egypt.
- 1 Kings 4:31Referred to, not namedHe was wiser than all men—wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, and wiser than Heman, Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And his fame spread throughout the surrounding nations.
- 1 Kings 4:32Referred to, not namedSolomon composed three thousand proverbs, and his songs numbered a thousand and five.
- 1 Kings 4:33Referred to, not namedHe spoke of trees, from the cedar in Lebanon to the hyssop growing in the wall, and he taught about animals, birds, reptiles, and fish.
- 1 Kings 4:34שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonSo men of all nations came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, sent by all the kings of the earth, who had heard of his wisdom.
- 1 Kings 5:1שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonNow when Hiram king of Tyre heard that Solomon had been anointed king in his father’s place, he sent envoys to Solomon; for Hiram had always been a friend of David.
- 1 Kings 5:2שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonAnd Solomon relayed this message to Hiram:
- 1 Kings 5:3Referred to, not named“As you are well aware, due to the wars waged on all sides against my father David, he could not build a house for the Name of the LORD his God until the LORD had put his enemies under his feet.
- 1 Kings 5:4Referred to, not namedBut now the LORD my God has given me rest on every side, and there is no adversary or crisis.
- 1 Kings 5:5Referred to, not namedSo behold, I plan to build a house for the Name of the LORD my God, according to what the LORD said to my father David: ‘I will put your son on your throne in your place, and he will build the house for My Name.’
- 1 Kings 5:6Referred to, not namedNow therefore, order that cedars of Lebanon be cut down for me. My servants will be with your servants, and I will pay your servants whatever wages you set, for you know that there are none among us as skilled in logging as the Sidonians.”
- 1 Kings 5:7שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonWhen Hiram received Solomon’s message, he rejoiced greatly and said, “Blessed be the LORD this day! He has given David a wise son over this great people!”
- 1 Kings 5:8שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonThen Hiram sent a reply to Solomon, saying: “I have received your message; I will do all you desire regarding the cedar and cypress timber.
- 1 Kings 5:9Referred to, not namedMy servants will haul the logs from Lebanon to the Sea, and I will float them as rafts by sea to the place you specify. There I will separate the logs, and you can take them away. And in exchange, you can meet my needs by providing my household with food.”
- 1 Kings 5:10שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonSo Hiram provided Solomon with all the cedar and cypress timber he wanted,
- 1 Kings 5:11שְׁלֹמֹה · Solomon…and year after year Solomon would provide Hiram with 20,000 cors of wheat as food for his household, as well as 20,000 baths of pure olive oil.
- 1 Kings 5:12שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonAnd the LORD gave Solomon wisdom, as He had promised him. There was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them made a treaty.
- 1 Kings 5:13שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonThen King Solomon conscripted a labor force of 30,000 men from all Israel.
- 1 Kings 5:15שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonSolomon had 70,000 porters and 80,000 stonecutters in the mountains,
- 1 Kings 5:16שְׁלֹמֹה · Solomon…not including his 3,300 foremen who supervised the workers.
- 1 Kings 5:18שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonSo Solomon’s and Hiram’s builders, along with the Gebalites, quarried the stone and prepared the timber and stone for the construction of the temple.
- 1 Kings 6:1שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonIn the four hundred and eightieth year after the Israelites had come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, the second month, he began to build the house of the LORD.
- 1 Kings 6:2שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonThe house that King Solomon built for the LORD was sixty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high.
- 1 Kings 6:11שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonThen the word of the LORD came to Solomon, saying:
- 1 Kings 6:12Referred to, not named“As for this temple you are building, if you walk in My statutes, carry out My ordinances, and keep all My commandments by walking in them, I will fulfill through you the promise I made to your father David.
- 1 Kings 6:14שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonSo Solomon built the temple and finished it.
- 1 Kings 6:15Referred to, not namedHe lined the interior walls with cedar paneling from the floor of the temple to the ceiling, and he covered the floor with cypress boards.
- 1 Kings 6:16Referred to, not namedHe partitioned off the twenty cubits at the rear of the temple with cedar boards from floor to ceiling to form within the temple an inner sanctuary, the Most Holy Place.
- 1 Kings 6:19Referred to, not namedSolomon also prepared the inner sanctuary within the temple to set the ark of the covenant of the LORD there.
- 1 Kings 6:20Referred to, not namedThe inner sanctuary was twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and twenty cubits high. He overlaid the inside with pure gold, and he also overlaid the altar of cedar.
- 1 Kings 6:21שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonSo Solomon overlaid the inside of the temple with pure gold, and he extended gold chains across the front of the inner sanctuary, which was overlaid with gold.
- 1 Kings 6:22Referred to, not namedSo he overlaid with gold the whole interior of the temple, until everything was completely finished. He also overlaid with gold the entire altar that belonged to the inner sanctuary.
- 1 Kings 6:23Referred to, not namedIn the inner sanctuary he made two cherubim, each ten cubits high, out of olive wood.
- 1 Kings 6:27Referred to, not namedAnd he placed the cherubim inside the innermost room of the temple. Since their wings were spread out, the wing of the first cherub touched one wall, while the wing of the second cherub touched the other wall, and in the middle of the room their wingtips touched.
- 1 Kings 6:28Referred to, not namedHe also overlaid the cherubim with gold.
- 1 Kings 6:29Referred to, not namedThen he carved the walls all around the temple, in both the inner and outer sanctuaries, with carved engravings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers.
- 1 Kings 6:30Referred to, not namedAnd he overlaid the temple floor with gold in both the inner and outer sanctuaries.
- 1 Kings 6:31Referred to, not namedFor the entrance to the inner sanctuary, Solomon constructed doors of olive wood with five-sided doorposts.
- 1 Kings 6:32Referred to, not namedThe double doors were made of olive wood, and he carved into them cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers and overlaid the cherubim and palm trees with hammered gold.
- 1 Kings 6:33Referred to, not namedIn the same way he made four-sided doorposts of olive wood for the sanctuary entrance.
- 1 Kings 6:35Referred to, not namedHe carved into them cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, and he overlaid them with gold hammered evenly over the carvings.
- 1 Kings 6:36Referred to, not namedSolomon built the inner courtyard with three rows of dressed stone and one row of trimmed cedar beams.
- 1 Kings 6:38Referred to, not namedIn the eleventh year, in the month of Bul, the eighth month, the temple was finished in every detail and according to every specification. So he built the temple in seven years.
- 1 Kings 7:1שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonSolomon, however, took thirteen years to complete the construction of his entire palace.
- 1 Kings 7:2Referred to, not namedHe built the House of the Forest of Lebanon a hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high, with four rows of cedar pillars supporting the cedar beams.
- 1 Kings 7:6Referred to, not namedSolomon made his colonnade fifty cubits long and thirty cubits wide, with a portico in front of it and a canopy with pillars in front of the portico.
- 1 Kings 7:7Referred to, not namedIn addition, he built a hall for the throne, the Hall of Justice, where he was to judge. It was paneled with cedar from floor to ceiling.
- 1 Kings 7:8שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonAnd the palace where Solomon would live, set further back, was of similar construction. He also made a palace like this hall for Pharaoh’s daughter, whom he had married.
- 1 Kings 7:13שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonNow King Solomon sent to bring Huram from Tyre.
- 1 Kings 7:14שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonHe was the son of a widow from the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a craftsman in bronze. Huram had great skill, understanding, and knowledge for every kind of bronze work. So he came to King Solomon and carried out all his work.
- 1 Kings 7:40שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonAdditionally, Huram made the pots, shovels, and sprinkling bowls. So Huram finished all the work that he had undertaken for King Solomon in the house of the LORD:
- 1 Kings 7:45שְׁלֹמֹה · Solomon…and the pots, shovels, and sprinkling bowls. All the articles that Huram made for King Solomon in the house of the LORD were made of burnished bronze.
- 1 Kings 7:47שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonSolomon left all these articles unweighed, because there were so many. The weight of the bronze could not be determined.
- 1 Kings 7:48שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonSolomon also made all the furnishings for the house of the LORD: the golden altar; the golden table on which was placed the Bread of the Presence;
- 1 Kings 7:51שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonSo all the work that King Solomon had performed for the house of the LORD was completed. Then Solomon brought in the items his father David had dedicated—the silver, the gold, and the furnishings—and he placed them in the treasuries of the house of the LORD.
- 1 Kings 8:1שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonAt that time Solomon assembled before him in Jerusalem the elders of Israel—all the tribal heads and family leaders of the Israelites—to bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD from Zion, the City of David.
- 1 Kings 8:2שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonAnd all the men of Israel came together to King Solomon at the feast in the seventh month, the month of Ethanim.
- 1 Kings 8:5שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonThere, before the ark, King Solomon and the whole congregation of Israel who had assembled with him sacrificed so many sheep and oxen that they could not be counted or numbered.
- 1 Kings 8:12שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonThen Solomon declared: “The LORD has said that He would dwell in the thick cloud.
- 1 Kings 8:13Referred to, not namedI have indeed built You an exalted house, a place for You to dwell forever.”
- 1 Kings 8:22שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonThen Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in front of the whole assembly of Israel, spread out his hands toward heaven,
- 1 Kings 8:23Referred to, not named…and said: “O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like You in heaven above or on earth below, keeping Your covenant of loving devotion with Your servants who walk before You with all their hearts.
- 1 Kings 8:24Referred to, not namedYou have kept Your promise to Your servant, my father David. What You spoke with Your mouth You have fulfilled with Your hand this day.
- 1 Kings 8:25Referred to, not namedTherefore now, O LORD, God of Israel, keep for Your servant, my father David, what You promised when You said: ‘You will never fail to have a man to sit before Me on the throne of Israel, if only your descendants guard their way to walk before Me as you have done.’
- 1 Kings 8:26Referred to, not namedAnd now, O God of Israel, please confirm what You promised to Your servant, my father David.
- 1 Kings 8:27Referred to, not namedBut will God indeed dwell upon the earth? The heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain You, much less this temple I have built.
- 1 Kings 8:28Referred to, not namedYet regard the prayer and plea of Your servant, O LORD my God, so that You may hear the cry and the prayer that Your servant is praying before You today.
- 1 Kings 8:54שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonNow when Solomon had finished praying this entire prayer and petition to the LORD, he got up before the altar of the LORD, where he had been kneeling with his hands spread out toward heaven.
- 1 Kings 8:55Referred to, not namedAnd he stood and blessed the whole assembly of Israel in a loud voice, saying:
- 1 Kings 8:57Referred to, not namedMay the LORD our God be with us, as He was with our fathers. May He never leave us or forsake us.
- 1 Kings 8:58Referred to, not namedMay He incline our hearts to Himself, to walk in all His ways and to keep the commandments and statutes and ordinances He commanded our fathers.
- 1 Kings 8:59Referred to, not namedAnd may these words with which I have made my petition before the LORD be near to the LORD our God day and night, so that He may uphold the cause of His servant and of His people Israel as each day requires,
- 1 Kings 8:63שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonAnd Solomon offered as peace offerings to the LORD 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. So the king and all the Israelites dedicated the house of the LORD.
- 1 Kings 8:65שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonSo at that time Solomon and all Israel with him—a great assembly of people from Lebo-hamath to the Brook of Egypt—kept the feast before the LORD our God for seven days and seven more days—fourteen days in all.
- 1 Kings 8:66Referred to, not namedOn the fifteenth day Solomon sent the people away. So they blessed the king and went home, joyful and glad in heart for all the good things that the LORD had done for His servant David and for His people Israel.
- 1 Kings 9:1שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonNow when Solomon had finished building the house of the LORD and the royal palace, and had achieved all that he had desired to do,
- 1 Kings 9:2שְׁלֹמֹה · Solomon…the LORD appeared to him a second time, as He had appeared to him at Gibeon.
- 1 Kings 9:3Referred to, not namedAnd the LORD said to him: “I have heard your prayer and petition before Me. I have consecrated this temple, which you have built, by putting My Name there forever; My eyes and My heart will be there for all time.
- 1 Kings 9:4Referred to, not namedAnd as for you, if you walk before Me as your father David walked, with a heart of integrity and uprightness, doing all I have commanded you, and if you keep My statutes and ordinances,
- 1 Kings 9:5Referred to, not named…then I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever, as I promised your father David when I said, ‘You will never fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.’
- 1 Kings 9:10שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonNow at the end of the twenty years during which Solomon built these two houses, the house of the LORD and the royal palace,
- 1 Kings 9:11שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonKing Solomon gave twenty towns in the land of Galilee to Hiram king of Tyre, who had supplied him with cedar and cypress logs and gold for his every desire.
- 1 Kings 9:12שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonSo Hiram went out from Tyre to inspect the towns that Solomon had given him, but he was not pleased with them.
- 1 Kings 9:15שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonThis is the account of the forced labor that King Solomon imposed to build the house of the LORD, his own palace, the supporting terraces, and the wall of Jerusalem, as well as Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer.
- 1 Kings 9:16שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonPharaoh king of Egypt had attacked and captured Gezer. He had set it on fire, killed the Canaanites who lived in the city, and given it as a dowry to his daughter, Solomon’s wife.
- 1 Kings 9:17שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonSo Solomon rebuilt Gezer, Lower Beth-horon,
- 1 Kings 9:19שְׁלֹמֹה · Solomon…as well as all the store cities that Solomon had for his chariots and horses—whatever he desired to build in Jerusalem, Lebanon, and throughout the land of his dominion.
- 1 Kings 9:21שְׁלֹמֹה · Solomon…their descendants who remained in the land, those whom the Israelites were unable to devote to destruction—Solomon conscripted these people to be forced laborers, as they are to this day.
- 1 Kings 9:22שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonBut Solomon did not consign any of the Israelites to slavery, because they were his men of war, his servants, his officers, his captains, and the commanders of his chariots and cavalry.
- 1 Kings 9:23שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonThey were also the chief officers over Solomon’s projects: 550 supervisors over the people who did the work.
- 1 Kings 9:24Referred to, not namedAs soon as Pharaoh’s daughter had come up from the City of David to the palace that Solomon had built for her, he built the supporting terraces.
- 1 Kings 9:25שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonThree times a year Solomon offered burnt offerings and peace offerings on the altar he had built for the LORD, burning incense with them before the LORD. So he completed the temple.
- 1 Kings 9:26שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonKing Solomon also assembled a fleet of ships at Ezion-geber, which is near Eloth in Edom, on the shore of the Red Sea.
- 1 Kings 9:27שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonAnd Hiram sent his servants, sailors who knew the sea, to serve in the fleet with Solomon’s servants.
- 1 Kings 9:28שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonThey sailed to Ophir and imported gold from there—420 talents—and delivered it to Solomon.
- 1 Kings 10:1שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonNow when the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to test him with difficult questions.
- 1 Kings 10:2שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonShe arrived in Jerusalem with a very large caravan—with camels bearing spices, gold in great abundance, and precious stones. And she came to Solomon and spoke to him all that was on her mind.
- 1 Kings 10:3שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonAnd Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too difficult for the king to explain.
- 1 Kings 10:4שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonWhen the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon, the palace he had built,
- 1 Kings 10:5Referred to, not named…the food at his table, the seating of his servants, the service and attire of his attendants, his cupbearers, and the burnt offerings he presented at the house of the LORD, it took her breath away.
- 1 Kings 10:10שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonThen she gave the king 120 talents of gold, a great quantity of spices, and precious stones. Never again were spices in such abundance brought in as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.
- 1 Kings 10:13שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonKing Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she desired—whatever she asked—besides what he had given her out of his royal bounty. Then she left and returned to her own country, along with her servants.
- 1 Kings 10:14שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonThe weight of gold that came to Solomon each year was 666 talents,
- 1 Kings 10:16שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonKing Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred shekels of gold went into each shield.
- 1 Kings 10:21שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonAll King Solomon’s drinking cups were gold, and all the utensils of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. There was no silver, because it was accounted as nothing in the days of Solomon.
- 1 Kings 10:23שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonSo King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.
- 1 Kings 10:24שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonThe whole world sought an audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom that God had put in his heart.
- 1 Kings 10:26שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonSolomon accumulated 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horses, which he stationed in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem.
- 1 Kings 10:28שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonSolomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and Kue; the royal merchants purchased them from Kue.
- 1 Kings 11:1שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonKing Solomon, however, loved many foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh—women of Moab, Ammon, Edom, and Sidon, as well as Hittite women.
- 1 Kings 11:2שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonThese women were from the nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, for surely they will turn your hearts after their gods.” Yet Solomon clung to these women in love.
- 1 Kings 11:3Referred to, not namedHe had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines—and his wives turned his heart away.
- 1 Kings 11:4שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonFor when Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and he was not wholeheartedly devoted to the LORD his God, as his father David had been.
- 1 Kings 11:5שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonSolomon followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians and Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.
- 1 Kings 11:6שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonSo Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD; unlike his father David, he did not follow the LORD completely.
- 1 Kings 11:7שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonAt that time on a hill east of Jerusalem, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab and for Molech the abomination of the Ammonites.
- 1 Kings 11:8Referred to, not namedHe did the same for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.
- 1 Kings 11:9שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonNow the LORD grew angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice.
- 1 Kings 11:10Referred to, not namedAlthough He had warned Solomon explicitly not to follow other gods, Solomon did not keep the LORD’s command.
- 1 Kings 11:11שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonThen the LORD said to Solomon, “Because you have done this and have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant.
- 1 Kings 11:12Referred to, not namedNevertheless, for the sake of your father David, I will not do it during your lifetime; I will tear it out of the hand of your son.
- 1 Kings 11:13Referred to, not namedYet I will not tear the whole kingdom away from him. I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen.”
- 1 Kings 11:14שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonThen the LORD raised up against Solomon an adversary, Hadad the Edomite, from the royal line of Edom.
- 1 Kings 11:23Referred to, not namedAnd God raised up against Solomon another adversary, Rezon the son of Eliada, who had fled from his master, Hadadezer king of Zobah,
- 1 Kings 11:25שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonRezon was Israel’s enemy throughout the days of Solomon, adding to the trouble caused by Hadad. So Rezon ruled over Aram with hostility toward Israel.
- 1 Kings 11:26שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonNow Jeroboam son of Nebat was an Ephraimite from Zeredah whose mother was a widow named Zeruah. Jeroboam was a servant of Solomon, but he rebelled against the king,
- 1 Kings 11:27שְׁלֹמֹה · Solomon…and this is the account of his rebellion against the king. Solomon had built the supporting terraces and repaired the gap in the wall of the city of his father David.
- 1 Kings 11:28שְׁלֹמֹה · SolomonNow Jeroboam was a mighty man of valor. So when Solomon noticed that the young man was industrious, he put him in charge of the whole labor force of the house of Joseph.
- 1 Kings 11:31שְׁלֹמֹה · Solomon…and said to Jeroboam, “Take ten pieces for yourself, for this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and I will give you ten tribes.
- 1 Kings 11:32Referred to, not namedBut one tribe will remain for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel.