Top 10 facts about King Solomon

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Top 10 facts about King Solomon.

Son of King David and Bat Sheba. The third Jewish king. The years of his reign were an age of prosperity and power for Israel, an age of peace and tranquility. King Shlomo was famous for his wisdom, wealth, and piety. But most importantly, he built the Temple in Jerusalem.

Ten #facts about King #Solomon

1. King Solomon's (Shlomo) real name was Yedidiah (Beloved of God). He was nicknamed Solomon - Peaceful - because, unlike his father, King David, he practically did not fight.

2. King David had many wives who bore him many children. Solomon was not the eldest, so he was not the only one entitled to the throne. At a decisive moment in his struggle for power, Solomon was supported by Sadok, the high priest, Nathan the prophet, and most importantly, the commander of the capital guard, Banea. The celebrated general Joab was a supporter of Solomon's brother Adonijah. But Joab commanded a militia that had yet to be assembled. So Solomon was crowned king, leaving Adonijah with nothing. And then he was accused of high treason and executed.

3. Everyone knows that Solomon was called the wisest of all men. According to legend, he first proved his wisdom when God offered him any gift to choose from. And Solomon asked for wisdom.

There is an account in the Torah of two women who came to Solomon for judgment.
They lived in the same house, and each had a baby. During the night one of the babies died. The mother gave the dead body to her neighbor and kept the live baby. In the morning the women began to argue, "The live baby is mine, and the dead one is yours," each said. After listening to them, Solomon commanded: "Bring a sword." When the sword was brought, the king commanded: "Cut the living child in half and give half to one and half to the other."
One of the women at these words exclaimed: "Better give the baby to her, but don't kill her!"
Another, on the contrary, said: "Cut it up, let her or me have none of it."

Then Solomon said: "Do not kill the child, but give him to the first woman: she is his mother."

4. The main work of King Solomon's life was the building of the Temple in Jerusalem, which lasted many years. When the Temple was erected, the king recited a special prayer in which he asked God to listen to all who would come to the Sanctuary-Jews and non-Jews.

5. Solomon is traditionally believed to have been the author of three biblical books. As a young man he wrote a love poem, "Song of Songs" (Shear ha-Shirim); as a mature man - a moralistic collection of "Proverbs" (Mishlei); and in his old age - a sad book "Ecclesiastes" (Kohelet), which begins with: "Vanity of vanities - all vanity".

6. Solomon, desiring to be at peace with his neighbors, resolved to become related to all the nations around him. He had many wives, estimating that no one would fight against his kindred. His most profitable marriage was with the daughter of Pharaoh, the ruler of powerful Egypt.

7. Polygamy, however, played a cruel joke on Solomon. Solomon's wives were idolaters, and in order to appease them, the king built for them numerous pagan shrines, which he himself visited regularly. For this he was foretold that after his death his kingdom would be dissolved.

8. Which it did. Solomon's son Rehoboam did not inherit his father's wisdom. He could not find common ground with his subjects. As a result, 10 of the 12 tribes separated from Jerusalem and created a separate kingdom of Israel.

9. King Solomon is the hero of many literary works. For example, Suleiman ibn Daud, who imprisoned Hassan Abdurahman ibn Khattab in a jug, is none other than King Solomon, whom Arabs call Suleiman.

10. Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavovich, one of the greatest statesmen of Ancient Russia, the Russian chronicles compared with King Solomon. Firstly, because in his youth he, like Solomon, had many wives. And secondly, because he adopted Christianity and built the first stone temple in Russia - the Church of the Tithes in Kiev. However, unlike Solomon, they didn't call Vladimir "Wise". This title was given to his son Yaroslav, the author of the first Russian code of laws - Russkaya Pravda.