SOLOMON: b. probably between 1033 and 993 B.c.• ' d. between 980 and 920 a.c.• the son of David, Icing of Israel, by Bathsheba, for merly the wife of Uriah, was appointed by David to be his successor in preference to his elder brothers. He ascended the throne between 12 and 14 years of age and reigned 40 years. His age is usually given as 53 at death. By his remarkable judicial decisions, and his comple tion of the political institutions of David, Sol omon gained the respect and admiration of his people; while by the building of the temple, which gave the Hebrew worship a magnificence it had not hitherto possessed, he bound the nations still more strongly to his throne. He put to death Adonijah, Joab, Shimei and others whom he deemed enemies and married a daugh ter of Pharaoh besides women of nearly all the neighboring principalities to increase his influence and prestige. He built up a foreign commerce previously unknown. The wealth of Solomon, accumulated by a prudent use of the treasures inherited from his father; by success ful commerce; by a careful administration of the royal revenues, and by an increase of taxes, —enabled him to meet the expense of erecting the temple, building palaces, cities and fortifi cations and of supporting the extravagance of a luxurious court. He extended his dominions from the Euphrates to the Philistine and Egyp tian borders. He had a trading agreenient with King Hiram of Tyre and received rare wood and other articles for the temple. Solo mon chose influential men as his advisers, and himself attained a reputation of being one of the wisest of mankind. His fame was so great that the queen of Sheba traveled 1,500 miles to interview him. Many biblical and profane stories are told of his miraculous powers and prophetic ability. He knew better than to en
gage in war, but he maintained a considerable standing army, including 1,200 cavalry and 4,000 armed chariots.
Fortune long seemed to favor this great king, and Israel, in the fulness of its prosperity, scarcely perceived that he was continually be coming more despotic. Contrary to the laws of Moses, he admitted foreign women into his harem; and from love of them he was weak enough in his old age to permit the free prac tice of their idolatrous worship, and even to take part in it himself. Toward the close of his reign troubles arose in consequence of these delinquencies, and the growing discontent, com ing to a head after his death, resulted in the division of the kingdom, which his feeble son Rehoboam could not prevent. The 40 years' reign of Solomon is still celebrated among the Jews for its splendor and its happy tranquillity, as one of the brightest periods of their history. The writings attributed to Solomon are the Book of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and the Song of Solomon, with the apocryphal book the Wisdom of Solomon; but modern criticism has decided that only a portion of the Book of Proverbs can be referred to Solomon.
Students of Hebrew and Arabic works ap pear to agree that Solomon is much overrated by the biblical narrative, and that there was nothing in his career to deserve his being placed among the world's great men. Consult Alex ander, 'King Solomon' (1897); Farrar, 'Solo mon' ; Hallock, 'Child's History of King Solo mon' ; Hirsh, E. G.,