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History about King Solomon

The biblical text refers to Solomon as the third and last monarch of the united kingdom of Israel (that is, before the separation of Israelite territory in the kingdoms of Judah and Israel). 3 Son of King David, Solomon managed to reign over a extensive territory for almost four decades, 4 possibly between 965 and 928 BC5

 

During the reign of Solomon, the first Temple of Jerusalem was built and he is credited with the authorship of the biblical texts entitled Book of Ecclesiastes, Book of Proverbs and Song of Songs.

 

In the Tanach and the Hebrew Bible it is also known as Jedidiah.

 

In the mentioned texts it is said of King Solomon that:

 

He inherited a considerable empire conquered by his father King David, which stretched from the Torrential Valley on the border with Egypt, to the Euphrates River, in Mesopotamia.6 7 8 9 10

He had great wealth and wisdom.11

He administered his kingdom through a system of 12 districts.12

He owned a great harem, which included "the daughter of Pharaoh." 13 14 15

He honored other gods in his old age.16 17

He consecrated his reign to large construction projects.18

In the Qur'an, Solomon is considered one of the most important prophets. Muslims generally refer to him with the Arabic variant, Sulayman.

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Solomon in the Bible [edit]

 

The Dream of Solomon (Luca Giordano).

 

King Solomon with the Queen of Sheba (Ghiberti).

 

Solomon writes the Proverbs (Doré).

 

The trial of Solomon (1617) by Peter Paul Rubens.

Solomon was the second of the sons of King David and Bathsheba. In the Bible, the prophet Nathan informs David that God has ordered the death of his first son as punishment for the sin of the king, who had sent to death Uriah, husband of Bathsheba, to marry his wife (Cassiodorus of Reina, Cipriano de Valera (1909). "2Samuel 12, 14." Bible, translation Reina-Valera (Wikisource) .: "You have made blaspheme the enemies of God" (literally: 'you have despised the precepts of God'). After a week of prayer and fasting, David learned the news of his son's death and married Bathsheba who became pregnant, this time from Solomon.

 

The story of Solomon is narrated in the First Book of the Kings, 1-11, and in the Second Book of the Chronicles, 1-9. He succeeded his father, David, on the throne of Israel around 970 a. C..19 His father chose him as successor at the request of Bathsheba and Nathan, although he had older children with other women. He was elevated to the throne before the death of his father, since his half brother Adonijah had proclaimed himself king.

 

Adonijah was later executed by order of Solomon, and the Abiathar priest, his supporter, was deposed from his position, in which he was replaced by Sadoc. General Joab was also killed without respecting the temple's right of asylum. From the biblical account, it seems that, when Solomon ascended to power, a purge took place in the ruling cadres of the kingdom, who were replaced by people loyal to the new king.

 

In the Bible it says:

 

Yahweh appeared to Solomon ... and said: Ask what you want me to give you. And Solomon said: ... Give your servant a magnanimous heart to judge your people, to discern between good and bad [to be able to govern ....]

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