WHO WAS SOLOMON AND WHY DID HE FALL? THE TRUE STORY OF KING SOLOMON IN THE BIBLE

Solomon ranks among the most iconic kings in history. As one of the most prosperous rulers ever, he was also among the wealthiest men the world has ever seen. In the Bible, he is not only noted for succeeding his father, King David, on the throne of Israel, but also for his unparalleled wisdom and extraordinary achievements, the foremost being the construction of the First Temple in Jerusalem. To give you an idea, although Solomon is not mentioned in the biblical text, until the final days of David are recorded, his name appears about 300 times in the Old Testament alone, and at least 12 times in the New Testament. However, Solomon's name is also cited in non-biblical writings and involved in Jewish legends that link him to a series of mystical and even dark practices, such as a supposed control over demons. But in this video, you will learn the true story of Solomon according to the Bible. King Solomon was the son of David and Bathsheba, the woman who had been Uriah's wife. Therefore, Solomon was born, while David already reigned from Jerusalem. He is also called Jedidiah in the Bible, meaning Beloved of the Lord. King Solomon ruled over Israel for about 40 years, roughly between 971 and 931 BC. There is virtually no information about Solomon's early years and youth. However, considering the biblical information on David's family life, we can set a parameter on the type of environment in which Solomon grew up. We know David had several wives, which obviously led to many problems among his wives and children, who starred in various intrigues usually in pursuit of prestige. Solomon himself appears, in the biblical story, in a context of great tension within the royal family amid a struggle for the throne of Israel, as King David was old and weakened. Before this, Absalom, Solomon's half-brother, had already attempted to usurp his father's throne, but was unsuccessful. However, later, the eldest of David's surviving sons, named Adonijah, attempted the same movement by proclaiming himself king over Israel. Adonijah gained the support of Joab, David's former general, and the priest Abiathar, and tried by all means to occupy his father's throne, even organizing a coronation festivity. When Bathsheba, the prophet Nathan, the priest Zadok, and other allies learned of Adonijah's plan, they worked to remind David of his yet unfulfilled promise regarding Solomon, that he would be his successor. Thus, David ordered Solomon's ascent to the throne, and he was crowned king in Israel, anointed by Zadok. Likely, King Solomon was no more than 18 years old when crowned. Solomon's reign was lengthy, spanning four decades of governance. Scholars debate whether his reign occurred roughly between 971 and 931, or between 960 and 920 BC, with the former possibility being the most likely. Right after David's death, King Solomon followed his father's instructions, and acted accordingly to consolidate his position as king and dismantle his opposition. Thus, he ordered the deaths of and the banishment of Abiathar, and began to reign without internal opposition. King Solomon inherited from David an extensive territory, approximately 128,000 square kilometers. During his reign, Solomon greatly improved domestic conditions in Israel. He replaced the old tribal divisions with a division of his territory into 12 administrative districts, each having an officer commissioned by the king. These districts were responsible for providing for the court throughout the year, with each district responsible for one month's supply. The daily provisions list was quite onerous, and, according to the record in the first book of Kings, chapter 4, included 9,000 kilos of flour, both fine and common, 30 cattle, both stall-fed and pasture-raised, 100 sheep and goats, in addition to deer, gazelles, roebucks, and choice fowl, serving as table delicacies. Many people think this amount is fanciful, yet they forget that these foods were destined for the entire Israelite court at its peak, likely including all officials, officers, and the extended royal family. Many scholars believe this quantity probably fed more than 12,000 people. King Solomon's court was quite complete and organized, and his government aides were called princes. In the military realm, King Solomon also made significant improvements. He introduced chariots and cavalry into his army. He also provided new roads and established frontier fortresses to guard trade routes. Speaking of trade, commercial activity was the strength of Solomon's reign. He controlled trade routes and established strategic points of operation that brought him much revenue, so much so that silver became as common in his kingdom as stones and cedar, enabling him to live amid a splendor of riches never seen before in Israel. Solomon also gained good revenue from fees charged to caravans needing to cross his territory. Moreover, King Solomon was a great diplomat, and throughout his reign, Israel seldom had to worry about any foreign military threat. Solomon's first significant trade agreement was with Hiram, king of Tyre, in which he paid annually something equivalent to 2,000 tons of wheat and 400,000 liters of pure olive oil in exchange for wood and stonemasons for his constructions. King Solomon also made a contract with merchants from Egypt for the trade of horses and chariots, and in turn exported them to the Hittites and Syrians, obtaining good profit. The commercial activity that brought the most profit to King Solomon was his maritime trade, where his ships sailed the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea in the Indian Ocean, reaching as far as Ophir. Such journeys could last up to three years. When considering the annual revenue from his trade strategies, the fees he received for the traffic of goods, and the taxes paid by the population across the territory he controlled, the sum estimate reaches an exceptional level, placing King Solomon as one of the wealthiest men in the entire history of humanity. But of all the constructions undertaken during King Solomon's reign, undoubtedly the temple in Jerusalem was the most important. As promised by God himself, King Solomon carried out his father's project to build a temple to house the Ark of the Covenant. To obtain the necessary workforce, King Solomon resorted to forced labor, especially from Canaanite peoples subjugated by Israel. However, the number of Canaanite workers was insufficient to meet his plans, so he recruited Israelis for this task, also subjecting them to a form of forced labor. This measure was quite unpopular, a fact that was highlighted in the episode of the assassination of Adoniram, the superintendent of the worker groups. Solomon's temple was located on Mount Moriah, the place where King David had built an altar to the Lord, and likely where Abraham had gone up with Isaac to sacrifice him. Although David had collected materials for the construction of the temple, it was in the fourth year of Solomon's reign that construction began. Despite appearing modest in size by today's standards, the temple building represented a significant undertaking at the time, built with the most valuable materials, including tons of gold and noble woods. When the construction of the temple was completed in the 11th year of his reign, King Solomon planned a grand celebration, where many sacrifices were offered at the dedication of the building. Among other buildings constructed by King Solomon in Israel, we can highlight the House of the Forest of Lebanon, which was 50 meters long, 25 meters wide, and 15 meters high, a portico of pillars measuring 25 by 15 meters, a hall for his throne where he conducted judgments, a house for the pharaoh's daughter of Egypt, one of his wives, which possessed impressive grandeur. Solomon's own residence was a considerable construction, accommodating 700 wives and 300 concubines, along with the Solomon also built Milo, a massive fortress to protect the temple. But as already mentioned, besides wealth, King Solomon was known for his wisdom. In 1 Kings chapter 3 and 2 Chronicles chapter 1, we read the account of the dream in which the Lord appeared to Solomon and asked him what he most desired to receive. Solomon could have asked for riches, longevity, or honor, yet the young king asked for wisdom, specifically, an understanding heart, to govern his people prudently. One episode that highlights Solomon's wisdom involves two mothers who came before him disputing a single newborn. The case was quite difficult as there were no witnesses. With great wisdom, King Solomon proposed that the child be divided in two to solve the problem. Faced with the possibility of her son's death, the real mother preferred to give the boy to the imposter woman, allowing Solomon to judge the case impeccably. King Solomon's wisdom is also evident in all the literature he produced. Solomon composed thousands of proverbs and songs. The depth of his proverbs also impresses, so much so that the Bible reports he spoke about trees, animals, birds, reptiles, and fish. Beyond the biblical accounts, many legends and ancient documents refer to Solomon's spectacular wisdom. Among the books of the Bible, Solomon is attributed authorship of a large part of the Book of Proverbs, as well as Ecclesiastes, perhaps the Song of Solomon, and at least Psalms 72 and 127. The Bible says Solomon's wisdom was so impressive that people from all nations and all the kings of the earth came to hear his wisdom. One such visit was made by the Queen of Sheba, who came from the ends of the earth to personally hear King Solomon's wisdom. The Queen of Sheba asked many questions and riddles to Solomon, and the king intelligently answered all her queries, leaving her completely amazed. On the occasion, the Queen of Sheba gifted King Solomon with many presents, in addition to more than four tons of gold. Despite all his wisdom, King Solomon took actions that brought him problems. For example, Solomon subjected the people to forced labor. His international commercial practices somehow led to the introduction of idolatry in Israel through contact with other peoples. He applied a heavy tax burden that overburdened the Israelites. There was also his intense polygamy, which was the main means by which false gods began to be recognized in Hebrew territory. Moreover, Solomon himself was influenced by his many foreign wives, and in his old age practiced mixed worship following other gods. Speaking of Solomon's conjugal life, it seems that marriage was part of his political maneuvers. In other words, it appears Solomon used his marriages to secure advantageous international agreements. Although it is also true that the biblical text records that Solomon loved his women, indicating that his relationships were not merely strategic. Be that as it may, Solomon reached the impressive number of 700 wives in addition to 300 concubines. He was the Israeli ruler who most disregarded the biblical ordinance that a king in Israel should not have many women, lest his heart turn away from the Lord. Among the wives of King Solomon was the daughter of the pharaoh of Egypt, and on the occasion of this union Solomon received the city of Giza as a dowry. Some Arab, Jewish, and Ethiopian traditions suggest that Solomon also had a romantic relationship with the queen of Sheba, from which a son was born, supposedly Menelik I, the founder of the Ethiopian royal house. However, the Bible does not report anything about this. Solomon's heir, Rehoboam, was born from his marriage with Nama, an Ammonite woman. Considering the period of Solomon's reign, 40 years, and the age of his son Rehoboam when he succeeded him, 41 years, we can conclude that Solomon's relationship with Nama began before his reign. Therefore, many scholars believe Nama may have been Solomon's first wife. But King Solomon's grave sin of defying the worship of God in Israel, when he began to follow other gods to please his foreign wives, could not go unpunished. The Bible says God was angry with Solomon. The truth is, the king most known for his wisdom and unimaginable riches also experienced decline and the consequent divine disapproval, because, ironically, he was not wise in the things of God and disregarded his ordinances. However, in his mercy and love for David, God suspended his full judgment during Solomon's lifetime and did not take the kingdom from him. Nonetheless, even with the postponement of divine judgment during his life, Solomon experienced threats from enemies raised by God to be instruments of judgment in his kingdom, such as Hadad the Edomite, Rezon the Syrian, and Jeroboam. Among these three opponents, Jeroboam is the most prominent in the biblical text. He was a strong and hard-working leader who rebelled against King Solomon's policies, and during the reign of Rehoboam, he divided the kingdom of Israel, becoming king of the northern tribes. Therefore, after Solomon's death, divine punishment was truly poured out on his house, and the glorious unified kingdom of Israel was taken from his son. The Bible does not provide details about Solomon's death. What is known is that he ended his life in a melancholic manner, leaving a weakened kingdom on the brink of collapse. But undoubtedly, he made significant contributions to Israel. Solomon was the king who built the Lord's Temple, the king who consolidated Israel on the international scene of his time, and was the main exponent of Hebrew wisdom literature. As for the many extra-biblical stories about Solomon, there is no evidence that they are true. Indeed, the Bible itself mentions the existence of records about Solomon. Some of these records, such as the so-called Book of the Acts of Solomon, served as sources for the biblical writer of the books of one and second kings. However, these materials have been lost, that is, they no longer exist. What remains today are only legends and fanciful writings, produced mainly by followers of a more mystical branch of Judaism later on. In these legends, Solomon is often depicted as someone involved with magic, capable of controlling demons, and even conversing with animals. But these accounts are generally based on pseudographical writings of unknown authorship and were likely produced in the Unfortunately, many people without knowledge prefer to believe in the veracity of these works and reject what is actually recorded in the biblical text, which, like it or not, is the most well-documented work in history. It is common for some people to say that the true story of Solomon was hidden from the Bible. But this makes no sense at all, because these mystical stories about Solomon emerged long after the biblical text of the Old Testament was written. Regarding archaeology, most archaeologists agree about the historicity of Solomon, although there is much debate about the extent and characteristics of his kingdom. But recent archaeological findings have increasingly contributed to understanding the period of the Israelite monarchy. Despite that excavations in the area where the temple stood, which might be the most important for possible discoveries from Solomon's time, are always very problematic due to political and religious issues. Therefore, what we really know about Solomon, reliably, is what is recorded in the Bible. And the most important thing in all this is to understand that all the glory and splendor of Solomon's kingdom typified the eternal kingdom of the Messiah, so that Psalm 72 attributed to Solomon uses hyperbolic language to simultaneously refer to the human king and announce the divine king, who is Christ. Now write in the comments what you think about Solomon's story.