(tenth century BCE). Third king of Israel, builder of the Temple, in Jewish tradition, "wisest of all men." His reign and that of his father David are regarded as halcyon days of the Israelite monarchy. Solomon inherited a large kingdom, from the Euphrates to the Egyptian border, which during his reign enjoyed peace and prosperity. He fortified the country by constructing a series of fortresses, store-cities, and chariot cities, including Megiddo and Hazor. His most important accomplishment was the building of the Temple, completed in the eleventh year of his reign, which made Jerusalem into the nation's spiritual as well as national center. He also built his palace in Jerusalem. Solomon divided the country into districts and established a large chariot corps, developed large smelting furnaces to produce copper and iron, built a fleet of ships on the Red Sea, developed overseas trade, and made alliances with foreign nations. He was visited by the Queen of Sheba with her large retinue; in Ethiopian tradition, that country's royal dynasty resulted from the union of the queen with Solomon.
Solomon went too far with the heavy taxes and forced labor he imposed on the people, resulting in growing unrest after his death that led to the division of the country into the separate kingdoms of Israel and Judah. In addition, although he himself was faithful to the religious tradition of his father, under the influence of his foreign wives in his old age he installed the idols of Sidon, Ammon, and Moab in Jerusalem. This is the religious reason for the division of the kingdom, and for the prophet Ahijah's handing Jeroboam ten sundered parts of the kingdom (I Kg. 11:31). Only Judah and Benjamin remained loyal to David's dynasty.
The Bible attributes superior wisdom to Solomon, as seen from his dream at Gibeon, where, given a choice by God, he asked for this gift above any other, and from his resolution of the case of the two harlots (I Kg. 3). According to legend, he knew divine mysteries and understood the language of the beasts.
The biblical books of Song of Songs, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Psalm 72 are traditionally ascribed to Solomon.
