SUMMARY
The biblical author highlights how SolomonThird king of Israel who was known for wisdom and building the first Temple. More sowed the seeds for the downfall of his kingdom.
ANALYSIS
The authors/editors of 1 Kings highlighted the conflicted reality of King Solomon’s rule by including in the narrative different evaluations of his reign, sometimes side by side. On the one hand, in v. 12, the biblical author extols Solomon: he was the recipient of divine wisdomWisdom encompasses the qualities of experience, knowledge, and good judgment. The Old Testament book of Proverbs, which sometimes invokes a Woman as the personification of Wisdom, is a collection of aphorisms and moral teachings. Along with other biblical passages, it teaches, "The fear of the... More and God’s promises, he made peace with fellow rulers and established a treaty to maintain that peace. Verse 13, however, makes an immediate about-face. Solomon may have been trustworthy outside of his kingdom, but inside his domain, the reality was starkly different. With what seems an indifferent memory for the Israelites’ plight in Egypt, King Solomon coerces his own people into forced labor. Over 175,000 workers (1 Kings 5:13-16) would have been an absurd amount of laborers in ancient times: the city of Jerusalem, the center of Solomonic rule, would not have had more than 5,000 residents (likely far less).
As the text of 1 Kings was passed down throughout the scribal generations, it is probable that vv. 13-14 were later additions, verses placed in the chapter after the kingdoms of Israel and JudahJudah was the name of Jacob's fourth son and one of the 12 tribes. More had dissolved. Regardless of whether or not they were later additions, the effect such interjections have on the tone of the story is significant. The joyous celebration of the building of the TempleThe Jerusalem temple, unlike the tabernacle, was a permanent structure, although (like the tabernacle) it was a place of worship and religious activity. On one occasion Jesus felt such activity was unacceptable and, as reported in all four Gospels, drove from the temple those engaged... More is undercut in these verses, foreshadowing the disaster ahead. In just a few chapters (1 Kings 12), the true fragility of this United Monarchy will be exposed under the rule of Solomon’s son RehoboamThe son of Solomon during whose reign the kingdom divided into north and south. More, and the asides of vv. 13-14 will come to the forefront of the narrative. Later, the Gospel writers would use a similar technique as they wove references to Jesus’ death throughout the tales of his ministry.
