About This Quiz
Solomon is one of the most significant figures in the Old Testament. The son of King David, he ruled over the kingdom of Israel for many decades and was blessed by the Lord with great wisdom. He was very powerful, largely thanks to intelligent trade policy which included an alliance with Hiram I, king of Phoenicia. He forged an alliance with Egypt too, which was cemented by marriage and enabled his kingdom to benefit from both ends of the Fertile Crescent - that is, the cradle of civilization formed by the three great Middle Eastern and North African rivers of the Tigris, Nile and Euphrates. Israel was bang on the arch of the crescent and a wise king could make a great deal out of this. All sorts of goods went through the kingdom of Israel during Solomon's reign, from corn to precious stones to textiles to all manner of things.
Some Biblical figures are somewhat mythical, but Solomon is definitely a real person, as solid records of his reign exist. It's quite likely there has been some embellishment and some conflation of different tales as these are events from 3,000 years ago. but broadly speaking it is possible to be pretty well-informed about the hard facts of his reign as well as the more flowery accounts. Let's see how you do!
Solomon was the most loved son of David by his favorite wife.
Solomon wrote the book of Proverbs, a beautiful collection of wisdom.
Solomon had a lot of wives, since that was the thing to be done if you had a lot of money. He clearly had a couple of favorites, though, who he loved the most.
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Solomon's mother was David's most beloved wife, Bathsheba, who left her previous husband for David.
The Queen of Sheba heard about Solomon and decided to visit and meet him. They traded presents and according to some accounts, had a love affair that resulted in a baby.
Ethiopia and/or Yemen are the likely sites of the kingdom of Sheba, which was a really powerful country, with a very favorable trading position.
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The United Monarchy was the period when Israel had a king and was not a divided land, under the rulers Saul, David and Solomon.
Rehoboam was Solomon's heir, although he wasn't quite the man his father was!
The first Temple was a very important construction and lasted for centuries. Solomon designed it and built it.
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Since God blessed Solomon with wealth, he can't be blamed for greed - he just got rich! He also had lots of wives so technically that wasn't adultery, and he worked hard. He did get into some idolatry, though, which was bad for the kingdom and resulted in punishment from God.
Solomon is a real historical figure and there are solid accounts of the dates. They're not always totally precise, but they're not a million miles off.
It's the Arabic name for Solomon!
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The Talmud is a collection of Jewish civil and ceremonial law and legend consisting of the Mishnah and the Gemara. Solomon is represented in it as a prophet.
This is the origin of the story about how genies are trapped in bottles! It's not in the Bible, but it is one of the stories told about Solomon.
Kabbalah is a tradition of Biblical interpretation that peaked in the Middle Ages. In some writings, Solomon is described as compelling two angels to tell him all the secrets of the world.
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Solomon was the son of the king, so he was born at the capital of Jerusalem.
The Apocrypha are non-canonical books that are deemed part of the Bible in certain faith traditions.
Solomon was a very prolific Biblical writer but he did not write the Book of Kings, even though he is one of the most important characters in it.
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This was a very long time especially considering he didn't become king until he was about 40.
Technically, lots of people were passed over for Solomon, as he was not the eldest son by any stretch. However, Adonijah was the Crown Prince, meaning the first son to the first wife.
Hiram and Solomon's father were good friends, and this kept up during Solomon's reign. The alliance was very good for both nations.
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Two women claimed to be mother of the same baby. Solomon said they should cut it in half to share it. One woman renounced her claim, which he knew meant she was the mother as she was willing to give up the baby rather than harm it.
Marriage has always been the best way to make an alliance and Solomon did love his marriages!
The Testament of Solomon is from hundreds of years after his death but was falsely attributed to him for some time.
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Solomon is in an awful lot of stories, and made it into Arab literature as a figure with all sorts of magical abilities.
Solomon was a powerful and wise ruler but his heir, Rehoboam, was not. This resulted in the splitting of the kingdom and a great loss of wealth and territory.
Solomon founded Megiddo, which the Bible says is the site of the end of the world. They might have been off when it comes to the timing, though, as Megiddo and the world are still with us!
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This is why when the kingdom later divided, half of it was called Judah.
The second book of Chronicles contains the tales of 21 rulers of Israel. About a quarter of the book is about Solomon.
Nathan was a lifelong family friend and advocate for Solomon.
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It means "friend of God," so it was a lovely name to give to a baby!
Solomon lived 80 years and was king for half his life.
This is probably an exaggeration, but remnants of many hundreds of stables have been found dating to Solomon's reign at the site of his palace.
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Solomon didn't set things up very well for the next generation and the kingdom divided. Fortunately, Jeroboam was a good ruler.