Solomon (redirected from Biblical account of King Solomon)

Solomon, d. c.930 B.C., king of the ancient Hebrews (c.970–c.930 B.C.), son and successor of David. His mother was Bath-sheba. His accession has been dated to c.970 B.C. According to the Bible. Solomon's reign was marked by foreign alliances (notably with Egypt and Phoenicia) and the greatest extension of Israel's territory in biblical times. He built numerous cities, constructed copper smelting furnaces in the Negev, and had the first temple built at Jerusalem. However, his despotism resulted in the alienation of N Israel and the revolt of Jeroboam I. The biblical account of Solomon derives from the "Succession Narrative" in Second Samuel and First and Second Kings; Temple archives; and various folk-tales, but what the Bible says about the glory of his reign is impossible to confirm from the archaeological record.

Solomon's wisdom is proverbial. Proverbs and Ecclesiastes were ascribed to him, as was Wisdom of Solomon, a book of the Old Testament Apocrypha, and the Song of Solomon bears his name. The Psalms of Solomon (1st cent. B.C.) and the Odes of Solomon (early 2d cent. A.D.) are found in the Old Testament Pseudepigrapha. Solomon's original name was Jedidiah.

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Solomon

(flourished 10th century BC) Son and successor of David. Nearly all that is known about him comes from the Bible (1 Kings 1–11 and 2 Chronicles 1–9). Through the efforts of his mother, Bathsheba, and the prophet Nathan, Solomon was anointed king while David was still alive. On accession to the throne, he liquidated his opponents ruthlessly and installed friends in key posts. He established Israelite colonies outside his kingdom's borders, cooperating with such friendly rulers as the Queen of Sheba to increase commerce. Fortification of his far-flung empire necessitated a vast building program, the crowning achievement of which was the Temple of Jerusalem. He reorganized the nation into 12 tribes with 12 administrative districts. He is said to have had a harem of 700 wives and 300 concubines. After the ascension to the throne of his son Rehoboam, the northern tribes seceded and formed their own kingdom of Israel, bringing an end to Solomon's empire. His legendary wisdom is recorded in the Book of Proverbs, and he is traditionally named as the author of the biblical Song of Solomon. He was regarded as the greatest king of Israel.

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Solomon

10th century bc, king of Israel, son of David and Bathsheba, credited with great wisdom

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Solomon

perspicaciously resolves dilemma of baby’s ownership. [O.T.: I Kings 16–28]

See : Justice

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Solomon

fabulous riches garnered from gifts and tolls. [O.T.: I Kings 10:14–25]

See : Wealth

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Solomon

invested by God with unprecedented sagacity. [O.T.: I Kings 3:7–13; 4:29–34]

See : Wisdom

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Solomon

ruler of the Israelite-Judean kingdom from 965 to 928 B.C., the period of the kingdom’s zenith. Son of King David and his coruler from 967 to 965 B.C.

In place of the old tribal division of the kingdom, Solomon instituted a system of 12 administrative districts and set up an extensive administrative apparatus. He introduced labor and military obligations and a codified system of taxation. He strengthened the army, undertook vast building projects, including the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem, and began large-scale copper mining. He enhanced the international status of his realm by entering into diplomatic and marital alliances, notably his marriage to the daughter of the Egyptian pharaoh; he also promoted the development of foreign trade. Several books of the Bible—the Song of Songs, Ecclesiastes, and Proverbs—are attributed to him.

The burden on the population of Solomon’s extensive building projects, the oppressive labor obligations, and taxes led to increasing discontent, especially among the northern tribes of the Israelite-Judean kingdom. Uprisings among the subjugated Edomites and Aramaeans began during his lifetime. Immediately following Solomon’s death one such uprising caused the unified kingdom to split into the kingdoms of Israel and Judah.

I. D. AMUSIN