1000 - 900 BCE

King Solomon

Cuando el reinado del rey David llegó a su fin, su hijo Salomón fue nombrado rey. Salomón era profundamente consciente de la gran responsabilidad que recaía sobre él. En una sentida plegaria a Dios, Salomón no pidió poseer riqueza ni poder, sino sabiduría y conocimiento para dirigir la gran nación de Dios. Dios no solo le concedió sabiduría, sino que Salomón se convirtió en el hombre más sabio que jamás haya existido. Fue gracias a su noble y humilde petición por lo que también se le concedió la prosperidad de la riqueza y la expansión del Reino más allá de cualquier otro anterior o posterior a él.

Su reinado era conocido en todos los rincones del mundo antiguo y muchos reyes, reinas y dignatarios viajaban desde muy lejos para reunirse él y conocerle.

El rey Salomón, famoso por sus sabios juicios, su aguda intuición y su discernimiento, dejó un rico legado de sabiduría y guía en escritos como el Libro de los Proverbios y el Cantar de los Cantares de Salomón, que siguen siendo relevantes y aplicables hoy en día. Incluso el muy reflexivo Libro del Eclesiastés se atribuye al rey Salomón.

City of David Megalim Institute

Timeline of King Solomon

c. 982 BCE Bathsheba gives birth to Solomon.
c. 970 BCE David dies and Solomon becomes King.
c. 930 BCE Solomon dies. His kingdom is divided into the 10 “lost” tribes of Israel under King Jeroboam and the 2 Southern tribes of Judea and Benjamin under King Rehoboam.
c. 925 BCE The Pharaoh Shoshenq (Shishak) invades Israel and raids the Temple of Solomon.

This is the Timeline of King Solomon:

c. 982 BCE    Bathsheba gives birth to Solomon.
c. 970 BCE    David dies and Solomon becomes King.
c. 930 BCE    Solomon dies. His kingdom is divided into the House of Judah which consists of the southern tribes of Judah and Benjamin under his son King Rehoboam, and the House of Israel under King Jeroboam (from the tribe of Ephraim), the remaining northern tribes that would ultimately be exiled during the Assyrian onslaught of the land and become known as the 10 lost Tribes.
c. 925 BCE   The Pharaoh Shoshenq (Shishak) invades Israel and raids the Temple of Solomon.

The Gezer Calendar,
10th Century BCE

Ecclesiastes 3:1-2
King Solomon wrote:
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die;
A time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;

Gezer Calendar Inscription
Early Hebrew writing:
“Two months are planting
Two months are late (planting)
One month is hoeing flax
One month is barley-harvest”

The Gezer Calendar, circa 10th Century BCE, the time of King Solomon, is a tablet discovered in 1908 during excavations at Gezer by the Irish archaeologist R. A. Stewart Macalister. The tablet contains a list of months according to the activities that occurred during each agricultural cycle. The list begins on the Hebrew New Year and corresponds with the agricultural cycles of the Biblical Festivals.

The Gezer calendar inscription is in early Hebrew writing and reads as follows:
“Two months are planting – corresponding to the time after Sukkot
Two months are late (planting) - corresponding to the time of the latter rain or “Malkosh”
One month is hoeing flax
One month is barley-harvest" - corresponding to the time of Passover and the counting of the Omer.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-2
King Solomon wrote: For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:A time to be born, and a time to die;A time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;

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Replica, Israel Museum, Jerusalem

City of David Megalim Institute, Courtesy of George Blumenthal and the Gol Family

Solomon Is Anointed King
c. 970 BCE

1 Kings 1:33-34, 45
The king (David) said to them, "Take my loyal soldiers, and have my son Solomon ride on my mule and bring him down to Gihon. Let the priest Zadok and the prophet Nathan anoint him there king over Israel, whereupon you shall sound the horn and shout, Long live King Solomon!"

"... and the priest Zadok and the prophet Nathan anointed him (Solomon) king at Gihon. Then they came up from there making merry, and the city went into an uproar. That’s the noise you heard.”

Kingship in ancient times was a highly pursued and coveted position and jealous ambitious aspirants from within the court constantly devised plans to supplant the king and even kill off his descendants.

Absalom, one of King David’s sons, tried in a failed attempt to take the kingship from his father. So when Nathan the prophet and Batsheva (Solomon’s mother) heard that Adoniyah, King David’s eldest son was planning to do the same, they reminded King David of his promise that Solomon was to inherit the throne.

Watch the Megallim Video courtesy of George Blumenthal and the Gol Family showing the suspenseful events that led to ensuring Solomon’s place on the throne.

David's Charge to Solomon
by Rembrandt

1 Kings 2:1-3
When David’s life was drawing to a close, he instructed his son Solomon as follows: "I am going the way of all the earth; be strong and show yourself a man. Keep the charge of the LORD your God... as recorded in the Teaching of Moses...”

David's Charge to Solomon by Rembrandt van Rijn

1 Kings 2:1-3
When David’s life was drawing to a close, he instructed his son Solomon as follows: "I am going the way of all the earth; be strong and show yourself a man. Keep the charge of the L-RD your G-d... as recorded in the Teaching of Moses...”

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Devonshire Collections, Chatsworth

The United Monarchy

2 Samuel 8:11-12
King David dedicated these to the L-RD... all the nations he had conquered: from Edom, Moab, and Ammon...Zobah.

From 1200–900 BCE, regional empires flourished in the Near East. After the collapse of the Hittite Empire, Tabal arose from its remains, west of Carchemish. Aram-Zobah extended from modern Lebanon south to the Galilee and north to Damascus and the Euphrates. The realm of David and Solomon came to control the Aram-Zobah empire as well as territory from the Mediterranean to Edom, Moab and Ammon east of the Jordan and south to the Gulf of Aqaba (Eilat)

The United Monarchy

2 Samuel 8:11-12
King David dedicated these to the L-RD... all the nations he had conquered: from Edom, Moab, and Ammon...Zobah.

From 1200–900 B.C.E., regional empires flourished in the Near East. After the collapse of the Hittite Empire, Tabal arose from its remains, west of Carchemish. Aram-Zobah extended from modern Lebanon south to the Galilee and north to Damascus and the Euphrates. The realm of David and Solomon came to control the Aram-Zobah empire as well as the territory from the Mediterranean to Edom, Moab and Ammon east of the Jordan and south to the Gulf of Aqaba.

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Biblical Archaeology Society

The Israelite Temple of King Solomon
c. 960 BCE

Dado que Dios negó a David la tarea de construir el Templo, debido al derramamiento de sangre durante sus batallas para asegurar la tierra, el honor de la tarea recayó en Salomón.

Salomón pidió al rey Hiram de Tiro, que ayudaba al rey David a construir su palacio, que también se uniera a él en la construcción del Templo, ya que Tiro no solo era conocida por sus majestuosos cedros del Líbano, sino también por sus hábiles albañiles.

The City of David Archives

Solomon Builds The First Israelite Temple to God

1 Kings 5:16-19
Solomon sent this message to Hiram:
“You know that my father David could not build a house for the name of the Lord… And so I propose to build a house for the name of the Lord my God…”

1 Kings 5:16-19
Solomon sent this message to Hiram: “You know that my father David could not build a house for the name of the L-rd… And so I propose to build a house for the name of the L-rd my G-d…”

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City of David Megalim Institute, Courtesy of George Blumenthal and the Gol Family

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division
National Museum of Beirut

Sarcophagus of Ahiram,
Phoenician King of Byblos,
c. 936 BCE

1 Kings 5:32
Solomon’s masons, Hiram’s masons, and the men of Gebal (Byblos) shaped them. Thus the timber and the stones for building the house were made ready.

Inscription from Sarcophagus
“Sarcophagus made by Ittobaal, son of Ahiram, king of Byblos, for Ahiram his father as a dwelling place for all eternity.”

1 Kings 5:32
Solomon’s masons, Hiram’s masons, and the men of Gebal (Byblos) shaped them. Thus, the timber and the stones for building the house were made ready.

In this picture archived by the United States Library of Congress is a limestone sarcophagus from the Beirut Museum for Ahiram, King of Byblos, a site on the Lebanese coast. A Phoenician inscription on the cover identifies the receptacle as a “Sarcophagus made by Ittobaal, son of Ahiram, king of Byblos, for Ahiram his father as a dwelling place for all eternity.” Ahiram likely ruled in the tenth century BCE, a contemporary of King Solomon.

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Laver stands

Laver Stand from Megiddo,
12th Century BCE

1 Kings 7:27
"He (Hiram) made the ten laver stands of bronze. The length of each laver stand was 4 cubits and the width was 4 cubits, and the height was 3 cubits."

A bronze stand dating to the 12th Century BCE was found in an archaeological excavation at Megiddo.

1 Kings 7:27
"He (Hiram) made the ten laver stands of bronze. The length of each laver stand was 4 cubits and the width was 4 cubits, and the height was 3 cubits."

The picture is an Illustration by Leen Ritmeyer depicting the laver stands at the Temple

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Israel Antiquities Authority / Israel Museum (top)
Illustration by Leen Ritmeyer (left)

The Veil of Purple In King Solomon’s Temple

2 Chronicles 3:14
The Temple Construction
“He made the curtain of blue, purple, and crimson yarn and fine linen, and he worked cherubim into it.”

In this picture by the Israel Antiquities Authority, you can see royal purple fabric found in Israel in 2021, dating to the time of King Solomon.

2 Chronicles 3:14
“He made the curtain of blue, purple, and crimson yarn and fine linen, and he worked cherubim into it.”

Royal purple fabric found in Israel in 2021, dating to the time of King Solomon.
Israel Antiquities Authority

The Walls of Solomon

1 Kings 9:15
This was the purpose of the forced labor which Solomon imposed: It was to build the House of the LORD, his own palace, the Millo, and the wall of Jerusalem, and to fortify Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer.

En unas excavaciones arqueológicas dirigidas por la arqueóloga Eilat Mazar se ha hallado una sección de una antigua muralla de la ciudad de Jerusalén posiblemente construida por el rey Salomón en el siglo X a. e. c. La muralla se encuentra en el extremo oriental de la zona de Ofel, en un lugar elevado y estratégico sobre la ladera occidental del valle del Cedrón.

1 Reyes 9:15
Aquí viene lo referente al trabajo forzado, a esos hombres que Salomón había requisado para construir la Casa de Yavé, su propio palacio, el Millo, la muralla de Jerusalén, Jazor, Meguido y Gacer.

Solomon’s Wall in Jerusalem, Discovered in 2010 by Eilat Mazar, Israel Antiquities Authority

King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba
by Rembrandt

1 Kings 10:1
Now when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the L-RD, she came to test him with hard questions.

King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba by Rembrandt van Rijn

Sheba was a powerful incense-trading kingdom that prospered through trade with Jerusalem and the Roman Empire. The queen is immortalized in the Bible, which describes her visit to Solomon "with a very great retinue, with camels bearing spices, gold and precious stones”.
The Bible accounts that she visited Solomon to test his wisdom by asking him several riddles.

1 Kings 10:1
Now when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the
L-RD, she came to test him with difficult riddles.

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7th Century BCE South Arabian Inscription Documenting Trade between Sheba and the "towns of Judah"

This bronze inscription found in southern Arabia, the land of Sheba, mentions a trading expedition of the kingdom of Sabaea (Biblical Sheba) to the “towns of Judah.”

The artifact is dated to the end of the 7th century BCE, after the time of Solomon, though it shows the plausibility of the contact between Israel and the land of Sheba.

This inscription mentions a trading expedition of the kingdom of Sabaea (Biblical Sheba) to ’HGR YHD," translating to the “towns of Judah.”
Photo by André Lemaire

Trade Route from Sheba
Biblical Archaeology Society

King Solomon’s Wealth

1 Kings 10:14-16

"The weight of gold that came to Solomon each year was 666 talents…”

“King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred shekels of gold went into each shield.”

La fama de la riqueza del rey Salomón llegó muy lejos. La Biblia nos narra en el Primer Libro de los Reyes 10:14-16:

«En un solo año llevaban a Salomón seiscientos sesenta y seis talentos de oro...

«El rey Salomón hizo doscientos grandes escudos de oro; en cada escudo se emplearon seiscientos siclos de oro».

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The Death of King Solomon, c. 930 BCE

1 Kings 11:42-43
Thus the time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years.
And Solomon rested with his fathers and was buried in the city of his father David.

King Solomon's wives turned his heart from fully serving G-d in his old age, causing him to also practice idolatry. This cast a shadow over the future of his kingship. The Bible relates:

1 Kings 11: 11-13
Wherefore the L-RD said unto Solomon: 'Forasmuch as this was with you, and you did not keep My covenant and My statutes which I have commanded you, I will surely rend the kingdom from you and will give it to your servant. But I will not do it in your days, for David your father's sake; but I will rend it out of the hand of your son. But I will not rend away all the kingdom, but I will give one tribe to your son; for the sake of David my servant, and for Jerusalem's sake which I have chosen.'

King Solomon died around 930 BCE
1 Kings 11:42-43
Thus, the time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years. And Solomon rested with his fathers and was buried in the city of his father David.

Solomon's Kingdom is Divided into the Northern Kingdom of Ten Tribes of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judea and Benjamin

1 Kings 11:31
Prophet Ahijah of Shilo said: “…for this is what the L-RD, the G-d of Israel, says: ‘Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and I will give you (Jeroboam I) ten tribes (leaving the tribes of Judea and Benjamin to Rehoboam, the son of Solomon).”

1 Kings 11:31
Prophet Ahijah of Shilo said: “…for this is what the L-RD, the G-d of Israel, says: ‘Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and I will give you (Jeroboam) ten tribes” (leaving the tribes of Judea and Benjamin to Rehoboam, the son of Solomon).

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Jeroboam's Idolatry

1 Kings 12:28-29
The king (Jeroboam I) made two golden calves… One he set up in Bethel, and the other in Dan.

Bronze Bull from Samaria, 12th Century BCE
Israel Museum / Israel Antiquities Authority

Poco después de la muerte de Salomón, una catástrofe política devastó el país, desgarrándolo. Las tribus del norte se rebelaron contra la dinastía davídica, centrada en Jerusalén y representada ahora por el débil y arrogante hijo de Salomón, Roboam. Tuvieron éxito, estableciendo su propio estado al que llamaron Israel. Jeroboam estableció dos centros de culto a los ídolos colocando dos becerros de oro, uno en Betel y otro en Dan, impidiendo que la Casa de Israel rindiera culto en Jerusalén.

1 Reyes 12: 30
El pueblo escoltó a uno de los terneros hasta Betel, y fueron en procesión delante del otro hasta Dan.

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The Sacrificial Altar at Tel Dan

1 Kings 12:30
The people walked as far as Dan to worship before one of the calves.

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Las excavaciones realizadas en el yacimiento de Tel Dan, cerca de la actual frontera norte de Israel, descubrieron un recinto de culto. Consiste en una enorme plataforma de piedra con una zona asociada para sacrificios y lugares de almacenaje. Las fechas de construcción y destrucción se derivan de textos bíblicos y asirios.

Es probable que el rey Jeroboam construyera el recinto en el siglo X a. e. c., como se ve en el Libro Primero de los Reyes, capítulos 12 a 29. Posteriormente fue destruido por el ejército asirio al mando de Tiglat-Pileser III en el año 734 a. e. c.

Drone video of Tel Dan by Ardon Bar-Hama

Pharaoh Shoshenq (Shishak)
Takes King Solomon’s Gold,
925 BCE

1 Kings 14:25-26
In the fifth year of King Rehoboam, Shishak king of Egypt attacked Jerusalem. He carried off the treasures of the temple of the L-rd and the treasures of the royal palace. He took everything, including all the gold shields Solomon had made.

In this wall carving at the Temple of Amun in Karnak, Egypt, Shoshenq boasts of 90 cities he conquered in the land of Israel, including Megiddo, Gibeon and Migdol.

In the year 925 BCE, Pharaoh Shoshenq or Shishak, raided the Temple and took King Solomon’s Gold

1 Kings 14:25-26
In the fifth year of King Rehoboam, Shishak king of Egypt attacked Jerusalem. He carried off the treasures of the temple of the L-RD and the treasures of the royal palace. He took everything, including all the gold shields Solomon had made.

In this wall carving at the Temple of Amun in Karnak, Egypt, Shoshenq boasts of 90 cities he conquered in the land of Israel, including Megiddo, Gibeon and Migdol.

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Wikimedia Commons

Shoshenq's Campaign Through Israel and Judah, 925 BCE

Places Mentioned in Shoshenq’s Inscription Include Many Cities in Israel:

Fort Abram (possibly Beersheba*)
Adoraim—2 Chronicles 11:9
Ayalon—Joshua 10:12
Beth-Horon—1 Kings 9:17
Beth-Shean—1 Kings 4:12
Gath—1 Samuel 5:8
Gibeon—1 Chronicles 21:29
Megiddo—1 Kings 4:12 (Armageddon)
Rehov—Joshua 19:28
Soroh—Joshua 15:35
Taanach—1 Kings 4:12

Shoshenq's Campaign Through Israel and Judah, 925 BCE

Places mentioned in Shoshenq’s inscription include many cities in Israel:

Fort Abram (possibly Beersheba*)
Adoraim—2 Chronicles 11:9
Ayalon—Joshua 10:12
Beth-Horon—1 Kings 9:17
Beth-Shean—1 Kings 4:12
Gath—1 Samuel 5:8
Gibeon—1 Chronicles 21:29
Megiddo—1 Kings 4:12
Rehov—Joshua 19:28
Soroh—Joshua 15:35
Ta’anach—1 Kings 4:12

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Biblical Archaeology Society

Pharaoh Shishak’s Stele Uncovered at Megiddo (Armageddon)

Dating to about 925 BCE, this 15-inch stone fragment discovered at Megiddo reads, “Amun’s beloved, Shishak [I].”

The stele fragment confirms Shishak’s encounter with Israel and Judea that is detailed on the inscription at the Temple of Amun in Karnak.

Dating to about 925 BCE, a 15-inch stone fragment was discovered at Megiddo that reads, “Amun’s beloved, Shishak [I].”

The stele fragment confirms Shishak’s encounter with Israel and Judea that is detailed and cross-referenced on the inscription at the Temple of Amun in Karnak.

University of Chicago Oriental Institute

Shishak's Son, Osorkon I, Donated Solomon’s Gold, 921 BCE

Shishak’s son King Osorkon I of Egypt in 921 BCE recorded gifts to the gods, including 383 tons of gold and silver. This fragment from a pillar in a temple at Bubastis, shows itemized lists of gifts to each god and goddess of Egypt.

In 921 BCE Shishak’s son King Osorkon the 1st of Egypt recorded gifts to the gods, including 383 tons of gold and silver, some most likely from King Solomon's gold that was looted during Shishak's conquest.

This fragment from a pillar in a temple at Bubastis shows itemized lists of gifts to each god and goddess of Egypt.

Temple of Bubastis, Egypt Exploration Fund, 1890

1000 - 900 BCE

King Solomon

Timeline of King Solomon

The Gezer Calendar, 10th Century BCE

Solomon Is Anointed Kingc. 970 BCE

David's Charge to Solomon by Rembrandt

The United Monarchy

The Israelite Temple of King Solomonc. 960 BCE

Solomon Builds The First Israelite Temple to God

Sarcophagus of Ahiram,Phoenician King of Byblos, c. 936 BCE

Laver Stand from Megiddo, 12th Century BCE

The Veil of Purple In King Solomon’s Temple

The Walls of Solomon

King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba by Rembrandt

7th Century BCE South Arabian Inscription Documenting Trade between Sheba and the "towns of Judah"

King Solomon’s Wealth

The Death of King Solomon, c. 930 BCE

1 Kings 11:42-43 Thus the time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years. And Solomon rested with his fathers and was buried in the city of his father David.

Solomon's Kingdom is Divided into the Northern Kingdom of Ten Tribes of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judea and Benjamin

Jeroboam's Idolatry

The Sacrificial Altar at Tel Dan

Pharaoh Shoshenq (Shishak) Takes King Solomon’s Gold, 925 BCE

Shoshenq's Campaign Through Israel and Judah, 925 BCE

Pharaoh Shishak’s Stele Uncovered at Megiddo (Armageddon)

Shishak's Son, Osorkon I, Donated Solomon’s Gold, 921 BCE

The Gezer Calendar,
10th Century BCE

Solomon Is Anointed King
c. 970 BCE

David's Charge to Solomon
by Rembrandt

The Israelite Temple of King Solomon
c. 960 BCE

Sarcophagus of Ahiram,
Phoenician King of Byblos,
c. 936 BCE

Laver Stand from Megiddo,
12th Century BCE

King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba
by Rembrandt

1 Kings 11:42-43
Thus the time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years.
And Solomon rested with his fathers and was buried in the city of his father David.

Pharaoh Shoshenq (Shishak)
Takes King Solomon’s Gold,
925 BCE