Solomon

Identity

Solomon is the son of David and Bathsheba, the third king of Israel, and the builder of the first temple at Jerusalem on Mount Moriah. He is by tradition the author of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon. Christ Himself said, 'behold, a greater than Solomon is here' (Matthew 12:42).

Name and titles

'Solomon' — Shlomo in Hebrew — means 'peaceful' or 'his peace.' At his birth Nathan called him 'Jedidiah, because of the LORD' — 'beloved of the LORD' (2 Samuel 12:25). Scripture also calls him 'the wisest of all men' (1 Kings 4:31) and 'the preacher' (Ecclesiastes 1:1).

Historical period

• c. 990 BC — Born to David and Bathsheba in Jerusalem (2 Samuel 12:24-25).
• c. 970 BC — Anointed king before David's death (1 Kings 1:39).
• c. 970 BC — Prays at Gibeon: 'Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart' (1 Kings 3:9); receives the gift of wisdom.
• c. 967-960 BC — Builds the first temple at Jerusalem on Mount Moriah (1 Kings 6-8).
• c. 960 BC — Dedicates the temple; the glory of the LORD fills the house (1 Kings 8:10-11).
• c. 960 BC — The Queen of Sheba visits (1 Kings 10).
• Later years — Turns his heart after other gods, brought in by his many foreign wives (1 Kings 11:1-8).
• c. 930 BC — Dies after forty years of reign; the kingdom splits between his son Rehoboam and Jeroboam (1 Kings 11:42-43).

Scripture appearances

• 1 Kings 3:5-14 (KJV) Solomon's prayer for wisdom at Gibeon.
• 1 Kings 3:16-28 (KJV) The judgment of Solomon and the two mothers.
• 1 Kings 6-8 (KJV) The building and dedication of the temple.
• 1 Kings 8:27 (KJV) 'But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded?'
• 1 Kings 10 (KJV) The Queen of Sheba.
• 1 Kings 11 (KJV) The apostasy of his later years.
• Proverbs 1:1 (KJV) 'The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel.'
• Ecclesiastes 12:13 (KJV) 'Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.'
• Matthew 6:29 (KJV) '…even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.'
• Matthew 12:42 (KJV) '…behold, a greater than Solomon is here.'

Connected Places

• Jerusalem — his capital.
• Mount Moriah — where he built the temple.
• Gibeon — where he prayed for wisdom.

Connected People

• David — his father.
• Samuel — the prophet of his father's anointing.
• Bathsheba — his mother.
• Nathan the prophet — who anointed him.
• Christ Jesus — 'a greater than Solomon.'

Salvation history role

• Builder of the first temple — the house that would stand until 586 BC.
• Author (traditional) of three biblical wisdom books.
• Also a warning: even the wisest man may fall by the choices of the heart.

Christian tradition

• Named in the genealogy of Christ (Matthew 1:6).
• The Song of Solomon has been read by Christian tradition since Origen as an allegory of Christ and the Church.
• Solomon's temple architecture has influenced Christian church design (nave, sanctuary, holy of holies).

Household reflection

Solomon teaches the household to ask God for wisdom rather than wealth, and to keep asking after we already have wealth. His prayer at Gibeon was answered spectacularly; his later years were a warning that the gift can be squandered.

Read Proverbs one chapter a day for a month, and the book is read twice a year in the household.

Room connections

Where this entry meets the household in the wider house of CrossAIHub.

• Read (Library) — Read Proverbs one chapter a day.
• Pray (Chapel) — Pray Solomon's prayer for wisdom (1 Kings 3:9) before every hard household decision.
• Family (Kitchen Table) — Discuss with older children: what did Solomon get right, and what did he get wrong?
• Sing (Choir Room) — Sing 'The Lord's My Shepherd' (Scottish Psalter, 1650).
• Learn (Workshop) — Study Ecclesiastes as a household — the honest wisdom of an old king.

Further reading

1 Kings 1-11 in the KJV.

Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon.

Matthew 12:42.

Elsewhere in the Atlas

• David
• Proverbs 9
• Jerusalem
• Mount Moriah
• Christ Jesus
• Return to the atrium — the Atlas's main room.