Melakhim I Chapters 9–10 | The Decline of Shlomo’s Kingdom

After constructing the Temple, the Tanakh describes Shlomo’s ongoing building projects, economic relationship, and the growing might of his kingdom. However, the hints of issues and sins seen in earlier chapters become amplified and emphasized. Here are some key points:

God’s Warning Regarding the Temple’s Existence: In Shlomo’s prayer in Chapter 8, he requests that the Temple serve as a place of prayer, even for times when the people are exiled:

"Should they sin against You — for there is no person who does not sin — and You rage against them and deliver them over to their enemy, who drags them off as captives to the enemy's land… and they pray to You, toward their own land which you gave to their ancestors, to the city that You chose and the House I built for Your name” (8:46-49). Shlomo describes the Temple as eternally standing, even during exile. However, God corrects this assumption, emphasizing that despite the Temple's holiness, its existence is not guaranteed. If the Israelites sin and deserve exile, the Temple will also face destruction. This misconception persisted, with later generations mistakenly relying on the Temple’s sanctity regardless of their actions. Yirmiya warns against such reliance, and tells them the Temple isn't safe: "Do not rely upon words of false assurance that say: This is the Temple of the Lord, the Temple of the Lord, the Temple of the Lord" (Yirmiya 7:4).

Building Projects and the Comparison to Egypt: Shlomo continued his extensive construction projects. The economic trade relations and the imposition of forced labor (מס עובד), initially intended for building the Temple, persisted for the construction of the royal palace and extended further even after these two goals were achieved: "When Shlomo had finished building the House of the Lord and the King's own house, and fulfilled every desire he wished to fulfill.” While the justification for taxes and labor to construct the Temple may seem valid, the king's reliance on such practices becomes habitual, making it difficult to stop. The text draws comparisons to Egypt through terms like store towns (ערי מסכנות), chariots, and forced labor, that appear about Pharaoh himself. Shlomo marries Pharaoh's daughter, adopting Egyptian ideals that include the pharaonic ambition to glorify their name through grandiose construction projects. For additional insights, see Dr. Hanan Gafni's paper, which explores this subject in greater depth.

He must not accumulate gold: The key word of these chapters is gold, mentioned no fewer than 17 times in these two chapters. There is detailed focus on how Shlomo acquired vast quantities of gold and of his glorious use of it, coming to the following statement: "it counted for nothing in the days of Shlomo.” The Torah warns kings against three limitations:

"... he must not acquire many horses for himself, he must not make the people return to Egypt to acquire many horses… he must not accumulate wives and let his heart be led astray, nor should he amass large amounts of silver and gold”. (Devarim 17:16-17). Shlomo violates all three prohibitions: the pursuit of gold is clear, the construction of a chariot force reliant on Egyptian horses is emphasized in the Tanakh, and in the next chapters we'll read about all of his many wives. The common idea to these restrictions are that they temper royal power. The king is a person with limitless authority and  the Torah ensures the power won't go to his head: "So that he may learn to revere the Lord his God, taking care to keep all the words of this commandment and these decrees, not considering himself superior to his people or straying from the commandments to the right or to the left…"

The Gemara (Sanhedrin 21b) uses Shlomo’s story to explain why the Torah does not always explain the rationale for mitzvot: Shlomo assumed the prohibition on women is so they won't lead his heart astray, so he thought he could bypass that and stay on the right path, but unfortunately he was mistaken and failed. Shlomo also thought he could accumulate horses without returning his people to Egypt, but again was mistaken and failed. The lure of power is corruptive, and clear boundaries are essential to prevent its misuse.

Attached is Rav Bazak's lecture on Chapter 9, where he elaborates on the gold mentioned in these chapters and discusses several additional topics. In general, the entire series of lessons on the rise and fall of King Shlomo is highly recommended.