Solomon | Sources, Meaning, Temple, & Facts | Britannica

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• Introduction & Top Questions
• Background and sources
• Reign
• Legendary wisdom
• Decline of the kingdom

References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics Images At a Glance Solomon summary Quizzes Kings and Emperors (Part III) Quiz Related Questions

• What is Solomon most famous for?
• What was the religion of Solomon?
• Who were Solomon’s sons?
• Why is the Bible important?
• What language was the Bible originally written in?

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External Websites

• World History Encyclopedia - Solomon
• Encyclopedia Mythica - Solomon
• Bible Odyssey - Solomon
• Jewish Virtual Library - King Solomon
• Potter's Wax Museum - King Solomon
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - Solomon: Man of Wisdom, Man of Foolishness
• JewishEncyclopedia.com - Solomon

Britannica Websites Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.

• Solomon - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

Solomon king of Israel Ask Anything Quick Summary Homework Help Also known as: Shlomo Written by Cyrus H. Gordon Emeritus Professor of Hebraic and Near East Studies; Director, Center for Ebla Research, New York University, New York City. Emeritus Professor of Mediterranean Studies, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts.... Cyrus H. GordonAll Fact-checked by Britannica Editors Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Britannica Editors Last updated Feb. 20, 2026 •History Britannica AI Ask Anything Quick Summary Table of Contents Table of Contents Quick Summary Ask Anything Top Questions

What is Solomon most famous for?

Solomon is known for being the king of Israel who built the first Temple in Jerusalem. He was also the second (after his father, David) and last king of a unified Israel, which was at the height of its power during his reign. He is known for stories told in the Bible about his wisdom.

What was the religion of Solomon?

The religion of Solomon was Judaism, the monotheistic religion of the ancient Hebrews. However, as related in the first book of Kings, Solomon had many foreign women among his wives. “His wives turned his heart after other gods” (1 Kings 11:4, NIV), and thus he built shrines to the gods of their religions. In the biblical account of his reign, God tells Solomon he will punish him for his apostasy by breaking up his kingdom after his death.

Who were Solomon’s sons?

Solomon was succeeded by his son Rehoboam, who continued the harsh policies of his father toward the northern tribes of Israel. The northern tribes seceded and made Jeroboam, an official of Solomon who had led a rebellion against him, king. According to Ethiopian tradition, their emperors were descended from Menilek I, who was the son of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba.

Solomon was a biblical Israelite king who built the first Temple of Jerusalem and who is revered in Judaism and Christianity for his wisdom and in Islam as a prophet.

Background and sources

Nearly all evidence for Solomon’s life and reign comes from the Bible (especially the first 11 chapters of the First Book of Kings and the first nine chapters of the Second Book of Chronicles). According to those sources, his father was David (flourished c. 1000 bce), the poet and king who, against great odds, founded the Judaean dynasty and united all the tribes of Israel under one monarch. Solomon’s mother was Bathsheba, formerly the wife of David’s Hittite general, Uriah. She proved to be adept at court intrigue, and through her efforts, in concert with the prophet Nathan, Solomon was anointed king while David was still alive, despite the fact that he was younger than his brothers.

Material evidence for Solomon’s reign, as for that of his father, is scant. Although some scholars claim to have discovered artifacts that corroborate the biblical account of his reign in the early 10th century bce, others claim that the archaeological record strongly suggests that the fortified cities and even the Temple of Jerusalem actually emerged more than a century later. In the latter view, the kingdom of Solomon was far from the vast empire that the biblical narrative describes.

Reign

The Bible says that Solomon consolidated his position by liquidating his opponents ruthlessly as soon as he acceded to the throne. Once rid of his foes, he established his friends in the key posts of the military, governmental, and religious institutions. Solomon also reinforced his position through military strength. In addition to infantry, he had at his disposal impressive chariotry and cavalry. The eighth chapter of 2 Chronicles recounts Solomon’s successful military operations in Syria. His aim was the control of a great overland trading route. To consolidate his interests in the province, he planted Israelite colonies to look after military, administrative, and commercial matters. Such colonies, often including cities in which chariots and provisions were kept, were in the long tradition of combining mercantile and military personnel to take care of their sovereign’s trading interests far from home. Megiddo, a town located at the pass through the Carmel range connecting the coastal plain with the Plain of Esdraelon, is the best-preserved example of one of the cities that Solomon is said to have established.

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Palestine was destined to be an important centre because of its strategic location for trade by land and sea. It alone connects Asia and Africa by land, and, along with Egypt, it is the only area with ports on the Atlantic-Mediterranean and Red Sea–Indian Ocean waterways. Solomon is said to have fulfilled the commercial destiny of Palestine and brought it to its greatest heights. The nature of his empire was predominantly commercial, and it served him and friendly rulers to increase trade by land and sea. One particularly celebrated episode in the reign of Solomon is the visit of the Queen of Sheba, whose wealthy southern Arabian kingdom lay along the Red Sea route into the Indian Ocean. Solomon needed her products and her trade routes for maintaining his commercial network, and she needed Solomon’s cooperation for marketing her goods in the Mediterranean via his Palestinian ports. Biblical legend makes much of a romance between the Queen and Solomon, and his granting her “all that she desired, whatever she asked” (1 Kings 10:13) has been interpreted to include a child.

Quick Facts Hebrew: Shlomo (Show more) Flourished: c.975 BCE - c.926 BCE (Show more) On the Web: Jewish Virtual Library - King Solomon (Feb. 20, 2026) (Show more) See all related content Britannica Quiz Kings and Emperors (Part III) Quiz

Tradition recognizes Solomon as an ambitious builder of public works. The demand for fortresses and garrison cities throughout his homeland and empire made it necessary for Solomon to embark on a vast building program, and the prosperity of the nation made such a program possible. He was especially lavish with his capital, Jerusalem, where he erected a city wall, the royal palace, and the first famous Temple. Around Jerusalem (but not in the Holy City itself), he built facilities, including shrines, for the main groups of foreigners on trading missions in Israel. Solomon’s Temple was to assume an importance far beyond what its dimensions might suggest, for its site became the site of the Second Temple (c. 5th century bce–70 ce).