Solomon lived how long

The Bible depicts Solomon's reign as an era of unprecedented prosperity due to his wisdom, a quality bestowed upon him by God.

Follow the quest for the Queen of Sheba and Ethiopia's ancient Christian churches. Solomon knew that the true mother had spoken, for no woman could see her own child killed. Discover Babylon, home of the first legal code. When the project was finished, a citadel of white and gold had risen over Jerusalem. The Temple built by Solomon would become the spiritual center of Jerusalem. At the same time, the king built a ring of strongholds to protect his kingdom, with fortresses in Megiddo, Hazor, and Gezer.

All rights reserved. National Geographic explores notable biblical figures in our ongoing series People in the Bible, as part of our coverage of the history of the Bible and the search for sacred texts. Share Tweet Email. After his death, his son Rehoboam succeeded the throne and quickly began oppressing the Israelites. About 10 of the tribes chose to make Jeroboam their king, forming the Northern Kingdom of Israel, leaving Rehoboam to rule the two remaining tribes in what became the Kingdom of Judah.

He understood how the world worked, and instead of living in harmony with God and his order for the world, he tried to exploit it and bend it to his own advantage. He built God a temple, then surrounded it with places to worship other gods. Wisdom is a valuable gift, and God gave Solomon an abundance of it.

But with that wisdom came an even greater temptation to trust his own judgement, rather than humbly walking with God. Which makes it all the more remarkable that Solomon said:. Solomon probably learned that lesson the hard way. And thankfully, we can learn from his mistakes, too. Who Was King Solomon? What is King Solomon known for? He asked God for wisdom Jews and Christians alike often regard Solomon as the wisest man who ever lived.

He was incredibly wealthy Solomon obviously inherited a great deal of wealth from his father, David, who built up an immense treasury through the spoils of war. He promoted idolatry Since ancient religions were so deeply embedded in their cultures of origin, marrying foreigners exposed the Israelites to other gods, rituals, and traditions that shaped their worldview and behavior.

Here are a couple of examples. One of those songs was the book we know as Song of Songs, or the Song of Solomon. Which kind of begs the question: which wife is this about? There were a lot of them, OK? The other one is Esther. Explore the Bible with us! We create research-based articles and handy infographics to help people understand the Bible. Get the good stuff! Who Was Herod? This site uses cookies to analyze traffic and ensure you get the best experience.

Learn more. Solomon taxed his subjects heavily, conscripted them into his army and into slave-like labor for his building projects. King Solomon's sins speak loudly to us in our current day materialistic culture.

When we worship possessions and fame over God, we are headed for a fall. When Christians marry an unbeliever, they can also expect trouble.

God ought to be our first love, and we should let nothing come before him. Solomon hails from Jerusalem. Nehemiah Was it not because of marriages like these that Solomon king of Israel sinned? Among the many nations, there was no king like him. He was loved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel, but even he was led into sin by foreign women.

Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance. Select basic ads. Create a personalised ads profile. Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights. Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. The age of Solomon is not recorded.

However, we have the following facts that suggest, in agreement with most non-Biblical sources, that Solomon was about 20 years old when he became king. Thus, we cannot be sure, but it strongly appears that Solomon was about 20 when he took the throne.

It should be noted that David reigned for 40 years so that Solomon began his reign 10 years younger than David. No doubt, there is some exaggeration in the expression, which manifestly is not to be taken au pied de la lettre; at the same time it is questionable whether such words would be used of himself by a young man of twenty , which Solomon is commonly supposed to have been. See on 1 Kings , and 1 Kings ].

This is when David cohabited with Bathsheba. So, give three years minimum for "in the course of time" and one more year for "in the spring" and the adultery took place in David's 11th year as ruler, or later. Bathsheba's child the one conceived in David's adultery was born and died in David's 12th year, or later.

There were four living sons Bathsheba bore for David 1 Chronicles Since the listing in Chronicles and 2 Samuel are identical, it is reasonable to assume the list is in chronological order, with the result Thus, since David reigned 40 years, Solomon would be 24 years old or younger when he became king.

The Bible did not give the specific age of Solomon when he became King. But we can make the calculation. Sign up to join this community. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top. Stack Overflow for Teams — Collaborate and share knowledge with a private group.