Shelomo's Monarchy in Jerusalem (I)
Jerusalem in the Bible
Yeshivat Har Etzion
SHIUR #10: SHELOMO'S
MONARCHY IN
GENERAL
SURVEY
Rav Yitzchak
Levi
In the previous shiurim, we described David's actions in
I.
THE MONARCHY OF SHELOMO AN IDEAL MONARCHY AT THE
OUTSET
Shelomo's monarchy
should have been an ideal monarchy in all senses:
* Shelomo was the first
king to succeed his father.
* Peace prevailed in the
entire region:
"For he had dominion
over all the region of this side of the river, from Tifsach to Azza, over all
the kings on this side of the river; and he had peace on all sides round about
him. And Yehuda and
* The borders of the
kingdom were the widest ever:
"And Shelomo reigned
over all kingdoms from the river to the land of the Philistines, and to the
border of
* Economic prosperity
reached extraordinary heights:
"And Shelomo's provision
for one day was thirty kor of fine flour, and sixty kor of meal,
ten fat oxen, and twenty oxen out of the pasture, and a hundred sheep, apart
from deer and gazelles, and fallow deer, and geese." (Ibid. vv.
2-3)
"Now the weight of gold
that came to Shelomo in one year was six hundred and sixty six talents of gold
And King Shelomo made two hundred targets of beaten gold: six hundred shekels of
gold went to one target. And he made three hundred shields of beaten gold; three
pounds of gold went to one shield
Moreover the king made a great throne of
ivory, and overlaid it with the best gold
And all King Shelomo's drinking
vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon
were of pure gold, none were of silver; that was considered nothing in the days
of Shelomo
And the king made silver to be in
* Shelomo's wisdom was
known throughout
* The entire world
recognizes Shelomo's superiority, strength and wisdom:
"And there came of all
people to hear the wisdom of Shelomo, from all kings of the earth, who had heard
of his wisdom." (Ibid. 5:14)
"So King Shelomo
exceeded all the kings of the earth for riches and for wisdom. And all the earth
sought of Shelomo, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart. And they
brought every man his present, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and
garments, and armor, and spices, horses, and mules, and so it was year by year."
(Ibid. 10:23-25)
* David had made all the
possible preparations for the building of the
Shelomo's opening
circumstances seem to very promising from all perspectives spiritual,
political, internal, and economic. He is able to begin construction of the
II. THE
STRUCTURE OF THE CHAPTERS DEALING WITH SHELOMO (I MELAKHIM
1-11)
The eleven chapters of I
Melakhim that deal with Shelomo's kingdom are divided into several
sections:[1]
12:11 |
The anointing of
Shelomo as king and David's testament. The section ends: "Then Shelomo sat
upon the throne of David his father; and his kingdom was firmly
established" (2:12). |
2:13-4:1 |
The solidification
of Shelomo's kingdom. The section ends: "And all |
4:2-5:14 |
The |
5:15-7:51 |
The treaty with
Chiram and the wisdom of Shelomo, the construction of the house of God and
the house of the king. |
8 |
The dedication of
the |
9:1-9 |
Shelomo's second
night vision (the promise regarding a dynasty and the |
9:10-28 |
Strengthening of
the kingdom, its security and its economy. |
10 |
The wisdom of
Shelomo, his wealth, his greatness, and his
strength. |
11 |
Shelomo's sins and
punishment. |
The internal division
indicates that the chapters dealing with the
At the beginning of
chapter 3, it is stated:
"And Shelomo became
allied by marriage with Pharaoh, King of Egypt, and took Pharaoh's daughter, and
brought her into the City of
There is here a hint of criticism about the fact that a house of God had
not yet been built, and that the people were still offering sacrifices in the
high places. Later in the chapter, there is a description of God's first
appearance to Shelomo at Giv'on, Shelomo's opting for wisdom, and the judgment
involving the two harlots.
Chapter 5 contains a description of Shelomo's wealth, a separate
verse being dedicated to the number of his horses (40,000 stalls and 12,000
horsemen!). Later, Scripture expands greatly about Shelomo's wisdom and his
alliance with Chiram, King of Tzor.
Chapter 9 describes
God's second appearance in Giv'on, where he warns Shelomo that if he fails to
observe His commandments and statutes, the
In chapter 10, following a description of Shelomo's construction
projects and the visit of the Queen of Sheba, there is another detailed account
of Shelomo's enormous wealth: the gold and silver found in his kingdom and the
gold and silver brought to him. It seems that chapter 10 translates Shelomo's
wisdom, described in chapter 5, primarily into wealth. That same chapter relates
once again to the great number of chariots and horsemen, mentioning that they
originated in
In
chapter
11,
Shelomo's love of God in chapter 3 is replaced by his love for foreign women who
turn his heart away, and by the construction of bamot for idol worship to
the east of the city.
It is precisely the first permanent king in
Separating between these
two units are the chapters dealing with the construction of the house of God and
the house of the king. The chapters dealing with the
III. CHRONOLOGY
OF THE DAYS OF SHELOMO
We do not have an
orderly description of the various stages of Shelomo's life, but it is
reasonable to assume that the events described in I Melakhim are arranged
in chronological order:
* Chapters 1-2 deal with
the anointing of Shelomo as king, and with the solidification of his kingdom,
that is, the beginning of his reign.
* Chapters 3-5 describe,
according to our understanding, the period that preceded the building of the
* Chapters 9-11 deal with
the period following the completion of the house of God and the house of the
king and the dedication of the
* Chapter 11:4 states:
"For it came to pass, when Shelomo was old."
Explicit dates and
durations of time are recorded only in the chapters dealing with the
In the continuation of
this shiur, we shall try to offer an overview of Shelomo's own
attitude towards the meaning of God's
IV. THE TIMES
OF THE BUILDING AND THE DEDICATION OF THE
"In the fourth year was
the foundation of the house of the Lord laid, in the month Ziv; and in the
eleventh year, in the month Bul (which is the eight month) was the house
finished throughout all its parts, and according to all the fashion of it. So
was he seven years in building it." (I Melakhim
6:37-38)
The building of the
"And all the men of
"Also at that time
Shelomo kept the feast for seven days, and all
1.
WHY DID THE BUILDING ONLY BEGIN IN THE FOURTH
YEAR
According to the plain
sense of the text, Shelomo dedicated the first four years to the solidification
of his kingdom, a process that required the full execution of David's testament
including the killing of Shim'i at the end of three years (I Melakhim
2:39). Abravanel (following Pesikta Rabbati 6, 7) explains that Shelomo
did not want to build the Temple with the materials that David had prepared for
him, but rather with his own property, and three years were needed to attain all
that was needed for the construction.
2.
BEGINNING IN THE MONTH OF ZIV AND ENDING IN THE MONTH OF
BUL
The Vilna Gaon
writes:
"These are the names by
which they called the months before they went into exile in Bavel, that is, Iyar
was called Ziv, Tishrei - Eitanim, Marcheshvan - Bul and Nissan - Aviv. The
names that we use, that is, Nissan and Iyar, are from after they went down to
Bavel."
The Gemara in Rosh Ha-shana (11a) explains that the month of Iyar
is called Ziv because during that month "the trees have splendor [ziva],"
that is to say, the splendor and beauty of blossoms and flowers. So too Targum
Yonatan renders the term: "The month of the splendor of blossoms" (I
Melakhim 6:1). The term for Marcheshvan, "Bul," might mean "produce"
("yevul") (as in "the mountains bring forth food [bul]"; Iyyov
40:20), for that is the month in which the harvest of the fruits of the
previous year comes to an end. And such is the term rendered by Yonatan: "The
month of gathering produce."[3]
There is a certain symbolism here: The construction begins in the season of
blossoming and flowering, and concludes in the period of the gathering of the
crop.
3.
THE DEDICATION IN TISHREI
Assuming that the
dedication ceremony indeed took place at the end of the twenty-year period of
building God's house and the house of the king, it stands to reason that Shelomo
chose the date. One might have expected that the
Shelomo gives expression
to his understanding that the
"Moreover concerning a
stranger, that is not of your people Israel, but comes out of a far country for
Your name's sake: (for they shall hear of Your great name, and of Your strong
hand, and of Your stretched out arm;) when he shall come and pray towards this
house; hear You in heaven Your dwelling place, and do according to all that the
stranger calls to You for: that all people of the earth may know Your name, to
fear You, as do Your people Israel; and that they may know that this house,
which I have built is called by Your name." (I Melakhim
8:41-43)
Shelomo tries to realize the vision of the prophets that in the future
all the nations will go up to bow down before God on the holy mountain in
Jerusalem (Yishayahu 2, Mikha 4, Zekharya 14), and "My
house will be called a house of prayer for all peoples" (Yishayahu 56:7).
It seems that Shelomo thought that the transition from Mishkan to
This outlook fits in well with Shelomo's political and economic
situation: the kingdom of Israel was living in peace with extensive borders;
Shelomo became allied through marriage with Pharaoh, King of Egypt, taking his
daughter as a wife[5];
he makes a pact with Chiram, King of Tzor, and develops extensive commercial and
political connections with the surrounding nations; even the ruler of distant
countries, like the Queen of Sheba, are aware of his wisdom, his wealth, and his
greatness:
"And all the earth
sought of Shelomo, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart. And they
brought every man his present, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and
garments, and armor, and spices, horses, and mules, and so it was year by year."
(I Melakhim 10:24-25)
"And a chariot going out
of
Even Shelomo's love for "many foreign women, together with the daughter
of Pharaoh, Mo'avite, Ammonite, Tzidonian and Chittite women" (I Melakhim
11:1) some have seen this as part of the same tendency of uniting the entire
world under the sovereignty of God:
"'Neither shall he
multiply wives to himself' (Devarim 17:17). And it is written: 'But King
Shelomo loved many foreign women.' Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai said: He loved them,
literally, for fornication
Rabbi Yose said: To draw them near to the words of
the Torah and to draw them under the wings of the Shekhina."
(Yerushalmi, Sanhedrin 2:6)
To summarize, Shelomo's aspiration to assign the
V. THE
HOUSE OF GOD
On two occasions God
reveals Himself to Shelomo and sets the conditions for the continued existence
of the
"And the word of the
Lord came to Shelomo, saying, Concerning the house, which you are building, if
you will follow My statutes, and execute My judgments, and keep all My
commandments to walk in them; then will I perform My word with you, which I
spoke to David your father; and I will dwell among the children of Israel, and
will not forsake My people Israel." (I Melakhim
6:11-13)
Here we find only the positive element of the condition: If Shelomo
follows God's statutes, executes His judgments, and keeps His commandments, God
will dwell among the people of
In the second revelation, immediately following the dedication of the
"And the Lord appeared
to Shelomo a second time, as He had appeared to him at Giv'on. And the Lord said
to him, I have heard your prayer and your supplication, that you have made
before Me. I have hallowed this house, which you have built, to put My name
there for ever; and My eyes and My heart shall be there perpetually. And if you
will walk before Me, as David your father walked, in integrity of heart, and in
uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded you, and will keep My
statutes and My judgments: then I will establish the throne of your kingdom upon
Israel for ever, as I promised to David your father, saying, There shall not
fail you a man upon the throne of Israel. But if you shall turn from following
Me, you or your children, and will not keep My commandments and My statutes
which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods, and worship them: then
will I cut off Israel out of the land which I have given them; and this house,
which I have hallowed for My name, will I cast out of My sight; and Israel shall
be a proverb and a byword among all people. And at this house, which is high,
every one that passes by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss, and they shall
say, Why has the Lord done thus to this land, and to this house? And they shall
answer, Because they forsook the Lord their God, who brought their fathers out
of the
Why does the prophet Yirmiyahu, author of the book of Melakhim,
spell out the negative element of the condition the destruction of the
"If you people go out to
battle against their enemy, wherever you shall send them, and shall pray to the
Lord towards the city which You have chosen, and towards the house that I have
built for Your name. Then hear You in heaven their prayer and their
supplication, and maintain their cause. If they sin against You, (for there is
no man who does not sin) and You be angry with them, and deliver them to the
enemy, so that they carry them away captives to the land of the enemy, far or
near; yet if they take thought in the land where they were carried captive, and
repent, and make supplication to You in the land of their captors, saying, We
have sinned, and have done perversely, we have committed wickedness; and so they
return to You with all their heart, and with all their soul, in the land of
their enemies, who led them away captive, and pray to You toward their land,
which You did give to their fathers, the city which You have chosen, and the
house which I have built for Your name; then hear You their prayer and their
supplication in heaven your dwelling place, and maintain their cause, and
forgive Your people that have sinned against You, and all their transgressions
in which they have transgressed against You, and give them compassion before
them who carried them captive, that they may have compassion on them; for they
are Your people, and your inheritance, whom You did bring out of Egypt, out of
the midst of the iron furnace. That Your eyes may be open to the supplication of
Your servant, and to the supplication of Your people
Shelomo does not consider the possibility of the destruction of the
There is no doubt that the building's grandeur and splendor contributed
to Shelomo's feeling that the
It seems to me that Shelomo's error is summed up in a statement of Rabbi
Yitzchak:
"Rabbi Yitzchak said:
Why were the reasons of [some] Biblical laws not revealed? Because in two
verses reasons were revealed, and they caused the greatest in the world
[Shelomo] to stumble. Thus it is written: 'He shall not multiply wives to
himself' (Devarim 17:17) whereon Shelomo said: I will multiply wives yet
not let my heart be perverted. Yet we read: 'When Shelomo was old, his wives
turned away his heart' (I Melakhim 11:4). Again it is written: 'He
shall not multiply to himself horses' (Devarim 17:16); concerning which
Shelomo said: I will multiply them, but will not cause [
Even the supernal wisdom that God bestowed upon Shelomo is incapable of
fully comprehending the reasons for the mitzvot of the
Torah.
Regarding the
From such an elevated starting point peace, wide and safe borders,
abundance, and readiness to establish the kingdom and build the Temple Shelomo
fell into the deep pit of idolatry, and in its wake came the prophecy concerning
the division of the kingdom.
It is not by chance that the bamot erected by Shelomo for idol
worship remained standing until the days of Yoshiyahu almost the end of the
first
"One verse says: 'For
the Lord has chosen
During the very days of
Shelomo the
The lesson to be learned
from the period of Shelomo is that kingdom necessitates extreme humility. The
king must always remember that he is sitting on the throne of God; he must bend
himself before the will of God; and he must direct the day-to-day life of the
kingdom to the eternal life of God's Torah.
SUMMARY
We have tried to present in this shiur an overall picture of the
period of Shelomo and the manner in which he himself viewed the building of
God's
(Translated by David
Strauss)
[1] This division is
brought in the introduction to the Da'at Mikra commentary to the book of
Melakhim, pp. 27-29.
[2] The chronological
relationship between the building of the God's
[3] Radak explains: "'In
the month Bul' this is Marcheshvan
And it is called by this name because of
the rains which begin to fall in that month, in the sense of mabul,
flood. And in the words of the Rabbis: 'In the month Bul' - when the leaves
decay, and the ground is cloddy, and the month when cattle is given mixed fodder
from what is in the house, that is to say, when there is no more animal fodder
in the field."
[4] The universal
significance of the festival of Sukkot appears to be rooted in the fact
that it is the harvest festival, when one agricultural year comes to an end and
another one begins.
[5] The marriage of the
daughter of an Egyptian king to a foreigner was exceedingly exceptional during
that period.
[6] See Shabbat 30a:
"When Shelomo built the
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