Solomon

King Solomon was the son of King David, and his mother was Bathsheba (who had been the wife of Uriah the Hittite before marrying David). He became the new king after his father, King David, passed away around 970 BC. While King David was still alive, his fourth son, Adonijah, took action and declared himself the new king. After the deaths of his brothers Amnon and Absalom, he felt he should be the designated heir to the throne. However, David had sworn by the Lord much earlier that he would pass the throne to Solomon (1 Chronicles 28:5-6). Adonijah’s scheme was discovered by the prophet Nathan, who informed Bathsheba, asking her to tell David about Adonijah’s plot and remind him of his previous oath. David immediately passed the throne to Solomon.

King Solomon prayed to the Lord for wisdom, and God granted his request. The Bible records, “From all the kings of the earth men came to seek the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put into his mind.” He spoke three thousand proverbs and composed one thousand and five songs. “So I reflected on all this and concluded that the righteous and the wise and what they do are in God’s hands, but no one knows whether love or hate awaits them” (Ecclesiastes 9:1).

During King Solomon’s 40-year reign, the Kingdom of Israel reached its most prominent and prosperous period. At that time, Israel’s commerce was extremely developed, with goods arriving from Tyre, Egypt, Arabia, and by sea from Tarshish, Ophir, and Southern India. According to 1 Kings 10:14, King Solomon received 666 talents of gold (equivalent to 39,960 pounds) in tribute annually. During his reign, Solomon divided the country into twelve administrative districts and established a strict tax system. Building the Temple for the Lord and his own palace consumed much of his time, while also amassing great wealth for himself and the nation.

King Solomon not only married the Egyptian princess but also formed political alliances with numerous foreign nations through marriage. His harem was vast, with seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines. To please his wives and concubines, King Solomon allowed them to “build high places on the hills opposite Jerusalem” and “burn incense and offer sacrifices to their own gods.” His wives and concubines led his heart astray from God. Although these actions pleased his consorts, the Bible records: “The Lord became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice. Although he had forbidden Solomon to follow other gods, Solomon did not keep the Lord’s command.” The moment Solomon died, open rebellion erupted. The unified kingdom subsequently split into the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah.