The History of Saul, David and Solomon: Israel's Greatest Kings, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike, Horbury. Thus, although still able to keep control of the nation of Israel because of God’s promise to King David, Solomon lost the protection and favor of God that earlier had provided remarkable peace and prosperity when he was obedient to God. He also rebuilt several cities; he commissioned fleets of ships and built numerous harbors to accommodate the bounty of the trade routes; and he constructed stables to house his thousands of horses and chariots. Solomon’s ungrateful, disloyal actions and attitude - despite being the wisest and most blessed man on the earth - provoked the anger and judgment of the Lord. before them; and they went forward into the land, slaughtering Unfortunately, according to Tom Meyer, a professor in Bible studies at Bible Shasta College and Graduate School in California, US, there is little concrete evidence of his building activities in ancient Israel. the Israelites arose and struck the Moabites, so that they fled Fortunately, new archaeological discoveries continue to be made and advanced technology continues to bring to light the shadows of that which has been hidden for centuries and centuries. stopped all the springs of water and felled all the good trees, Current consensus states that regardless of whether or not a man named Solomon truly reigned as king over the Judean hills in the 10th century BCE, the Biblical descriptions of his apparent empire's lavishness is almost surely an anachronistic invention. them into the hand of Moab." mustered all Israel. Ancient History Encyclopedia. Model of Herod's Renovation of the Temple of Jerusalemby Berthold Werner (Public Domain). Side rooms and a courtyard were constructed around the whole building, with areas sectioned off for both the priests and the common people of Israel. (against Jehosaphat, c. 860 B.C.). departed from him and returned to their own land. Many of these partnerships were cemented through royal marriages and the giving of concubines to Solomon, eventually gaining him 700 wives and 300 concubines. The discoveries pertain the famous Israelite King Solomon and his legendary building projects. of the Temple of Solomon and part of the history of that temple of Israel. In the Pseudepigrapha, The Testament of Solomon is a 3rd century CE book that syncretizes magic, astrology, and demonology to discuss the construction of the Temple among other sub-topics. (2 Kings Will you go with me to fight against Moab?" He said: "These building projects helped transition the new nation of Israel from a country of primarily shepherds and farmers to a regional super-power with international trade connections. Hadad II, was victorious in battle against the "foot soldiers, (2 Kings 12:1-6, 11-17), This article comes from GOD AND SCIENCE.ORG to whom we rebellion of King Mesha of Moab against King Jehoram of Israel The threat of civil war and Adonijah’s immediate execution as a traitor was averted for a time; however, Adonijah attempted to possess King David’s former asexual concubine, Abishag the Shunammite, behind King Solomon’s back. Still, considering the traditional view of King Solomon as the wisest, most prosperous man on earth and King of his time (and of all future kings of Israel), the lack of direct historical and archaeological references to him, to the name “King Solomon” outside of the Hebrew scriptures, which portray him as the wisest of all fools, is quite ironical or evidential, indeed. offerings, was not brought into the house of the LORD; it was for Ancient History Encyclopedia. completed well, "the Lord will protect his people with 26 Sep 2020. ... It’s hard to believe that Solomon slowly deprioritized his relationship and obligations to God in order to appease his many foreign wives and in order to protect the prosperity and longevity of his rule. Institutionally and nationally, it was the intersection of the Divine with his People through his mediator.