什麼是所羅門

活動時期西元前10世紀中葉

大衛的兒子和繼承者。幾乎所有關於他的記載都來自《聖經》（〈列王紀〉第1～11章和〈歷代志〉第1～9章）。通過其母親拔示巴（Bathsheba）和先知拿單（Nathan）的努力，所羅門在大衛在世時被施以塗油禮。登基後，他無情的消滅敵人，將親友安排到重要職位上。他在王國邊界之外建立的以色列殖民地，和席巴女王等友好的統治者合作，以期促進商業。其龐大王國的防禦工事需要大的建築計畫，其中最壯觀的就是耶路撒冷聖殿。他重新劃分整個國家，分成十二個部落，分別處於十二個行政區。據說他有七百個妻子和三百多個妾。其子羅霍博姆（Rehoboam）繼位後，北部部落分離出去，形成以色列王國，結束了所羅門帝國的輝煌。其傳奇式的智慧都被記錄在《舊約》的〈箴言〉中，據說他是聖經所羅門之歌的作者。他被認爲是以色列最偉大的國王。

Solomon

Son and successor of David. Nearly all that is known about him comes from the Bible (1 Kings 1-11 and 2 Chronicles 1-9). Through the efforts of his mother, Bathsheba, and the prophet Nathan, Solomon was anointed king while David was still alive. On accession to the throne, he liquidated his opponents ruthlessly and installed friends in key posts. He established Israelite colonies outside his kingdom's borders, cooperating with such friendly rulers as the Queen of Sheba to increase commerce. Fortification of his far-flung empire necessitated a vast building program, the crowning achievement of which was the Temple of Jerusalem. He reorganized the nation into 12 tribes with 12 administrative districts. He is said to have had a harem of 700 wives and 300 concubines. After the ascension to the throne of his son Rehoboam, the northern tribes seceded and formed their own kingdom of Israel, bringing an end to Solomon's empire. His legendary wisdom is recorded in the Book of Proverbs, and he is traditionally named as the author of the biblical Song of Solomon. He was regarded as the greatest king of Israel.