Solomon's Proverbial Wisdom: Fiction or Fact?
Posted: Friday, October 31, 2008
by John Howard Reid
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King Solomon receives such an enormous degree of attention in the Bible that he has always been traditionally identified with wisdom. Even today, most people, whether believers in the truth of the Bible or not, firmly equate wisdom with Solomon. The expression, "wise as Solomon" is not only proverbial, it is accepted as totally factual. If you ask why, most people simply refer back to the Bible, often quoting the well-known Sunday-school story in which the wise Solomon discovers who is the real mother of a disputed child.
After all, the traditional story really proves very little about Solomon's supposed wisdom. That particular tale was already centuries old before Solomon employed its well-known stratagem of offering to cut the baby in half, knowing full well that the child's real mother would not allow this to happen. Solomon no doubt heard this story from his tutor, and it was quite praiseworthy that he remembered to apply it in this particular instance. In that sense, he was certainly rather clever.
But what else does the Bible offer to prove Solomon's wisdom, aside from the mere repetition of that alleged fact? Nothing at all, aside from an incident in which Solomon cheats King Hiram of Tyre out of his gold. Interestingly, the Bible thoroughly approves of Solomon's duplicity, even though Hiram is extensively lauded as Israel's principal friend and ally.
This two-faced approach to Solomon is not an isolated incident but is typical of the way Solomon is actually painted in the Bible's Old Testament Book of Kings. True, the Bible inserts many obvious exaggerations in which it is observed that "Solomon's wisdom went way beyond the wisdom of all Israel's ancient prophets" [3 Kings 3:1 LXX], but beneath all these superficial boasts, the Bible also points a finger at Solomon's rapacity, his blood-curdling cruelty and the undeniable fact that his wealth and all his indulgences were constructed on a massive scale of well-organized slave labor. And these slaves were not drawn from foreign fields but from Israel itself!
I find it a little odd that the Bible makes such a great fuss over the enslavement of the Israelites in Egypt, but almost passes over a similar and perhaps even greater enslavement perpetrated by King Solomon in Israel itself. Indeed, were it not for the fact that Solomon's unbridled rapaciousness led directly to a successful, whole-scale rebellion, it's highly possible that the somewhat prejudiced Bible writers may have seen fit to pass over these unpalatable facts altogether.
Indeed it is not until the final stage of Solomon's kingship, that the Bible's hitherto groveling editorializing in favor of the king, suddenly ceases. In fact, Solomon no longer rejoices in God's favor but abruptly becomes His inveterate enemy. [3 Kings 11:8].
What was Solomon really like? I believe the truth lies midway between the Bible's two extremes. Using the classic mystery-suspense format, I have attempted to paint a rounded picture of the real Solomon in my novel, "Prophet, Priest and King".
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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)Thanks for a great article, John. Very well-written. I always felt that the particular story of King Solomon and the baby was to put more emphasis on his human nature side. Very good article, thanks for sharing.And God Bless.Sandra
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