person · P0057
Shlomo שלמה המלך
Son of David, king of the united monarchy at its height, builder of the First Temple in Jerusalem, and in tradition the author of Mishlei, Shir HaShirim, and Kohelet. Granted wisdom "greater than all the children of the East." He stands beside the chain as king and sage; Rambam's enumerated links pass from David to Achiyah HaShiloni.
I. Who
- Hebrew
- שלמה המלך
- Also known as
- Shlomo HaMelech, Solomon
- Era
- bible
- Parents
- David
- Children
- Rechavam
II. When
- Traditional
- c. 2912–2964 AM (reigned 2924–2964; Temple begun 2928)
- Academic
- reign conventionally c. 970–931 BCE; historicity of its scale debated
- Lifespan (traditional)
- ≈52 years
- Precision
- approximate
III. Where
- Places
- Jerusalem
V. How do we know
| Claim | Evidence | Confidence | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| "God gave Shlomo wisdom and very great understanding, and breadth of heart like the sand on the seashore."
Confidence is for what the biblical text states. |
biblical | ★★★★★ | |
| Began building the house of God in the fourth year of his reign — dated by the text itself to the 480th year after the Exodus, a cornerstone of the traditional chronology (2928 AM).
Confidence is for what the biblical text states. |
biblical tradition | ★★★★★ | |
| Shlomo was the son of David and Bat-Sheva. | biblical | ★★★★★ | |
| He formed a marriage alliance with the king of Egypt and married Pharaoh's daughter. | biblical | ★★★★★ | |
| He completed the Temple in his eleventh regnal year; Melachim states that the construction took seven years from its fourth-year founding. | biblical | ★★★★★ | |
| Melachim reports annual revenue of 666 talents of gold and describes Shlomo as exceeding all other kings in wealth.
Confidence concerns what the biblical narrative reports, not an independently verified economic total.
|
biblical | ★★★★★ | |
| He reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel for forty years, died, and was buried in the City of David; his son Rechavam succeeded him. | biblical | ★★★★★ | |
| Traditional dates c. 2912–2964 AM (reign 2924–2964) per Seder Olam reckoning.
Schematic traditional dating. |
tradition reconstruction | ★★☆☆☆ | |
| Academic scholarship conventionally places his reign c. 970–931 BCE but debates the scale of the united monarchy, as there is no contemporary external attestation of Shlomo and the archaeology of 10th-century Jerusalem is contested.
Recorded as the scholarly discussion. |
reconstruction | ★★★★☆ |