King of Israel, Builder of the Temple, Wisdom Teacher
c. 970–931 BC · Old Testament
Son of David and the wisest king of Israel — built the First Temple in Jerusalem, wrote Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, and reigned over Israel's golden age.
Solomon was the third king of Israel (c. 970-931 BC), the son of David and Bathsheba, and the wisest king in Israel's history. He became king while his father David was still alive — an arrangement engineered by Bathsheba and the prophet Nathan to prevent his older half-brother Adonijah from seizing the throne (1 Kings 1). Early in his reign, God appeared to Solomon in a dream at Gibeon and asked what he wanted. Solomon asked not for wealth or long life but for wisdom to govern: 'Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil' (1 Kings 3:9). God granted this and added wealth and honor besides. Solomon's wisdom became proverbial — kings and queens came from afar to hear him (including the Queen of Sheba, 1 Kings 10). He authored 3,000 proverbs and 1,005 songs (1 Kings 4:32) — including the biblical books of Proverbs, the Song of Solomon, and traditionally Ecclesiastes. Solomon's reign was Israel's golden age: the kingdom reached its greatest territorial extent, trade flourished, and Jerusalem became a center of learning and worship. His crowning achievement was the building of the First Temple (Beit HaMikdash) — David's lifelong dream, fulfilled by his son. The Temple took seven years to build (1 Kings 6:38) and was dedicated with a magnificent ceremony. Solomon's later years, however, were marked by tragic decline. He took 700 wives and 300 concubines (1 Kings 11:3), many of them foreign princesses from political alliances, and they 'turned away his heart after other gods.' He built shrines to foreign deities — Ashtoreth, Chemosh, Molech — and God told him that because of this, the kingdom would be torn from his son's hand after his death (1 Kings 11:9-13). When Solomon died at about 60, the kingdom split: ten tribes followed Jeroboam, leaving only Judah and Benjamin loyal to Solomon's son Rehoboam.
Bathsheba and Nathan secure his succession over Adonijah
Solomon asks for wisdom; God grants wisdom plus wealth and honor
Solomon's wisdom on public display
Seven years of construction; David's dream fulfilled
International recognition of Solomon's wisdom
The beginning of Solomon's spiritual decline
The kingdom will be torn from his son
Solomon's significance is fivefold. First, he built the Temple — the central place of worship in Israel until its destruction in 586 BC. Second, he wrote much of the Bible's wisdom literature — Proverbs (timeless wisdom for daily life), Ecclesiastes (the futility of life lived apart from God), and the Song of Solomon (the celebration of married love). Third, his reign was Israel's high point — the kingdom never again reached the territorial and cultural prominence it had under Solomon. Fourth, his story is a warning: even the wisest man in the world, the man who built God's Temple, fell into idolatry through compromise. As 1 Kings 11 records, 'his wives turned away his heart.' Fifth, the New Testament refers to Solomon's wisdom and splendor only to contrast with Christ — Matthew 6:29 ('even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these lilies') and Matthew 12:42 ('something greater than Solomon is here').
“Vanity of vanities; all is vanity.”— Ecclesiastes 1:2
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.”— Proverbs 3:5
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”— Proverbs 9:10
“There is nothing new under the sun.”— Ecclesiastes 1:9
Solomon was the third king of Israel (c. 970-931 BC), the son of King David and Bathsheba, and the wisest king in Israel's history. He built the First Temple in Jerusalem, wrote much of the Bible's wisdom literature (Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon), and led Israel through its golden age. His reign declined into idolatry through his many foreign marriages, and the kingdom split after his death.
1 Kings 11:3 records that Solomon had 700 wives of royal birth and 300 concubines — 1,000 in total. Most were foreign princesses from political alliances with surrounding kingdoms. The Bible explicitly links these marriages to Solomon's spiritual decline: 'his wives turned away his heart after other gods' (1 Kings 11:4). What looked like prudent international diplomacy ended in idolatry and the loss of the kingdom.
Three biblical books are traditionally attributed to Solomon: Proverbs (much of which he authored), the Song of Solomon (also called Song of Songs), and Ecclesiastes (whose 'Teacher' or 'Preacher' tradition has identified as Solomon). 1 Kings 4:32 says he 'spoke 3,000 proverbs, and his songs were 1,005.' He may have also written Psalm 72 and Psalm 127.
The Queen of Sheba (traditionally from modern Yemen or Ethiopia) traveled to Jerusalem with a great caravan to test Solomon's reputed wisdom with hard questions (1 Kings 10:1-13). After hearing his answers and seeing the splendor of his court and Temple, she declared: 'The half was not told me. Your wisdom and prosperity surpass the report that I heard.' She brought lavish gifts and returned to her own land. The visit symbolizes the international reach of Solomon's reputation.